America has withdrawn its military support for Ukraine, how big of a hole does it leave?
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Today's Political News Compilation - Wednesday, February. 19, 2025
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Trump warns Zelenskyy to quickly negotiate war’s end with Russia or risk not having a nation to lead
MIAMI (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he “better move fast” to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or risk not having a nation to lead.The rhetoric from Trump toward Ukraine comes amid an escalating back-and-forth between the two presidents and rising tensions between Washington and much of Europe over Trump’s approach to settling the biggest conflict on the continent since World War II.
Trump’s harsh words for Zelenskyy drew criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans in the United States, where Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression has had bipartisan support. Zelenskyy said Trump was falling into a Russian disinformation trap — and was quickly admonished by Vice President JD Vance about the perils of publicly criticizing the new president.
Trump, who is trying to bring the fighting to a close on terms that Kyiv says are too favorable to Moscow, used an extended social media post on his Truth Social platform to lash out at Zelenskyy and call the Ukrainian a “dictator without elections.”
“Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and “TRUMP,” will never be able to settle,” Trump said of Zelenskyy, who was a popular television star in Ukraine before running for office. ...
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DOGE team's "wall of receipts" shows errors in tallying billions in savings
The initial accounting by DOGE of its estimated savings was overstated by billions of dollars, a review by CBS News found.
www.cbsnews.comTrump and Zelenskyy trade barbs as US-Ukraine relations sour over the war with Russia
Trump said at Mar-a-Lago that Zelenskyy’s rating stood at 4%.
apnews.com
Musk misreads Social Security data, millions of dead people not getting benefits, experts say
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are falsely implying that millions of dead Americans are receiving Social Security benefits, experts told ABC News.
Senate GOP pushes ahead with budget bill that funds Trump's mass deportations and border wall
Senate Republicans have pushed ahead on a scaled-back budget bill. On a party-line vote late Tuesday, 50-47, they agreed to start consideration of a $340 billion package.
apnews.com
What to know about Trump’s executive order and ‘unprecedented’ power grab within the government | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump’s executive order grasping far greater control over independent federal agencies embraces a constitutionally questionable theory that presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan have considered – and ultimately rejected.
www.cnn.com
Trump calls Zelenskyy a "dictator" after blaming Ukraine for Russia's invasion
"A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left," President Trump wrote.
www.cbsnews.comTrump and Musk say they like working together and will keep it at. Will it last?
It’s been a lingering question since the election: How long can a partnership between two billionaires who love being the center of attention last?
apnews.com
Trump speech at Saudi-backed event highlights questions over business ties
President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the Trump Organization and Trump golf courses have business connections to the Saudis.
www.cbsnews.comAgriculture Department tries to rehire fired workers tied to bird flu response
The Agriculture Department is scrambling to rehire several workers it fired as part of President Donald Trump’s broad cuts because they were involved in the government’s response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has devastated egg and poultry farms over the past three years.
apnews.com
‘Long live the king’: Trump adds monarch rhetoric to actions
Trump has already sought to test the limits of executive power.
www.nbcnews.com
It took Donald Trump less than a decade to turn the US toward Putin’s Russia | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump defended the US taking part in peace talks that excluded Ukraine by rewriting history.
www.cnn.com
Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump touts work of 1st month, praises Musk and DOGE
The chief counsel of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was fired and escorted out of her office, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Trump said in an interview with Elon Musk that he wouldn't touch Medicaid. Hours later he endorsed a GOP plan that could slash the program.
Donald Trump said he would "love and cherish" Medicaid. He's endorsed a House GOP proposal that would likely gut the program.
Putin Is The 'Dictator’: GOP Balks As Trump Hurls Attacks Against Ukraine’s Zelenskyy
"I don’t accept George Orwell’s doublethink," one House Republican said after President Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia.
Some Republican senators say Zelenskyy is not a 'dictator' in response to Trump comments
Senators also contradicted President Donald Trump's false claim that Ukraine started the war with Russia that began when Russia invaded its neighbor.
www.usatoday.com
Defense secretary orders military to prepare for major budget cuts | CNN Politics
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to prepare plans to make drastic budget cuts over the next five years, with an exception for border security, according to a new memo obtained by CNN.
www.cnn.com[URL...
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