Trump wraps participation in a NATO summit far chummier than the tense meetings of his first term
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday wrapped up participation in the annual NATO summit, a gathering notable this year for an atmosphere that was far chummier toward Trump than the tension-filled meetings of his first term.
After less than 24 hours on the ground in the Netherlands, the Republican president headed back to Washington after securing a major policy change he's pushed for since 2017 as most NATO countries, except Spain, agreed to significantly increase their defense spending. He has complained that the U.S. shoulders too much of the burden.
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Winnipeg Free Press
30 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump attacks the media for reporting on intelligence assessment of Iran strikes
President Donald Trump is repeatedly condemning CNN and The New York Times for reports that call into question the damage caused by last weekend's U.S. strikes of Iran — and downplaying his own intelligence analysts in the process. Trump on Wednesday called on CNN to throw out 'like a dog' a reporter who has worked on the story and suggested Times reporters were 'bad and sick people' who were attempting to demean American pilots involved in the strikes. Both news outlets defended their reporting. The president is angry about stories that a preliminary assessment by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency had said Saturday's strike of three nuclear sites had set back Iran's nuclear program by a few months. The assessment 'suggests that President Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear facilities were 'obliterated' was overstated,' The Times said in a six-bylined story on Tuesday night. Shortly after the reports began circulating, Trump disputed them, saying in a social media post that the nuclear sites were completely destroyed, and he doubled down on Wednesday. 'They tried to demean the great works our B-2 pilots did, and they were wrong in doing so,' Trump wrote. 'These reporters are just BAD AND SICK PEOPLE. You would think they would be proud of the great success we had, instead of trying to make our Country look bad.' Newspaper says Trump's criticism was fake news The Times noted that Trump had initially called the report fake news, but he and his national security team subsequently confirmed that the report was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency. 'So their statement was fake, not the Times's reporting,' Times spokesman Charles Stadtlander said. 'We'll continue to report fully on the administration's decision-making, including the president's dispute with the Defense Intelligence Agency, as we did this morning.' Trump specifically singled out CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand and called for her firing. 'I watched her for three days doing Fake News,' the president wrote. 'She should be immediately reprimanded, then thrown out 'like a dog.'' CNN said that it stood by Bertrand and the network's reporting. The network has made clear that it was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence, and reported the president's own skepticism about what his experts had found. 'We do not believe it is reasonable to criticize CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterizing its findings, which are in the public interest,' the network said in a statement. Trump amplifies his certainty about Iran strikes The White House, in its own statement criticizing CNN, called parts of the early defense agency report an 'inconclusive, low-confidence intelligence assessment' that was leaked to undermine Trump and pilots who conducted the mission. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. 'Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: Total Obliteration,' the White House said, repeating the phrase Trump has used repeatedly to describe the mission. The release quoted assessments from different agencies on bomb damage. In calling patriotism into question, the president and his allies also attempted a strategy used in the past to demean reporters and create doubts about their work. In an interview with CNN's Kaitlin Collins on Tuesday night, GOP Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullins pushed back against questions on the strike, saying it should be celebrated and not be 'something we are bringing division on.' Collins replied that it's her job to ask questions, not to celebrate. ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and
Winnipeg Free Press
30 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former Venezuela spymaster pleads guilty to narcoterrorism charge ahead of trial
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National Post
30 minutes ago
- National Post
Alan Kessel: Trump puts an end to American ambivalence
The Middle East has entered a precarious calm. On June 24, a ceasefire brokered by United States President Donald Trump brought a sudden halt to a week of escalating hostilities between the U.S., Israel, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The missiles have stopped — for now — but the implications of what unfolded are still reverberating across the region, and far beyond it. Article content Article content This was not just a military flare-up. It was a decisive geopolitical moment that revealed a strategic realignment — and the unmistakable reassertion of American power. Article content Article content For Iran's regime, the confrontation exposed its growing vulnerability. For the United States, it marked the end of ambiguity. And for the world, it was the clearest evidence in years that America is not withdrawing from the world — it is re-engaging with purpose. Article content This was not merely an Israeli campaign. It was a moment of joint resolve between Washington and Jerusalem. For the first time, the United States gave explicit operational backing to Israel to strike deep into Iran's strategic core. The long-standing policy of restraint — a combination of caution and geopolitical fatigue — was abruptly discarded. Article content Israel took the operational lead in the opening days of the campaign, targeting Iran's military infrastructure and command-and-control systems with surgical precision. These strikes laid the groundwork for what followed. Once Iranian air defences and key communication nodes were degraded, U.S. B-2 stealth bombers entered the theatre and delivered the coup de grâce: coordinated precision strikes on Iran's three most sensitive nuclear enrichment sites: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. These were not symbolic targets. They were the beating heart of Iran's atomic ambitions. Article content Article content The damage was most acute at Fordo — the most important of the three sites, and once thought untouchable — where early satellite imagery analysis suggests that extensive subterranean infrastructure may have been compromised. The message was unmistakable: the West not only knows where Iran's weapons infrastructure lies, it now has the political will and operational reach to neutralize it. Article content Article content Trump, who had long vowed that Iran would never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, followed the strikes with a televised addres s from the White House. The message was stark: Iran must choose peace or risk further devastation. Three days later, under intense pressure, Tehran accepted a ceasefire. Whether that choice holds is uncertain — but the balance of risk has now shifted. Article content For the Islamic Republic, the week of strikes marked its most dangerous crisis since the revolution of 1979. Already crippled by sanctions, riven by internal dissent, and diplomatically cornered, it now saw its nuclear and missile infrastructure laid bare. Iran's deterrence posture — based on ambiguity, asymmetry, and impunity — cracked under the weight of co-ordinated force.
