
Yet another Trump ultimatum falls flat in Moscow
Last Tuesday, Russia rejected Trump's ultimatum. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said 'any attempts to make demands, especially ultimatums, are unacceptable to us. If we cannot achieve our goals through diplomacy, then the [war in Ukraine] will continue.'
The Kremlin then promptly returned to its terror tactics of bombing Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles and drones. The White House and mainstream media seem to have moved on.
Ultimata from U.S. presidents do not seem to carry the same weight today as they once did.
Words like 'Don't,' uttered by both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, had no deterrence on Iran. Nor did Trump's demand for an unconditional surrender. Tehran simply 'did,' then declared victory.
President Theodore Roosevelt's 'walk softly and carry a big stick' proverb only carries weight if that big stick is used in a convincing manner. What the Kremlin needs right now is a punch in the face — not another 50 days to attack Ukraine.
Trump's 50-day grace period essentially gives Russian President Vladimir Putin a license to kill and sets conditions for him to mount another offensive to dethrone Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Reports suggest that 160,000 Russian troops are massing along the frontlines and another 30,000 North Korean soldiers are preparing to deploy to Russia.
It is not the American military that our adversaries have a lack of respect for — they know all too well what its capabilities are. No, it is the American commander-in-chief, who needs to be much harder on our adversaries than our allies.
Trump may authorize more strikes but has yet to finish the task. The man who authored ' The Art of the Deal ' needs to start removing threats from the battlefield.
Missing is the bold determination and sheer will to win that Generals Ulysses S. Grant and George S. Patton brought to the battlefield. De-escalation has become a principle of war for the White House, Foggy Bottom, and the Pentagon. Concerns over possible outcomes and counteractions have overcome the necessity of doing the hard right.
Diplomacy has its place — just not with evil. Evil needs to be dealt with directly or it will come back stronger. We see the cost in Ukrainian civilian lives.
Unenforced red lines are neither compelling nor convincing. Neither are two-week extensions, ransom payments, lifting of sanctions, or airstrikes on targets not posing threats. Our adversaries see these as examples of weakness, and they exploit them.
Trump has continued Biden's least intrusive means strategy, and he opts to deliver strategic messages that our adversaries simply ignore. The result: The behavior that led to the strikes resumes — one step forward, two steps back.
For example, Operation Rough Rider commenced on March 15 and concluded on May 5. U.S. Central Command stated the purpose of the campaign was to 'target Houthi rebels in Yemen in order to restore freedom of navigation and American deterrence.'
During that period, CENTCOM reportedly struck more than 1,000 Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, expending upwards to 2,000 bombs and missiles. The strikes reportedly 'killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders … destroying multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations.'
But the strikes neither defeated nor deterred the Houthi rebels, who were still able to attack U.S. Naval vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and launch ballistic missiles towards Israel throughout the operation.
On May 4, a Houthi hypersonic missile managed penetrated Israel's missile defense system, impacting near the Terminal 3 parking lot at the Ben Gurion Airport, injuring eight and temporarily shutting down the airport.
They still fire ballistic missiles towards Israel. The latest came on Friday.
And they are still targeting and sinking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, including two last week — the Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated cargo ship, Magic Seas and the Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated Eternity C.
Operation Midnight Hammer, the bomber strike on the Fordow nuclear facility in Iran, was precision at its absolute best. The B-2 pilots and their support package delivered their bombs precisely where intelligence said the targets were, while an additional 75 precision guided weapons fired by other U.S. aircraft and a guided-missile submarine found their targets at the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities as well.
But Iran was able to strike back, firing ballistic missiles at the mostly abandoned American Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in retaliation, which were successfully intercepted by U.S. Patriot missile batteries. Then, like their Houthi counterparts, Iran declared victory and agreed to a U.S. brokered ceasefire to protect what was left of their nuclear and ballistic missile programs and their Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from additional Israeli airstrikes.
The Iranian government remains intact and the status of its nuclear program uncertain. It continues to threaten Israel and will likely, with the assistance of Russia and China, rebuild its air defense network and ballistic missile inventories. Surviving is winning. And its leaders now gloat under the protection of the Trump ceasefire.
Iran, Russia, China, North Korea, and even Yemen know weakness when they see it, and they are prepared to exploit it. The U.S. has held Ukraine and Israel back on multiple occasions. It is time to take the handcuffs off and enable both to win. Moscow and Tehran should be the ones pleading with the U.S. to resume ceasefire talks.
According to Foreign Affairs, 'Putin shows no intention of abandoning his objectives in Ukraine or ending the war. Even under the threat of new sanctions, he appears ready to go to extremes.'
Russia has publicly rejected Trump's 50-day proposal, so the grace period must end now. Trump has an opportunity to back up his ultimatum immediately — not in September. Threats of sanctions will not sway Putin, but significant combat power will. Together, they may very well force Russia out of Ukraine and undermine China's sights on Taiwan.
Trump must stop considering military assistance and economic sanctions and instead just provide it. Winning solves a lot of problems. Enabling Ukraine and Israel to defeat Russia and Iran sends a strong message to the likes of China and its delinquent North Korean neighbor.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Boston Globe
6 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
How the Hermit Kingdom forces its people to work in Chinese factories
The video was part of hundreds of hours of footage and other documents obtained by The Outlaw Ocean Project demonstrating that the Chinese government has been using North Korean workers to process seafood, in violation of UN sanctions. Much of the seafood processed in these plants is sold to consumers in the US, in violation of These revelations, which are part of the final episode of the newly released second season of The Outlaw Ocean podcast, have raised pressing questions about the source of the seafood on our tables, and have sent global seafood companies At the risk of espionage charges and execution, two dozen North Korean workers, most of them women, agreed to talk to Outlaw Ocean Project reporters about working in Chinese seafood plants. These workers recounted rampant sexual assaults, violence, constant monitoring, and zero access to the outside world. The podcast is available on all major streaming platforms. For transcripts, background reporting, and bonus content, visit Global attention on the illegal use of North Korean labor has spiked recently because of Russia's deployment of China officially denies that North Korean workers are in the country, but The Outlaw Ocean investigation has identified at least 15 seafood- Some of the social media footage pulled from China featured people openly discussing the presence of these workers. 'They are easy to distinguish,' a resident of Dandong — a Chinese city on the border with North Korean — wrote in a comment on Bilibili, a video-sharing site. 'They all wear uniform clothes, have a leader, and follow orders.' In a video taken at a plant called Dandong Yuanyi Refined Seafoods, 15 women perform a synchronized dance in front of a mural commemorating 'Youth Day,' a North Korean holiday. The video features a North Korean flag and the caption, 'North Korea in Donggang cold storage [with] little beautiful women.' (The company did not respond to requests for comment.) As a result of The Outlaw Ocean investigation, several seafood companies severed ties with plants connected to the North Korean workers. The The investigation pulled back a curtain, revealing a hidden world where forced labor props up global supply chains and international laws are systematically ignored. There has been real progress in tracing these networks, exposing the complicity of corporations, and challenging the illusion of clean audits and ethical sourcing. But despite sanctions, public outcry, and growing awareness, the practice continues, driven by demand and enabled by deliberate ignorance. Until enforcement matches the scale of the abuse, North Korean workers will keep paying the price for the seafood we consume.


Hamilton Spectator
6 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Israeli gunshots and strikes kill at least 25 in Gaza, some while seeking aid
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes and gunshots overnight killed at least 25 people, according to Palestinian health officials and the ambulance service on Saturday, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Gaza faces famine. The majority of victims were killed by gunfire as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were brought. Israel's army didn't respond to a request for comments about the latest shootings. Those killed in strikes include four people in an apartment building in Gaza City, among others, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have hit a standstill after the U.S and Israel recalled their negotiating teams on Thursday, throwing the future of the talks into further uncertainty. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with Hamas . His comments came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the United States, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume, though they did not say when. Experts and the UN warn of famine For desperate Palestinians, a ceasefire can't come soon enough. The United Nations and experts say that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. While Israel's army says it's allowing aid into the enclave with no limit on the number of trucks that can enter, the U.N. says it is hampered by Israeli military restrictions on its movements and incidents of criminal looting. The Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 80 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the same crossing. Israel's military said at the time its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat, and that it was aware of some casualties. During the shootings Friday night, Sherif Abu Aisha said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from the aid trucks, but as they got close, they realized it was from Israel's tanks. That's when the army started firing on people, he told The Associated Press. He said his uncle, a father of eight, was among those killed. 'We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed,' he said. Israel is facing increased international pressure to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More than two dozen Western-aligned countries and over 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food . For the first time in months, Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in a newspaper article on Saturday that the U.K. was 'working urgently' with Jordan to get British aid into Gaza. Aid group the World Central Kitchen said on Friday that it was resuming limited cooking operations in Deir al-Balah after being forced to halt due to a lack of food supplies. It said it's trying to serve 60,000 meals daily through its field kitchen and partner community kitchens, less than half of what it's cooked over the previous month. — Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .


Newsweek
7 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Hit By Legal Roadblock
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Trump administration suffered a legal blow on Friday when a New York district court judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking its move to cut National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants from Authors Guild members on First Amendment grounds. Judge Colleen McMahon issued the injunction which is expected to remain in place until the case is heard in full. Newsweek contacted the NEH and President Trump, via the White House press office, for comment on Saturday outside of regular office hours. The Context With Republicans enjoying slim majorities in both the Senate and House in addition to their control over the White House, the courts have emerged as one of the chief impediments to Trump administration policy. In recent months, courts have struck down punitive measures introduced by President Trump against legal firms previously involved in cases against him, blocked a bid to strip thousands of Haitian migrants of legal protection and struck down sanctions aimed at International Criminal Court employees. What To Know Judge McMahon's preliminary injunction prevents funds previously awarded to Authors Guild members, and subsequently removed by the Trump administration, from being reallocated until a trial is held on the merits of the case itself. The money was allocated by the NEH, a federal agency that funds research and education across the humanities, before some was stripped back by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump speaking to the media as he arrives at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on July 25, 2025 in Prestwick, Scotland, UK. President Donald Trump speaking to the media as he arrives at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on July 25, 2025 in Prestwick, Scotland, UK. Andrew Harnik/GETTY McMahon ruled much of this was politically motivated, with Termination Notices handed to intended recipients making reference to Trump Executive Orders targeting "DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] programs" and "Radical Indoctrination." She said a grant to one academic working on a book about the history of the Ku Klux Klan was flagged by the administration as being connected to DEI, while other intended recipients had grants withdrawn because they were issued under the Biden administration. A class-action lawsuit was filed by the Authors Guild against the NEH and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), formerly led by Elon Musk. What People Are Saying In her judgment McMahon said: "Defendants terminated the grants based on the recipients' perceived viewpoint, in an effort to drive such views out of the marketplace of ideas. This is most evident by the citation in the Termination Notices to executive orders purporting to combat 'Radical Indoctrination' and 'Radical' … DEI Programs,' and to further 'Biological Truth.'" She continued: "Far be it from this Court to deny the right of the Administration to focus NEH priorities on American history and exceptionalism as the year of our semiquincentennial approaches. "Such refocusing is ordinarily a matter of agency discretion. But agency discretion does not include discretion to violate the First Amendment. Nor does not give the Government the right to edit history." What Happens Next A trial on whether the Trump administration has the authority to strip NEH grants from Authors Guild members as it did is expected to take place in due course.