Vera Bergengruen
@verambergen.bsky.social
📤 1776
📥 107
📝 96
Senior Correspondent at TIME Magazine Talk to me ➡️
[email protected]
pinned post!
My TIME cover story from El Salvador, where I sat down with President Nayib Bukele—his first interview with a foreign reporter in three years. How El Salvador became a one-party state, controlled by a single man. Read my story here:
time.com/7015598/nayi...
about 1 year ago
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NEW: The Trump admin has identified targets in Venezuela that include military facilities used to smuggle drugs, U.S. officials say. If Trump decides to move forward w/ airstrikes, they say, the targets would send a clear message to Maduro that it is time to step down.
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
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U.S. Eyes Striking Venezuelan Military Targets Used for Drug Trafficking
If President Trump decides to move forward with airstrikes, the targets would send a clear message to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro that it is time to step down, according to U.S. officials.
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/u-s-eyes-striking-venezuelan-military-targets-used-for-drug-trafficking-cafcfe47?st=2fHZTW&reflink=article_copyURL_share
10 days ago
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The Pentagon has ordered the National Guard to create “quick reaction” forces in every state by January that are trained and equipped to respond to riots and civil unrest within the U.S., according to internal DOD memos.
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
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Pentagon Orders National Guard to Establish Quick-Reaction Forces for Civil Unrest, Riots
The riot control units are a major shift, underscoring the Trump administration’s push to directly involve the military in responding to demonstrations and other domestic missions.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-orders-national-guard-to-establish-quick-reaction-forces-for-civil-unrest-riots-f602b193?st=S4VoNX&reflink=article_copyURL_share
11 days ago
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
Alicia Wanless
14 days ago
Excited to be back at
@carnegieendowment.org
for this chat with
@verambergen.bsky.social
about The Information Animal - should be fun! If you’re in DC on November 5, please come.
carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...
And with that, see y’all in a couple weeks!
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The Information Animal: Are Humans in a Competition for Reality?
Join the Carnegie Endowment’s Technology and International Affairs Program for a conversation with Vera Bergengruen, national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and Dr. Alicia Wanless to di...
https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/10/the-information-animal-are-humans-in-a-competition-for-reality?lang=en&mkt_tok=ODEzLVhZVS00MjIAAAGdxlZWfMLereGMg7m9xvfOTQQ-rV1eteQntzh5vC_bQ-buDjALKOwjDX3hrAGDTV1QVl_hSC8Q5piTeQr-lR__8bBeRPxunZYgEZb3L6k
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
Carnegie Endowment
12 days ago
The human-technology relationship has followed a similar pattern since ancient times. Is history doomed to repeat itself? Join
@lageneralista.bsky.social
and
@verambergen.bsky.social
to discuss questions like this – & Alicia’s book! Nov 5, 4pm EST, hybrid
carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
The Wall Street Journal
18 days ago
In his second term, President Trump is seeking to dominate the Americas with a new "Donroe Doctrine."
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Essay | Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ Aims to Dominate the Americas
From attacking drug boats to pressuring Venezuela’s leader, the President is putting the Western Hemisphere at the center of his foreign policy.
https://on.wsj.com/4qnh2IL
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
The Wall Street Journal
about 1 month ago
Thousands of federal agents once tasked with investigating drug smuggling, sexual exploitation and organized crime have been redirected to immigration enforcement.
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Trump’s Immigration Push Diverts U.S. Agents From Drug, Money and Sex-Crime Cases
Federal investigators are resigning, and morale is low, as they juggle complex cases and detain migrants.
https://on.wsj.com/4nI7beU
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
The Wall Street Journal
about 1 month ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s emphasis on physical prowess comes as experts say future wars will depend more on cutting-edge technology, precision strikes and AI
on.wsj.com/3KvrcH1
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Hegseth Focuses on Fitness, Even as Pentagon Goes High Tech
The emphasis on physical prowess comes as experts say future wars will depend more on cutting-edge technology, precision strikes and AI.
https://on.wsj.com/4o8zSS5
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NEW: Thousands of federal agents once tasked with investigating drug smuggling, sexual exploitation, and organized crime have been redirected to immigration enforcement under President Trump’s second-term push to accelerate deportations
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
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Trump’s Immigration Push Diverts U.S. Agents From Drug, Money and Sex-Crime Cases
Federal investigators are resigning, and morale is low, as they juggle complex cases and detain migrants.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trumps-immigration-push-diverts-u-s-agents-from-drug-money-and-sex-crime-cases-90b37cc9?st=xoFouH&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
about 1 month ago
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For those not steeped in online conservative circles, Charlie Kirk was hardly a household name outside the U.S. before this past week. But his death has galvanized right-wing figures abroad who have hailed him as a martyr for a global movement. Latest ⬇️
www.wsj.com/world/charli...
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Charlie Kirk’s Death Unites a Global Right That Sees Its Movement Under Siege
Conservative leaders from Pretoria to Tokyo framed the killing of the U.S. activist and organizer as proof of an existential threat.
https://www.wsj.com/world/charlie-kirk-world-influence-747e18f8
about 2 months ago
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New: Inside the lobbying campaign by Ukraine, European officials and evangelical Christian organizations to bring the Ukrainian children forcibly removed to Russia to Trump’s attention & make their return a demand in peace negotiations
www.wsj.com/world/inside...
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Inside the Lobbying Push That Put Ukraine’s Missing Children on Trump’s Agenda
Children that Ukraine says were taken by Russia are at the heart of peace talks thanks to a monthslong effort by Western officials and evangelical Christian groups.
https://www.wsj.com/world/inside-the-lobbying-push-that-put-ukraines-missing-children-on-trumps-agenda-732d8b56
3 months ago
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New: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized the National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., to carry weapons
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
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Defense Secretary Authorizes National Guard in D.C. to Carry Arms
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard soldiers in Washington to carry weapons, the latest move in President Trump’s efforts to ramp up security in the nation’s capital.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/defense-secretary-authorizes-national-guard-in-dc-to-carry-arms-a693d62b
3 months ago
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“ICE is seeking to spend millions of dollars on SUVs and custom, gold-detailed vehicle wraps emblazoned with the words “DEFEND THE HOMELAND,” according to a contractor’s social media post and records that describe the decked-out fleet”
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/20/ice-vehicle-wraps-contract-dc/
3 months ago
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
Paul Kiernan
3 months ago
Of the 465 total arrests from the start of operations in the District of Columbia through Tuesday, roughly 44%, or 206, have been arrests of immigrants in the country illegally, according to a White House official.
www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
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Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid
Nearly half of the arrests under the security crackdown have been of people in the country illegally.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/trump-dc-immigration-raid-ab03b4bc?st=Raouzn&reflink=article_copyURL_share
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
The Wall Street Journal
3 months ago
Nearly half of the arrests under President Trump’s security crackdown in the nation’s capital have been of people in the country illegally.
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Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid
Nearly half of the arrests under the security crackdown have been of people in the country illegally.
https://on.wsj.com/476QlB2
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NEW: Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid
www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
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https://www.wsj.com/us-news/trump-dc-immigration-raid-ab03b4bc
3 months ago
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
Andrew Buncombe
3 months ago
Do read this: Blackwater’s Erik Prince muscles back into mercenary business
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
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Blackwater’s Erik Prince Muscles Back Into the Mercenary Business
Prince has a new guns-for-hire firm to take overseas security jobs the White House doesn’t want to pay for.
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/erik-prince-mercenaries-vectus-global-5a166dca?mod=hp_lead_pos7
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
Kathleen Bush-Joseph
3 months ago
National Guard soldiers prepare to carry weapons in Washington, DC
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
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Exclusive | National Guard Soldiers Prepare to Carry Weapons in Washington, D.C.
The shift comes after defense officials said the soldiers deployed to the capital wouldn’t be armed.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/national-guard-soldiers-prepare-to-carry-weapons-in-washington-d-c-3965923c?st=iyh7FQ&reflink=article_copyURL_share
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NEW: National Guard troops deployed to DC by President Trump are now preparing to carry weapons. It's a significant shift—defense officials emphasized two days ago that troops would not be armed or have weapons in their vehicles.
3 months ago
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
Sarah Kirchberger
3 months ago
“People know that we Finns don’t have a hidden agenda, and we’re also quite blunt,” Stubb told The Wall Street Journal in an interview on July 31. “I can communicate what Europeans or Zelensky think to Trump, and then I can communicate what Trump thinks to my European colleagues.”
add a skeleton here at some point
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Finland's President is usually up by 5 am for triathlon training and a sauna. These days, his morning routine is often interrupted by a call from Donald Trump: “Why are you up already?” My latest from Helsinki on the unexpected—and high-stakes—bond between the two presidents
3 months ago
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
The Wall Street Journal
3 months ago
WSJ’s Vera Bergengruen sat down with Finnish President Alexander Stubb to discuss his rapport with President Trump, a bond over golf and how it’s driven Ukraine diplomacy.
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Watch: How Golf With Trump Helped Drive U.S.-European Diplomacy on Ukraine
WSJ’s Vera Bergengruen interviewed Finnish President Alexander Stubb about how bonding over golf helped him become an influential envoy between President Trump and European allies.
https://on.wsj.com/3UwBvfA
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
The Wall Street Journal
3 months ago
President Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb have formed an unexpected bond, exchanging texts and calls at odd hours.
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How Finland’s Golf-Loving President Got Trump to Hear Him Out on Russia
“He’s a very good player,” President Trump said of Alexander Stubb, who warned after the two played a round at Trump’s club that Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn’t be trusted.
https://on.wsj.com/41ydGYE
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Peak local energy in Alaska on the Trump-Putin summit coming to town
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3 months ago
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin today ahead of President Donald Trump’s call with European leaders to discuss the Putin summit (Photo: Singer/Pool/EPA)
3 months ago
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New: How Trump Is Expanding the Role of the American Military on U.S. Soil
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
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https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-national-guard-dc-military-role-3027c35e
3 months ago
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President Trump has directed the Pentagon to begin preparing options to use military force against Latin American drug cartels.
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
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https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-orders-pentagon-to-prepare-to-target-drug-cartels-in-latin-america-d47150c2
3 months ago
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Sec. Marco Rubio met for 50 minutes with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov last week in Malaysia - afterwards he told us “a new and different approach” to peace talks had been raised in the meeting he would bring to Trump
www.wsj.com/world/rubio-...
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Rubio Cites New Path to Ukraine Peace Talks After Meeting Russia’s Lavrov
The discussion in Malaysia follows Trump’s harsh criticism of Putin and pledge to resume military aid to Kyiv.
https://www.wsj.com/world/rubio-cites-new-path-to-ukraine-peace-talks-after-meeting-russias-lavrov-3a99bef6
4 months ago
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Pentagon intelligence officials assess the U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities set back Tehran’s program by up to two years, a more modest claim than President Trump’s assertion that the attack had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear efforts
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
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Pentagon Says U.S. Strike Delayed Iran’s Nuclear Program by Up To Two Years
The new assessment contrasted with U.N. agency view that Iran could resume enriching uranium in a “matter of months.”
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/pentagon-says-u-s-strike-delayed-irans-nuclear-program-by-up-to-two-years-8d51eb81?st=XK9qS5&reflink=article_copyURL_share
4 months ago
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President Trump earned around $57 million from his stake in a family-backed cryptocurrency firm last year “In a matter of months, the Trump family has reached into nearly every corner of the crypto industry.”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
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Trump Disclosure Shows $57 Million in Earnings From Early Crypto Push
The president’s assets were valued at roughly $1.7 billion, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-disclosure-shows-57-million-in-earnings-from-early-crypto-push-2c7dd19a
5 months ago
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New: The leak of Musk's China briefing deeply rattled Hegseth, triggering a cascade of accusations. “I’ll hook you up to a fucking polygraph!” he shouted at Adm. Christopher Grady. The overlapping crises left Hegseth paranoid & isolated, officials say
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
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Exclusive | Polygraph Threats, Leaks and Infighting: The Chaos Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon
Defense secretary has chastised top military officers and staffers as he seeks to quiet a storm he helped create
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pete-hegseth-pentagon-fired-aides-cfa9e0d5?mod=author_content_page_1_pos_1
7 months ago
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President Nayib Bukele and Sen. Van Hollen both confirm he finally got his request to meet with with Kilmar Abrego Garcia today. Two posts, very different tones
7 months ago
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
David Noll
7 months ago
"'We have no plans to bring them back, this is a long-term solution,' Noem told The Wall Street Journal after her visit with Bukele. 'He has plans to double the size. He has 80-plus acres there that he's going to continue to build on."
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Exclusive | El Salvador’s Bukele Plans to Double the Size of Giant Prison Holding U.S. Deportees
President Nayib Bukele told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem he plans to expand the sprawling prison compound known as Cecot when she visited last month.
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-bukele-plans-to-double-giant-prison-holding-u-s-deportees-af950c70?st=9GwLJ1&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
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reposted by
Vera Bergengruen
The Wall Street Journal
7 months ago
Exclusive: El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele plans to double the size of the maximum-security prison where his government is holding U.S. deportees
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Exclusive | El Salvador’s Bukele Plans to Double Giant Prison Holding U.S. Deportees
President Nayib Bukele told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem he plans to expand the sprawling prison compound known as Cecot when she visited last month.
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-bukele-plans-to-double-giant-prison-holding-u-s-deportees-af950c70
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Relevant: Two days ago, Trump told Bukele "Homegrowns are next...you gotta build about five more places.” “We’ve got space,” Bukele said. “It’s not big enough,” Trump replied.
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
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Exclusive | El Salvador’s Bukele Plans to Double the Size of Giant Prison Holding U.S. Deportees
President Nayib Bukele told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem he plans to expand the sprawling prison compound known as Cecot when she visited last month.
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-bukele-plans-to-double-giant-prison-holding-u-s-deportees-af950c70
7 months ago
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NEW: El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele plans to double the size of the mass prison where his government is holding U.S. deportees. He "has 80-plus acres there that he’s going to continue to build on." "This is a long-term solution,” Noem said.
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
7 months ago
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In recent weeks, Trump has been on a mission to turn parts of the White House gold, making the world’s most famous address look more like Mar-a-Lago. To assist, Trump brought in a South Florida man that one of his advisers referred to as the president’s “gold guy”
7 months ago
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Pro tip: use the new AI email summarization feature on your reader mail 🙃
7 months ago
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Both President Bukele and President Trump made clear they do not intend to enable the return of a Maryland man illegally deported to El Salvador's maximum security prison. In today’s WSJ:
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
7 months ago
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In other news this week… After 20+ years, I picked quite the moment.
7 months ago
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I'm currently going through the naturalization process to become a U.S. citizen, and a new pop-up just appeared on my USCIS account that has a strikingly different tone from anything I remember seeing on the portal before.
7 months ago
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In Guyana, Rubio says the Trump admin may have revoked more than 300 visas to date. “Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas” he says in response to a question by about a Turkish student who wrote Gaza op-ed & was detained in Boston
8 months ago
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New: Inside Trump’s lightning-fast deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador's mega-prison
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
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Inside Trump’s Lightning-Fast Deportation of Venezuelans to a Salvadoran Prison
The planes full of migrants were in the air just hours after the president invoked wartime authority. Families say innocent people were swept up in the rush.
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/inside-trumps-lightning-fast-deportation-of-venezuelans-to-a-salvadoran-prison-4ac3f408
8 months ago
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>> One of the planes was still on the ground in Texas when the judge verbally issued the order around 6:45p. Two other flights had departed Harlingen about an hour earlier & were more than five hours from arriving in El Salvador at the time of the order.
t.co/2fozvqQNBx
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https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/judge-blocks-trumps-use-of-seldom-used-wartime-act-for-deportations-afe93b19
https://t.co/2fozvqQNBx
8 months ago
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Trump called Speaker Johnson with a proposed deal last month: I’ll give you one of my portraits of Thomas Jefferson if you give me the one of James Polk hanging in the Capitol. It now hangs in the Oval Office. “He got a lot of land,” Trump tells visitors.
www.wsj.com/politics/the...
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https://www.wsj.com/politics/the-painting-that-explains-trumps-foreign-policy-c387323a?st=Ai8yR2
https://t.co/ITyHbnwesP
8 months ago
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President Trump’s stop-and-start trade policy and uneven economic messaging have rattled some of his own allies, triggering a flood of calls from business executives, concerns from Republican lawmakers and tension in the White House
www.wsj.com/politics/tru...
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Trump’s Economic Messaging Is Spooking Some of His Own Advisers
The president’s team has received a flood of calls from business executives concerned about the mixed messaging on tariffs.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-economy-comments-tariffs-recession-team-reaction-f5c24248?st=2qDVdU&reflink=article_copyURL_share
8 months ago
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New: Venezuela has privately warned the Trump administration that it won’t accept migrants—the deal reached by Ric Grenell's visit—after the White House rescinded Chevron’s oil license. Inside the Trump-Venezuela whiplash
www.wsj.com/world/americ...
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https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/trump-deportation-plans-hit-new-obstacle-in-venezuela-b009376d
https://t.co/6mRlW5SP8o
8 months ago
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Romania has detained six people — including a 101-year-old, Holocaust-denying, retired general — on charges of treason for allegedly plotting a Russian-backed coup against the government in Bucharest
t.co/nKZ9wvCNTr
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https://www.politico.eu/article/romania-foils-revolution-pro-russia-group-featuring-101-year-old-man-holocaust-denying/
https://t.co/nKZ9wvCNTr
8 months ago
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“Very candidly, they brought it on themselves, the Ukrainians.”
www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/p...
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Trump’s Ukraine envoy says Kyiv brought the pause in US intelligence sharing ‘on themselves’ | CNN Politics
The Trump administration’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia said Thursday that Ukraine “brought it on themselves” in regard to the cutoff of intelligence sharing from the US.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/politics/kellogg-trump-ukraine-envoy-intelligence-pause/index.html
8 months ago
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"The suspension of intelligence sharing to Ukraine is a major concession to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has said that U.S. involvement in weapons targeting has made Washington a virtual combatant of the war."
www.wsj.com/world/trump-...
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Trump Suspends Intelligence Sharing With Ukraine
The move deprives Kyiv of a key tool in fighting Russian forces.
https://www.wsj.com/world/trump-suspends-intelligence-sharing-with-ukraine-147c7f2c?mod=latest_headlines
8 months ago
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🙃
8 months ago
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