PETER HITCHENS: Ukraine's the stupidest war in modern history. Darkness is closing in
On July 4, in a phone call with Ukraine's President Zelensky, Mr Trump asked: 'Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? Can you hit St Petersburg too?'
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Reuters
28 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump administration seeks to keep Nevada US Attorney in place before court can act
WASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration has extended Nevada's Interim U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah's term, aiming to prevent a federal court from rejecting her permanent appointment amid mounting opposition from critics including more than 100 retired federal and state judges, a Justice Department official said. Chattah, an Israel-born former Republican National Committeewoman, has been serving in the interim role since April. The 120-day deadline for her term is set to expire on Tuesday, which would open the door for the federal court in Nevada to appoint a U.S. Attorney since Trump has yet to nominate anyone for the role. The department designated Chattah Acting U.S. Attorney for Nevada under the federal Vacancies Reform Act, the department official said. Chattah announced her new role on X on Tuesday, adding "Rinse and repeat: The law is the ONLY thing that makes ALL people equal." Federal courts have so far rejected two of Trump's other U.S. Attorney picks: John Sarcone in the Northern District of New York and Trump's former personal lawyer Alina Habba in New Jersey. In both of those cases, the Justice Department used a variety of different legal maneuvers to keep them in place. In Habba's case, Attorney General Pam Bondi thwarted the federal court by removing Desiree Grace, Habba's first assistant whom the courts had chosen to serve as the state's top federal prosecutor. The maneuver in New Jersey has injected some uncertainty into federal criminal cases there, and defendants in at least one case have asked that their charges be dismissed based on an argument that Habba's appointment was unlawful. More than 100 retired federal and state judges this week urged the federal court in Nevada not to permanently appoint Chattah, citing her history of racially charged comments and her "extreme partisan bias," according to a letter seen by Reuters. "Chattah has frequently used violence-tinged language suggesting that her political opponent should be hanging from a crane, that protesters should be shot, and that people should 'buy ammo' in response to their grievances," wrote the 116 retired judges in a Monday letter to Andrew Gordon, the chief federal judge in Nevada. The letter listed examples including Chattah referring to former Democratic U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman as an "antisemitic ghetto rat" and calling Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis "so ghetto" and asking: "Why do we have lawyers like this who litigate in Ebonics?" She also previously suggested that certain Democratic Jewish members of the U.S. Congress are equivalent to modern-day Nazi collaborators. A Justice Department official did not have any immediate comment about the letter criticizing Chattah.
Reuters
28 minutes ago
- Reuters
Oil prices rally on US pressure on Russia, trade deal optimism
NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices gained more than 3% on Tuesday as President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine and on optimism that a trade war between the U.S. and its major trading partners was abating. Brent crude futures settled $2.47, or 3.53%, higher at $72.51 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained $2.50, or 3.75%, to settle at $69.21. Both contracts settled at their highest since June 20. On Tuesday, Trump said he would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia "10 days from today" if Moscow did not make progress toward ending the war in Ukraine. "We've amped it up. We have a hard deadline of 10 days," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group. "And there's a suggestion that other countries are going to join us." Also on Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had told Chinese officials that, given U.S. secondary tariff legislation on sanctioned Russian oil, China could face high tariffs if Beijing continued its Russian oil purchases. Bessent was speaking after two days of bilateral talks aimed at resolving longstanding economic disputes and stepping back from an escalating trade war between the world's two biggest economies. Also supporting oil prices, the trade agreement between the U.S. and the European Union, while imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods, sidestepped a full-blown trade war between the two major allies that would have rippled across nearly a third of global trade and dimmed the outlook for fuel demand. "There is definitely some optimism around the trade deals," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho. "It's not perfect, especially for the Europeans, but it is better than it could have been by a long shot." The agreement also calls for $750 billion of EU purchases of U.S. energy over the next three years, which analysts say the bloc has virtually no chance of meeting, while European companies are to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over Trump's term. Market participants also await the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to hold rates steady but could signal a dovish tilt due to signs of cooling inflation, said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at brokerage Phillip Nova.
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Secret Service agent tried to smuggle wife on Trump's Scotland trip
A US Secret Service agent tried to smuggle his wife on President Donald Trump's trip to Scotland, it has been reported. The law enforcement agency has launched an investigation into the incident. Reports said the agent, who is based in Dallas, Texas, flew his wife, a member of the US air force, to Maryland where she was among those who received a full briefing from top agency officials about the five-day working holiday. The woman travelled on the bus to the visitor lounge at US military base Joint Base Andrews before her identity was discovered and she was asked to leave. Reports said the agent had not been seeking to place his wife on Air Force One with the president, but rather on a support plane containing staff and equipment. The Secret Service did not immediately respond to questions from The Telegraph. 'No impact to protective operation' Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service spokesperson, said in a statement: 'The US Secret Service is conducting a personnel investigation after an employee attempted to invite his spouse – a member of the United States air force – aboard a mission support flight. 'The aircraft, operated by the US air force, was being used by the Secret Service to transport personnel and equipment.' He added: 'Prior to the overseas departure, the employee was advised by supervisors that such action was prohibited, and the spouse was subsequently prevented from taking the flight. No Secret Service protectees were aboard and there was no impact to our overseas protective operation.' News of the potential security breach came as Mr Trump wrapped up his visit to Scotland, opening a new course, the Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen, where he played 18 holes. He also spoke with John Swinney, the First Minister of Scotland. On Monday, Mr Trump held meetings and hosted a press conference with Sir Keir Starmer.
