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The Hill
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Blumenthal says Putin spent summit ‘delaying' Trump peace negotiations, reups call for sanctions
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he thinks President Trump was manipulated at the Friday Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'Putin doesn't want a deal. He doesn't want peace. And the only way to convince him to stop this diplomatic rope-a-dope, playing the President, delaying any kind of ceasefire, is through strength,' Blumenthal said during a Friday appearance on CNN's 'AC360.' 'Providing [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky and Ukraine the kind of military arms they need, the interceptors for their patriot systems and more of them, the missiles they need, the long-range artillery, and scorching sanctions in the Graham-Blumenthal bill now on the floor,' he added, referencing his sanctions bill with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) Trump said Friday's bilateral meeting was 'productive' but said before any agreement is determined, peace points must be sorted out. Zelensky is also slated to visit the White House on Monday. Still, both Russia and Ukraine have pressed ahead with fatal strikes. On Thursday, Ukraine launched a drone attack on southern portions of Russia while the Kremlin overtook front lines in the eastern Donetsk region earlier this week. Blumenthal, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in May, said his 'stomach turned' when Trump referred to Putin as a friend on Friday. 'Nothing came out of this summit. It was a nothing burger. It was a shrug of the shoulders. But I will tell you, Anderson, my stomach turned when I heard the president of the United States characterize Vladimir Putin as his fabulously good friend,' Blumenthal told anchor Anderson Cooper. 'Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. He has directed soldiers to kill women and children and bury them in mass graves. He's kidnapping children as we speak,' the Connecticut Democrat said. Blumenthal introduced a bipartisan measure with Graham to punish Russia's trading partners, including China, Brazil and India for purchasing oil from Putin. The president has held off on financial rebukes on Russia, but did increase tariffs on India amid the turmoil in Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, Graham on Friday predicted that the war will end before Christmas if Trump and Putin meet with Zelensky. 'If in fact there is a trilateral meeting between President Trump, President Zelensky and Putin, then I am cautiously optimistic that this war will end well before Christmas,' the South Carolina Republican said.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Bolton: Trump tariffs may push India closer to Russia, China
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton on Wednesday said President Trump's tariffs may push India further away from the U.S. and into deeper alliances with Russia and China. The president previously threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on India for purchasing oil from the Kremlin absent of similar punishments for China, who purchases more fuel from Russia. 'I can tell you the reaction in India to that, particularly with no tariffs slapped on China, which bought an awful lot more oil and gas from Russia, is the Indians are incandescent about this and there's talk of Putin coming to India later this year,' Bolton said during a Wednesday appearance on CNN's 'AC360.' 'There's talk of Prime Minister Modi of India going to China for the first time since 2018. Obviously, both Moscow and Beijing are going to try to bring India closer to them,' he added. China and the U.S. engaged in a high stakes trade war earlier this year, where tariff rates soared to triple digits, resulting in market scares and consumer anxiety about skyrocketing prices. Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to lower rates to a moderate 10 percent for American exports and 30 percent for products imported from China. The president has shied away from engaging in another war with leaders in Beijing with tariffs over their dealings with the Kremlin. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was notably close to Trump during his first term. The two held rallies together in both India and Texas to celebrate bilateral relations. At the time, Trump said India was 'America's greatest, most devoted, and most loyal friends.' But his tone has become more pointed over the country's tariff rates. 'What people don't like to say about India — they're the highest tariff nation. They have the highest tariff of anybody. We do very, very little business with India because their tariffs are so high,' Trump said last week. 'So we settled on 25 percent, but I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they're buying Russian oil. They're fueling the war machine, and if they're going to do that, then I'm not going to be very happy,' he added.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Bolton on Alaska summit: ‘I think Putin has the initiative here'
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton on Wednesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin is entering peace talks with the initiative of convincing President Trump that he's ready for peace — whether he truly is or not. 'I think Putin has the initiative here, and I think his — what he's going to try and do is show to Trump that he has a peace plan and that it's sincere, even though I don't think it will be,' Bolton said during a Wednesday appearance on CNN's 'AC360.' 'But he's going to try and convince Trump and try and bring him back on his side,' he added. The Trump-Putin meeting is scheduled for Friday in Anchorage and will take place without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Bolton, an adviser to Trump in his first term who has since fallen out hard with the president, has repeatedly suggested that Trump is under the guise of the Kremlin and has shied away from punishing Russian leaders for the conflict in Eastern Europe. Trump has frequently criticized Bolton publicly. In late May, the president publicly slammed Putin for strikes on Kyiv, declaring the leader had gone ' absolutely crazy ' but has since refused to impose secondary sanctions on Russia. Bolton says Putin will use this meeting to reel in Trump, but he argued it won't be easy for the Russian leader. 'I think it's going to be a difficult task with Putin because I think, intentionally or unintentionally, he did irritate Trump, to put it mildly, but he's going to try to work his KGB training to bring him back,' Bolton told host Anderson Cooper. 'And I think that could involve negotiation. You know, there's a diplomatic term to say, 'Well, we're not really negotiating, we're having an exchange of views.' And so they'll exchange views on things like territory and issues like that, and it could get pretty specific,' he added.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Farah Griffin: Trump trying to ‘goad Democrats into arguing there's no crime in DC'
Former White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin weighed in on President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Washington to help curb crime rates, suggesting that he is trying to 'goad Democrats.' 'He thinks the nation's capital should represent the best of America. But I think he's also doing something that Trump is very good at, which he's goading Democrats into the fight that he wants to have,' Farah Griffin, a co-host of ABC's 'The View,' said during an appearance on CNN's 'AC360.' 'Now, there's a very reasonable and important debate to be had over federalizing law enforcement and deploying the National Guard on American streets,' she continued. 'That's the debate we should be having. He's really trying to goad Democrats into arguing 'there's no crime in D.C. D.C. is great.'' The president announced Monday that the Justice Department (DOJ) would take control over the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and about 800 National Guard troops would be deployed in the nation's capital as part of the administration's effort to curb crime. The effort comes despite city crime data showing violent crime is down 26 percent compared to 2024. Homicides have been down 32 percent compared to 2023, although the number of homicides in 2024 was still above the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC4 reported last month that an MPD police commander, Michael Pulliam, was put on leave in May and is being probed after allegedly altering crime statistics in his district. 'I lived there for 10 years. I'm there all the time. You spend time there, you see a lot of crime. It feels worse. The stats may bear otherwise, but there's communities that didn't feel unsafe a few years ago that just don't feel as safe as they once did,' Farah Griffin told host Anderson Cooper. 'And he is begging and goading Democrats into saying it's actually much better than you think, because crime is an issue Trump has generally performed very well on,' she added. 'That's what he's getting at here.' D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with other Democratic mayors and the party's federal lawmakers, have assailed the Trump administration's decision. Bowser called the push 'unsettling and unprecedented' and added Monday that she will 'work every day to make sure it's not a complete disaster.'
CNN
07-08-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Soldier explains how he disarmed shooting suspect
Soldier explains how he disarmed shooting suspect Staff Sgt. Aaron Turner says he disarmed the shooting suspect during a mass shooting at Fort Stewart. Quornelius Samentrio Radford, 28, was taken into custody and is accused of shooting five of his fellow service members. Radford's motive is not known. 00:51 - Source: CNN Vertical Top News 11 videos Soldier explains how he disarmed shooting suspect Staff Sgt. Aaron Turner says he disarmed the shooting suspect during a mass shooting at Fort Stewart. Quornelius Samentrio Radford, 28, was taken into custody and is accused of shooting five of his fellow service members. Radford's motive is not known. 00:51 - Source: CNN Apple CEO gifts Trump plaque with 24K gold base Apple CEO Tim Cook gifted President Donald Trump a plaque made of glass manufactured in Corning's Harrodsburg, Kentucky, which he announced would be the cover glass on all iPhones and Apple Watches soon. 01:01 - Source: CNN Suspected Fort Stewart shooter identified The man suspected of opening fire at Fort Stewart has been identified as Quornelius Radford, according to Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division. The suspect is alive and in custody, a law enforcement official told CNN. 01:09 - Source: CNN US special envoy Witkoff meets Putin in Russia US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump threatened to impose punishing new sanctions on Russia. The meeting, which lasted around 3 hours, was described as 'constructive and useful' by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, according to Russian state media TASS. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports. 01:49 - Source: CNN Texas Democratic lawmaker responds after Abbott tries to remove him from office Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) asked the state Supreme Court to remove Rep. Gene Wu (D) from office. Wu is one of 50 quorum-breaking Democratic House members who fled the state to forestall a vote on new congressional maps, and he responded to Abbott's move on AC360. 00:38 - Source: CNN Trump asked if he knew about Maxwell's prison transfer President Donald Trump told CNN's Kaitlan Collins he wasn't aware of Ghislaine Maxwell's prison transfer, and praised Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche when asked if he thought Ghislaine Maxwell is a credible witness. 01:46 - Source: CNN Texas lawmaker says he's willing to risk arrest or fines Texas state Rep. Ramón Romero said that he is willing to be arrested after he and other Democratic lawmakers left the state to block GOP redistricting efforts. The Texas House speaker said he signed civil arrest warrants for absent Democrats, and the governor ordered state officials to arrest them. But legal experts say the warrants are likely unenforceable outside state lines. 00:39 - Source: CNN Suspect arrested in Tennessee killings case The suspect in the killings of four relatives of a baby found abandoned last week has been arrested after a weeklong manhunt across rural Tennessee, according to police in Jackson. 00:49 - Source: CNN US Coast Guard releases new report on Titan submersible implosion The implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible, which killed five people in 2023, was a preventable tragedy caused by OceanGate's failure to follow safety protocols and a toxic workplace culture, according to a report released by the US Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation. 01:07 - Source: CNN GOP congressman met with boos and jeers at town hall Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) was met with boos and jeers after his answer about funding for migrant detention facilities and ICE during a town hall in Lincoln, Nebraska. 01:43 - Source: CNN
