President Donald J. Trump is again calling on members of the NATO military alliance to pay more money into their own defense budgets. This comes as President Trump receives NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House, continuing ongoing discussions about military commitments within the alliance.
Trump has persistently urged NATO members to meet the agreed benchmark of spending two percent of GDP on defense. He has previously remarked that the United States might not fulfill its defense obligations under NATO to those members who fail to meet their obligations, despite NATO’s founding treaty mandating collective defense in the event of an attack against a member state.
During Trump’s first term as president, many NATO members were well under the agreed benchmark of two percent of GDP for defense spending, with only a handful of countries, such as Poland, managing to meet the target. Meanwhile, particularly “delinquent” countries such as Germany were enriching the Russian state by striking energy deals with it.
Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has already persuaded some NATO allies, including Lithuania and Estonia, to pledge to spend as much as five percent of GDP on defense. The increase would mean the two Baltic nations will spend more than Poland, which currently spends four percent of GDP.
Trump spelled out his goal while speaking to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January, saying, “I’m also going to ask all NATO nations to increase defense spending to five percent of GDP, which is what it should have been years ago.”
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President Donald J. Trump is again calling on members of the NATO military alliance to pay more money into their own defense budgets. This comes as President Trump receives NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House, continuing ongoing discussions about military commitments within the alliance.
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President Donald J. Trump is directing the Pentagon to develop plans for a strategic increase in U.S. military personnel at the Panama Canal as part of the American First leader’s goal of retaking control of the vital shipping passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The move follows President Trump’s joint address to Congress last week, in which he pledged that “to further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal.”
U.S. Southern Command is evaluating various strategies, ranging from enhanced collaboration with the Panamanian military to more aggressive measures such as a potential military takeover of the canal, Pentagon officials say. The necessity of military action would depend on Panama’s willingness to cooperate. A number of draft strategies are believed to have already been presented to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth by the head of Southern Command, Admiral Alvin Holsey.
While a U.S. invasion of Panama remains a remote possibility, an increased military presence is under consideration to secure U.S. access to the canal. The U.S. currently has a fluctuating military presence in Panama, with approximately 200troops, including Special Forces units.
President Trump contends that American control of the Panama Canal is necessary to diminish China’s influence in Panama. However, both Panama and China have rebuffed the notion of the canal’s return to U.S. control, with Chinese representatives labeling U.S. efforts as “coercive.”
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President Donald J. Trump is directing the Pentagon to develop plans for a strategic increase in U.S. military personnel at the Panama Canal as part of the American First leader's goal of retaking control of the vital shipping passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The move follows President Trump's joint address to Congress last week, in which he pledged that "to further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal."
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President Donald J. Trump has denounced the European Union (EU) as “one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World,” threatening the bloc with crushing tariffs if it does not lift “a nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky.”
“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES,” the America First leaderwarned.
The EU recently implemented tariffs on $28 billion worth of U.S. goods in reaction to President Trump’s increased tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum imports. The EU’s tariffs target goods such as bourbon, jeans, and motorcycles—and appear designed to harm globally popular American brands.
Tariffs on metal imports to the U.S. were not targeted at the EU in particular but took effect globally, imposing a 25 percent levy on various metal items. Previously, tariffs in several areas have often been unbalanced in the EU’s favor—with the bloc imposing 10 percent tariffs on American cars while the U.S. imposed only 2.5 percent tariffs on European cars, for instance.
The Trump trade strategy has received support from the U.S. steel industry, with expectations of job creation and investments.
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President Donald J. Trump has denounced the European Union (EU) as "one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World," threatening the bloc with crushing tariffs if it does not lift "a nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky."
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Australia has announced it will not escalate with retaliatory measures on April 2 when reciprocal tradetariffsimposed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump take effect. While he declared the steel and aluminum tariffs unjustified, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that his country would not impose any tariffs of its own in response.
“It has been foreshadowed that no country, regardless of its relationship with the United States, has been granted an exemption,” Albanese said, complaining: “Such a decision by the Trump administration is entirely unjustified.”
Albanese continued: “Tariffs and escalating trade tensions are a form of economic self-harm and a recipe for slower growth and higher inflation. They are paid by the consumers. This is why Australia will not be imposing reciprocal tariffs on the United States.”
While the Australian Prime Minister insists that tariffs will slow economic growth and increase inflation, neither of these statements is necessarily true. Canada, for instance, has long enjoyed robust economic growth despite having high barriers to foreign imports. In addition, The National Pulse has previously reported that there is little evidence that trade tariffs contribute to inflation.
The Australian government contends they should receive a similar exemption to the tariffs that they were granted in 2018. Then, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison argued one of his country’s top steel companies, BlueScope, was also a major employer of U.S. workers, managing to secure an exemption from the 2018 tariffs.
Notably, Australia currently benefits from increased U.S. military spending on a critical submarine and naval base project that is part of the AUKUS treaty enacted during President Trump’s first administration.
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Australia has announced it will not escalate with retaliatory measures on April 2 when reciprocal trade tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump take effect. While he declared the steel and aluminum tariffs unjustified, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that his country would not impose any tariffs of its own in response.
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Ukrainian open-source intelligence group Molfar—which falsely names several American politicians, including Vice President J.D. Vance, as “foreign propagandists of the Russian Federation”—appears to have received funding from former President Joe Biden’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to a recently conducted investigation, the Molfar organization has previously listed USAID and the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation (CRDF) as partners. Documents published by Ukraine’s National Coordination Cybersecurity Center (NCSCC) both credit funding from USAID and training provided by Molfar.
Founded in 2019, Moflar—taking its name from a Ukrainian folk term akin to “wizard”—is an open-source intelligence organization comprised of an estimated 35 intelligence analysts and several hundred volunteers who work to identify media sources and foreign politicians who are unfriendly to the Ukrainian government. The group says it is tasked with documenting Russian war crimes and exposing Russian propaganda.
However, Molfar’s most notable activity is a so-called “blacklist” of foreign politicians who they claim serve Russian interests. Among those accused of being “foreign propagandists of the Russian Federation” by Molfar include Vice President J.D. Vance, Elon Musk, and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán. Also listed are several U.S. members of Congress and members of the Trump administration, including Director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), and Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY). For those on the blacklist, Molfar demands their “removal from public positions, the introduction of sanctions, and investigations into personal involvement in crimes.”
According to the report, Molfar is partly funded through USAID grants awarded to the Ukrainian government’s National Coordination Cybersecurity Center (NCSCC). Notably, NCSCC documents indicate that Molfar is also involved in training Ukrainian government employees in cyber warfare tactics.
The National Pulse has previously reported that Molfar was behind a Ukrainian artificial intelligence (AI) honeytrap operation aimed at extracting troop deployment details from lonely Russian soldiers in occupied Ukrainian territory.
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Ukrainian open-source intelligence group Molfar—which falsely names several American politicians, including Vice President J.D. Vance, as "foreign propagandists of the Russian Federation"—appears to have received funding from former President Joe Biden's United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced Hungary’s intention to hold a referendum on Ukraine’s potential membership in the European Union (EU). Orbán revealed this plan during discussions in Brussels following a summit with EU leaders. He emphasized the importance of involving the public in such critical decisions rather than allowing decisions to be made solely at the governmental level.
The summit, which included representatives from every EU member state, had initially aimed to issue a unified declaration of continued military support for Ukraine amidst its ongoing conflict with Russia. However, Hungary’s veto, led by Orbán, blocked the statement, as unanimous consent from all EU nations is required for such declarations.
“Twenty-six out of twenty-seven member states argued that Ukraine should continue the war,” Orban stated following the summit before continuing: “Hungary remained on the side of peace.”
The Hungarian leader added that the EU should alternatively “support the President of the United States with the greatest possible strength and energy in order to ensure the success of peace negotiations.”
Since 2010, Orbán’s government has frequently used referendums to gauge public opinion on significant issues. In 2016, a referendum was conducted regarding Hungary’s acceptance of EU migrant quotas, with a majority opposing the policy.
Orbán highlighted that Hungary stands out within the EU for consulting its citizens directly on major issues through referendums. Despite the non-binding nature of these public votes, they provide insight into public opinion and support for government policies.
A long-time ally of President Donald J. Trump, Prime Minister Orbán has also worked toward achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced Hungary's intention to hold a referendum on Ukraine's potential membership in the European Union (EU). Orbán revealed this plan during discussions in Brussels following a summit with EU leaders. He emphasized the importance of involving the public in such critical decisions rather than allowing decisions to be made solely at the governmental level.
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Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused the United Kingdom of attempting to instigate a global conflict, aligning with historical claims that Britain has manipulated global events for its own benefit. The SVR statement, utilizing the pejorative phrase “Perfidious Albion,” accuses the UK of undermining efforts by U.S. President Donald J. Trump to promote peace in Europe, particularly in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The allegations emerge as the UK observes Commonwealth Day and follows the expulsion of two British diplomats from Moscow. Russia claims these diplomats engaged in espionage under the cover of the British embassy. Meanwhile, peacediscussions involving the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine are proceeding in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Russia’s intelligence agency contends that the UK is threatened by increasing dialogue between Washington and Moscow, fearing it could disrupt British objectives aimed at isolating Russia. According to the SVR, the UK is working to sabotage President Trump’s peace initiatives, and British media and NGOs have been implicated in efforts to portray Trump negatively.
Moscow’s use of “Perfidious Albion,” a narrative once employed by German wartime propaganda, seems to be intended for both domestic reassurance and international impact. Russia’s rhetoric frames the UK as historically responsible for previous global conflicts and suggests that it is on the path to triggering another majorwar.
In a conclusion that appeared to simultaneously warn and accuse Britain, the SVR stated that the current approach mirrors actions taken by the UK before the two world wars, reiterating the accusation that Britain seeks to provoke conflict while remaining insulated.
The National Pulse has previously reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin alleges former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sabotaged peace talks with Ukraine in late 2022. Putin’s allegation confirms reporting by The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief, Raheem Kassam, that Johnson’s intervention scuttled the negotiations.
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused the United Kingdom of attempting to instigate a global conflict, aligning with historical claims that Britain has manipulated global events for its own benefit. The SVR statement, utilizing the pejorative phrase "Perfidious Albion," accuses the UK of undermining efforts by U.S. President Donald J. Trump to promote peace in Europe, particularly in relation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Far-left anti-Israel activists plan to take over New York City’s Federal Plaza after the arrest of a pro-Palestine activist by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Activists are demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University alumnus.
Federal immigration authorities detained Khalil over the weekend. His attorney, Amy Greer, reported that Khalil was taken from his university accommodation on Saturday evening by ICE personnel, citing the revocation of his student visa. Additionally, Greer clarified that Khalil holds permanent residency status but was detained regardless.
The move appears linked to a broader initiative under President Donald J. Trump’s administration targeting international students involved in demonstrations against Israel. President Trump told donors last year that he intended to “throw out” foreign students taking part in subversive activities on American campuses.
Murad Awawdeh of the New York Immigration Coalition criticized the arrest, claiming it unconstitutional and urging immediate action from authorities.
In response, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesman cited Khalil’s alignment with Hamas-related activities as grounds for the arrest. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the visas and green cards of Hamas supporters would be revoked.
President Trump’s administration has also moved to cut off federal funding to universities that permit antisemitic protests to occur on their campuses. Columbia, where Khalil had previously attended, is threatened with losing around $50 million in government contracts.
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Far-left anti-Israel activists plan to take over New York City's Federal Plaza after the arrest of a pro-Palestine activist by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Activists are demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University alumnus.
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The new Islamist regime in Syria’s genocide of the country’s ancient and indigenous Christian population is a direct result of long-standing United States foreign policy in the Middle East. While U.S. government officials insisted the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December last year would not result in reprisals against Syrian Christians and other minority groups, including the Alawite Muslim sect to which Assad belonged, over 1,000 religious and ethnic minorities have been killed since late last week.
According to human rights observers, Christians, Alawites, and other minorities have been targeted by Syria’s Islamist government security forces as they also clash with pro-Assad fighters in coastal enclaves. During her Senate confirmation hearing earlier this year, President Donald J. Trump‘s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, warned that the United States’s decade-long policy of backing al-Qaeda-aligned forces against the Assad regime could embolden the Islamist fighters to carry out genocidal attacks against Syria’s Christians and other minorities once they were in power.
“I have no love for Assad or any dictator. I just hate al-Qaeda. I hate that our leaders cozy up to Islamist extremists, calling them ‘rebels’, as Jake Sullivan said to Hillary Clinton, ‘al Qaeda is on our side in Syria,'” Gabbard said. She added: “Syria is now controlled by al-Qaeda offshoot HTS, led by an Islamist Jihadist who danced in the streets on 9/11, and who was responsible for the killing of many American soldiers.”
LEGACY OF THE IRAQ WAR.
Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq under former President George W. Bush, the United States has funneled weapons and provided military training for several Islamic extremist organizations aligned against Iraq’s late dictator, Saddam Hussein, Syria’s Assad, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. While American government officials were aware of the extremist nature of the Islamist groups, they were viewed as useful assets in undermining Iranian-aligned forces.
In Iraq, the United States’s policy of aggressive de-Bathification resulted in thousands of Sunni Muslim soldiers and government workers being forced into unemployment. Subsequently, these Sunni Muslim men flocked to the Islamic State group (ISIS), and in 2014, ISIS overran the cities of Fallujah and Mosul—effectively capturing a large swath of northern Iraq. However, during his first term in the White House, President Donald J. Trump effectively ended ISIS’s presence in Iraq—culminating in the 2019 death of the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
REGIME CHANGE IN SYRIA.
Meanwhile, following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, the United States actively backed the Free Syrian Army (FSA)—a decentralized coalition of rebel groups that included Islamist forces associated with al-Qaeda. U.S. policy in Syria culminated in the shocking December 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad with Abu Mohammad al-Julani—leader of the al-Qaeda franchise Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly al-Nusra—declaring himself the country’s interim President.
While al-Julani initially claimed he would ensure the protection of Syrian Christians and other minority groups, that pledge appears to have been entirely discarded. Human rights groups dedicated to protecting the Middle East’s Christian minorities contend that al-Julani’s security forces are using the clashes with pro-Assad forces as cover to carry out a genocidal campaign and have wiped out numerous Christian villages. Even more troubling is that the weapons being used to carry out the religious and ethnic genocide may have been—at least in part—provided by the U.S. government.
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The new Islamist regime in Syria's genocide of the country's ancient and indigenous Christian population is a direct result of long-standing United States foreign policy in the Middle East. While U.S. government officials insisted the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December last year would not result in reprisals against Syrian Christians and other minority groups, including the Alawite Muslim sect to which Assad belonged, over 1,000 religious and ethnic minorities have been killed since late last week.
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Calin Georgescu has been barred from participating in Romania’s presidential election re-run scheduled for May, according to an announcement by the country’s election authority on Sunday. The decision has sparked protests outside the election bureau, with chants of “Freedom” ringing out.
Georgescu is a right-wing candidate who has expressed skepticism over NATO, the European Union, the moon landing, and climate change. He currently leads opinion polls with a plurality of around 40 percent of the national vote share.
Speculation over Georgescu’s exclusion from the race had been circulating since his candidacy was submitted on Friday. This follows a previous annulment of the election by Romania’s highest court, just before a December runoff, due to unproven allegations of Russian interference. Both Moscow and Georgescu have denied these claims.
In response to the ruling, Georgescu expressed his dissent on social media, describing the decision as a severe threat to democracy. He stated, “If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall.” He characterized the situation in Europe as dictatorial and accused Romania of being under tyranny.
The decision has also attracted international attention. Some members of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration have criticized the move, alleging that European governments are suppressing political rivals. Elon Musk, a prominent tech entrepreneur and adviser to Trump, described the decision as “crazy” on his social media platform, X, with Vice President J.D. Vance lecturing European leaders on the subject during his recent speech in Munich.
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Calin Georgescu has been barred from participating in Romania's presidential election re-run scheduled for May, according to an announcement by the country's election authority on Sunday. The decision has sparked protests outside the election bureau, with chants of "Freedom" ringing out.
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