National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

Secret Service probing ex-FBI chief James Comey for allegedly threatening Trump in since-deleted ’86 47′ Instagram post | 15 May 2025 | The Secret Service is investigating former FBI Director James Comey after he was accused Thursday of calling for violence against President Trump in a since-deleted Instagram post. Comey, who was fired by Trump early in his first term, had posted an image of seashells arranged in the shape of the numerals “86 47.” The number “86” is commonly used as slang to mean getting rid of something or ejecting someone… Trump is the 47th president of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem indicated that the Secret Service is now involved in the matter. “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,” Noem wrote on X. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is “in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran,” he wrote on X.

MAGA demands immediate arrest of former FBI director after he ‘called for assassination’ of Trump | 15 May 2025 | Former FBI director James Comey is under investigation for implying President Donald Trump “should be assassinated.” Comey uploaded a cryptic picture on his Instagram account on Thursday afternoon, which featured an assortment of shells arranged to spell out: “86 47.” That specific combination of numbers has been linked to the assassination of Trump and a “quiet resistance.” The number 86 is considered slang for “to kill or murder” within some circles, in an apparent reference to a standard sized grave being eight feet long and six feet deep. Trump is the 47th president, so some anti-Trump groups use the two numbers together to indicate that Trump should be assassinated.

Russia expects direct talks with Ukraine to begin Friday morning | 14 May 2025 | The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years are expected to take place in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, on Friday. The delegation from Moscow will wait at the Dolmabahce Palace starting at 10 a.m. as proposed by Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky. According to Anadolu news agency sources, the Russian and Ukrainian teams are also set to meet with U.S. and Turkish representatives the same day. As the talks were planned to take place on Thursday, the Kremlin delegation had been waiting for its counterpart to arrive for the whole day. Vladimir Zelensky named his delegation later in the evening. It will consist of 12 delegates and be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Germany could reintroduce military draft – defense minister –Boris Pistorius says the Bundeswehr needs to boost enlistment amid tensions with Russia | 15 May 2025 | Germany may be forced to revive conscription if not enough people join the army voluntarily, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said. Berlin abolished conscription in 2011 but has recently considered bringing it back, citing “threats” from Russia. According to broadcaster N-tv, the Social Democrats and Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats agreed in their coalition deal to introduce the so-called “Swedish model,” which combines selective mandatory and voluntary service.

NATO state considers subjecting older citizens to military service –Finland has proposed raising the maximum age of reservists from 50 to 65 amid wider militarization within the EU | 15 May 2025 | The Finnish Defense Ministry has submitted a proposal to raise the maximum age for military reservists to 65, according to a press release published on Wednesday. The move is part of a broader militarization trend among European NATO member states. The proposed reform would apply to all citizens liable for being called up who were born in 1966 or later, potentially adding 125,000 personnel to Finland’s reserve forces over a five-year transition period. If enacted, the total number of reservists is projected to reach one million by 2031, the Defense Ministry noted… The proposal would not apply retroactively to those already over 60. According to the ministry, refresher training for 50-65-year-olds would be organized for those assigned wartime duties.

Dubai Lights Up Burj Khalifa in U.S. Flag to Honor Trump’s Visit to U.A.E. | 15 May 2025 | The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, was illuminated in the stars and stripes of the American flag to honor U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. Trump’s visit comes in the start of his second term, with hopes for peace and expanded commerce in the Middle East. In his first term, Trump worked closely with the U.A.E. to craft the Abraham Accords, a peace deal between the Emirates and Israel that soon included Bahrain and quickly expanded to other Arab and Muslim states. Not one new Arab or Muslim state joined the Accords during the presidency [sic] of Joe Biden, but Trump, who has already visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar on this visit to the region, promises to pick up where he left off. Dubai is crucial to Trump’s vision of an “India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor” (IMEC) trade route.

Trump Ordered Aid to Gaza, Citing Hunger Crisis as Top Danger, U.S. Envoy to Israel Says–Huckabee said that Israel’s role in distributing the aid in Gaza is in ‘helping provide security, but they’re not operating the distribution’ | 9 May 2025 | U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered that humanitarian aid be brought into Gaza as soon as possible, regardless of whether a cease-fire is reached between Israel and Hamas, American envoy to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Friday.

Under Trump, Saudi civil nuclear talks delinked from Israel recognition, sources say | 8 May 2025 | The United States is no longer demanding Saudi Arabia normalise ties with Israel as a condition for progress on civil nuclear cooperation talks, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit next week. Dropping the demand that Saudi Arabia establish diplomatic relations with Israel would be a major concession by Washington. Under former President [sic] Joe Biden, nuclear talks were an element of a wider U.S.-Saudi deal tied to normalisation and to Riyadh’s goal of a defence treaty with Washington. In a possible sign of a new approach, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that Saudi Arabia and the United States were on a “pathway” to a civil nuclear agreement when he visited the kingdom in April.

NYU withholds diploma of student who condemned Israel in graduation speech | 15 May 2025 | New York University is withholding a student’s diploma after he condemned Israel’s deadly war on Gaza during his graduation ceremony speech. On Wednesday, Logan Rozos, an undergraduate student speaker from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, delivered his commencement speech in which he said: “The only thing that is appropriate to say in this time and to a group this large is a recognition of the atrocities currently happening in Palestine.” Rozos told the crowd that “as I search my heart today in addressing you all,” it is his “moral and political commitments [that] guide me” into condemning Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, which has killed at least 53,000 Palestinians over the last year and a half.

Trump announces India and Pakistan agreed to ceasefire –Both foreign nations have nuclear weapons | 10 May 2025 | U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post that India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire. “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the president declared in his Saturday morning post. Both foreign nations are among the handful of world powers that possess nuclear weapons, making tensions between the two countries particularly dangerous on the global stage. House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., reacted to the president’s announcement by referring to him in a post on X as “The Peace President.”

Trump to sign executive order to reduce cost of prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals up to 80% | 11 May 2025 | President Donald Trump has announced a new executive order reducing the cost of prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals by up to 80 percent in a move he describes as one of the most consequential in American history. Trump said his decision will cause the cost of prescription drugs to “rise throughout the World in order to equalize.” He said “for the first time in many years” he is bringing “fairness to America” and Americans with health conditions as part of his sweeping efforts to ensure the United States is being charged “equally” to other nations… Trump revealed that Americans have been paying five to 10 times more than citizens of other nations for “the same drug, manufactured in the exact same laboratory or plant, by the same company.”

U.S., China strike deal after extensive talks in Switzerland as Trump official touts ‘resolving’ ongoing trade war | 11 May 2025 | The U.S. and China have agreed on a deal to help resolve the trade war raging between the world’s two largest economies, top Trump administration officials announced Sunday. Details of the deal — struck during negotiations in Switzerland over the weekend — were not revealed, but officials teased that more information will be shared on Monday. “The U.S. has a massive 1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday. “We’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us work toward resolving that national emergency.”

Another major airport hit with massive delays after system outages and equipment failures at Newark and Atlanta| 12 May 2025 | A third American airport experienced massive delays this weekend in the latest of a string of air travel setbacks. Planes at the airport in Austin, Texas, were delayed for up to an hour and a half Sunday because of “chronic understaffing” at the FAA’s air traffic control tower, reported KUT News. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has little more than half of the air traffic controllers the government says it’s supposed to have. As of January, only 32 of the required 60 positions were filled at Austin’s airport, staffing records showed.

Newark, Atlanta airports experience more terrifying air traffic control outages, bringing flights to a standstill | 11 May 2025 | Almost 80 flights have been cancelled and more than 60 delayed at Newark airport after yet another equipment outage brought more chaos to the the NYC-area hub. A 45-minute ground stop was ordered on Sunday morning by the FAA following the outage at Newark’s ATC facility, officials told WABC. Then, a short time later a different outage hit Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — the busiest in the country. “Runway equipment issues” resulted in delays and ground stops for nearly all flights arriving at Atlanta. The FAA said “technicians are working to address the problem” after the problem slowed arrivals about 10:30 a.m.

Trump admin approves over 120,000 H-1B visas for 2026 as tech industry lays off thousands of U.S. workers | 15 May 2025 | Over 120,000 H1-B visas have been approved for 2026 in the United States following division among Republicans on the subject ahead of President Donald Trump taking the White House. According to data published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 120,141 H1-B visas have been granted to foreign workers. The data was shared in a chart by the account “U.S. Tech Workers,” which also noted: “Despite mass tech layoffs and voter backlash — especially after the Christmas H-1B uproar — the Trump team stays hands-off.” “120,141 NEW H-1Bs selected for FY2026. Demand remains high despite layoffs — a clear sign U.S. workers are being replaced,” the account added. In 2025, there have been mass layoffs at different tech companies across the nation, according to Tech Crunch.

Mass. pol allegedly assaulted ICE, local officers during chaotic arrest of accused violent illegal migrant – police union | 10 May 2025 | A Massachusetts police union is calling for charges against a City Councilmember who allegedly assaulted local and federal officers — and incited a caught-on-video chaotic protest of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest of an accused violent criminal. The aggressive protest saw as many as 25 neighbors wailing and chanting “no warrant!” and “not the mother!” — with the daughter of the apprehended Ferreira de Oliveira jumping in front of the unmarked ICE vehicle while holding her own infant in an attempt to stop the arrest, video showed. Etel Haxhiaj, who represents Worcester’s District 5, helped incite the mob into assaulting ICE officers and cops during the Department of Homeland Security’s apprehension in a suburban neighborhood that escalated out of control Friday, the Worcester Police Patrolman’s Union said in a statement obtained by The Post.

Biden forgot names of longtime aides Jake Sullivan, Kate Bedingfield halfway through his term, new book says | 13 May 2025 | Joe Biden forgot the names of lawmakers, foreign dignitaries and even longtime aides as early as halfway into his term, according to a tell-all tome about the oldest-ever president’s failed 2024 re-election bid set for release next week. The former vice president had displayed signs of mental slippage earlier during his 2020 campaign for the White House — but the decline accelerated over the course of his term, journalists Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper write in their new book Original Sin, set to be published May 20. In December 2022, Biden couldn’t even recall his former top national security aide and communications director from his vice presidency — which had ended less than six years before.

Biden didn’t recognize this megastar – and huge supporter – in shocking memory lapse that left celeb ‘shaken to his core’ | 13 May 2025 | A rapidly aging Joe Biden couldn’t even recognize George Clooney at a Democratic fundraiser in Los Angeles during the 2024 campaign — leaving the Hollywood star “shaken to his core,” a bombshell new book claims. The troubling incident, which unfolded at a June 13, 2024, star-studded fundraiser co-hosted by Clooney, was laid bare in the forthcoming book Original Sin by Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper, which chronicles the attempt to cover up Biden’s decline while in office. “It was obvious to many standing there that the president did not know who George Clooney was,” the authors wrote, according to an excerpt obtained by The Post. “Clooney was shaken to his core. The president [sic] hadn’t recognized him. A man he had known for years.”

Senate GOPers push back on $10M taxpayer-funded Tish James ‘slush fund’ that could pay her legal bills | 14 May 2025 | Irate state Republicans want to bottle up a sneaky 10 million “slush fund” that could be used to pay Attorney General Letitia James’s legal bills as she faces a criminal probe. Not a penny should be spent from the controversial fund that Democrats slipped into New York’s 2026 budget, state Senate Republicans urged Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in a letter obtained by The Post. Certain New York officials can tap into the fund to pay for legal expenses, even as part of probes not related to their state employment — a provision widely seen as giving James a path to pay for her legal defense during U.S. Justice Department probes into her alleged fraudulent real estate dealings.

Fed-up AOC constituents in Bronx, Queens mock absentee ‘rock star’ who’s never in the district: ‘This woman has done nothing’ | 10 May 2025 | Frustration with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has reached a breaking point on her home turf, with fed up Queens and Bronx constituents telling The Post they’re sick and tired of being second fiddle to the jet-setting socialist’s primary focus — herself. Her district offices in the Bronx and Queens offer little to justify the 1.9 million the congresswoman gets to run them — one is only open a single weekday and the other is closed on Fridays, with phones that go unanswered and constituents urged to discuss their problems “by appointment only.” AOC’s town halls used to be monthly events — now are only held once in a blue moon, there’s virtually no way to get in a question, and sometimes she only phones in and doesn’t bother coming in person, galled constituents said.