Trump envoy in Israel amid rising Gaza death toll of Palestinians seeking aid
The visit follows a deadly incident where at least 91 Palestinians were killed and over 600 wounded while attempting to access aid in Gaza, with Israel's military stating they fired warning shots.
Aid delivery to Gaza remains critically low, with only 270 trucks entering on Wednesday, far short of the 500-600 trucks per day deemed necessary by aid organisations.
International pressure on Israel is increasing due to the humanitarian crisis, with even close allies like Germany urging more aid and a ceasefire.
The conflict began with Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, and Israel's subsequent offensive has resulted in over 60,000 Palestinian deaths.
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Reuters
5 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump met Citi, BofA CEOs to discuss plans for Fannie and Freddie, sources say
NEW YORK, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump met the CEOs of Citigroup (C.N), opens new tab and Bank of America (BAC.N), opens new tab on Wednesday to discuss the administration's plans to privatize U.S. mortgage financing companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to two sources familiar with the situation. Citi CEO Jane Fraser met with Trump at the White House, said one of the sources, who declined to be identified discussing a private meeting. Trump also met BofA CEO Brian Moynihan and his team, a second source said. The White House declined to comment on private meetings. The Trump administration plans to take both firms public and is asking for pitches from the largest banks. The president plans to privatize the mortgage companies, potentially with a large share offering. But in social media posts in May, Trump said he intends to keep government mortgage guarantees and oversight. The meetings follow those held in late July with other bank leaders, including Goldman Sachs (GS.N), opens new tab CEO David Solomon, the second source said. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been under federal conservatorship since 2008 following the financial crisis, during which both entities became insolvent amid the subprime mortgage meltdown. Since then, the companies have rebuilt capital reserves, repaid their Treasury loans and returned to consistent profitability. Shares of both firms, currently traded on over-the-counter markets, have surged amid speculation over privatization plans. The pair guarantee over half of the nation's mortgages. Taking the firms public would end a far-reaching government backstop that was intended to be a temporary reprieve, but could also make mortgages pricier and harder to obtain if the entities guaranteeing fully return to the private sector. Analysts noted that while Trump has been willing to risk economic turmoil in his wide-ranging tariff agenda, there may be more sensitivity to drama in mortgage rates, which are highly visible and familiar to many consumers. "Tariffs may have impacted the stock market, but they did not result in immediate price hikes at Walmart or Dollar General," wrote TD Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg in a May note. "By contrast, the price of mortgages will respond to each recap and release development. That makes the political cost more immediate. It is why we expect a slower and more deliberative process."
Reuters
7 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump could meet Putin over Ukraine as soon as next week, official says
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW, Aug 6 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump could meet Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, a White House official said on Wednesday, as the U.S. maintained plans to impose secondary sanctions on Friday in an effort to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. Such a face-to-face meeting would be the first between a sitting U.S. and Russian president since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021, some eight months before Russia launched the biggest attack on a European nation since World War Two by invading Ukraine. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have not met since December 2019 and make no secret of their contempt for each other. The New York Times reported that Trump told European leaders during a call on Wednesday that he intends to meet with Putin and then follow up with a trilateral involving the Russian leader and Zelenskiy. "The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskiy," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, responding to the report. A Trump-Putin meeting could take place as soon as next week, the White House official said. A German government spokesperson said Trump provided information about the status of the talks with Russia during a call with the German chancellor and other European heads of government. The details emerged following a meeting on Wednesday between Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff that Trump said had achieved "great progress." It comes two days before a deadline set by Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports, including oil. The White House official said that while the meeting had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States, secondary sanctions that Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. No details were provided. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox Business' "Kudlow" later on Wednesday that more had to be done to reach an agreement between the parties. "Today was a good day, but we got a lot of work ahead," he said. "There's still many impediments to overcome, and we hope to do that over the next few days and hours." A Kremlin aide earlier said Witkoff held "useful and constructive" talks with Putin on Wednesday. The two met for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the 3-1/2-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged "signals" on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give more details until Witkoff had reported back to Trump. Zelenskiy said he believed pressure had worked on Russia and Moscow was now more amenable to a ceasefire. "It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire. The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the U.S.," Zelenskiy said in his nightly address. Writing separately on the X social media platform, Zelenskiy said he had discussed Witkoff's visit to Russia with Trump, adding that he had reiterated Ukraine's support for a just peace and its continued determination to defend itself. "Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started," Zelenskiy said, adding that European leaders had joined the call with Trump. Trump on Truth Social said he had updated some of Washington's European allies following Witkoff's meeting. Trump took a key step toward punitive measures on Wednesday when he imposed an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil. No similar order was signed for China, which also imports Russian oil. The new measure raises tariffs on some Indian goods to as high as 50% — among the steepest faced by any U.S. trading partner. The Kremlin says threats to penalise countries that trade with Russia are illegal. Ushakov, who was present at the meeting, told Russian news outlet Zvezda that "signals" on Ukraine were exchanged by both sides. Bloomberg and independent Russian news outlet The Bell reported that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on airstrikes by Russia and Ukraine - an idea mentioned last week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Putin. Such a move, if agreed, would fall well short of the full and immediate ceasefire that Ukraine and the U.S. have been seeking for months. But it would offer some relief to both sides. Since the two sides resumed direct peace talks in May, Russia has carried out its heaviest air attacks of the war, killing at least 72 people in the capital Kyiv alone. Trump last week called the Russian attacks "disgusting." Ukraine continues to strike Russian refineries and oil depots, which it has hit many times. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Zelenskiy, said on Wednesday that a full ceasefire and a leaders' summit were required. "The war must stop and for now this is on Russia," he posted on Telegram. Putin is unlikely to bow to Trump's sanctions ultimatum because he believes he is winning the war and his military goals take precedence over his desire to improve relations with the U.S., three sources close to the Kremlin have told Reuters. The Russian sources told Reuters that Putin was sceptical that yet more U.S. sanctions would have much of an impact after successive waves of economic penalties during 3-1/2 years of war.
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump border chief piles on Democrat for 'disgusting' foreign allegiance as she remains silent
Donald Trump 's Border Czar Tom Homan piled onto the slew of attacks being launched at controversial Democrat Delia Ramirez. Illinois Rep. Ramirez stated during a press conference in Mexico over the weekend that she was 'a proud Guatemalan before I'm an American.' That comment sparked ire from several Republicans in the MAGA wing of the party, as President Donald Trump pushes his 'American First' vision worldwide. Homan became the latest high-profile Republican to condemn Ramirez's remarks. 'I think what she said was commitment should be to her state and the people that put her in that position' Homan said at the White House. Tennessee Republican Representative Andy Ogles wrote on X 'Denaturalize, deport, and kick her off [the] Homeland Committee. We know where her allegiances lie.' The Department of Homeland Security's official X account responded to the video of Ramirez's statement by posting a Theodore Roosevelt quote about American allegiance and condemning divided loyalties. Homan also took some time during his Wednesday presser to decry the false narratives that have been reported about 'Alligator Alcatraz,' the Florida facility where illegal migrants are being housed while they await deportation. Reports have surfaced about inhumane treatment at the facility, and unjust conditions. Homan said that such reporting was false. 'I get asked these questions all the time about the terrible, terrible 'Alligator Alcatraz.' I went down there, and what I found out is there's a lot of fake stories out there about medical attention, about, you know, religious freedom and having clergy there. I went down there, I looked at the books. So it's just simply a false story,' Homan told reporters. Homan also dismissed concerns about the environmental impact of the facility. 'So all you know, they take waste out of there every day,' Homan noted, further adding that not 'one foot of concrete' was put down that 'wasn't already there.' Finally, Trump's border czar called out one group of individuals who he believes keep getting in the way of the administration moving forward with their agenda: 'I'm sick and tired of the radical judges trying to shut down everything we're doing,' Homan said. 'It's ridiculous. I thought the Supreme Court was pretty clear last month about these radical judges trying to, you know, stop the Trump administration from implementing our agenda that American people voted for,' Homan told reporters Wednesday. Overall, the unveiling of 'Alligator Alcatraz' has gotten mixed reviews. Republicans, led by the Trump administration, are big fans of the facility being used to house illegal migrants in Florida as they await deportation. A migrant held in the Alligator Alcatraz detention center described dozens of inmates being corralled inside cages at the disorienting, mosquito-infested facility in an interview last month with NBC6. Democrat Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz called 'Alligator Alcatraz' an 'internment camp' during a visit to the facility last month, noting that the conditions were 'appalling.' Wasserman Schultz also said that the whole facility was a 'stunt' and that human beings were 'abused.' Congressman Max Frost, another Florida Representative, said that toilets being clogged in the facilities have caused 'feces' to 'spread everywhere.' Trump toured the newly constructed migrant detention facility deep in the Florida Everglades - nicknamed 'Alligator Alcatraz' - in July. He then praised its remote, high-security design, promising it would soon house what he called 'the most menacing migrants, the most vicious people on the planet.' Juan Palma, 48, who has spent more than two weeks at the center in the Florida Everglades, told NBC6 that the lights stay on around the clock, leaving him clueless as to the time of day. The Cuban migrant said that he and 32 other people live in what he described as a cage and that they are only allowed to shower every three or four days.
