Rwanda accepts up to 250 deportees from the US under Trump's third-country plan
The U.S. is seeking more deals with African countries to take deportees under President Donald Trump's plans to expel people who he says entered the U.S. illegally and are 'the worst of the worst.'
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Global News
22 minutes ago
- Global News
Trump and Putin agree to meeting in coming days, Kremlin says
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump has been agreed, a Kremlin official said Thursday, the eve of a White House deadline for Moscow to show progress toward ending the three-year-old war in Ukraine. Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said a summit could possibly take place next week at a venue that has been decided 'in principle.' He brushed aside the possibility of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining the summit, something the White House had said Trump was ready to consider. Putin has spurned Zelenskyy's previous offers of a meeting to clinch a breakthrough. 'We propose, first of all, to focus on preparing a bilateral meeting with Trump, and we consider it most important that this meeting be successful and productive,' Ushakov said, adding that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff's suggestion of a meeting including Ukraine's leader 'was not specifically discussed.' Story continues below advertisement It was not clear how the announcement of the meeting would affect Trump's Friday deadline for Russia to stop the killing or face heavy economic sanctions. 1:19 Kremlin slams Trump tariff threat on India over buying Russian oil The meeting would be the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021, when former President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva. It would be a significant milestone toward Trump's effort to end the war, although there's no guarantee it would stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace. Next week is the target date for a summit, Ushakov said, while noting that such events take time to organize and no date is confirmed. The possible venue will be announced 'a little later,' he said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Months of U.S.-led efforts have yielded no progress on stopping Russia's invasion of its neighbor. The war has killed tens of thousands of troops on both sides as well as more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. Story continues below advertisement Western officials have repeatedly accused Putin of stalling for time in peace negotiations to allow Russian forces time to capture more Ukrainian land. Putin previously has offered no concessions and will only accept a settlement on his terms. A meeting between Putin and Trump on the war would be a departure from the Biden administration's policy of 'nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine' — a key demand from Kyiv. At the start of his second term, Trump was conciliatory toward Putin, for whom he has long shown admiration, and even echoed some of his talking points on the war. But he recently has expressed increasing exasperation with Putin, criticizing the Kremlin leader for his unyielding stance on U.S.-led peace efforts, and has threatened Moscow with new sanctions. Zelenskyy focuses on the details Zelenskyy said he planned calls with European leaders Thursday to discuss the latest developments. Story continues below advertisement A ceasefire and long-term security guarantees are priorities in potential negotiation with Russia, he said on social media. Securing a truce, deciding a format for a summit and providing assurances for Ukraine's future protection from invasion — a consideration that must involve the U.S. and Europe — are crucial aspects to address, Zelenskyy said. He noted that Russian strikes on civilians haven't eased off despite Trump publicly urging Putin to relent. A Russian attack Wednesday in the central Dnipro region killed four people and injured eight others, he said. Poll shows support for continuing the fight waning in Ukraine A new Gallup poll published Thursday found that Ukrainians are increasingly eager for a settlement that ends the fight against Russia's invasion. The enthusiasm for a negotiated deal is a sharp reversal from 2022 — the year the war began — when Gallup found that about three-quarters of Ukrainians wanted to keep fighting until victory. Now only about one-quarter hold that view, with support for continuing the war declining steadily across all regions and demographic groups. Story continues below advertisement The findings were based on samples of 1,000 or more respondents ages 15 and older living in Ukraine. Some territories under entrenched Russian control, representing about 10 per cent of the population, were excluded from surveys conducted after 2022 due to lack of access. 9:32 Russia-Ukraine: Putin claims he's open to peace talks, but battlefield tells different story Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. On the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line snaking from northeast to southeast Ukraine, where tens of thousands of troops on both sides have died, Russia's bigger army is slowly capturing more land. In the new Gallup survey, conducted in early July, about seven in 10 Ukrainians say their country should seek to negotiate a settlement as soon as possible. Zelenskyy last month renewed his offer to meet with Putin, but his overture was rebuffed. Story continues below advertisement Most Ukrainians do not expect a lasting peace anytime soon, the poll found. Only about one-quarter say it's 'very' or 'somewhat' likely that active fighting will end within the next 12 months, while about seven in 10 think it's 'somewhat' or 'very' unlikely that active fighting will be over in the next year. —Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Amelia Thomson-Deveaux contributed from Washington.
Toronto Star
22 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Trump delivers a steady stream of wins for his conservative Christian base
In his first half-year in office — amid his tariff campaign, government-slashing moves and immigration crackdown — President Donald Trump has also repeatedly delivered for conservative Christians, who form the bedrock of his Republican support. While he has made overtures to Jewish, Muslim and other religious groups, his Christian supporters have been among his most high-profile surrogates and appointees.
Winnipeg Free Press
22 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump delivers a steady stream of wins for his conservative Christian base
In his first half-year in office — amid his tariff campaign, government-slashing moves and immigration crackdown — President Donald Trump has also repeatedly delivered for conservative Christians, who form the bedrock of his Republican support. While he has made overtures to Jewish, Muslim and other religious groups, his Christian supporters have been among his most high-profile surrogates and appointees. The Trump administration has green-lit political endorsements from the pulpit and encouraged religion in the federal workplace. Trump has established faith-focused entities with numerous influential Christian appointees. He's energized supporters with assaults on cultural and academic targets long seen as liberal bastions. His administration and his Supreme Court appointees have expanded areas for religious exemptions and expression in the public square. 'We're bringing back religion in our country,' Trump contended at a Rose Garden event on the National Day of Prayer in May. His faith adviser, pastor Paula White-Cain, proclaimed that in his administration, faith 'has been brought back to where it always belongs, and that is center.' Critics say he's eroding the separation of church and state. 'The ones celebrating this are the ones leaning toward this Christian nationalist bent, this ideology that Christians should have dominion over the United States government,' said the Rev. Shannon Fleck, executive director of Faithful America, a progressive Christian group. 'A president with a true Christian agenda would be most concerned with uplifting those in our country who have been cast aside,' she said. 'The most vulnerable among us are not billionaires. Those most vulnerable among us are not these manipulators of Christianity that are seeking nothing but power.' Here are 10 ways Trump has repaid his supporters, particularly conservative evangelicals and Catholics: Crackdowns on transgender identity and treatment Trump has cracked down on transgender identity and medical treatment, long targets of religious conservatives. He signed an executive order on his first day in office recognizing only male and female as biologically determined sexes. Another order aimed to eliminate federal support for gender-affirming care for young people, which several medical institutions have discontinued. Still another order aimed to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. The University of Pennsylvania, under a federal civil rights investigation, modified school records previously set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and said it would apologize to female athletes 'disadvantaged' by her participation. Pastors, politics and the IRS The IRS declared on July 7 that pastors can endorse political candidates from the pulpit without risking their churches' tax-exempt status. The move effectively calls for a carve-out for religious organizations from the IRS rule known as the Johnson Amendment, enacted in 1954 and named after then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson. That rule said churches and other nonprofits could lose their tax-exempt status if they participate in any political campaign for or against any candidate. The rule was rarely enforced, though some conservative religious leaders spent years vocally claiming it was violating their freedom of religion and speech. Trump had vowed in 2017 to 'destroy' the Johnson Amendment. Targeting Planned Parenthood Trump signed budget legislation aimed at cutting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood, the nation's biggest abortion provider and a longtime target of Christian conservative groups. U.S. law already bars federal funding for abortion, but the latest cuts target other services offered by the organization, such as contraception and cancer screenings. Trump in January pardoned anti-abortion activists who had been convicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances. Evangelist-led faith office Trump created a White House faith office led by White-Cain, a longtime pastor and evangelist in the independent charismatic world. While past presidents have had similar White House outreach to faith-based communities, this appointment puts one of Trump's earliest high-profile Christian supporters in a strategic position. White-Cain held a similar post in the first Trump administration. Task force on anti-Christian bias Trump created a Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi and composed of high-ranking government representatives. Its two-year mandate is to 'identify any unlawful anti-Christian' actions allegedly taken by the previous administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and to recommend changes. The order cites grievances voiced by conservative Christian leaders in recent years, though skeptics questioned how those grievances were portrayed and whether the nation's most dominant religious demographic needed special protections. Religious Liberty Commission Trump created a Religious Liberty Commission. It includes several conservative Christian clerics and commentators, some of whom have supported Trump politically. Its chair, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, supports prayer and Ten Commandments postings in public schools. The commission's announcement came at a White House prayer event at which Trump said of the concept of church-state separation, 'Let's forget about that for one time.' Evangelical ambassador to Israel Trump appointed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister and prominent religious conservative, as ambassador to Israel. Huckabee reflects the unwavering support for Israel among many evangelicals, who see it as favored by God and largely dismiss criticisms of Israel's war with Hamas and aid restrictions in Gaza. Huckabee was confirmed by the Senate despite concerns he previously supported Israel's right to annex the occupied West Bank. He pledged to 'carry out the president's priorities, not mine.' Religion in the federal workplace The Office of Personnel Management said in a July 28 memo that federal employees may promote and talk about their religion with fellow employees on the job, so long as it's not 'harassing in nature.' They can display religious items at work and encourage co-workers 'to participate in religious expressions of faith, such as prayer,' the memo said. Office Director Scott Kupor said federal workers 'should never have to choose between their faith and their career.' Critics said this erodes church-state separation, potentially creating a hostile workplace environment. Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said 'this memo encourages federal workers to abuse the power of their positions by imposing their religious beliefs on others.' Supreme Court impact Trump hasn't made Supreme Court appointments yet this term. But his three first-term picks — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — continue to deliver for the Christian conservatives and their allies from other faiths who cheered their appointments. The high court ruled in June that Maryland parents with religious objections can pull their children from public school lessons using LGBTQ+ storybooks; that Tennessee can ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors; and that states can block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid money. All three were decided by the same 6-3 margin, with Trump's appointees in the court's conservative supermajority. Fighting a culture war Trump launched a wide-ranging culture war against universities, museums, public broadcasters and other institutions. These targets have long been accused of liberal bias by religious and other conservatives, even though specific grievances and circumstances varied. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Trump has cut funding, forced out officials or otherwise demanded changes at the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He signed a congressional action slashing funding for public broadcasting. The Trump administration also cut research funding at several elite U.S. colleges, some of which have offered financial payments and other concessions to his political agenda in an effort to regain funding. It has also worked to suppress diversity, equity and inclusion programs at government agencies and private corporations. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
