Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. This piece features Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro&#8217;s exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on U.S. taxpayer dollars being spent in the war with Russia.
As taxpayers raise concerns about corruption in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ben Shapiro he would be open to an audit into the use of American funds.
In a face-to-face exclusive interview with Shapiro in war-torn Kyiv, Zelensky said he is prepared to allow inspectors to review how the more than $174 billion in American aid has been used to support Ukraine’s war against Russia.
“We’re always ready for any audit,” Zelensky said. “There’s nothing to hide. We are absolutely open, transparent, and that is what’s happening.”
Zelensky said that U.S. inspectors have had oversight following Russia attempting to “undermine the support and assistance coming from the United States” through “fake news and other tools” at the start of the war.
Zelensky added that he is “grateful to all the U.S. taxpayers.”
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“We are grateful to the bipartisan support in Congress,” he said. “We are grateful to the unity around the fight of Ukraine for independence … and the great contribution of the United States in the defense of our people.”
He added that he has his own “internal audit” where his government is “documenting how much assistance was provided.”
According to Zelensky, Ukraine has received $104-$105 billion in assistance, most of which comes in the form of military support.
“The money was paid to the transportation of those weapons,” Zelensky said. “Ukrainian companies were not allowed to transport this money. That&#8217;s why we haven&#8217;t received it — not in the public, not in the private sector — the money for the transportation.”
According to the <a href="https://www.gao.gov/ukraine-oversight">U.S. Government Accountability Office</a>, Congress appropriated more than $174 billion for Ukraine. The funds have been used for security assistance and weaponry, or for economic and humanitarian assistance, including direct budget support for the Ukrainian government, aid for refugees, improving the health sector, and repairing infrastructure such as the energy grid.
Zelensky said he is not attempting to argue with the United States by claiming he is getting nearly $70 billion less than the United States government is reporting.
“It&#8217;s important that both countries and — the taxpayers know — where their money is,” he said. “In terms of the use of that money primarily, it was for the weapons that were used on the battlefield.”
In total, the Ukrainian government was directly given $22.9 billion by USAID for direct budget support, mostly for reimbursing salaries for teachers, civil servants, and health care workers, according to the GAO.
“We are very grateful for all that,” Zelensky said. “The United States has to know that they were not feeding our pensioners and our soldiers with regards to the salary or the compensation. Surely you&#8217;ve provided the most important aspects — that is the weapons.”
The GAO recommended several ways to improve oversight of funding in Ukraine, including tracking the unprecedented amount of military equipment given to the country, making training initiatives more efficient, properly assessing the value of assets given, and more.
The report also points out that the State Department does not have a “systematic, comprehensive approach to specifically track funding that federal agencies have provided for economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.”
Zelensky argued that the United States benefited from providing financial support to Ukraine because it has received intel about weaponry, including drones being used in the current conflict.
Zelensky added that Ukraine is keeping Russia from invading NATO countries that would pull the United States into a much larger war.
“I’ve mentioned it many times before, the U.S. will have to protect the other NATO countries, because such an agreement exists, or the U.S. will have to leave NATO,” Zelensky said. “So as long as Russians are not in any single NATO member nation, your families are not facing this question. So that will be a major question for your families: Are they going to send your child to war?&#8221;

Ben Shapiro

Best Of 2025: Zelensky Tells Ben Shapiro He’s Open To An Audit On How Ukraine Spends U.S. Taxpayer Dollars

Global Politics

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

Volodymyr Zelensky

World

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. had &#8220;hit&#8221; an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, marking the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since a pressure campaign began against President Nicolas Maduro&#8217;s government.
&#8220;There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,&#8221; Trump said.
&#8220;We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area&#8230; it&#8217;s the implementation area. That&#8217;s where they implement, and that is no longer around.&#8221;
It was not immediately clear what target was hit nor which part of the U.S. government acted.
Asked if the CIA had carried out the attack, Trump said: &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don&#8217;t want to say who it was.&#8221;
Trump has previously said that he has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.
On a radio show last week, Trump made vague comments about an apparent U.S. operation against a &#8220;big facility&#8221; in Venezuela.
The Central Intelligence Agency, the White House, and the Pentagon have not publicly elaborated on those comments and declined to comment on questions posed by Reuters. The Venezuelan government has not commented on the incident Trump described and there have been no independent reports from Venezuela of it.
Primazol, a chemical plant in Zulia state which suffered a fire on Christmas Eve, has denied online rumors that the blaze was what Trump alluded to in his comments. The company also said the fire was quickly extinguished and was under investigation. Nearby residents told Reuters they heard an explosion, saw the fire and smelled chlorine.
The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Trump&#8217;s administration has previously touted its success in taking out suspected drug trafficking vessels, and the Pentagon has posted footage of several of its strikes on social media.
The lack of response by U.S. national security agencies had raised questions about whether the incident Trump mentioned was carried out covertly. Such an operation would likely limit the ability of U.S. officials to speak on the matter.
Last month, Reuters reported that the U.S. was poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on Maduro&#8217;s government.
At the time, two U.S. officials said covert operations would likely be the first part of the new action against Maduro.
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The U.S. mission has primarily focused on military strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels and has prompted intense oversight from Congress. More than 100 people have been killed in more than 20 strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Earlier this month, U.S. military leaders briefed lawmakers on an incident in September in which an American strike killed 11 people but left several survivors who were killed in a second strike ordered by Admiral Frank Bradley.
Congressional Democrats have questioned whether the second strike was conducted in accordance with international law.
Trump&#8217;s administration has overseen a massive U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including more than 15,000 troops.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Erin Banco and Idrees Ali; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk, David Gregorio and Rosalba O&#8217;Brien)

UK Hosts President Trump And First Lady Melania Trump For State Visit – Day Three

U.S. Hits Drug Boat Loading Facility In Venezuela, Trump Says

Cartels

Donald Trump

Drugs

Venezuela

El Salvador&#8217;s President Nayib Bukele, who came to power in 2019 and is now serving a second term which critics have called unconstitutional, said he was open to staying in power for another decade.
&#8220;If it were up to me, I would stay for 10 more years,&#8221; Bukele said in a video interview published by Spanish YouTuber TheGrefg on Monday. He noted that he had initially agreed with his wife that he would leave politics in 2029.
El Salvador is expected to hold its next presidential election in 2027, to decide who will run the country through to 2033.
Bukele will be eligible to run for a third term, after the ruling party-controlled Congress pushed through a constitutional reform in July to abolish term limits, bring forward the next election and extend presidential terms from five to six years.
Legal experts at home and abroad have questioned the legality of Bukele&#8217;s attempts to extend his term. The country&#8217;s constitution prohibits presidents&#8217; consecutive reelection in at least six of its articles.
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Early in 2024, Bukele won his second term with a landslide victory despite a constitutional ban.
The wildly popular 44-year-old publicist enjoys some of the world&#8217;s highest approval ratings thanks to a hardline approach to crime which has helped drastically reduce murder rates.
Critics say this has come at the expense of civil rights and people have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and even killed in custody.
Bukele, who once described himself on his Twitter account as &#8220;the world&#8217;s coolest dictator,&#8221; said he did not plan to establish a dictatorship in El Salvador and it would be up to Salvadorans to decide whether he should continue in power.
(Reporting by Gerardo Arbaiza; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Gregorio)

President Of El Salvador Nayib Bukele Visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum”

El Salvador’s Bukele Open To Staying In Power For ‘Ten More Years’

El Salvador

Nayib Bukele

South America

Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. In this piece, originally published in April, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the opportunity to respond to accusations that Christians are being persecuted in Ukraine.
Ben Shapiro confronted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over allegations of Christian persecution and forcibly conscripting men off the street in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-probes-zelensky-in-ukraine-as-clock-ticks-on-peace-deal?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ben+Shapiro+Probes+Zelensky+In+Ukraine+As+Clock+Ticks+On+Peace+Deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">face-to-face interview</a> in war-torn Kyiv this week.
Shapiro questioned Zelensky on the concerns that he has cracked down on the religious freedom of the Russian Orthodox Church — marking one of the first times the Ukrainian leader has been pressed on such issues by a member of the American media.
“There have been a lot of accusations that there&#8217;s been a crackdown on religious freedom in Ukraine, particularly with regard to the Russian Orthodox Church,” Shapiro said. “Maybe you can respond to the accusations that there&#8217;s a restriction on religious freedom with regard to Russian Orthodox in Ukraine.”
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Zelensky started off by observing that Shapiro witnessed him moments before the interview holding a meeting with the leaders of 15 different religious sects who make up the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations.
“We have a meeting like that a couple of times per year, and I truly visit some of the churches’ sites,” he said. “I believe that what Ukraine has is the largest council of churches in Europe. All of our churches are united — different religions, different believers, and everyone is united.”
Zelensky said that there is no pressure on religious institutions generally, but admitted that the Ukrainian government has cracked down on some churches that he believes are working on behalf of Russia’s intelligence agency.
“The Moscow church is just another agency of the KGB,” Zelensky said. “Everyone knows that Russia’s special services are in control of the church.”
Zelensky said that the churches must be free of influence and that “Moscow cannot be in control.”
“The legislative changes in Ukraine are related to the fact that there could be no connection between Moscow and the church,” Zelensky said, referring to a 2024 law <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/10/30/ukraine-new-law-raises-religious-freedom-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banning religious organizations</a> with ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/10/30/ukraine-new-law-raises-religious-freedom-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Human Rights Watch</a> raised concerns about the law&#8217;s broad scope and its potential to target the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the country’s main religious body, founded in 1990 when it split from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Zelensky denied that any churches were closed but pointed out that he and Shapiro were outside the Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, whose foundations are believed to have been laid in 1011.
“Sophia is older than Russia&#8217;s capital city and any churches they have,” Zelensky said. “That&#8217;s the answer. We shouldn&#8217;t be having any disputes. We have scientific evidence. We are just saying that our church should be free from any authorities. It&#8217;s free for the people.”
“Nobody closed anything or anyone. But it can&#8217;t be the case that Russia&#8217;s KGB is in control of the church in Ukraine. Everyone is against these legal ties.”
Shapiro also pressed Zelensky on the reports that Ukrainian men have been kidnapped off the streets and forcibly recruited into the military — a claim that Vice President JD Vance brought up during Zelensky’s contentious <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-vance-clash-with-zelensky-in-fiery-white-house-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oval Office meeting</a> in March.
“There have been reports online that people are being picked up off the streets and in places in eastern Ukraine and recruited into services,” Shapiro asked. “How do you respond to accusations and videos like that?”
In response, Zelensky called the act “military mobilization” and said that it’s a policy created in accordance with martial law after the 2022 Russian invasion.
“The country is at war,” Zelensky said. “That is why we do have mobilization. We want the war to end…but as long as there is war, as long as we have the law, there is still mobilization.”
Zelensky downplayed the accusations, claiming that there are “different approaches&#8221; to military mobilization and that taking men off the streets is not “the main thing that describes Ukraine today.”
“No, Ukraine has 800,000 right now, or 600,000 people who volunteered to go to the army,” he said. “That was the law on mobilization, but the people were volunteering to go and defend Ukraine.”
Zelensky added that the issue is “not massive” and that he believes law enforcement should be “making sure that everything would be transparent” and that there is “no coercion.”
“We shouldn&#8217;t be hiding that like a corruption,” he went on. “If we are fighting with this on an everyday basis — well, of course, you can hide it, like everything, as in [the] case in Russia or in some European countries — but Ukraine clearly shows that it is fighting on a constant basis against aspects like that. But those are kind of singular cases. This is not massive. That&#8217;s more important, and that should be reducing on a daily basis. We&#8217;re doing that.”

Best Of 2025: Ben Shapiro Confronts Zelensky On Christian Persecution And Conscription In Exclusive Interview

Russia

President Donald Trump talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, as the United States seeks to finally bring an end to the Ukraine-Russia war.
Trump&#8217;s discussion with Putin on Monday was &#8220;positive,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/2005668576771051870">according</a> to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who did not reveal any details of the phone call. Trump also <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115798213364038844">said</a> he spoke to Putin in a &#8220;productive telephone call&#8221; just prior to his meeting with Zelensky on Sunday.
During a press conference alongside Zelensky following their meeting, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-peace-deal-in-ukraine-is-closer-than-ever-save-a-few-thorny-issues">said</a> that he believes a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is &#8220;closer than ever,&#8221; adding, “In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other.” Zelensky added that Ukrainian negotiators have agreed to about 90% of Trump&#8217;s 20-point peace plan, while Trump said Ukraine agreed to 95% of it. Trump proposed a 28-point peace plan last month, but it was reduced to 20 points during negotiations.
“Our meeting was excellent, we covered — somebody would say 95 percent, I don’t know what percent — but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war,” Trump said on Sunday.
While Trump remains optimistic about the peace negotiations, Putin has shown no signs of slowing down his campaign to take over Ukraine.
Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with missiles and drones over the weekend, just ahead of Trump&#8217;s meeting with Zelensky. Kyiv, along with other parts of Ukraine, was targeted with hundreds of missiles and drones on Saturday. At least two people were killed, and 46 others were wounded in the attacks, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drones-missiles-pound-ukraine-before-zelenskiy-trump-meeting-2025-12-27/">reported</a>. Zelensky argued that Russia’s aggression was a direct response by Putin to Ukraine’s negotiations with Trump.
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&#8220;Today, Russia demonstrated how it responds to peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and the United States to end Russia&#8217;s war against Ukraine,&#8221; Zelensky said on Saturday.
Russia also accused Ukraine of targeting a presidential residence in a drone attack that was thwarted by Russian defenses. Zelensky denied the accusation, calling it a &#8220;new lie&#8221; from Moscow.
Russia has signaled that it does not agree with some of Trump&#8217;s peace plan, including how large Ukraine&#8217;s military would remain under the conditions, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-29/trump-putin-held-positive-call-on-ukraine-white-house-says">reported</a>. Another major sticking point in the negotiations is Ukraine’s Donbas region, which is largely under Russian control despite continued fighting by Ukrainian troops.
Zelensky, meanwhile, said on Monday that he wants security guarantees from the United States to last up to 50 years if he agrees to the peace deal. Under the current proposal, the United States and Europe would provide security guarantees for 15 years, with the possibility for an extension.
“I would like the guarantee to be much longer,” Zelensky said. “We would like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years and then it will be a historic decision by Trump.”

U.S. President Trump And Russian  President Putin Meet On War In Ukraine At U.S. Air Base In Alaska

Trump Holds ‘Positive’ Call With Putin After Zelensky Meeting

Executive

Politics

Vladimir Putin

Gen Z is particularly attuned to the threat of radical Islam, as a number of college students told The Daily Wire&#8217;s Isabel Brown at Turning Point USA&#8217;s AmFest.
Brown, the host of The Isabel Brown Show, moderated a panel discussion with three students, all active within TPUSA. One student said that the issue of Islam came entirely down to freedom of speech — and, in particular, freedom to dissent.
&#8220;Theoretically, if you disagree with the teachings of Christ, you can live in the United States and still abide by our laws and respect each other, but in a theocracy like what is under — the Middle East and Islam — you can&#8217;t,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;If you criticize Mohammed, you could genuinely put your life at risk. And we don&#8217;t have that in the United States, and I don&#8217;t think that we should.&#8221;
&#8220;When it comes to looking at different religions, the beautiful thing about America is that you can practice every kind of religion that you need. We have this freedom of religion,&#8221; the third panelist added. &#8220;So let me be clear — I don&#8217;t think we should just kick out all Muslims, I don&#8217;t think we should kick out people who practice the Islamic faith — but the idea that the Islamic faith is at all compatible with the Western world is a fallacy in and of itself.&#8221;
&#8220;When you look at the Koran versus the Bible, which is what America is based on, they don&#8217;t connect,&#8221; she added. &#8220;They don&#8217;t work together at all.&#8221;
&#8220;And that&#8217;s controversial to say because we have Muslims living in America. I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s bad to be a Muslim living in America, I think it&#8217;s bad to want Islamic ideals to be put into America because they just don&#8217;t fit with the western world. You&#8217;ll see that happening in Europe — I believe that Europe has completely fallen now. You see this separation between cultures like we haven&#8217;t seen before and this dying of an entire race, an entire culture. What Europe was is dead now. And it will break my heart to see that happen in America.&#8221;
Brown pressed the students on whether they&#8217;d discussed the issue before — and whether their professors had said anything on the topic.
One said that the typical response was to simply slap &#8220;phobia&#8221; on the end of the word, saying &#8220;it&#8217;s Islamophobia if you even dare to question it. And the thing is, I think that means we need to question it. We need to question whether it&#8217;s actually compatible.&#8221;
The overwhelming assessment, from all three panelists, was that Islam was not compatible with Western values. Brown said that Charlie Kirk — the late TPUSA founder and her friend — agreed with this assessment.
&#8220;Charlie, more than anyone in the conservative movement, spoke often in the last few years about the dangers influence on Islam and Eastern philosophy on Western civilization, not just in the United States, but around Europe as well — where we&#8217;re seeing really crazy headlines over the past several months more than any time in our lifetime, right?&#8221; Brown began.
She went on to give examples, noting that Christmas markets and New Year&#8217;s Eve events were being canceled due to the threat posed by pro-Palestinian protesters and Islamic extremists, and that terrorist attacks around the world had increased dramatically — &#8220;and now that&#8217;s starting to seep into American culture here as well.&#8221;
After conceding that she herself had been &#8220;a little bit spicy&#8221; in recent weeks in her declarations that Islam — as an institution — was &#8220;incompatible&#8221; with Western ideals and, in particular, the United States, Brown explained that Islam did not place value on free speech or equality between the sexes, among other things.
One of the students noted that Charlie had always stressed the importance in differentiating between individual Muslims and Islam as a religious or political structure.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a completely incompatible concept that we could even allow these collective societies, like in the United States where now different tribes are fighting over who&#8217;s going to get elected in Minnesota, like that&#8217;s not really what America is supposed to be.&#8221;

Isabel Brown panel discussion

Gen Z Students Sound The Alarm On Islam And Democracy: ‘They Don’t Work Together At All.’

Islam

Western Civilization

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he believes Russia and Ukraine are &#8220;closer than ever&#8221; to reaching a peace deal that would finally bring about an end to the carnage and bloodshed of the last nearly four years of war.
&#8220;In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other,&#8221; Trump said in a Mar-a-Lago press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he also revealed that he&#8217;d spoken at length to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day. &#8220;It&#8217;s been a very difficult negotiation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> delivers remarks upon meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZelenskyyUa</a> at Mar-a-Lago: &#8220;We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin&#8230; and I do think we&#8217;re getting a lot closer.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/tIHjR0wko2">pic.twitter.com/tIHjR0wko2</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005397981361566190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005399260355825824">Trump said</a> as the press conference began. &#8220;And I do think we&#8217;re getting a lot closer &#8230; We could be very close. There are one or two very thorny issues &#8230; but I think we&#8217;re doing very well. We made a lot of progress today.&#8221;
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Trump went on to <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400040559284280">explain</a> that Zelensky might need to take any deal upon which the leaders agreed to the parliament or to the people via a referendum — but, he added, &#8220;Everybody wants [the war] ended&#8230; I want it ended because I don&#8217;t want to see so many people dying.&#8221;
The president then took a number of questions — and when asked about the &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400349428027582">thorny issues</a>&#8221; he&#8217;d mentioned earlier, Trump said that was almost entirely to do with the land that had been seized by Russian military forces and who would control it once the ink was dry: &#8220;The land, they&#8217;re talking about. Some of that land has been taken, some of that land is maybe up for grabs, some of that land may be taken over the next couple of months &#8230; You&#8217;re better off making a deal now.&#8221;
Another reporter asked for a timeline, wondering how long it might take to get a deal across the finish line if they were, in fact, &#8220;closer than ever.&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005401647707484432">Trump&#8217;s response</a> was simple: &#8220;In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other&#8230; it&#8217;s been a very difficult negotiation.&#8221;
Reflecting on his earlier phone call with Putin, Trump said that the Russian president had seemed different than in past interactions.
&#8220;I saw a very interesting President Putin today,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think we&#8217;re going to get there. .. I was on the phone with him for almost two-and-a-half hours. We discussed a lot of things. We didn&#8217;t talk about the weather.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on his call with Putin: &#8220;I saw a very interesting President Putin today&#8230; I think we&#8217;re going to get there&#8230; I was on the phone with him for almost two-and-a-half hours. We discussed a lot of things. We didn&#8217;t talk about the weather.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/DUilLAh6lc">pic.twitter.com/DUilLAh6lc</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005401716943106558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I really believe we&#8217;re probably, Mr. President, closer than — by far — closer than ever before with both parties,&#8221; Trump declared, and when he looked over at Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader nodded his agreement.

President Donald Trump Hosts Visiting Ukrainian President Zelensky At Mar-a-Lago

Trump: Peace Deal In Ukraine Is ‘Closer Than Ever,’ Save A Few ‘Thorny Issues’

President Donald Trump responded early on Sunday to reports of breakout fighting between Thailand and Cambodia, saying that the United States had quickly stepped in to bring the leaders of both nations back around to honoring the peace agreement they&#8217;d made months earlier.
Trump shared the news in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115797695341052561">post</a> to his Truth Social platform on Sunday morning, taking a moment to lay out a number of other conflicts in which both his first and second administrations had intervened with positive results.
&#8220;I am pleased to announce that the breakout fighting between Thailand and Cambodia will stop momentarily, and they will go back to living in PEACE, as per our recently agreed to original Treaty,&#8221; Trump began, citing the treaty that was pushed through in July of 2025, brokered by Malaysia but under trade pressure from the United States. &#8220;I want to congratulate both great leaders on their brilliance in coming to this rapid and very fair conclusion. It was FAST &amp; DECISIVE, as all of these situations should be!&#8221;
&#8220;The United States of America, as always, was proud to help! With all of the wars and conflicts I have settled and stopped over the last eleven months, EIGHT, perhaps the United States has become the REAL United Nations, which has been of very little assistance or help in any of them, including the disaster currently going on between Russia and Ukraine,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;The United Nations must start getting active and involved in WORLD PEACE!&#8221;
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The new peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand was signed on Saturday and took effect at noon that day — and will put a stop to all military movements and airspace violations, The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/thailand-cambodia-border-fighting-ceasefire-0019310e1c062cd211f9f5398b3bc463">reported</a>. Once the ceasefire has held for 72 hours, Thailand will also be required under the new deal to return 18 Cambodian soldiers who have been held prisoner since prior to the last peace agreement in July.
Cambodia’s Tea Seiha and Thailand’s Nattaphon Narkphanit, both defense ministers, met at a checkpoint on their shared border Saturday to sign the new ceasefire agreement.

President Trump Responds After Fighting Breaks Out Between Cambodia And Thailand

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Just one week after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard warned of the major threat posed by Islamists, major cities across the United States — and around the world — have altered and even canceled New Year&#8217;s celebrations due to security concerns.
In Chicago, state and local officials released a joint threat assessment just before Christmas, and warned that <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/post/new-years-eve-chicago-news-citys-nye-2025-celebration-is-attractive-target-foreign-domestic-extremists-report-says/18310758/">crowded celebrations</a> — such as the annual New Year&#8217;s Eve fireworks at Navy Pier — could be &#8220;attractive targets&#8221; for either domestic or foreign terrorists. They plan to go ahead with the events as planned, but will be increasing security in the area — and will be actively monitoring for potential attacks with drones or by using vehicles to ram crowds.
In <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/four-indicted-foiled-new-years-eve-terror-bombing-plot-targeting-southern-california-businesses">Los Angeles</a>, just over a week earlier, the FBI foiled a series of planned New Year&#8217;s attacks by the anti-government extremist group Turtle Island Liberation Front. Those attacks were supposed to target local businesses — and the group also planned to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the coming weeks. Members of the group had already begun the process of building and testing pipe bombs to be used in the holiday attacks when they were caught.
Audrey Carroll, one of those indicted in the Southern California case, had sent messages to other members saying things like, &#8220;I identify as a terrorist,&#8221; and, &#8220;I am a Hamas fangirl.&#8221;
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A <a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/lone-wolves-small-groups-most-persistent-security-threats-new-years-eve-times-square-report-says/18305122/">threat assessment</a> for the massive New Year&#8217;s Eve celebration held in Times Square, New York City, also raised red flags as officials said the largest concerns were potential &#8220;lone wolf&#8221; actors and small, organized groups. New York City is a symbolically &#8220;aspirational target&#8221; for would-be terrorists, the assessment stated, also noting the potential for &#8220;vehicle ramming attacks.&#8221;
&#8220;Lone offenders remain a particular concern due to their frequent ability to avoid detection until operational — al-Qa&#8217;ida and ISIS, and their supporters, continue to demonstrate an interest in targeting special events in the Homeland, as well as US officials and other perceived enemies,&#8221; the assessment read.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said that he would still feel comfortable allowing celebrations to go on if he were in charge, touting the capabilities of the New York Police Department: &#8220;If it were me in New York, I would go ahead, but that&#8217;s because I know I have the greatest police department in the world.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“If it were me in New York, I would go ahead, but that&#8217;s because I know I have the greatest police department in the world.”
— Former NYC Mayor <a href="https://twitter.com/RudyGiuliani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RudyGiuliani</a> said New York City can still hold a safe New Year’s Eve celebration despite heightened terror threats<a href="https://twitter.com/RitaCosby?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RitaCosby</a> <a href="https://t.co/AD7900BsQ3">pic.twitter.com/AD7900BsQ3</a>
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) <a href="https://twitter.com/NEWSMAX/status/2004967129917870547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The threat assessments come as multiple <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/the-real-war-on-christmas">celebrations</a> and holiday events — from Christmas markets to New Year&#8217;s Eve concerts — have been noticeably changed or canceled altogether across Europe amid similar threats of Islamist attacks.
In Salzburg, Austria, the famous Christmas market has had a security overhaul — including security guards and dozens of cameras — and Paris has canceled the annual New Year&#8217;s Eve celebration on the Champs- Élysées.
It also comes as Gabbard recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tulsi-gabbard-warns-that-islamist-ideology-is-freedoms-greatest-threat">laid out</a> the threat posed — in the United States and around the world — by Islamist ideology.
“It is a political ideology that seeks to create a global caliphate that governs us here in America,” she said, adding, “And if you fail to comply, if you fail to adhere to this ideology, if you dare to exercise your God-given right to free speech, censorship is not what we face. They will use violence or any means that they deem as necessary to silence us.”

US-LIFESTYLE-HOLIDAY-NEW YEARS

Major Cities Scuttle New Year’s Plans Amid Increased Islamist Terror Threats

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China&#8217;s foreign ministry announced sanctions on Friday targeting 10 individuals and 20 U.S. defense firms, including Boeing&#8217;s St. Louis branch, over arms sales to Taiwan.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said the United States strongly objected to the Chinese move, which freezes any assets the companies and individuals hold in China and bars domestic organizations and individuals from doing business with them.
Individuals on the Chinese list, including the founder of defense firm Anduril Industries and nine senior executives from the sanctioned firms, are also banned from entering China, it added.
Other companies targeted include Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and L3Harris Maritime Services, and Boeing&#8217;s St. Louis branch, which focuses on defense work.
The Chinese action appears largely symbolic given China&#8217;s lack of dealings with U.S. defense firms, whereas it has been a major purchaser of Boeing civilian aircraft.
The move follows Washington&#8217;s announcement last week of $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever U.S. weapons package for the island, drawing Beijing&#8217;s ire.
&#8220;The Taiwan issue is the core of China&#8217;s core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations,&#8221; a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
&#8220;Any provocative actions that cross the line on the Taiwan issue will be met with a strong response from China,&#8221; the statement said, urging the U.S. to cease &#8220;dangerous&#8221; efforts to arm the island.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as part of its own territory, a claim Taipei rejects.
The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though such arms sales are a persistent source of friction with China.
The State Department spokesperson said this policy had &#8220;remained consistent across nine different U.S. administrations and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.&#8221;
&#8220;We strongly object to Beijing’s efforts to retaliate against U.S. companies for their support of U.S. arms sales that support Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,&#8221; the spokesperson said, while urging Beijing to cease military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taipei.
Boeing has been in talks to sell Chinese carriers up to 500 civilian jets, according to a report in September, which would represent a major breakthrough for the company in the world&#8217;s second-largest aviation market, where orders have stalled amid U.S.-China trade tensions.
(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Joe Bavier, Peter Graff and Alistair Bell)

The two sides clashed with missiles. trade war. Flag of the People’s Republic of China. Flag of the United States. Taiwan flag

China Hits U.S. Defense Firms With Sanctions Over Arms Sales To Taiwan

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President Donald Trump ordered the United States military to carry out strikes on ISIS targets in Africa on Christmas Day, saying that he had warned them to stop the systematic slaughter of Christians and they had not heeded that warning.
Trump shared the news first in a post to his Truth Social platform, saying that the War Department had — on his orders — carried out a number of &#8220;perfect strikes&#8221; on targets throughout Northwest Nigeria.
&#8220;Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!&#8221; Trump posted, adding, &#8220;I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.&#8221;
&#8220;The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.&#8221;
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&#8220;The President was clear last month,&#8221; War Secretary Pete Hegseth added. &#8220;The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support &amp; cooperation. Merry Christmas!&#8221;
Just hours before President Trump confirmed that the strikes had taken place, the War Department posted a Christmas message that served as a reminder that the United States military did not rest just because it was a holiday.
&#8220;Christmas night, 1776… The world slept while Washington crossed the Delaware. We carry his legacy,&#8221; the post read, and included an image of then-General George Washington and his men crossing the Delaware River.
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Christmas night, 1776…
The world slept while Washington crossed the Delaware.
We carry his legacy. <a href="https://t.co/eFRDAwfewO">https://t.co/eFRDAwfewO</a> <a href="https://t.co/ePUt394Qdj">pic.twitter.com/ePUt394Qdj</a>
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DOWResponse/status/2004235843448504500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On Christmas night of 1776, Washington led some 2,400 men in crossing the treacherously icy Delaware River. They surprised an encampment of Hessian soldiers — Germans fighting for the crown — near Trenton, where they won a decisive victory and took some 900 of the Hessians prisoner. Two other generals were supposed to cross the Delaware that same day — one to harass other troops in the area and prevent them from providing backup and another to prevent the Hessians a safe avenue of retreat — but only Washington and his men were able to make it across the river.

President Trump Attends Pentagon Ceremony On 24th Anniversary Of 9/11

Trump Strikes ISIS Targets In Nigeria On Christmas Day

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The Trump administration moved more troops and military assets into the South Caribbean this week as the president continues to ratchet up pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. military moved a large number of special operations aircraft, soldiers, and more equipment into the area this week, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-moves-troops-and-additional-special-operations-aircraft-into-caribbean-bb8167c6?mod=hp_lead_pos1">The Wall Street Journal</a>. The deployment comes as the United States has begun to seize oil tankers known for transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
In a press conference on Monday, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-warns-maduro-against-playing-tough-itll-be-the-last-time">warned</a> Maduro against playing “tough” with the U.S. military.
“He can do whatever he wants. We have a massive armada formed, the biggest we’ve ever had – by far the biggest we’ve ever had in South America. He could do whatever he wants. It’s alright. Whatever he wants to do, if he wants to do something. If he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” said Trump.
At least 10 CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and a C-17 cargo plane flew from the United States to the South Caribbean on Monday, according to WSJ. The aircraft carried troops and other equipment.
Maduro has accused the Trump administration of pursuing colonialism in South America and of violating international law. U.S. military operations against drug trafficking began in international waters off the coast of Venezuela over the summer and have resulted in dozens of drug boats being sunk by U.S. missiles.
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During his first term, Trump called on Maduro to step down as Venezuela’s leader. Trump has increased pressure in the first year of his second term, raising a bounty on Maduro to $50 million and approving CIA operations in Venezuela targeting the dictator.
The United States has seized at least two sanctioned oil tankers in recent weeks and pursued a third, according to reports. The president said on Monday that the United States would keep the oil and potentially add it to “the strategic reserves.”
The decision to target Venezuela’s international oil business marks a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Maduro. Oil is the foundation of Venezuela’s economy and accounts for much of the money used to maintain Maduro’s regime.

Trump Just Made The ‘Massive Armada’ Off The Coast Of Venezuela Even Bigger

Nicolas Maduro

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