Mike Waltz faces grilling over Signal chat at Senate hearing for UN ambassador role
The Republican former Florida congressman appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, with Trump looking to fill his remaining Cabinet position after months of delay, including the withdrawal of the previous nominee.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Trump downplays possibility of sending Ukraine long-range weapons as it struggles to repel Russia
President Donald Trump speaks at the "Inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Event" at Carnegie Mellon University, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed the possibility of sending Ukraine long-range weapons as Kyiv awaits an injection of U.S. weaponry that it hopes will help it beat back an intensifying Russian air offensive. Trump offered a more cautious tone on what to expect after he threatened Russia a day earlier with steep tariffs if President Vladimir Putin doesn't act within 50 days to end the three-year conflict. He also on Monday announced plans to bolster Kyiv's stockpile by selling American weapons to NATO allies who would in turn send arms to Ukraine. Providing Ukraine with more long-range weaponry would give Kyiv the chance to strike further into Russian territory, a move that some in Ukraine and the U.S. have said could help push Putin toward negotiations to end the fighting. Asked if he intended to supply Ukraine with weapons that could reach deeper into Russian territory, Trump replied, 'We're not looking to do that.' He made the remarks to reporters before departing the White House for an energy investment event in Pittsburgh. While Trump's threats of weapons, sanctions and tariffs mark the most substantive pressure he's placed on Putin since returning to office nearly six months ago, some lawmakers said they remain concerned that the administration, with the 50-day deadline, is giving Putin time to grab even more Ukrainian territory. Sens. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, said waiting 50 days before imposing sanctions on Russia would give Putin more time to gain an advantage in the war. 'The 50-day delay worries me that Putin would try to use the 50 days to win the war, or to be better positioned to negotiate a peace agreement after having murdered and potentially collected more ground,' said Tillis, who recently announced he won't run for reelection. Tillis and Shaheen lead the Senate NATO Observer Group, which facilitates work between Congress and NATO, and met Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Capitol Hill. Trump himself scoffed at the idea that 50 days is giving Putin too much time. The president suggested he may act more quickly if he does not see signs that Putin is taking steps toward ending the conflict. 'I don't think 50 days is very long and it could be shorter than that,' he said. Ahead of Trump's announcement that he would impose a 100% tariff on Russia's trading partners if Putin doesn't negotiate an end to the war, bipartisan legislation proscribing even tougher sanctions on Moscow was gaining steam in the Senate. The legislation, in part, calls for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. It would have an enormous impact on the economies of Brazil, China and India, which account for the vast majority of Russia's energy trade. But Trump on Monday said 'at a certain point it doesn't matter' how high the tariff is set and that '100% is going to serve the same function.' Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he was putting the legislation on hold following Trump's announcement. Trump during his campaign described the conflict as a waste of U.S. taxpayer money and vowed to quickly end it on his first day back in office. He deflected when asked by a reporter on Tuesday if his tougher tone on Putin suggests he's now on Ukraine's side in the bloody conflict. 'I'm on nobody's side,' Trump said, adding this concern was for 'humanity.' U.S. officials say they are still sorting through Ukraine's wish list of weaponry to determine what can be most quickly replaced after Trump announced an agreement for Europe to supply Ukraine with defensive munitions from existing stocks. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss arms transfers that have not yet been approved or completed, said Ukraine's requests for military equipment are roughly the same as they have been since the start of Russia's invasion. Those include air defenses like Patriot missiles and Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems, long-range missiles known as ATACMS and short- to medium-range ground-to-air missiles known as NASAMs, and assorted artillery, according to the officials. Under the terms of the very rough agreement sketched out by Trump and Rutte on Monday, NATO members would ship billions of dollars of these weapons to Ukraine and then purchase replacements for them from the United States. One official said some of the larger items — such as Patriots— could take up to five years to produce to deliver to the European donors, while smaller munitions like 155mm artillery shells can be produced on a much shorter timeline. Trump has lately changed his once friendly tune toward Putin, whom he has long admired and whom he sided with publicly over his national security team during his first term when asked whether Russia had interfered in the 2016 election. In recent weeks, Trump has chastised Putin for continuing his brutal assault on Ukrainian cities, even noting that the Russian leader 'talks nice and then he bombs everybody.' Trump has continued to blame his White House predecessors for Putin's 2022 invasion on neighboring Ukraine — a conflict he says would have never happened if he were reelected in 2020. 'He's fooled a lot of people,' Trump said Monday at the White House. 'He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden. He didn't fool me.' In February, Trump expressed confidence that Putin 'will keep his word' on any deal to end the war in Ukraine. But in an interview with the BBC published Tuesday, when asked whether he trusted Putin, Trump paused before answering. 'I trust almost nobody, to be honest with you,' Trump said. 'I'm disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him. But I'm disappointed in him.' Associated Press writers Melissa Goldin and Matthew Lee contributed to this report. Darlene Superville, Aamer Madhani And Stephen Groves, The Associated Press
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Republicans declared it ‘crypto' week in the House. It's not going as planned
WASHINGTON (AP) — A trio of cryptocurrency bills that had been expected to pass the House this week stalled on Tuesday after a bloc of Republicans unexpectedly joined with Democrats to prevent the legislation from coming up for debate and votes. The procedural snafu brought the House's so-called 'crypto week' to a standstill — and dealt a blow to President Donald Trump, who had strongly urged Republicans to pass the bills as part of his push to make the U.S. the ' crypto capital of the world.' A group of 13 Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition to a procedural vote needed to bring the crypto bills to the floor. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters it was just part of 'legislative process' and that negotiations were underway between the House, Senate and White House. He suggested they could try again Tuesday evening. 'We expected there might be some 'no' votes, but we thought it was important to put it on the floor to advance it because time's of the essence on this,' Johnson said. 'So stay tuned. We'll have lots of discussions over the next few hours.' But just hours later, House leadership canceled votes for the remainder of the day, potentially throwing the crypto bills into limbo. The stalled legislation includes a Senate-passed bill to regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, along with far more sweeping measures aiming to address cryptocurrency market structure. Another bill would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency. The disagreement blocking the bills from advancing centers on how the three bills would be passed. Johnson explained that 'some of these guys insist that it needs to be all in one package.' Packaging the bills would require them to be sent back to the Senate, since the chamber has only taken up one of the three bills so far. Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, a Republican co-sponsor of one of the cryptocurrency bills, told reporters that some of the Republicans wanted to package the bills together due to them 'not having a lot of faith in the Senate moving our legislation.' Trump and Republican leaders have called on the House to pass the bills individually, so that the stablecoin legislation can get to Trump's desk for his signature before an August recess. The stablecoin legislation took the Senate nearly a month and half to pass, and the more sweeping market structure legislation is expected to take even longer. In a post Tuesday morning on social media, Trump called on Republicans to advance the crypto bills that afternoon, saying that 'all Republicans should vote 'yes.'' Asked Tuesday evening about the stalled legislation, Trump told reporters that Republicans who voted against it wanted it to be 'stronger.' Trump has pushed hard for the passage of the stablecoin legislation, with him and his family standing to profit from a boost to stablecoins. They hold a significant stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto project that recently launched its own stablecoin, USD1. The stablecoin legislation passed by the Senate includes a provision that bars members of Congress and their families from profiting off stablecoins. But notably, that prohibition does not apply to the president or his family, even as Trump builds what some are calling a crypto empire from the White House. The cryptocurrency industry hopes the bills as a whole will aid in their push for legitimacy and increasing consumer trust. And road bumps like those seen Tuesday may not have been expected after spending heavily in the 2024 election to elect a large number of crypto-friendly lawmakers. Faryar Shirzad, chief policy officer of Coinbase, the nation's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said in a statement after the failed procedural vote that 'every few steps forward there's inevitably a step back.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'It's in these moments we'll see who is trying to get pro-crypto legislation done and who is not,' Shirzad said on social media. Passage of the bills could have implications on the 2026 midterm races. Fairshake, a crypto super political action committee, said that it and its affiliated organizations already have more than $140 million in the bank ready to spend on midterm races. 'The voters last year were clear — Congress needs to stop playing politics with crypto and finally pass responsible regulation,' said Josh Vlasto, spokesperson for Fairshake. 'We are building an aggressive, targeted strategy for next year to ensure that pro-crypto voices are heard in key races across the country.' ___ Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Arctic Gateway Group touts upgrades to northern Manitoba railway, Port of Churchill
The Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill are doubling the number of weekly freight trains and tripling storage capacity of critical minerals at Canada's only deepwater Arctic port. 'It's about making sure Churchill is ready to serve Canadians as a major Arctic hub for trade and supply,' said Arctic Gateway Group CEO Chris Avery, the head of the company that's owned by 29 First Nations and the northern communities it serves. 'The country is actively exploring how we build and secure projects of national importance, and the Port of Churchill is very much part of that conversation.' New federal legislation fast-tracks infrastructure projects deemed to be in the 'national interest' after U.S. President Donald Trump upended that country's reliable trading relationship with Canada. SUPPLIED Last summer, rail cars carried 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate to the port — marking the first shipment of a critical mineral from Churchill in more than 20 years. This year, they planned to double that amount. SUPPLIED Last summer, rail cars carried 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate to the port — marking the first shipment of a critical mineral from Churchill in more than 20 years. This year, they planned to double that amount. Premier Wab Kinew has lobbied for one of those projects to be in Manitoba, and supports an energy and critical minerals trade corridor to Hudson Bay. Fox Lake Cree Nation's subsidiary, NeeStaNan, proposes to build an Arctic port south of Churchill, at Port Nelson, to export liquefied natural gas and other products to Europe. When asked if he's concerned about another port becoming an option in Manitoba, Avery pointed to the benefits of the Churchill location: its port is open for business, the town has infrastructure and services, including a hospital, a 9,200-foot runway that can accommodate any size aircraft, and a rail line that connects the port to the rest of North America. The first Arctic supply ship of the season was being loaded with essential goods, building material and construction equipment Tuesday, destined for the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, he said. 'I'm sure that there are lots of people in the Kivalliq region today who are waiting for their brand-new trucks and vehicles.' JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES The port has tripled the size of its storage facility for critical minerals and other bulk material, and is being upgraded to diversify the goods it can handle and increase shipping traffic. The port has tripled the size of its storage facility for critical minerals and other bulk material, and is being upgraded to diversify the goods it can handle and increase shipping traffic. He said Arctic Gateway Group has a long-standing relationship with Kivalliq communities and partnerships in place for expanded growth. They're establishing a reliable transportation corridor for Canada's North that serves the trade, transportation, and security needs of a changing Arctic, he said. The addition of a second weekly freight train is more than just a schedule change, Avery said. 'It reflects the fact that the railway is in the best condition that it's been in for over 25 years.' The rail line was sold to Americans, who then refused to repair it after flooding in 2017 washed out sections of rail bed. It was purchased by northern communities that rely on it, and has required governments to invest millions of dollars to get it in good shape. New technologies, including drone surveillance, ground-penetrating radar and AI-driven data analysis 'are helping us monitor conditions in real time and take actions before problems emerge,' said Avery. Ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's Indigenous summit Thursday, a group of 10 Manitoba First Nations formally expressed support for a proposed energy trade corridor to ship liquefied natural gas from Port Nelson on Hudson Bay. 'Nation-building projects that will fall under the purview of the One Canadian Economy Act offer tremendous opportunities for our First Nations,' Chemawawin Cree Nation Chief and Assini Group Inc. president Clarence Easter said in a news release. Ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's Indigenous summit Thursday, a group of 10 Manitoba First Nations formally expressed support for a proposed energy trade corridor to ship liquefied natural gas from Port Nelson on Hudson Bay. 'Nation-building projects that will fall under the purview of the One Canadian Economy Act offer tremendous opportunities for our First Nations,' Chemawawin Cree Nation Chief and Assini Group Inc. president Clarence Easter said in a news release. 'This is why we formally support the development of a trade route and utility corridor to Hudson Bay, in full partnership with Fox Lake Cree Nation, NeeStaNan, and other interested Treaty 5 and 6 Nations, as a means of advancing economic self-determination, regional prosperity, and sustainable development.' NeeStaNan has received federal approval to explore exporting liquefied natural gas, and proposes building a transport facility at Port Nelson, south of Churchill. The Assini Group Inc. First Nation partners include Bunibonibee Cree Nation, Chemawawin Cree Nation, Norway House Cree Nation, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, God's Lake Narrows First Nation, Marcel Colomb Cree Nation, Mosakahiken Cree Nation, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation and Fox Lake Cree Nation. 'We have been moving forward to establish economic development in our communities and we see this summit as a first conversation with the Government of Canada to unlock the potential that exists for our communities, our elders and our youth,' Easter said. The news release followed an Arctic Gateway Group news conference Tuesday, touting investments and upgrades in its Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill for shipping bulk commodities, such as critical minerals and supplies to the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. 'Both sites show they could have good potential, noting they deal with separate market opportunities,' said Robert Parsons, a supply chain expert who teaches at the University of Manitoba. He said Arctic Gateway Group is focused on what Churchill has done and can do, acting as an export point for a range of bulk-solid products, including grains, potash, and mineral ore concentrates, which it has experience handling. It's also a supply and distribution point for goods to communities on the Hudson Bay coast, including Nunavut. It could serve as an export point to international markets for critical minerals where Canada — which has lagged behind other countries in developing them — has an advantage. '(It) will depend on solid, economically viable critical-mineral projects in the region and on their associated business cases,' said Parsons, who has master degrees in business administration and chemical engineering. Churchill, he said, is not really suitable for gaseous or liquid export products, especially anything classified as dangerous goods. It does act as a distribution point for fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and propane, but in distribution quantities, not export quantities. — Carol Sanders The port has tripled the size of its storage facility for critical minerals and other bulk material, and is being upgraded to diversify the goods it can handle and increase shipping traffic, the CEO said. 'We're also in talks with other organizations about potentially storing other materials in that facility — whether it's things such as phosphates coming from Europe or potash coming from the south,' he said. Last summer, rail cars carried 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate to the port — marking the first shipment of a critical mineral from Churchill in more than 20 years. This year, they planned to double that amount, Avery said. 'I think we've unloaded something like 60 carloads of zinc concentrate already in Churchill and there's more on the way.' Wildfires in northern Manitoba this summer have put a crimp on shipments from Hudbay Minerals' Snow Lake mine, which had to close temporarily owing to mandatory evacuations. 'Those are headwinds for us, but those are really short-term things,' Avery said. 'We're working with our partners to meet their needs and… we expect to be there for them as they continue to produce critical minerals,' he said. 'This is a big deal for Manitoba, Nunavut and Western Canada — regions rich in mineral resources that the world needs,' said Avery. 'Churchill is ready to be part of Canada's critical mineral solution, helping producers move their product to markets efficiently and reliably.' Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
