Thursday, May 21Thursday, May 21Donald Trump has escalated tensions with Pope Leo XIV over the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, publicly accusing the pontiff of "endangering a lot of Catholics" by opposing the conflict and suggesting the pope believes "it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon." The feud intensified after Pope Leo XIV condemned Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as "unacceptable" and urged Americans to pursue peace, prompting Trump to criticize the pope ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to the Vatican .
Rubio’s visit to Rome and the Vatican this week is aimed at repairing relations strained by the public dispute. The U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, indicated Rubio expects a "frank conversation" with the pope, framing the meeting as an opportunity for "fraternity and authentic dialogue" to address disagreements between the U.S. and the Vatican . The visit follows Trump’s repeated attacks on the pope, including claims that the pontiff’s stance on Iran undermines Catholic safety .
> Background: **Rubios Vatican Visit Aims to Ease Tensions After Trump-Pope Feud** — *1 days ago*
#USA US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Rome and the Vatican this week to meet with Pope Leo XIV and Italian officials, aiming to repair relations strained by President Donald Trumps public criticism of the pope. The visit comes after Pope Leo XIV called Trumps threat to destroy Iran unacceptable and urged Americans to work for peace, leading to a public feud between the two leaders. Subscribe to @OSINTdefender Chat room
telegram bot · 15 days ago
Seth Meyers on Trumps poll ratings: His disapproval is higher than Covid and January 6 Late-night hosts discussed Trumps disapproval ratings hitting a record high and the closure of Spirit AirlinesOn Monday night, late-night hosts weighed in on Donald Trumps erratic statements on Iran, rising oil prices and the shuttering of every budget-conscious travellers favorite low-cost airline. Continue reading...
theguardian · 15 days ago
Trump Accuses Pope Leo of Endangering Catholics by Opposing Iran War The presidents criticism adds to tensions ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubios visit to the Vatican.
wsj · 15 days ago
David Letterman doubts late-nights future before Colbert finale Veteran host says format may not last as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ends its 33-year run amid controversyAhead of the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, former network late-night host David Letterman said that he would be surprised if other shows in that format last too much longer.Letterman, 79, made the remark in an interview with the New York Times that was published on Tuesday, in which he also described his disbelief upon learning Colberts show had been cancelled. Continue reading...
theguardian · 15 days ago
Rubble from Trump ballroom dumped at DC golf course has toxic metals, data shows A federal judge also warned White House to tread carefully as it moves ahead with plans to revamp DC golf courseA federal judge weighed into a dispute over Donald Trumps controversial plans to revamp a historic Washington DC golf course on Monday, warning the presidents administration to tread carefully as it also dumped toxic rubble from the demolished White House East Wing there.District court judge Ana Reyes likened the saga to an episode of the hit television comedy Parks and Recreation during an emergency hearing in the capital to hear an application for a temporary restraining order filed by the DC Preservation League. Continue reading...
theguardian · 15 days ago
Barron Trump is not a time traveller – but theres a reason the idea has gone viral | Arwa Mahdawi The latest conspiracy theory involves the presidents son and a book written in the 19th century. Its yet another distraction from the war on Iran, the rising cost of living and the Epstein filesOnce upon a time there was a boy called Baron Trump, who was growing weary of his privileged life at Trump Castle. Then, one fateful day, Baron found an ancient manuscript by a wise old man called Don, which stated that, a long time ago, terrible disturbances on Earth had driven humans into underground bunkers, creating a World Within a World. Guided by Dons manuscript, Baron sets off to Russia to discover the secrets of this hidden land.Dont worry, Im not announcing a new career as a pro-Trump childrens author. I think FBI director Kash Patel, who wrote a series of terrible kids stories about a King Trump, has that covered. Rather, Im summarising a book from the late 19th century called Baron Trumps Marvellous Underground Journey by an American lawyer called Ingersoll Lockwood. Continue reading...
theguardian · 15 days ago
Podcaster floats wild conspiracy about Trumps true plans for bunker under White House ballroom: He aint leaving Trump has said the military is constructing a massive complex beneath the $400 million ballroom
independent · 16 days ago
Trump accuses pope of endangering a lot of Catholics with Iran stance US president directs fresh criticism at pontiff days before secretary of state Marco Rubios visit to VaticanMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has issued a fresh verbal attack against Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of endangering a lot of Catholics because he thinks its fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.The remarks come two days before Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, meets Leo at the Vatican in an effort to ease the tensions sparked by Trumps previous broadside against the Chicago-born pontiff over his condemnation of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Continue reading...
theguardian · 16 days ago
US secretary of state Marco Rubio to have frank conversation with the pope – Europe live The meeting will take place after Donald Trump carried out an unprecedented broadside against the pontiffUS secretary of state Marco Rubio expects a frank meeting with Pope Leo during a visit to the Vatican this week, the US ambassador said, after president Donald Trump took a fresh pot-shot at the pope for criticising the US war in Iran.Nations have disagreements, and I think one of the ways that you work through those is ... through fraternity and authentic dialogue, said Brian Burch, the US ambassador to the Holy See, in comments reported by Reuters. Continue reading...
theguardian · 16 days ago
Ballroom blitz: Trump bombards Truth Social with posts pushing for his beloved White House event space President Donald Trump remains fixated on his under-construction social venue, work on which has been stalled by a lawsuit, posting a series of demands from conservatives that it be completed
independent · 16 days ago
New frontier of AI forces Trumps heavy hand President Trump set out on his first day in office to free artificial intelligence from government constraints.15 months later, his own White House is preparing to become a gatekeeper for the most powerful new models on Earth.Why it matters: AI has crossed a threshold that no administration — not even one ideologically committed to staying out of its way — can afford to ignore.Its a sea change in both Silicon Valley and Washington, accelerated by a new class of models that can hunt down cybersecurity flaws with extraordinary speed and precision.Anthropics Mythos, withheld from public use due to safety concerns, was the first model to trigger panic. But with OpenAIs GPT-5.5 now matching its capabilities and Chinese labs racing to catch up, it wont be the last.The intrigue: It was only two months ago that the Pentagon declared Anthropic a supply chain risk and effectively blacklisted the company.Now the White House is developing guidance that would allow agencies to get around that designation and onboard new Anthropic models, Axioss Maria Curi and Ashley Gold scooped last week.Driving the news: Thats just the first step. The White House is weighing an executive order that would give the federal government a formal role in vetting all new AI models before they hit the market, the New York Times reports.The order would create a working group of tech executives and U.S. officials to design the oversight process, with options that include a formal government review.White House officials briefed executives from Anthropic, Google and OpenAI on early plans last week.Some officials are pushing for a system that would give the government first access to new AI models, but would not block their release, according to the Times.In parallel, the White Houses cyber office is developing an AI security framework that would require the Pentagon to safety-test AI models before theyre deployed by federal, state and local governments, Axios Sam Sabin and Ashley Gold report.A White House official said that any policy announcement will come directly from the president and that discussion about potential executive orders is speculation.Behind the scenes: Sources at top AI companies tell Axios theyre cooperating with the White Houses new effort.The Trump administration recognizes the fast-growing capabilities of the models, and the labs recognize the need to partner with the government to avoid more draconian steps. The White House push, which includes the West Wing and the National Security Council, could result in an agreement within weeks at most, according to sources involved in the conversations.The leading labs want to work with the government to help get the cyber defensive tools into the hands of cyber defenders more quickly, the sources say.The big picture: The Trump administration spent its first year systematically dismantling every meaningful AI safety effort the Biden administration had built.On Day 1, Trump rescinded President Bidens AI executive order, which had asked developers to perform safety evaluations and report on models with potential military applications.Weeks later, Vice President JD Vance told the AI Action Summit in Paris that the future would be won by building — not by hand-wringing about safety.The bottom line: The White House still sees beating China in the AI race as an existential priority, and views regulation with deep skepticism. But breakneck advances in the AI landscape have forced even the administrations most committed deregulators to concede there are exceptions.
axios · 16 days ago
![Trump vs. the publics right to know The Trump administrations moves to limit public access to government records are prompting warnings from watchdogs and historians.The big picture: As the Justice Department challenges the constitutionality of the Presidential Records Act and slow-walks some Freedom of Information Act requests, worries persist about weakened oversight and the government being enabled to spin a curated narrative of American history.The Presidential Records Act and FOIA exist to preserve presidential documents as public property and to ensure access to government records, respectively. By erasing and deleting the information to which we are entitled, they are depriving the public of information ... to know whether their government has been serving them as they promised to, Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, tells Axios.State of play: The Justice Department issued a memo in early April declaring the Presidential Records Act — a Watergate-era law — unconstitutional.White House staffers no longer have to preserve text messages unless they are the sole record of official decision-making, a departure from precedent that every president, including Trump in his first term, has complied with.Simultaneously, the president has reportedly slowed FOIA processing and dismissed numerous FOIA officers, increasing backlogs to fulfill requests for information.The other side: President Trump is committed to preserving records from his historic Administration, and he will maintain a rigorous records retention program, a White House spokesperson told Axios.The spokesperson added that staff must undergo retention training and that emails and documents cannot be deleted from the White House system. [T]here is no difference between our position on physical versus electronic records.Yes, but: The administration has argued that the Presidential Records Act violates the separation of powers and that retaining all text is an enormous technological burden, despite the National Archives providing guidance on automatically capturing texts.Zoom out: Watchdog groups say the administrations moves are eroding transparency and sidestepping checks on the executive branch.Its a burden because they dont want to comply with it, Nikhel Sus, Chief Counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, says. He noted that the Presidential Records Act is a very deferential law designed to protect the Presidents autonomy, and that records arent released until 5-12 years after a president leaves office.Chukwu said slow-walking FOIA requests plagues administrations of all political persuasions, but added that Trump is taking it to a different level. Case in point: Lauren Harper, of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, tells Axios she requested a 19-page DOJ memo about the administrations acceptance of a $400 million Qatari jet.The administration granted her expedited processing, but later said it would take 620 additional days to release the document.Chukwu said agencies have told her they have no responsive records in cases where it would seem nonsensical for none to exist, and that some responses arrive heavily redacted.The bottom line: Harper warns, the White House is attempting to privatize history. Its trying to be the sole decider about what becomes part of the American story, and that is fundamentally wrong.Sarah Weicksel, executive director of the American Historical Association, tells Axios that if the administration picks and chooses what theyre curating, then that is the only historical evidence that is left. …If you limit the kinds of things that can be pulled together to write that narrative, then you control it and control the story.Go deeper: Exclusive: Trumps DOJ says hes not required to turn over official records](https://images.axios.com/c2Ru7v_AhFjIgkkV2P1aDICQk8A=/smart/2022/08/30/004000-1661820000517.gif)
Trump vs. the publics right to know The Trump administrations moves to limit public access to government records are prompting warnings from watchdogs and historians.The big picture: As the Justice Department challenges the constitutionality of the Presidential Records Act and slow-walks some Freedom of Information Act requests, worries persist about weakened oversight and the government being enabled to spin a curated narrative of American history.The Presidential Records Act and FOIA exist to preserve presidential documents as public property and to ensure access to government records, respectively. By erasing and deleting the information to which we are entitled, they are depriving the public of information ... to know whether their government has been serving them as they promised to, Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, tells Axios.State of play: The Justice Department issued a memo in early April declaring the Presidential Records Act — a Watergate-era law — unconstitutional.White House staffers no longer have to preserve text messages unless they are the sole record of official decision-making, a departure from precedent that every president, including Trump in his first term, has complied with.Simultaneously, the president has reportedly slowed FOIA processing and dismissed numerous FOIA officers, increasing backlogs to fulfill requests for information.The other side: President Trump is committed to preserving records from his historic Administration, and he will maintain a rigorous records retention program, a White House spokesperson told Axios.The spokesperson added that staff must undergo retention training and that emails and documents cannot be deleted from the White House system. [T]here is no difference between our position on physical versus electronic records.Yes, but: The administration has argued that the Presidential Records Act violates the separation of powers and that retaining all text is an enormous technological burden, despite the National Archives providing guidance on automatically capturing texts.Zoom out: Watchdog groups say the administrations moves are eroding transparency and sidestepping checks on the executive branch.Its a burden because they dont want to comply with it, Nikhel Sus, Chief Counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, says. He noted that the Presidential Records Act is a very deferential law designed to protect the Presidents autonomy, and that records arent released until 5-12 years after a president leaves office.Chukwu said slow-walking FOIA requests plagues administrations of all political persuasions, but added that Trump is taking it to a different level. Case in point: Lauren Harper, of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, tells Axios she requested a 19-page DOJ memo about the administrations acceptance of a $400 million Qatari jet.The administration granted her expedited processing, but later said it would take 620 additional days to release the document.Chukwu said agencies have told her they have no responsive records in cases where it would seem nonsensical for none to exist, and that some responses arrive heavily redacted.The bottom line: Harper warns, the White House is attempting to privatize history. Its trying to be the sole decider about what becomes part of the American story, and that is fundamentally wrong.Sarah Weicksel, executive director of the American Historical Association, tells Axios that if the administration picks and chooses what theyre curating, then that is the only historical evidence that is left. …If you limit the kinds of things that can be pulled together to write that narrative, then you control it and control the story.Go deeper: Exclusive: Trumps DOJ says hes not required to turn over official records
axios · 16 days ago