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Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Trump sees Iran deal that allows US to destroy nuclear sites
U.S. President Donald Trump said he envisions a nuclear deal with Iran that would allow the destruction of "whatever we want" in the country including labs, a version of an inspections regime that is likely to be rejected by Tehran. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump briefly outlined his vision of a deal that is "very strong, where we can go in with inspectors. We can take whatever we want. We can blow up whatever we want. But nobody getting killed," he said. Trump also said he believed a deal with Iran could be completed within "the next couple of weeks" and that talks had made "a lot of progress." But his comments about destroying nuclear facilities highlight a major sticking point between the two over whether Iran should be allowed to produce its own enriched uranium. It's not clear if the ability to dismantle or destroy infrastructure in the event that Iran is found to be weaponizing its enrichment capability is a demand that U.S. negotiators have formally put to Iranian counterparts in their current talks. Trump's comments came in response to questions about reports Israel has revived plans to attack Iran. He said he waived Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu off that idea as it could disrupt ongoing talks between the U.S. and Iran. Trump described an alternative that gave the U.S. the option to destroy infrastructure related to a weapons program that would be baked into an agreement with Iran. "We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up, right?" he added. Iranian officials haven't yet commented on his statements. After the 1991 Gulf War, a United Nations-led regime was imposed on Iraq in which inspectors were allowed to destroy nuclear and chemical weapons-related infrastructure. Iran has repeatedly warned the U.S. against threats of military action. Iranian officials insist their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only and uranium enrichment is necessary for its nuclear power sector. Earlier on Wednesday officials in Iran said they'd consider allowing Americans to be part of International Atomic Energy Agency inspection teams under a future deal with the U.S., a walkback from a practice of excluding inspectors who are U.S. nationals. Trump's comments about being able to destroy nuclear infrastructure may make officials in Iran rethink the concession. Despite the apparent distance between expectations, Trump sounded optimistic about a deal, which his special envoy Steve Witkoff has been negotiating. "They still have to agree to the final stages of a document, but I think you could be very well surprised what happens there, and it would be a great thing for them," Trump said. "They could have a great country into the future." After talks in Rome on Friday, the Iranian foreign minister and lead negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, said they could lead to progress toward an agreement in the next couple of meetings. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Miami Herald
Proposed fireworks law in Florida seeks to defuse explosive neighborhood clash
ORLANDO, Fla. - A pesky neighbor whose explosive barrage plagues homeowners in Waterfront Estates is propelling a tougher Orange County fireworks ordinance that could ease tensions - and kabooms - around the region. County commissioners discussed the revamped rules at their meeting Tuesday. Discontent in the working class neighborhood near Little Lake Conway has been simmering for more than a year but boiled over in September when a disquieted group of residents appeared before commissioners to plead for help. Though they had repeatedly called the Sheriff's Office, residents said responding deputies informed them no enforcement action could be taken unless an officer personally witnessed the infraction. The proposed rule change would drop that requirement and treat illegal use of fireworks as a code violation rather than a crime. If an investigating office found probable cause of a violation - say a video or audio recording from a home-security system - a written warning or a citation could be issued to the alleged offender along with a directive to "cease and desist" in a reasonable time. Assistant County Attorney Joy Carmichael, who presented a draft of the new rules to commissioners, defined a reasonable time to mean "within five minutes or immediately." A first offense would carry a $200 fine and a second offense a $400 fine. Each subsequent violation would carry a fine of $500 and mandate the alleged offender to appear in court, she said. Florida law allows fireworks "solely and exclusively" on three holidays - New Year's Eve, New Years Day and July 4th. Commissioner Mayra Uribe, whose district includes Waterfront Estates, said she has heard the unnerving blasts in the neighborhood. She described the explosions as "random -9 o'clock in the morning, 3 in the afternoon - whenever he wants," When drought-like conditions this spring prompted Orange County and other Central Florida governments to impose burn bans to prevent a stray ember from touching off a dangerous wildfire, the fireworks stopped. "We were all like, 'Hallelujah,' " Uribe said. But then it rained, the ban was lifted and the fireworks resumed. Residents also allege the neighbor erected phallic objects on a fence at his home to annoy them. Though neighbors have identified him, the Orlando Sentinel is not naming him because he has not been charged or cited. The man could not be reached by phone for this story. Jill Sharga, among neighbors who have appealed to commissioners for help, considers the revamped rules to be "good news." She previously appeared before the board with a calendar festooned with cartoon bombs, each marking a day she'd heard an explosion. "I am very happy it's going in the right direction," she said in a text after Tuesday's commission meeting. "We would not need a sheriff's deputy to personally observe the guy lighting a match to blow up his bombs." ------------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
North Korea says Trump's Golden Dome risks ‘space nuclear war'
North Korea sharply criticized President Donald Trump's plan for a Golden Dome missile-defense system, a shield intended to counter threats from rivals including Pyongyang. The program "is an outer space nuclear war scenario supporting the US strategy for uni-polar domination," the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing a memo from an institute under the Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang. The memorandum described the U.S. program as "the height of self-righteousness, arrogance, high-handed and arbitrary practice," adding that Washington "has been hell-bent on the moves to militarize outer space, claiming that those who dominate outer space can win victory in the future war." Trump vowed last week that the Golden Dome shield should be operational by the end of his term, saying it would be able to protect the U.S. from threats including ballistic missiles, hypersonics and advanced cruise missiles. Much of the tech around the system remains unproven, especially plans for space-based interceptors to knock down incoming ballistic missiles. Over the past several years North Korea has been trying to add a multiple warhead intercontinental ballistic missile to its arsenal, a move that would increase the chance of at least one nuclear weapon making it past interceptors and reaching its target. Last year, North Korea claimed it successfully conducted a test of a multiple warhead missile system. South Korea's military accused North Korea of using "deception and exaggeration" to cover up a missile that exploded in the early stages of flight. North Korea joins China in criticizing the Golden Dome plan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said earlier it "violates the principle of peaceful use of outer space," adding that it would start an arms race. Beijing has been Pyongyang's biggest benefactor for decades, supplying aid that has propped up an economy badly hobbled by international sanctions over North Korea's nuclear program. Last month, Trump said he plans to reach out to North Korea "at some point" and reiterated that he has a "very good relationship" with leader Kim Jong Un. During his first term, Trump announced the suspension or scaling down of some major U.S.-South Korea military drills after starting face-to-face talks with Kim. While those discussions ultimately collapsed, Trump has indicated a willingness to reach out for renewed talks during his second term. (Shinhye Kang contributed to this report.) Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Russia dismisses Trump's Putin criticism as ‘emotional' reaction
The Kremlin Monday brushed aside President Donald Trump's criticism of Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as an "emotional reaction" and defended the deadly campaign of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine. "The beginning of the negotiation process, for which the American side made great efforts, is a very important achievement, and we are truly grateful to the Americans, to President Trump," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the state-run Tass news service. "At the same time, this is a very important moment, which is associated, of course, with an emotional overload of absolutely everyone and emotional reactions," Peskov added. Trump on Sunday said that he was "absolutely" considering new sanctions against Russia and called Putin "absolutely CRAZY!" for "needlessly killing a lot of people" with drone and missile attacks. The U.S. leader's comments came as he grows visibly frustrated with the state of Ukraine ceasefire talks, but the Kremlin's reaction gave no sign Putin is ready to drop his resistance to a truce in Europe's largest conflict since World War II. Instead, the Russian leader has stuck to maximalist demands on Kyiv for ending his invasion, which is now in its fourth year. Putin is due to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan later on Monday, according to the Kremlin. Turkey hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine earlier this month at which Moscow rejected a 30-day ceasefire. Russia launched a record number of drones as well as nine cruise missiles at regions across the country overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the X social media platform Monday. The Ukrainian leader said the attack left people injured and civilian infrastructure damaged. That was the culmination of three consecutive nights of strikes. Ukrainian authorities said on Sunday at least 12 people were killed in the previous night, prompting Zelenskyy to renew his call for more sanctions. The attacks coincided with a third day of prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas described the latest strikes as "totally appalling" in her comments to reporters on Monday, adding that "it's up to us to put the pressure on Russia." Peskov said on Monday that the attacks were "retaliatory strikes" for Ukraine targeting civilian infrastructure. Last week, Kyiv targeted central Russia with drones nearly continuously for several days, a departure from earlier attacks that typically occurred overnight. Russia said on Monday it repelled 96 drones overnight with some targeting Moscow and causing flight disruptions at major airports in the Russian capital region. Trump also lashed out at Zelenskyy in the same social media in which he criticized Putin. "President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does," he said in the Truth Social post. "Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Puzzle solutions for Sunday, May 25, 2025
Note: Most subscribers have some, but not all, of the puzzles that correspond to the following set of solutions for their local newspaper. Play the USA TODAY Crossword Puzzle. Play the USA TODAY Sudoku Game. Answer: HUMBLE BASKET POTENT DISOWN BANISH ENROLLWhen Jones, Tork, Dolenz and Nesmith teamed up, people enjoyed their — 'MONKEE' BUSINESS (Distributed by Tribune Content Agency) UPON LANDING, THE ALIEN HANDED US A REALLY BIG HUNK OF PRIME BEEF AND SAID, "TAKE MEAT TO YOUR LEADER." (Distributed by King Features) FIG KIWI DATE PEAR GUAVA PEACH CHERRY AVOCADO (Distributed by Tribune Content Agency) TOOTH, HATING, GLOATS, STOOL, LOANED (Distributed by Andrews McMeel) ROSE BARBIE CARNATION PASTEL ORCHID SHOCKING SALMON (Distributed by Andrews McMeel) Hot cross buns already! (Distributed by Creators Syndicate) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Online Crossword & Sudoku Puzzle Answers for 05/25/2025 - USA TODAY
