Chinese Car Company BYD Inquires to Purchase Stellantis Auto Plant in Canada 1/3

August 31, 2026 | Sundance |

For about a year CTH has predicted Chinese auto manufacturers BYD and GEELY would take over shuttered auto plants in Canada.Specifically, six months ago, against the backdrop warning of Stellantis, Toyota and Honda telling the Canadian government that without the USMCA they would shift auto production to the USA,CTH predicted BYD and GEELY would make moves on those closed facilities.

The move by China is easy to predict. Prime Minister Mark Carney has opened the door to Chinese EVs. It would be in Beijing’s best interest to retool and take control of closed plants to begin mass production in North America.

Chinese EV manufacturing in Canada serves two purposes.

First, they would not be limited in production to the cars that remain in Canada as part of the agreement. Factually, China would use their Canadian footprint as an export hub into Europe and save money on current distribution. Remember, Europe is losing their auto manufacturing base to China and Germany is laying off 100,000+ auto workers.

Second,the appearance of Chinese auto manufacturing in North America would put pressure on the United States to permit their cheap EVs to enter the market.

Today Bloomberg is reporting exactly what we predicted. Chinese automaker BYD (Build Your Dream) is asking local officials about the currently idled Stellantis auto plant. Things are following a very predictable timeline.

• BLOOMBERG – Chinese carmaker BYD Co. inquired about taking over an idled Stellantis NV plant in the Toronto suburbs, according to a local politician, signaling possible global interest in Canadian auto hubs in the midst of a trade battle with the US.

Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton, Ontario, said BYD approached him about six months ago to talk about making buses at the factory. Stellantis had been retooling the plant to manufacture the Jeep Compass, but the company halted that plan last year when the US adopted a policy of tariffs on foreign autos.

Brown said he also received inquiries from Leapmotor International, a joint venture between Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co. and Stellantis, as well as from an Italian automaker. Bloomberg News reported in April that Stellantis was discussing options for building electric vehicles in Canada with Leapmotor.

Most of the vehicles Canada produces are exported to the US, but the trade war and the lack of a new product earmarked for the 40-year-old factory have clouded the future for thousands of people who work there. Unifor, the union representing those workers, said this month that Stellantis is considering selling the plant. (read more)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/08/31/chinese-car-company-byd-inquires-to-purchase-stellantis-auto-plant-in-canada/#more-

>>24994661

2/3

I went to Russia in 2024, because what I was hearing in western media about the sanctions did not align with what I was seeing from reports inside Russia.

Before I went into Russia, I spent several weeks in Northern and Eastern Europe visiting various institutions, reading material and checking to see how systems in Europe were engaging with commerce given the Russian sanctions. It wasn’t very exciting work, and sometimes I literally just sat in the lobbies of banks listening to conversations.

When I went into Russia (April, May, June and July ’24) I noticed many of the “Uber cars” were BYD brand, Chinese electric vehicles. It made sense given two years of existing sanctions and few cars from Europe or America available except under costly brokerage fees for acquisition.

The Russians like the Geely brand better, but BYDs are much cheaper. A brand new BYD costs around $5,000 to $10,000 USD, in some places even less.

Then later I noticed even more of these BYD cars in Europe. I started to pay attention to them and saw them everywhere.

When I went back into Russia a year later in 2025, there was a very noticeable increase in BYD cars. It was crazy, they were everywhere.

My travels also took me to southeast Asia and again those damned BYD’s were all over the place. In Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, these BYD’s were everywhere, maybe even 30% of total vehicle traffic at times – most certainly well over 50% of all EVs – and there are digital billboards for “Build Your Dream” (BYD) all over the place throughout Asia.

Australia is stocked full of those things, and the middle east, yup, even there too. It became increasingly weird to notice. So many were visible I was wondering how the heck China can mass produce and ship this many cheap EVs so fast.

Then as serendipity would have it, I ran into a Chinese guy, professionally an actuary, in a hotel restaurant. He explained to me that China produces the BYD not to make money from the automobile, but rather to sell the carbon credits the automobile generates within the auto industry.

The actual value to Beijing is in selling the carbon credit worthiness to various automakers who are fined or penalized by their government for producing gasoline powered vehicles.

BYD is, in essence, not a car per se’, but a mechanism to generate a carbon credit certificate that can be sold to other car companies. It’s the carbon credit certificate that generates the revenue, not the sale of the vehicle. As my dinner guest explained, the auto insurance industry was having fits about this because the actuaries couldn’t accurately put a correct figure on the cost of the insurance warrantee within the industry (that’s another story).

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/08/31/chinese-car-company-byd-inquires-to-purchase-stellantis-auto-plant-in-canada/#more-

>>24994663

3/3

The bottom line is that China is manufacturing a product to create a carbon credit certificate in response to the demand for carbon credits from all the world auto-makers. Any nation that has a penalty or fine attached to their climate goals is a customer. Those are nations with fines or quotas associated with the production of gasoline powered engines if the auto company doesn’t hit the legislated target for sales of electric vehicles.

In essence, EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car companies buy Chinese car company carbon credits, to avoid the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN fines. The Chinese then use the carbon credit revenue to subsidize even lower priced Chinese EVs to the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car markets, thereby undercutting the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car companies that also produce EVs.

Big Panda brilliantly exploits the ridiculous pontificating climate scam and has an interest in perpetuating -even emphasizing- the need for the EU/AU/RU/ASEAN countries to keep pushing their climate agenda. China even goes so far as to fund alarmism research about climate change because they are making money selling carbon credit certificates on the back end of the scam to the western fear mongers. This is friggin’ brilliant.

My dinner buddy was in the business of identifying the cost/benefit equation between the climate change fines and the prices Big Panda could charge for the carbon credit certificates. If, as an example, Brussels dropped the quotas for EVs, China would need to lower the price for the carbon credit certificates. So, Beijing wants Brussels to make sure they don’t drop the quotas. See how that works?

The climate change alarmists are helping China’s economy by pushing ever escalating fear of climate change. You just cannot make this stuff up.

What does the outcome look like?

Well, in this example we see thousands of unsold BYDs piling up in countries that emphasize climate regulations with no restrictions on the import of EVs (which most don’t even manufacture), which is almost every country. Big Panda doesn’t care about the car itself; they care about generating the carbon credit certificate to sell in the various carbon exchanges.

Put this context to the recent announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about his trade deal with China to accept 49,000 EVs this year.

Prime Minister Carney bragged about getting the Chinese to agree to only super low prices for the Canadian market. Mark Carney was very proud of his accomplishment to get much lower priced vehicles for Canadian EV purchasers. No doubt Big Panda left the room laughing as soon as Carney made his grand announcement.

1. China sells EV’s in Canada, creating credits available on the carbon exchange scheme. Europe et al will purchase the carbon credits because Bussels has fines against EU car companies.

1. With a foothold already established in Europe, China will then take the money generated by the carbon credit purchases and lower the prices of the Chinese EV cars sold in Canada.

It’s gets funnier.

1. Carney bragged about forcing China to only sell low price EV’s as part of the trade agreement. The low price of the EV’s in Canada will be subsidized by Europe. China doesn’t pay or lose a dime.

But wait….

4.Carney can’t do anything about the scheme he has just enmeshed Canada into, because Canada has a Carbon Credit exchange in law. 😂🤣😂

Big Panda wins again.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/08/31/chinese-car-company-byd-inquires-to-purchase-stellantis-auto-plant-in-canada/#more-286521

Trump Orders Shock Voter Fraud Crackdown in Nine States, Including: WA, WI, MO, GA, CA, PA, NV, NY and CT

by Jim Hoft Aug. 31, 2026 8:20 pm574

Cue the shrieking demons in the leftist media!

President Trump ordered a shock voter fraud crackdown on Monday in nine states,including Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, and Connecticut.

It starts on Tuesday.

Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s investigative arm, will launch what officials are calling a ‘coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review.’

Agents will be authorized to pursue investigative leads through mid-October— right as the midterm election season gets underway.

Today’s news comes after DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin previously stated 250,000+ noncitizens were found on voter rolls in four states.

In July, Secretary Mullin sent letters to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, New Jersey Secretary of State Dale Caldwell, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, and Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt.

“Election security is national security,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “As President Trump announced last night, DHS has identified over 250,000 potential non-citizens illegally registered to vote in just 4 U.S. states. Only Americans should be electing American leaders.”

Through preliminary reviews of the four states’ records, DHS found that there may be as many as:

190,832 non-citizens registered to vote in California.

35,152 non-citizens registered to vote in New Jersey.

15,903 non-citizens registered to vote in Nevada.

14,576 non-citizens registered to vote in Pennsylvania.

The Daily Mail reported:

Beginning Tuesday, Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s investigative arm, will launch a ‘coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review,’ CNN reports.

The operation, aimed at substantiating Trump’s claims that widespread voter fraud – including by illegal immigrants – has marred recent elections, will authorize agents in nine states to pursue investigative leads through mid-October.

The initial sweep is expected to cover Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Yorkand Connecticut…

…DHS has demanded that states hand over their voter rolls for audits, while Mullin has repeatedly threatened to withhold grant funding from those that refuse to adopt the administration’s election reforms.

(

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/08/trump-orders-shock-voter-fraud-crackdown-nine-states/

POLITICS

Catch Them While You Can: Here’s What House Has To Tackle In Brief Return. 1/2

The House of Representatives has a short window of time in September to pass its legislative agenda as the midterm elections inch closer.

The House will return from August recess on Monday and attempt to pass several pieces of legislation since they will be out of session to campaign ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Lawmakers will try to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open, pressure senators behind the scenes to pass the third reconciliation package and other legislative agenda items.

The package includes $10 billion for the House Administration Committee to hand out grants to implement the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, $73 billion for the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to address the Iran war and $12 billion to aid struggling farmers. It includes no spending offsets and would not address the $1.4 trillion deficit.

Trump repeatedly pressured both chambers to advance and get the budget resolution to his desk, prompting more pressure on Republicans.

A highway bill will also expire on Sept. 30 if the House does not act. With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 set to expire, the House will need to vote on an extension to prevent a funding lapse for current highway funding programs.

The Senate included a temporary extension for highway funding in its version of the CR. The House will need to vote to extend highway funding or approve the Senate’s CR upon their return.

Congress is running out of time to pass the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, a new five-year authorization of the 2018 farm bill. The current extension of the 2018 bill will expire Sept. 30, meaning the House and Senate will need a new farm bill or another extension passed before the October recess.

The House passed the bill on April 30 in a 224 to 200 vote, though it has since stalled. The Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance its own version of the bill on Aug. 6 after Democrats on the committee voted against a Republican-led provision to require states to pay a portion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit costs.

SNAP allowed people on food stamps to buy junk foods and sugary drinks on the taxpayers’ dime.

The House would likely take up The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which would requireTrump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the top five importers of Russian oil and gas and up to 500% on goods imported from Russia. The Senate passed the legislation on Aug. 7 in an 86 to 11 vote.

Graham first introduced the bill on April 1, 2025, although it stalled for over a year as the Trump White House wanted more waiver authority over the sanctions and tariffs. Following Graham’s sudden death, the bill was subsequently introduced by Graham’s sister, Republican South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham, on July 16.

The chamber will take up the CR under suspension of the rules to fund the government through Dec. 11. The Senate passed the CR in a 90 to 6 vote without addressing the national debt, which exceeded $40 trillion on Aug. 20.

Before the recess, the House passed a stopgap funding bill that would fund the government through Dec. 4. The Senate version was negotiated with Democrats, prompting House leaders to quickly take up the upper chamber’s version.

(https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/30/house-return-august-recess-september-agenda/

>>24994926

2/2

The House was already on recess when the Senate passed the CR, causing a delay in it reaching President Donald Trump’s desk by the Sept. 30 deadline.

Bills going through House rules next week, per an internal notice reviewed by @politico:

H.R. 3453 – Empower Charter School Educators to Lead Act (Letlow) (E&W)

H.R. 7082 – Fostering Learning and Excellence in Charter Schools (FLEX) Act (Mackenzie) (E&W)

H.R. 7086 – Equitable…

— Jordain Carney (@jordainc) August 27, 2026

The second biggest priority is the $95 billion reconciliation package, which House Republicans want the Senate to pass before October. Senators threatened to delay passing the reconciliation package until a stopgap funding bill was passed, and some Senate Republicans expressed skepticism over the House’s version of the reconciliation bill.

House leaders were expected to pressurethe Senate to pass the package. The Senate is not set to return from August recess until Sept. 14, giving them an even shorter window to pass the budget resolution.

Some senators were concerned the package spends too much, while some farm-state senators worry it spends too little. Senate Majority Leader John Thune was skeptical that the chamber had the votes to pass the package.

The package includes $10 billion for the House Administration Committee to hand out grants to implement the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, $73 billion for the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to address the Iran war and $12 billion to aid struggling farmers. It includes no spending offsets and would not address the $1.4 trillion deficit.

Trump repeatedly pressured both chambers to advance and get the budget resolution to his desk, prompting more pressure on Republicans.

A highway bill will also expire on Sept. 30 if the House does not act. With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 set to expire, the House will need to vote on an extension to prevent a funding lapse for current highway funding programs.

The Senate included a temporary extension for highway funding in its version of the CR. The House will need to vote to extend highway funding or approve the Senate’s CR upon their return.

Congress is running out of time to pass the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, a new five-year authorization of the 2018 farm bill. The current extension of the 2018 bill will expire Sept. 30, meaning the House and Senate will need a new farm bill or another extension passed before the October recess.

The House passed the bill on April 30 in a 224 to 200 vote, though it has since stalled. The Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance its own version of the bill on Aug. 6 after Democrats on the committee voted against a Republican-led provision to require states to pay a portion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit costs.

SNAP allowed people on food stamps to buy junk foods and sugary drinks on the taxpayers’ dime.

The House would likely take up The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which would requireTrump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the top five importers of Russian oil and gas and up to 500% on goods imported from Russia. The Senate passed the legislation on Aug. 7 in an 86 to 11 vote.

Graham first introduced the bill on April 1, 2025, although it stalled for over a year as the Trump White House wanted more waiver authority over the sanctions and tariffs. Following Graham’s sudden death, the bill was subsequently introduced by Graham’s sister, Republican South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham, on July 16.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/30/house-return-august-recess-september-agenda/

After Historic Failure, Congress Made Few Changes To Intelligence Community Oversight, Report Reveals8/31/26

Following one of the biggest intelligence failures in U.S. history, the September 11, 2001, attacks, an independent commission recommended Congress strengthen its oversight of the CIA, FBI and other spy agencies — but a new retrospective report reveals that never happened.

Since the inner workings of the intelligence community are by nature secret, Americans rely on Congress to ensure it’s protecting the homeland while respecting their liberty. But not much has changed since 2004 when the 9/11 Commission lambasted congressional oversight of the intelligence community as “dysfunctional” and reported that the “House and Senate intelligence committees lack the power, influence, and sustained capability” to get accountability for its failures.

As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) issued a 66-page report assessing how U.S. intel collection has changed in its aftermath.

HPSCI formally released the report at the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania on Monday.

“While much has changed in the world since the release of the Report, challenges with reforming congressional oversight have not,” the new report reads.

The commission recommended in 2004 two major reforms that have never been taken up.

It called for HPSCI and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) to be merged into one powerful bicameral committee on intelligence, and recommended that this unified committee establish a designated subcommittee for oversight. This subcommittee would be freed from budgetary duties and could therefore focus on transparency and accountability. That change never happened.

Barring the establishment of a souped up House-Senate committee, the 9/11 Commission recommended combining the separate bills authorizing the intelligence community’s spying powers and appropriating its budget. That never happened either.

The Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA), which authorizes IC activities, and the Defense Appropriations Act, which funds those activities, are taken up by Congress separately.

That weakens Congress’s most important lever for accountability — its power over public spending.

“Congress ought to take seriously the recommendation made by the 9/11 Commission from over two decades ago that our appropriations system for intelligence is broken,” Antonin Scalia Law School National Security Institute Executive Director Jamil N. Jaffer, a former top attorney for HPSCI, said at a May 20 hearing.

Congress did strengthen the powers of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence somewhat while shirking the most dramatic changes, the new report states.

One change is technically on the books, but has never been implemented. A 2004 law called for the powerful SenateAppropriations Committee to establish a subcommittee on intelligence — potentially threatening the IC with real budget cuts if serious failures or abuses were uncovered. Nearly 22 years later, no such committee exists.

In 2007, Congress created a Select Intelligence Oversight Panel (SIOP) of the House Committee on Appropriations (HAC) tasked with producing a classified report on the intelligence community’s budget.It was disbanded four years later.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/31/congressional-oversight-intelligence-community-report-sept-11-commission-house-senate-hpsci/

Trump Insists He Will Never Nuke Iran Despite His Own Pentagon Reportedly Saying They Were Considering It

Aug. 31, 2026

The U.S. military has burned through an immense amount of munitions in the Iran war to little effect, pushing the U.S. to allegedly consider escalating the conflict through the use of nuclear weapons. A slideshow was circulated within the Department of War detailing a specific proposal for a nuclear strike in Iran, Tucker Carlson said Friday on “The Tucker Carlson Show.”

“Offensive use of nuclear weapons has been discussed in Pentagon meetings and put in slide decks,” Carlson said on Friday. “And [former Republican Georgia Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that a couple of weeks ago and was, you know, dismissed; that’s not true. Well, it is. It’s factually true, and now everyone in the administration knows that it’s true.”

The Daily Caller News Foundation independently confirmed that Carlson received this information from an anonymous senior U.S. official with knowledge on the topic.

President Donald Trump said that he would not use a nuclear weapon in Iran while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/31/donald-trump-iran-nuclear-weapons-pentagon-joe-kent/

Kiev’s soldiers likely behind monk’s murder – Ukrainian Orthodox Church

One cleric was shot dead and two others wounded in an attack on the grounds of a monastery near the front

Published 31 Aug, 2026 15:12 | U

Ukrainian soldiers were likely behind an attack on a monastery near the front during which a monk was killed and two other people were injured, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has said.

The Svyatogorsk Lavra, located in the part of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic that is still held by Kiev, was attacked by men with firearms on August 23. Monastery officials identified the slain monk as Barsanuphius. A junior monk, Gregory, and a refugee, Andrey Kirienko, were seriously wounded and later hospitalized.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the church’s executive secretary, Metropolitan Anthony, said the investigation would be handled by Ukrainian military prosecutors, suggesting that servicemen are among the potential suspects.

”The fact that the case will be handled by a unit, whose jurisdiction includes criminal offenses committed by military personnel, clearly demonstrates whom the investigators are considering as possible perpetrators,” he wrote.

Anthony said it was crucial that the case be investigated “objectively and impartially”and without regard to “political expediency or other ideological factors.”

Neither military prosecutors nor Ukrainian police have publicly commented on the attack in the week since it occurred.

Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vakhtang Kipshidze earlier described the monk’s killing as an “expected result of the campaign of lies against the canonical church (UOC), which has been unleashed in the Ukrainian public sphere.”

“The image of the church as an enemy… justifies any violence against it, including murder,” he said. “We are convinced that the fight against faith cannot be won without destroying one’s own humanity and identity as a whole.”

Since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities have labeled the UOC, which has historical ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, a national security threat. Several senior clergy members have been charged with subversive activities, while cathedrals and monasteries have been raided in searches for evidence of alleged anti-Ukrainian conduct.

Vladimir Zelensky’s government backs the rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), established ahead of the 2019 presidential election in a move that triggered a major schism in the Orthodox world.With support from the authorities, the OCU has sought to take control of UOC property across the country.

https://www.rt.com/russia/644908-ukraine-monk-killing-donbass/

Iran is ‘little war’ compared to US spending on Ukraine – Trump

The US president has claimed his predecessor Joe Biden handed Kiev $300 billion worth of weaponry for free

Published 1 Sep, 2026 10:30

The Iran war is “relatively little” for the US compared with the vast amount of weaponry Washington gave Ukraine under Joe Biden, President Donald Trump has said. He claimed his predecessor handed Kiev $300 billion worth of arms for free.

Trump made the remarks while taking questions from reporters at an Oval Office event on Monday as fighting in the Middle East flared up again after weeks of relative calm. US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile attacks on US forces in Jordan and the UAE.

Asked whether the prolonged operation against Iran was draining US military resources needed elsewhere, Trump shrugged off the concern. “This is a relatively little war for us. This is not a big war,” he said, adding that the US has “so much ammunition and munitions” stationed around the world that it could draw on additional supplies if needed.

“You know where the money went was Ukraine,” Trump continued, arguing that Washington has used “very little” weaponry against Iran by comparison.

He then contrasted US expenditures on Iran with Washington’s support for Ukraine under his predecessor.

“Joe Biden gave Ukraine over $300 billion worth of stuff free,” Trump said, adding that under his administration Ukraine “has to pay for it” through European NATO members. The $300 billion figure is widely disputed. A May report by the Special Inspector General for Operation Atlantic Resolve put total US appropriations for Ukraine and the broader response to the conflict at about $195 billion since February 2022, of which $67.8 billion was committed in defense articles and services to Kiev.

Trump’s description of the Iran conflict as a “little war” comes as it enters its seventh month despite his repeated declarations of victory. He proclaimed “total and complete victory” in early April and has since repeatedly said Washington had won or was close to ending the conflict.

The war has consumed billions of dollars’ worth of US weaponry, with War Secretary Pete Hegseth putting the overall cost at $37.5 billion by July. Washington fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the first four weeks alone – despite producing only a few hundred annually – along with more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors.

The strain has also hit US weapons inventories in Europe, where supplies of Patriot interceptors and other key munitions have fallen to “beyond critical” levels as weapons are diverted to the Middle East, media reported last week, citing US and NATO officials.

Washington has meanwhile stepped up economic pressure on Tehran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Sunday that the US could unleash “financial violence” against Iran, threatening to impose new secondary sanctions every week to punish Tehran and those doing business with it.

https://www.rt.com/news/644967-trump-iran-little-war/

Trump welcomes Russia at G20 despite EU tantrum

European officials threatened to boycott the traditional “family photo,” forcing Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov out of the shot

Published 1 Sep, 2026 03:41

US President Donald Trump welcomed the presence of a senior Russian delegation at the G20, ignoring protests from EU officials who refused to appear alongside Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in the gathering’s traditional “family photo.”

Siluanov arrived in Asheville, North Carolina for the two-day meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors on Monday at the invitation of the Trump administration. His first in-person appearance at the forum since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 immediately drew protests from European delegates.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil called the decision to treat Siluanov as a regular participant a “troubling” signal. Other EU officials reportedly threatened to boycott the photo unless the Russian official was excluded, according to the Washington Post.

Trump brushed aside the criticism when asked about Siluanov’s visit.

“We’re going to see what happens, but we like getting along with everybody,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “One of the reasons that I’m so successful, I get along with everybody.”

Trump has repeatedly broken with America’s European allies over efforts to keep Russia diplomatically isolated. He argued that kicking Russia out of the G8 in 2014 was a mistake. In 2025, he said Russia “should be sitting at the table” and suggested that the Ukraine conflict could have been avoided if Russia had been in the group. He repeated the argument this year, saying the G8 should have been preserved.

The US president has taken the same approach toward the G20. In April, he said it would probably be “very helpful” if Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the leaders’ summit in Miami in December.

“I’m of the opinion that you talk to everybody,” Trump said at the time. “I’m somebody that believes in talking.” The US subsequently invited Russia to the summit. Moscow accepted the invitation, while leaving open who will represent the country.

https://www.rt.com/news/644948-trump-russia-g20-siluanov/

Trump threatens to ‘hit Iran hard’ after new flare-up

The US president has vowed another military response after Tehran targeted American bases in Jordan

Published 31 Aug, 2026 23:14 | Updated 1 Sep, 2

US President Donald Trump has vowed to “hit Iran hard” following Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on US military installations in Jordan, raising the prospect of another round of escalation after a month-long lull in direct fighting.

Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones at US military positions after US forces struck Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its attack targeted the King Hussein and Al-Azraq air bases in Jordan in retaliation for the US strike, which Tehran said killed two Iranian soldiers and a civilian and injured several others.

“There will be a response,” Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst by phone on Monday. “We’re going to hit them hard.”

Jordan said its air defenses intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace, with no damage officially reported on the ground. Trump claimed that US forces allowed one incoming missile to pass through their defenses after determining that it was not going to hit anything “significant.”

Despite threatening further military action, Trump suggested that negotiations remain possible. “They want to meet so badly,” he told Fox. “The sanctions are kicking in really strongly.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is “not looking for war” but would deliver a “decisive response” to further attacks.

Trump and senior US officials were already considering a plan for periodic strikes on Iranian military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz before the latest exchange, Axios reported, citing three US officials.

The proposal, developed by US Central Command and backed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, would target Iranian radar, air defenses, and anti-ship missile capabilities as they are rebuilt. One US official described the proposed approach as an effort to “mow the lawn.”

The renewed military threats come after the Trump administration shifted much of its pressure campaign toward economic measures,launching an “economic onslaught” against Iran’s trade partners under Operation Economic Outcast.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that Washington plans to roll out new secondary sanctions every week against foreign banks and companies that continue doing business with Iran, warning allies and rivals alike that they could be cut off from the US financial system.

“You’re either with us or you’re with the Iranians,” Bessent said, adding that Washington is prepared to use “financial violence if we have to.”

https://www.rt.com/news/644946-trump-hit-iran-hard/

US Homeland Security blasts ‘garbage’ NYT report claiming detainee torture

The newspaper cited alleged beatings, medical neglect, and degrading conditions in ICE detention facilities

Published 1 Sep, 2026 03:04

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has dismissed as “garbage” a New York Times report alleging torture and abuse of detained deportees, accusing the newspaper of spreading false claims about federal immigration enforcement.

In a report published on Sunday, the Times said it interviewed ten people deported from the US to Liberia and Equatorial Guinea, several of whom said they had no ties to the African countries. They alleged physical abuse, harsh restraints and degrading treatment while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In comments provided to the newspaper before publication, DHS disputed several of the allegations, saying detainees receive comprehensive medical care and rejecting claims that migrants were denied bathroom access or abused during deportation flights.

Following publication, the department went further, dismissing the report as another “hoax” and describing it as “garbage.”

“NO ONE is being tortured, denied medical care, or beaten in ICE detention facilities,”DHS said on X, adding that “the media is clearly desperate for these false allegations to be true.”

The department also accused such coverage of fueling hostility toward immigration officers. It said assaults on ICE personnel increased by more than 1,300% between 2024 and 2025, while death threats against officers and their families surged by 8,000%.

ICE has faced mounting scrutiny during US President Donald Trump’s second term as his administration has expanded arrests and deportations as part of what it has billed as the largest immigration crackdown in US history.

The campaign has triggered nationwide protests and legal challenges, with detainees and advocacy groups accusing ICE of excessive force, poor detention conditions, and inadequate medical care.

At least 52 people died in ICE custody during the first 500 days of Trump’s second term, according to a June report by Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights.

DHS has denied that abuses are systemic and has repeatedly accused politicians and media outlets of demonizing immigration enforcement, including by comparing ICE agents to historical secret police and other authoritarian organizations.

https://www.rt.com/news/644928-dhs-slams-detainee-torture-report/