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Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ukrainian woman honeytraps retired US Army officer on dating app, gets secret information related to Russian Army, NATO and American plans
A woman from Ukraine accessed classified information related to the Russian military and American plans from a retired lieutenant colonel of the United States Army. The woman befriended retired American Army lieutenant colonel David Franklin Slater , who was working as a civilian employee with top security clearance at an American air force base, through an online dating app to secure the information. The 64-year-old Slater worked as an Air Force civilian employee between August 2021 and April 2022 after retiring from the US Army on December 31, 2020. He was posted at the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The US Department of Justice alleged Slater sent the classified information to the woman regularly, who addressed him as her 'secret informant love' and her 'secret agent.' The classified information included Russian military targets and capabilities relating to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Also Read: What are JASSM missiles and why the US keeps using them in modern conflicts What information did Slater share with Ukranian woman? Slater, who served in Afghanistan and Germany, transmitted information related to the travels plans of NATO official as well as a U.S. Senator who went to Ukraine. The Courthouse News Service website detailed some of the coversation between Slater and the Ukranian woman on the dating app. Live Events "By the way, you were the first to tell me that NATO members are traveling by train and only now (already evening) this was announced on our news. You are my secret informant love! How were your meetings? Successfully?" she asked Slater. On another occasion, the woman called him beloved and sought details of plans by the Biden administration. "Beloved Dave, do NATO and Biden have a secret plan to help us?" "Dave, it's great that you get information about [Specified Country 1] first. I hope you will tell me right away? You are my secret agent. With love." She got in touch with Slater on April 14, 2022, just three weeks after Russia launch its military offensive against Ukraine and thanked him for providing inflrmation related to US senators travelling to Kiev. "My sweet Dave, thanks for the valuable information, it's great that two officials from the USA are going to Kiev." Also Read: John MacArthur, evangelical pastor, dies at 86 after health battle The same day two Republican leaders - U.S. Senator Steve Daines and U.S. Representative Victoria Sparks - were in Kiev. They were the first US officials to treavel to Ukraine following the Russian attack. He was arrested in March 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges, stated DoJ in a press release dated July 10, 2025. Slater provided classified information relating to the national defense "on a foreign online dating platform beginning in or around February 2022 until in or around April 2022". "The defendant, an employee of the United States Air Force with access to some of our Nation's most closely held secrets, shared classified information with someone claiming to be a foreigner on an online dating platform. The Department of Justice stands ready to hold accountable those who violate their obligation to protect sensitive national security information entrusted to them," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. Lesley A. Woods, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska, added, "Access to classified information comes with great responsibility. David Slater failed in his duty to protect this information by willingly sharing National Defense Information with an unknown online personality despite having years of military experience that should have caused him to be suspicious of that person's motives." The information which Slater transmitted to the woman was classified as 'SECRET'. It could be used against the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation, the release added. Slater was present at USSTRATCOM briefings on the Russia-Ukraine war and the information shared with the attendees were classified up to TOP SECRET//SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION (TS//SCI). He now faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The sentencing is scheduled on October 8, 2025.
Elle
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
6 Questions We Still Have After 'The Handmaid's Tale' Finale: What Was Left Unsaid And Why It Matters
If you were expecting episode 10 of The Handmaid's Tale to bring the same explosive, knuckle-clenching tension as episode 9, you might have been disappointed. But this wasn't a finale built on adrenaline. This was post-bomb. Post-rebellion. Mayday and the American Army have reclaimed Boston, but the fight continues. After six seasons of breath-holding, edge-of-your-seat storytelling, the slower pace of the finale felt like a release. The subtle nods to references throughout the previous five series reminded us why we have watched, often through squirming, half-covered eyes, for so long. The pace felt completely different to the rest of the series, which was deliberate. It wasn't the happy, conclusive ending we all longed for since the very first episode. It was watching the characters we had grown to love or hate, living in their current reality. It aimed to remind us that this dystopian world we have been engrossed in for the last eight years wasn't too far from our reality and that sometimes means the mundane. We see flashbacks of June (Elisabeth Moss) with Hannah (Jordana Blake), a karaoke scene and the image of what life could have been for these women if Gilead had never happened. And a wall painted with the words of rebellion. Nothing that told us how it was all going to end, or if it indeed ever does. The Testaments, which is already in production, promises to fast-forward us 15 years. And while we don't yet know which characters will return, or in what state, we do know this: the groundwork has been laid. There's a shift coming. But we won't know why or how for a while. Will we see Hannah escape? Does Aunt Lydia's quiet rebellion become something bigger? Who knows? But, I for one will be watching. There was something deeply comforting, however, in how the final episode was so rooted in women. Their resilience, grief, fight and choices, but there's a nagging feeling that maybe it was all for nothing? Gilead is still surviving, June has not been reunited with Hannah, there are many ends left untied and I understand why many would feel disappointed or even let down by the final episode. However, maybe it's the lack of a conclusive ending that makes it even more powerful? It quietly and deliberately left space for more. More healing. More reckoning. More resistance. But we, the viewer, will have to decide what that means. So before we move on, let's take a look at what was left unsaid and what that silence might be trying to tell us. Let's start with the obvious: Hannah is still in Gilead. We find out she's moving from Colorado to DC, but there are no plans for a rescue as far as we can tell. It is this heart-wrenching realisation throughout the entire episode that everything June has fought for, every risk she has taken, hasn't achieved her ultimate goal. As a mum, this hits home with me. June is freer than she's ever been, but she's not at peace. And how could she be? She ends the show fighting, not physically this time, but through her words, through memory, through testimony. Her voiceover in the finale feels less like a sign-off and more like a beginning. After six seasons of trauma, rage and survival, June has learned that fighting back doesn't always look like fire and blood. Sometimes, it looks like writing things down. Like telling the truth. Like keeping going. The message is clear: when the world is dark, you need to be the light through telling your truth. When June's mother tells her to write a book, it feels like we have come full circle. She's not a symbol anymore. She's a woman with scars and choices. And in a show that often reduced her to bowed heads and silent screams, watching her regain her voice quietly, on her terms, was the most radical act of all. When she tells Holly she has to go back and fight for all the little girls, we know it isn't over. The show may have ended, but the battle against Gilead has only just started. There's hope now; these are not just rescue missions anymore. The fight is now a true battle. And the sad thing for fans of the show is that we aren't going to see it for ourselves. Of all the characters, Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) feels the most unresolved, and that's deliberate. The finale gives us a Serena who is finally stripped of her power, her costume and most of her illusions. She's not a wife, spokesperson, or victim in designer heels. She's a refugee mother, navigating a world she once helped destroy. She is a 'nobody', completely in the hands of the American army. Even as she pleads with June and talks of her shame, we're left wondering if she can ever really seek redemption after everything that's happened. She may have helped bring down Boston, left with only her son, but she knows she doesn't deserve June or anyone's forgiveness, even when it is offered to her. But what does this mean for her future? We will never know. Will she land on her feet again? It's highly probable, but that is down to our imagination to decide. If the finale gave us one moment of pure emotional joy, it belonged to Janine (Madeline Brewer). After being taken by the Eyes, Janine is unexpectedly released. She doesn't escape, or plead, or manipulate. She's simply let go. And in a show that has repeatedly stripped her of agency, it's powerful to watch her receive something. Something she's wanted more than anything else: her daughter. Charlotte, no longer the baby she once sang lullabies to, is brought to her at the border by Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Naomi Putnam (Ever Carradine), but as they hug, you understand why these women were prepared to risk everything for their children. For a character who's been brutalised, manipulated, dismissed and gaslit more than almost any other, this moment feels like rebellion in its purest form. Not the loud kind. Not the kind with bombs or speeches. But the quiet kind. The kind that happens when a mother holds her child again. How that is going to look in the struggling remains of America, we do not know, but the chances are it will not be easy for either of them to overcome the trauma they've both faced. What's just as interesting is what this ending reveals about Lydia and Naomi. Lydia, so long Gilead's mouthpiece, becomes an accomplice in Janine's peace. It's a turning point that feels earned, years of doubt, emotional conflict, and buried guilt bubbling to the surface. In helping Janine, she finally steps outside of the system she upheld for so long. Naomi, too, shifts. She was always cold, performative and impossible to read. But here she plays a part in doing something that goes against everything Gilead stands for, everything she has stood by for so long. It may not be at great risk or cost to her, as let's face it, she was not maternal, but her change in stance gives another woman everything. In a world where women have often been turned against each other, it felt quietly radical. It also opens the question as to what this shift means for the other wives. Were they starting to see Gilead for what it really is? A part of me thinks that this would be the ultimate downfall, not a battle with the American army. Yet, we won't know the answer to this until at least The Testaments. The moment between Luke (O-T Fagbenle) and June gutted me, not because it was tragic, but because it was so full of love. A quiet, mature, unselfish love. When Luke says 'Meet you there,' and June replies 'F**k yeah,' it's not a promise, it's a hope. The kind you say out loud because you need to believe there's still a version of your life waiting on the other side. Whether they'll ever build it, who knows? But in that moment, it was enough to believe they might. And then there's the mention of the book. The theme we've seen running through the finale, but instead of it being about strength and fight, Luke reminds her that there was also a lot of love. A reference to Nick (Max Minghella) and her friendships that feels so generous. When he says, 'You can also write about the love,' I felt a tear roll down my face. Gilead has for so long dehumanised women, weaponised their bodies and tried to erase their stories. Luke could have easily been angry at June, but instead he shows understanding and compassion. This makes you think that maybe there is a chance they will be able to reconcile, but again, we will never know or get to see it. There is no doubt one of the key themes of season six has been Aunt Lydia's rising resistance, which fans will know is leading towards her role in The Testaments. For the last six series, she was the villain, one that felt even more uncomfortable to watch than the Commanders at times. The enforcer of Gilead's most brutal systems. The perceived righteousness when everything she stood for was so wrong. Yet in the final few episodes, Aunt Lydia's choices suggest something more subversive. After letting the Handmaids go and her powerful words of resistance during the hanging, she has continued in the same vein, but this time, it was helping Janine reunite with her daughter. The ultimate betrayal of Gilead. What this means for her position in Gilead, we won't know. But how she could go back to training Handmaids and agreeing with rape and forced adoption after making these moves seems an impossible thought. There is no doubt Lydia's story deserves a second act, which is why I for one will be counting down the days to find out what happens. As the episode draws to a close, June sits in the bedroom where this nightmare started and lists the items in her room, then stares down the camera, introducing herself in the traditional Gilead style: 'My name is Offred.' But this time, there is a message behind her eyes and a subtle grin. She has nothing else left to lose. She has given up Holly to continue the fight; she doesn't have Hannah, Nick is gone and she is no longer tied to Luke. She is alone and it feels like there could be another six seasons of what June is prepared to do next, not only to find Hannah, but to bring down Gilead once and for all. Yet, we will just have to use our imaginations as this is not something we will ever get to see. There was no happy ending or ultimate conclusion. We end the six seasons in a similar place to where it all started. Gilead still exists, Handmaid's still exist, June is still without Hannah. Yet, there is a message that is clear. If you believe something is worth fighting for, never give up. Oh, and 'Don't let the b*****ds get you down.' And maybe that was the whole point. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Daily Mirror
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Melania true thoughts on Trump's birthday parade as he 'falls asleep' on camera
Body language expert Judi James has revealed what the First Lady was really thinking during her husband's birthday parade over the weekend A body language expert has revealed what Melania Trump was really thinking during her husband's military parade on Saturday, which marked the US President's 79th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the American Army. The 55-year-old First Lady stunned in a white pinstripe skirt power suit. While her husband donned his usual attire – a navy suit, white shirt and red tie - for the special ceremony which took place outside the White House. In a rare public display of affection, Melania held Donald's hand during the parade and smiled throughout. But body language expert Judi James thinks her communication with her husband "suggests some tension" between the couple. She observed: "Her left hand seems to perform a small ritual that suggests inner tension, or she lifts it to preen her hair as it wafts in the breeze. When Trump is seated, it looks like another day in the White House office. "While Melania performs a wide, Duchenne smile, his smile is the lip-clamped, acknowledging version and his posture slumps as he rests his elbows on his thighs and splays his knees with his hands forming a downward steeple gesture." The expert further noted to Daily that Melania was "more rigid" than her husband and "almost mirroring the military pose of Pete Hegseth on Trump's other side." Though on the rare occasion Donald does talk to her, Judi noted Melania – who has been married to Trump for 20 years - "becomes more animated, leaning quickly sideways to listen and smile." But it seemed the ceremony might have been a bit too long for the President, as a photo of him apparently catching forty winks went viral on social media. A snap circulating on X, previously known as Twitter, shows a seated Trump with his eyes shut, seemingly dozing while the military procession continued. And critics didn't hesitate to poke fun at Trump nodding off, with some calling it a 'disgrace'. "Trump seen falling asleep at his own birthday military parade," one user posted on the social media site. Another jested: "It was past his bedtime", as a third ribbed: "This mutha sucka couldn't even stay awake at his empty birthday parade. Chile, bye! #DemUnited #NoKingsParade #TrumpisaNationalDisgrace." A fourth remarked: "Falling asleep again, on his Birthday. No this is not at Pope inauguration. The military parade that he desperately wanted, and Americans paid millions for... So disrespectful of the US Military. Disgrace." But it wasn't just Trump's apparent snoozing that hit the headlines. Thousands of protests sprung up across the country against Trump's authoritarian tendencies - under the banner 'No Kings', which also put a literal damper on the proceedings. To add to the drama, protesters gathered to make their dissent heard against the festivities. Overshadowing the parade, was a towering, eight-foot-tall effigy of Trump sat on a toilet. It comes as Trump threatened to respond at 'levels never seen before' if Iran attacks the US, sparking fears of World War Three. At least nine people are dead and more than 100 have reportedly been injured after Iran launched a barrage of missile strikes at Israel overnight, in retaliation for Israel's Friday strikes. Those killed range in age from 10 to 80 years old. Israel also launched overnight strikes, hitting the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tehran. The Israeli military said it had targeted other locations that "advanced" Iran's nuclear program, setting it back possibly by years. Distancing his administration from the attacks, Trump said Washington had no role to play in the escalating trouble as he issued a warning to Tehran not to bring his country into the conflict.
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First Post
15-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
They fight fight fight & win win win: Trump shores up nationalist spirit in historic military parade
From thanking the troops to warning America's global adversaries, US President Donald Trump gave a thunderous address at the historic military parade, marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army and Trump's 79th Birthday read more US President Donald Trump lauded the American Army and warned the country's global adversaries as he delivered remarks at the in Washington, DC. The parade, which commenced from the National Mall on Saturday, commemorated the 250th anniversary of the armed services. Interestingly, it coincided with Trump's 79th birthday. In his remarks after the parade, Trump thanked the troops, telling the gathering that 'The Army keeps us free, makes us strong.' 'Time and again, America's enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you,' he said as he warned the US's global adversaries . STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Your defeat will be certain. Your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete. Our soldiers never give up, never surrender, and never quit," Trump added. 'They fight, fight, fight and win, win, win,' he remarked, which was followed by thunderous applause. Later in the speech, the president offered gratitude to the troops and veterans, telling the crowd that 'thanks to their [US military's] extraordinary service and devotion, 250 years later, America stands tall, America stands proud, and America stands free.' 'We love you, we honour you, and we salute your noble service to our flag and our country,' Trump said. 'No king protests', rain nothing stopped Trump's parade The Trump administration conducted the parade with whole elan and panache amid concerns that rain would dampen the celebrations. According to ABC News, 84 military vehicles, including 28 Abrams tanks, 6,700 marching soldiers and other military presentations, were all on tap for the celebration. Many people in attendance donned MAGA hats, and some in the crowd even burst into singing 'Happy Birthday,' as the parade was about to begin. The parade had to start half an hour early, 6 PM (local time), due to the weather conditions. Trump arrived at the parade with First Lady Melania Trump as they watched the procession march down Constitution Avenue from a viewing stand near the White House. Trump stood and saluted the troops as they passed. Also in attendance were Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Army soldier and Guardsman, and Vice President JD Vance, a Marine veteran, and his family. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Vance spoke briefly after the parade, highlighting the Army's birthday and wishing the president a happy birthday, too. 'To our soldiers, we're so proud of you, and let me tell you that the way we honour you and respect you is, number one, we never ask you to go to war unless we have to," the vice president told the crowd. Vance also spoke about his wife, Usha, telling the crowd, 'To my lovely wife, I love you, honey, and happy anniversary.'
Hindustan Times
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Netanyahu sends birthday wishes to Trump amid Israel-Iran conflict
In a special video message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 14 extended heartfelt birthday wishes to U.S. President Donald J. Trump, praising him as an extraordinary leader and steadfast friend of Israel. Netanyahu highlighted Trump's decisive support for Israel and his role in protecting Israeli lives against threats from Iran. The Prime Minister also congratulated the American Army on its 250th anniversary, acknowledging its pivotal role in defending global freedom. Watch for more
