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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newsom Warns ‘Other States Are Next' in Speech Against Trump
California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivers an address on June 10, 2025. Credit - Office of the California Governor via AP 'What's happening right now is very different than anything we've seen before,' Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, said in a speech Tuesday night that was seemingly addressed as much to his own state's residents as to the nation. 'This isn't just about protests here in Los Angeles. When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation,' Newsom said amid days of unrest in southern California after the President mobilized troops to quell violence and vandalism that had broken out during demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids—an escalation Newsom called a 'brazen abuse of power' that 'inflamed a combustible situation.' 'This is about all of us. This is about you,' Newsom said. 'California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next.' Newsom lambasted Trump, calling him a President who 'wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetuating a unified assault on American traditions.' And he repeated his assertion that Trump was 'fanning the flames' in Los Angeles 'on purpose.' Newsom claimed that California could have managed the criminal behavior on its streets with its own law enforcement. 'The situation was winding down and was concentrated in just a few square blocks downtown,' Newsom said. 'But that—that's not what Donald Trump wanted. He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety.' Newsom said the deployment of National Guard and Marine forces was done 'illegally and for no reason' and pointed to a legal challenge filed by the state against the Trump Administration. 'These are the men and women trained for foreign combat, not domestic law enforcement. We honor their service, we honor their bravery, but we do not want our streets militarized by our own armed forces—not in L.A., not in California, not anywhere.' Newsom, whose second and final term ends in 2027 and is considered to be a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, focused much of his less-than-10-minute speech on pushing back against Trump's mass deportation effort, which the California Governor linked to a broader slide toward authoritarianism. 'California is no stranger to immigration enforcement, but instead of focusing on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records and people with final deportation orders, a strategy both parties have long supported, this Administration is pushing mass deportations, indiscriminately targeting hard working immigrant families regardless of their roots or risk,' Newsom said. He spoke of the fear undocumented residents feel, saying that the Trump Administration is 'pulling a military dragnet' across Los Angeles. 'We're seeing unmarked cars in school parking lots, kids afraid of attending their own graduation. … His agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers, and seamstresses. That's just weakness, weakness masquerading as strength. Donald Trump's government isn't protecting our communities. They're traumatizing our communities. And that seems to be the entire point.' 'If some of us could be snatched off the streets without a warrant, based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe,' Newsom added. 'Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there. Trump and his loyalists—they thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control.' The 57-year-old Democrat who has been criticized by some for earlier this year appearing to take a more moderate tack as his national ambitions grow also outlined a list of criticisms of Trump that extend beyond immigration, including the firing of government watchdogs; attacking news organizations, universities, law firms, and the judicial branch; and holding a military parade on Saturday, 'forcing them to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past.' 'Democracy is under assault before our eyes,' Newsom said, charging Trump with taking 'a wrecking ball' to the principle of three co-equal branches of government. 'There are no longer any checks and balances. Congress is nowhere to be found. Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that responsibility. The Rule of Law has increasingly been giving way to the Rule of Don.' Trump, who has nicknamed Newsom 'Newscum' on social media and called for the Governor to be arrested earlier this week, did not immediately respond to Newsom's remarks on Tuesday night. Newsom ended the speech with a call to action. 'The Founding Fathers—they didn't live and die to see this kind of moment. It's time for all of us to stand up,' he said. 'If you exercise your First Amendment rights, please, please do it peacefully. I know many of you are feeling deep anxiety, stress, and fear, but I want you to know that you are the antidote to that fear and that anxiety. What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.' Contact us at letters@
Kuwait Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Young Ambassador Program nurtures youth to be the voice of the voiceless
Program concludes third edition, inspires future diplomats By Christine Susan Shine KUWAIT: The third edition of the Young Ambassador Program concluded on Tuesday, marking the culmination of seven months of immersive learning and international engagement. The initiative, jointly organized by the British and Canadian Embassies in Kuwait alongside the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Representative, remains a unique model hosted exclusively in Kuwait. This year's program brought together 39 high school students aged 14 to 18 from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds to delve into the world of diplomacy, multilateral cooperation and global challenges. Centered on the theme of 'Sustainable Peace and Security,' the initiative explored pressing international issues including climate change, gender equality, disinformation, and cybersecurity—framed within the broader context of peacebuilding. British Ambassador Belinda Lewis noted the significance of diversity in the program's learning environment. 'It's often daunting to bring together young people with different perspectives, but that discomfort is where the real learning begins,' she said. Throughout the program, participants were mentored by diplomats and UN officials, worked in partnership with local embassies and institutions, and engaged in policy simulations, negotiation workshops, and thematic panel discussions. These sessions provided students with practical insights into international relations and the complexities of diplomatic dialogue. British Ambassador Belinda Lewis Canadian Ambassador Aliya Mawani UN Representative Ghada Eltahir 'My daughter had to step out of her comfort zone. She worked with students from American, British and Arab schools—young people she had never met before, with different perspectives,' said Elsy, the mother of Kaelle Dib, a participant from a French school. 'That kind of collaboration changes you. It helps build character and confidence,' she added. The program's curriculum also included public speaking and self-expression training, a cybersecurity session with the Kuwait College of Science and Technology, and discussions on gender-based violence in connection with the UN's 16 Days of Activism campaign. Participants also visited Kuwait Times to gain firsthand insight into the media's role in shaping diplomatic narratives and explored international institutions such as NATO and the United Nations. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Canadian Ambassador Aliya Mawani praised the students' engagement and potential. 'Many of you told me this experience was life-changing. Diplomacy must evolve, and that means we need new voices. Your voice matters. What you do next, how you use this platform—that's what excites me,' she said, expressing hope that similar models could be adopted globally. UN Representative Ghada Eltahir highlighted the program's broader relevance. 'In a world increasingly fragmented, where global peace and security may seem like overwhelming tasks, these young diplomats hold the potential and responsibility to reimagine the frameworks of cooperation, multilateralism, and diplomacy,' she said. Ambassador Lewis also encouraged participants to carry the lessons of the program into their futures. 'Keep talking to people, keep asking questions, and stay open to being challenged. That is what diplomacy demands,' she remarked.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House: Brief meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy "very productive"
US President Donald Trump and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a "very productive discussion" in Rome on Saturday 26 April. Source: White House spokesperson; European Pravda with reference to Reuters Details: Zelenskyy's administration confirmed that the meeting with Trump took place, but did not provide any details. It was reported that the meeting lasted 15 minutes. The meeting, the first since a fierce argument in the Oval Office in February, took place at a critical moment in the negotiations aimed at ending Russian aggression against Ukraine. "President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion. More details about the meeting will follow," said White House Communications Director Steven Cheung. Trump, who has been demanding that both sides agree to a ceasefire, said on Friday that productive talks had taken place between his envoy and Russian leaders and called for a summit between Kyiv and Moscow to reach a deal. Trump, Zelenskyy, Macron and Keir Starmer at a meeting Photo: Serhii Leshchenko, adviser to the Office of the Ukrainian President Background: Last week, US President Donald Trump's administration reportedly handed Ukraine a one-page document in Paris, presenting it as the "final offer" for a peace deal. In it, the US shows readiness to recognise Russian control over Crimea and ease sanctions on Moscow. On 24 April, Zelenskyy said the US had presented its strategy regarding Ukrainian territories during talks in London, but, according to him, "another paper has appeared" after the US proposal. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Japan Times
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Iran says it will start nuclear talks with U.S. this weekend
Iran said it will start high-level talks with the U.S. in Oman this weekend, confirming Donald Trump's announcement that they'll discuss the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program even as debate continued over how the session will unfold. "The talks will be held on Saturday in Oman,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday, adding that sanctions relief was Iran's main goal. "They will take place in an indirect format, and we don't accept any other method of negotiation.' But Trump said Monday that "we're dealing with them directly. You know, a lot of people say, 'Oh, maybe you're going through surrogates, you're not dealing directly, you're dealing through other countries.' No — we're dealing with them directly.' The meeting, according to Iran's state-run Nour News, will be led by Araghchi and Steve Witkoff, the U.S. president's special envoy for the Middle East and one of Trump's closest advisers. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi will help mediate the discussions, Nour reported. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday. | Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader / West Asia News Agency / via REUTERS It will be the first time since September 2022 that the U.S. and Iran are taking part in formal nuclear talks. The dispute over the format suggests there may be a delicate compromise, such as an initial gathering of all the participants followed by indirect discussions with Oman mediating. In any case, Tammy Bruce, spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, told reporters Tuesday that this weekend's gathering will be "a matter of determining what's possible' but there will be "no negotiations.' Iranian officials have long insisted that any talks must be indirect and through a regional mediator. The two countries haven't directly engaged at a top level since the marathon negotiations that led to the landmark nuclear deal in 2015, which Trump pulled out of in 2018 during his first term in power. That exit is one reason Iran remains wary of any deal with Trump. Oman has plenty of experience acting as a broker to resolve disputes involving Middle Eastern states and has previously mediated between the U.S. and Iran. The latest developments follow weeks of rising tension, leading to fears among regional governments that Tehran and Washington are heading for a conflict. The U.S. military has been working with Israel on potential attack scenarios in case the diplomatic talks fail, according to people familiar with the matter. That's included sending more American bombers to a U.S. base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, said the people. Last month, Trump sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging him to agree to a new deal or face possible military action. A woman walks past a mural depicting the U.S. flag with the stars substituted with skulls and the white and red stripes with silhouettes of soldiers firing assault rifles, painted on the outer walls of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, colloquially referred to as the "Spy Den," on Tuesday. | AFP-JIJI Trump, in his letter, said Iran had two months to reach a deal before possibly facing military action. It is unclear if Trump was prepared to accept talks starting in that timeframe, given the difficulty in reaching a deal over such a complicated matter in a short time. Since taking office in January, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure' strategy against Iran, targeting its oil exports, the banking system and other key industries. He's said he wants to ensure Tehran never acquires a nuclear weapon, something Iranian officials have repeatedly denied they are pursuing. Escalating tensions Iran's nuclear program has dominated a tense and often hostile relationship with the U.S. for more than 20 years. The two countries haven't had formal diplomatic ties since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and have had direct contact on rare occasions, most notably when they started nuclear talks during Barack Obama's presidency. Those negotiations ultimately led to the 2015 accord — formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — that imposed strict caps on Iran's atomic activity in exchange for sanctions relief from the U.S. When Trump withdrew the U.S. from that deal, he imposed tougher sanctions on the Islamic Republic's economy and oil exports, triggering a financial crisis and unraveling billions of dollars worth of investment agreements with foreign companies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday. | Eric Lee / The New York Times That move eventually prompted Iran to significantly ramp-up its nuclear activity. It's now probably able to produce the amount of enriched uranium needed for a bomb in less than a week, though it would take longer than that to build an atomic weapon. The Obama-era talks included a historic handshake between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in 2015. Those images stirred anger among hardliners in both Tehran and Washington. In January, Khamenei publicly warned his officials to be suspicious of "the smiles of diplomats' and Zarif resigned from his latest post as a foreign-policy adviser to Iran's current president, reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, amid mounting criticism from hawkish politicians in Tehran. This weekend, it's likely that Iranian diplomats will be careful not to be seen directly engaging with American counterparts. Oman's role will be key in terms of how both sides frame the talks to naysayers and supporters at home. An anti-U.S. mural is seen on a building in Tehran | West Asia News Agency / via REUTERS Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while in Washington on Monday, said Israel would support a deal if it was akin to one Libya signed in 2003 that dismantled its nuclear program. His government's been skeptical that Iran — Israel's archenemy — can be trusted with a diplomatic agreement and he was a vocal critic of the 2015 accord. "If it can be done diplomatically in a full way the way that it was done in Libya I think that would be a good thing,' the Israeli leader said. "But whatever happens, we have to make sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapon.' Iran's economy has been struggling for years. Khamenei and the theocratic system that he governs have been broadly unpopular for some time, and the country has seen widespread protests. Currency plunges Since Pezeshkian took office last July on a mandate to secure sanctions relief from the U.S., Iran's national currency, the rial, has lost nearly two-thirds of its value against the dollar. Experts warn the country urgently needs billions of dollars of investments. Tehran, months ago, started sets of parallel talks with European powers and with China and Russia. All were part of the 2015 agreement. "The fact that Iran and the U.S. are preparing to hold negotiations, even if via Oman's mediation, shows that things are starting to speed up now,' said Elena Suponina, a Moscow-based Middle East expert. "But the question is, will Trump be ready for patience when the talks hit roadblocks?' Russia, which is hosting talks in Moscow on Tuesday with China and Iran, is still trying to facilitate a solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, Suponina said.
South China Morning Post
11-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Iran president to Trump: I will not negotiate, ‘do whatever the hell you want'
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not negotiate with the US while being threatened, telling President Donald Trump to 'do whatever the hell you want', Iranian state media reported on Tuesday. Advertisement 'It is unacceptable for us that they [the US] give orders and make threats. I won't even negotiate with you. Do whatever the hell you want', state media quoted Pezeshkian as saying. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations, a day after Trump said he had sent a letter urging Iran to engage in talks on a new nuclear deal. While expressing openness to a deal with Tehran, Trump has reinstated the 'maximum pressure' campaign he applied in his first term as president to isolate Iran from the global economy and drive its oil exports down towards zero. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei speaks at a meeting in Tehran on Saturday as President Masoud Pezeshkian listens. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP In an interview with Fox Business, Trump said last week, 'There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal' to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
