Fox News Host Says He Won’t ‘Shed a Tear’ Over Trump Banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico

Jennifer Bowers BahneySep 20th, 2026, 3:09 pm

Fox News’s Joey Jones said he won’t “shed a tear” over President Donald Trump banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House — while adding that the president’s action may not be completely justified.

During Saturday’s The Big Weekend Show — the only Fox News opinion show to address the ban since it was announced late Friday — Guy Benson asked Jones if he was sympathetic to the view that, “Trump’s right. These are not news outlets. They just hate him all the time. It is not a violation of the First Amendment.”

“I’m absolutely sympathetic to it,” Jones answered, continuing:

I understand it because, I’m not a journalist. I didn’t go to school for journalism. I didn’t take classes on the ethics of reporting a story and being able to do anonymous sources.You look at these two networks specifically, you know, just trove after trove of ‘anonymous source says,’ and then all of this scuttle, all of this gossip. It’s a constant stream. They’ve made it the brand of their networks. It’s their identity to be anti-Trump. Does that justify this action? Perhaps not. Am I going to shed a tear over it, worry about it, wring my hands, [unintelligible]? No, not at all.

“There are a ton of media outlets still in that press pool that write negative stories and ask tough questions,”Jones continued. “These two specific networks in my opinion have made it their mission to have this war with President Trump. I don’t think it lasts for a long time. And I’m not going to go support it, or advocate for it. But I’m also not going to shed a tear over it because I do understand it. On the commonsense level, I understand it well.”

Benson, in response, argued Fox News “would be screaming” about being banned from the White House if the shoe were on the other foot. And co-host Anita Vogel agreed with Benson’s assertion.

“I don’t think this is a great look for the White House, and if you go back to 2009 when Barack Obama tried to exclude Fox, it lasted about a day,” Vogel said. “So, I don’t know how long this will last. And it is true President Trump gets incredibly negative coverage from these outlets, but it’s a bad look, and I don’t think it will last long.”

Saturday’s Big Weekend Show is, as of Sunday afternoon, the only Fox News opinion program to discuss the ban — although a number of the network’s straight news shows have covered it. On Fox News Sunday, anchor Jacqui Heinrich interviewed Weijia Jiang , who was Heinrich’s predecessor as White House Correspondents’ Association president. Both have come out against the ban.

In a statement on X, Heinrich wrote that Trump’s action unequivocally “violates the First Amendment,” and urged him to end it.

“The WHCA calls on the administration to immediately restore our colleagues’ access,” Heinrich wrote.

Fox News hosts John Roberts and Brit Hume have also spoken out against the ban, as have several Fox News contributors.

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/fox-news-host-says-he-wont-shed-a-tear-over-trump-banning-cnn-ms-now-and-politico/

If they stopped lying and twisting the truth, this would have never happened.

Trump Launched Press Ban After Natalie Harp Showed Him Clip of MS NOW Bashing His Administration: Report

Sean JamesSep 20th, 2026, 6:04 pm (look at the shitty Trump picture they used in the article, that's an example of their reporting being twisted.)

President Donald Trump announced his ban against CNN, MS NOW, and Politico just hours after executive aide Natalie Harp showed him a clip of MS NOW bashing his administration, according to a Sunday report from The Wall Street Journal.

MS NOW’s critical coverage added to months of irritation about how the press has been covering his second term, but the video Harp showed Trump made his frustrations reach a “fever pitch,” the report said.

“Behind the scenes, the president has told aides he doesn’t have enough political allies defending him on television and making the case for his second-term achievements, according to people familiar with the matter,” the report continued. “White House spokesman Steven Cheung said Trump’s allies have ‘done an incredible job of getting the message out to voters.'”

WSJ’s story — from reporters Brian Schwartz, Meridith McGraw, and Alexander Ward — comes after Trump announced ban on Friday.

The president posted on Truth Social:

I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them “alive.” Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!

Trump’s decision was swiftly condemned by journalists. On Saturday, Fox News reporter and White House Correspondents’ Association President Jacqui Heinrich urged Trump to immediately end the ban, arguing the move violated the First Amendment and harmed the American public.

MS NOW’s Peter Alexander, meanwhile, argued Trump was merely trying to distract his MAGA base from his many “failures” with the ban. (This statement is an example of the lies they say about him, they are just proving Trump is Right!)

The Journal reported Trump’s ban was met with “exasperation” by one senior official, who argued it would “do little to achieve the president’s goal of improving press coverage.”

https://www.mediaite.com/media/trump-launched-press-ban-after-natalie-harp-showed-him-clip-of-ms-now-bashing-his-administration-report/

Vinny Martorano on X: "The shooting happened near W Anderson Lane and US 183. People are lining up along the caution tape around the scene, visibly upset. @cbsaustin"

@VinnyMartorano Vinny Martorano

The shooting happened near W Anderson Lane and US 183. People are lining up along the caution tape around the scene, visibly upset.

@cbsaustin

@RepCasar Congressman Greg Casar House Democrats@RepCasar

The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning.(This is stupid, they don’t even know why the shooting happened.)

As the facts emerge, I am demanding a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law.

Over and over, ICE has Show more

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), who represents the East Austin area where the shooting occurred, wrote on X, “The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning.”

“As the facts emerge, I am demanding a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law,” Casar wrote. “Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened. We can see the lies with our own eyes. We will demand truth, transparency and accountability.”

Congressman Greg Casar@RepCasar

The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning.

As the facts emerge, I am demanding a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law.

Over and over, ICE has Show more

3:28 PM · Sep 20, 2026

The Statesman reported that ICE has faced “heightened scrutiny” in the area in recent days.

“In January, Austin police responding to a disturbance call notified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after identifying a woman with an administrative immigration warrant,” the report said. “Federal agents took the woman and her 5-year-old daughter into custody; the family later said they were deported. The incident prompted Police Chief Lisa Davis to revise the department’s policy governing cooperation with ICE.”

https://x.com/VinnyMartorano/status/2101761418684989573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2101761418684989573%7Ctwgr%5Ef03a91d35681429a8639796a6f87858860a37572%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Fmedia%2Fnews%2Fjust-in-ice-agent-shoots-and-wounds-man-in-austin-per-authorities%2F

ICE Nearly Twice as Popular as Socialism Heading Into Midterms, New NBC Poll Reveals

Sean JamesSep 20th, 2026, 2:52 pm

President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and the rise of socialist candidates within the Democratic Party have been two major news topics this year, which makes this finding from a new NBC poll all the more interesting:ICE is 86% more popular than socialism heading into the midterms.

The Sunday poll showed both are fairly unpopular with the American public.But socialism is really loathed, with only 21% of registered voterssaying they have a “very positive” or “somewhat positive” view of Karl Marx’s ideology.ICE, for comparison, was viewed positively by 39% of Americans.

Looking at it from the opposite angle, 51% of voters said they had a negative view of ICE, and 52% said they had a negative view of socialism. ICE’s favorability is unchanged from October 2025 and up slightly from earlier this year, while socialism has gained 3 favorability points when compared to last fall and early ’26.

The results were based on a survey of 1,000 registered voters between Sept. 11-15.

NBC’s poll comes as several democratic socialists won primaries over the summer, leading to candidates like Melat Kiros (D) in Colorado, Angie Nixon (D) in Florida, and Claire Valdez (D) now aiming to win Congressional seats in November.

As socialist candidates have gained traction among the Dems, President Donald Trump has ramped up his criticism. He started off by sarcastically congratulated New York City Mayor and proud dem socialist Zohran Mamdani on getting “3 solid Communists” elected in NYC back in June, before getting a bit more serious about it.

He later warned the communists are starting to make “their move” in the USA, and he called socialism and communism a “cancer” which must be dealt with ASAP during his Fourth of July address. Trump followed that up by saying it is really easy to understand: “With communism, everything turns to sh*t!”

Still, Trump and Mamdani are set to meet in NYC on Monday — right after the mayor sued the federal government for its push to remove illegal immigrants. Mamdani said the government has been waging a “campaign of violence and terror” since the president returned to Washington, D.C.

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/ice-nearly-twice-as-popular-as-socialism-heading-into-midterms-new-nbc-poll-reveals/

Iranians rally by the hundreds of thousands in biggest show of defiance since war began

NASSER KARIMI, CARA ANNA and LEE KEATH1/2

Updated Fri, September 18, 2026 at 4:25 AM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday in a government-organized show of defiance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.

Iran's government has sought to rally the people and stress national unity, even as the economy worsens under a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and new U.S. sanctions. On Friday, it claimed another attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway it has sought to control since the start of the war.

Estimates varied of the number of people volunteering to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as "Janfaday-e Iran," or the "ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran." They marched through downtown Tehran in combat uniform, carrying flags, as onlookers cheered.

For days, state media have encouraged Iranians to join the campaign, saying training with assault rifles would begin soon. The volunteers would be an additional layer of security to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the Basij militia, which has played a key role in quashing anti-government protests.

Rally seeks to project strength under US pressure

Tehran's Guard chief, Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, told the state broadcaster that over 600,000 people had registered to participate, with over 1 million expected to take part in the training. On Friday morning, the broadcaster estimated over 300,000 people were on the streets.

The new head of the Basij, Hossein Taeb, declared in a speech as the rally began that the volunteers will be ready for "full-fledged defense" and similar rallies will take place in other cities soon.

The new trainees will make a "nightmare" for Iran's enemies, Taeb added, as President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders and other senior officials watched the march.

Some participants trampled flags of the U.S. and Israel. Others chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

"I am here to tell (U.S. President Donald) Trump that we Iranians have no fear about his threats against our homeland," said Marzieh Afaghi, 24, who attended the rally with her toddler and husband. "No one in history could invade Iran and remain there."

The rally was also a chance for Iran to show off military hardware. Anti-aircraft batteries were on display, while female Guard members in black headscarves sat with truck-mounted machine guns.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/iranians-rally-hundreds-thousands-biggest-082500368.html

>>25059058

2/2

Iran says it attacked another tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

The Guard displayed drones that have been used against ships in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's attacks and threats have severely affected the Gulf region's shipments of oil and natural gas to the rest of the world.

Iran said it had attacked a Togo-flagged oil tanker, the Trend, for what it called an "illegal attempt" to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the state broadcaster reported. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center said a tanker was hit by a projectile, sparking a fire on board that was extinguished.

The UKMTO in a separate update said ship transits facilitated by the U.S. military off Oman have averaged 24 a day over the past week but overall traffic remains about 90% lower than before the war.

Iran's new volunteers could help suppress future dissent

Friday's events also suggested that hard-liners like Taeb among Iran's leadership will be more prepared to suppress any future demonstration against the theocracy.

In January, shortly before the war, Iran saw some of its largest nationwide protests in history, which began over the struggling economy and turned to wider grievances. Activists have said a crackdown killed over 7,000 people and saw tens of thousands detained.

In May, government officials said more than 30 million people in Iran — which has a total population of some 90 million — had volunteered via an online form or at public gatherings to lay down their lives for the theocracy. The Associated Press could not independently confirm that.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/iranians-rally-hundreds-thousands-biggest-082500368.html

‘Russophobic West’ to blame for lost Ukraine peace chance – NATO state leader

Kiev made a “huge mistake” by rejecting a potential deal with Moscow in 2022, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said

Published 20 Sep, 2026 11:32

Ukraine made a “huge mistake” by caving in to its Western backers and walking away from a potential peace deal with Russia in 2022, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said. He also argued that years of Western military backing have failed to defeat Russia and are now raising the risk of a direct clash between Russia and NATO.

In a video address posted on X on Saturday, Fico argued that both sides have sustained “terrible” losses over the years, and that Western military support has failed to contain Russia’s advances. “There is no supranational force to compel Russia to withdraw from the militarily controlled Ukrainian territory,” he said.

“Ukraine made a huge mistake in April 2022, a few months after the start of the conflict, by listening to the Russophobic West and not signing the prepared peace agreement,” he said, adding that the Western strategy “to support the war in Ukraine to the last Ukrainian soldier and defeat Russia” has “completely failed.” He reiterated that his government will not provide military assistance or loans to Ukraine.

Confronted with the failure to destroy Russia through the Ukraine conflict, “several politicians in the West… believe that if it cannot be achieved through the Ukrainian army and its full support, everything must be done to provoke a conflict between NATO and Russia,” Fico stated.

“Someone must have gone crazy here,” he said, arguing that“Russia cannot be defeated in a conventional war” and noting that it has a vast nuclear arsenal.

Fico stressed that the Ukraine conflict is “not a NATO war,” arguing that “only some war hawks in NATO are trying at all costs to turn this war into a conflict between Russia and NATO.”

He noted that the Slovaks had their own experience with the Munich Agreement in 1938, saying that “the powers bound to us by treaty deceived us, betrayed us, and served us up to Hitler like a roasted chicken.” The Munich Accord – which was a prelude to World War II – was signed by Nazi Germany, Britain, France, and Italy without Czechoslovakia at the table and compelled Prague to surrender the predominantly German-speaking Sudetenland.

In spring 2022, Russia and Ukraine made substantial progress toward a peace deal, including a tentative draft agreement on Ukrainian neutrality, security guarantees, and other core issues.

Russia accused then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of helping derail the peace process, which he has denied. Ukrainian chief negotiator David Arakhamia later confirmed that Johnson played an influential role. He said Russia was prepared to end the conflict if Kiev accepted neutrality, adding that Johnson told Ukrainian officials, “We won’t sign anything with them at all, and let’s just fight.”

While the peace settlement process intensified after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, no breakthroughs have been achieved. In February, the Russian Defense Ministry saidUkrainian military casualties exceeded 1.5 million since 2022, including more than 520,000 in 2025 alone.

https://www.rt.com/news/646005-russophobic-west-blame-ukraine-peace-chance/

NATO’s eastern flank demands stronger guarantees against Russia, but escalation could turn Eastern Europe into the battlefield of a wider war1/2Published 18 Sep, 2026 14:55 Interesting Read.

We have come to regard the countries of Eastern Europe as the most conflict-prone and volatile part of the political landscape surrounding Russia, and there are grounds for this view.

Immediate neighbors often have the most difficult relationships because the more points of contact there are, the more opportunities for friction, and in Russia’s case, geopolitical logic is reinforced by considerable historical experience of invasion, which means Russia has traditionally sought to ensure that no serious threat can emerge from neighboring countries and that its immediate surroundings remain predictable.

This predictability has been secured in different ways over the centuries, sometimes through direct annexation and sometimes through indirect forms of control. Russia’s western neighbors are small in comparison with it, and their policies have often been driven by fear of their much larger neighbor, whether justified or not.

The acute military and political crisis that began in 2022 seems to confirm that stability between Russia and the rest of Eastern Europe shouldn’t be taken for granted, as countries that joined NATO and the EU in the late 20th and early 21st centuries are now pursuing the most intransigent course, seeking not merely to contain Russia but to marginalize it.

Their own capabilities are limited, so they have increasingly used international institutions, above all an increasingly militarized EU, to push larger member states towards a tougher position. A recent example is Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s rhetoric concerning the Baltic region and Kaliningrad.

The militarization of Eastern Europe is, in this sense, a continuation of a policy pursued since the 1990s, which rested on the conviction that the expansion of Western military and political institutions was an objective historical process, and that enlargement itself would provide security without ever requiring serious military action.

This assumption was convenient for everyone as the new member states regarded NATO membership as a guarantee of their security, and the veteran members in Western Europe and the US were confident that these guarantees would never actually have to be tested. Nobody seriously expected to fight Russia over the states along its borders.

Let us leave aside for the moment the role NATO expansion played in creating the conditions for the conflict over Ukraine, because whatever one’s interpretation of how we arrived here, the question of military guarantees has now moved from theory to practice.

This creates a fundamental problem for NATO. On the one hand, it can’t simply abandon its security commitments, because if these guarantees cease to be credible, NATO loses much of its purpose. On the other hand, Article 5 of the Washington Treaty is less automatic than is commonly assumed and it doesn’t mechanically send every member of the bloc to war.

Eastern European governments understand this ambiguity. They lack confidence that the larger powers would come to their aid, and history gives them reasons for doubt and encourages some of them to push both Russia and their own allies toward firmer positions.

The objective is to bind the major Western powers ever more tightly to their security, which raises the question: What role would Eastern European countries actually play if a direct military conflict with Russia did occur?

An impartial assessment suggests that they would most likely become both the battlefield and the vanguard, sent into the confrontation ahead of the major Western powers, and elements of this arrangement can already be seen in Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/news/645958-west-russia-eastern-europe/

>>25059117

2/2

Western European societies are neither willing nor prepared to fight Russia themselves, but they have proven to be considerably more comfortable supporting others who are prepared to do so – and Ukraine, for its own reasons, has accepted this role. For the rest of Eastern Europe, however, the calculation is more complicated.

We shall leave aside the Baltic states, where the level of political rhetoric increasingly makes serious discussion difficult, but more established countries with deeper traditions of statehood – Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania – are perfectly capable of recognizing the danger of being thrown under the bus of military escalation in pursuit of the broader objectives of the European establishment.

This awareness doesn’t necessarily moderate their public rhetoric, but their practical behavior shows a certain degree of caution.

This distinction is becoming increasingly important as military tensions rise. The escalation pursued by Kiev creates a growing possibility of incidents capable of drawing neighboring states more directly into the conflict. For Eastern European countries, encouraging further escalation therefore carries risks, given that they’re likely to bear the immediate consequences of the policies they are advocating.

Until now, Russia has generally assumed that if any European countries eventually contribute to a settlement, they would be the continent’s other major powers, states large and secure enough not to define their policies primarily through fear of Russia.

In a genuine military crisis, however, the logic could turn out to be the reverse, as the countries with the greatest reason to fear an uncontrolled confrontation may also have the greatest interest in preventing one.

Eastern European governments therefore face an increasingly stark contradiction. They want stronger Western guarantees against Russia, and the natural method of obtaining them is to persuade the rest of Europe that the ‘Russian threat’ is immediate and severe, yet the more successful they are in escalating the confrontation, the greater the possibility that their own countries become the front line.

Rationality doesn’t always prevail in international politics, but this doesn’t mean Russia should write off Eastern Europe as a lost cause – because the countries closest to a conflict may ultimately have the strongest reasons to keep it under control.

https://www.rt.com/news/645958-west-russia-eastern-europe/

The UK suspiciously reeks of the late-stage USSR

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have joined together to challenged Westminster. Here’s why the Cardiff Pact matters1/2

Published 20 Sep, 2026 07:58 By Vitaly Ryumshin, journalist and political analyst

“The era of Westminster is coming to an end!”the nationalist leaders of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland declared this week.

John Swinney, Rhun ap Iorwerth, and Michelle O’Neill gathered in Cardiff to sign an agreement asserting their nations’ right to self-determination, as they called on London not to obstruct referendums and outlined their preferred futures beyond the UK, including EU membership for an independent Scotland and Wales, and Irish reunification for Northern Ireland.

In Russia, the meeting has already been dubbed Britain’s version of the Belovezha Accords, and the comparison is tempting because, as in 1991, political leaders from three of a state’s constituent partsgathered around a table to discuss a civilized divorce.

But the resemblance largely ends there, given the driving force behind the Soviet Union’s dissolution was its largest republic, Russia, represented by Boris Yeltsin.He joined his counterparts in dismantling the state that Moscow built, but no representative of England attended the Cardiff gathering, and Westminster has shown little enthusiasm for presiding over its own retreat.

The participants were also considerably more cautious than their Soviet predecessors, so they signed as party leaders, making the declaration a joint political initiative rather than an agreement binding their governments to secession.

This distinction exposes the central weakness of the Cardiff Pact. Its signatories want to leave the UK while remaining within the constitutional framework that holds it together. Their ambitions therefore depend on political and legal processes they don’t control.

Ireland’s experience offers an uncomfortable historical comparison, as the settlement that opened the way to independence followed two years of guerrilla warfare. Today’s nationalist leaders are pursuing an entirely peaceful route, through negotiations, elections, and referendums, but whether London will accommodate them is another matter.

Scotland has already encountered this obstacle. In 2022, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the Scottish Parliament couldn’t legislate for an independence referendum without Westminster’s consent, and after the close vote in 2014, London has little appetite for another.

Public opinion presents a further difficulty. Scotland remains divided down the middle, whereas in Northern Ireland, the figure cited for support for Irish unity is around 36% and Welsh independence remains a minority position, however much its advocates have gained politically.

Swinney wants another Scottish referendum by 2031, but his counterparts have offered no comparable timetable and their agreement establishes a direction of travel, but supplies neither a departure date nor a convincing explanation of how they will get there.

Britain’s dissolution is therefore hardly imminent, but nevertheless, London would be foolish to dismiss Cardiff as an exercise in nationalist theater.

Some British coverage attributed the meeting to an ill-judged intervention by Prime Minister Andy Burnham when he suggested that referendums in Scotland and Northern Ireland might be considered if there is broad public consensus, before attempting to narrow the implications of his remarks.

Qualifications rarely travel as far as the original statement and nationalists heard an opening and acted accordingly.

https://www.rt.com/news/645994-united-kingdom-late-ussr/

>>25059202

2/2==

Yet an unfortunate choice of words can’t explain the forces behind this gathering. The more immediate political background was Labour’s local elections defeat in May, which strengthened nationalist parties and created favorable conditions for cooperation and Cardiff gave that cooperation a common platform.

However, the deeper problem is the condition of the British state itself.== In 2014, many Scots supported independence because they believed London ignored their interests and governed badly – and since then, Westminster has supplied little reason for them to reconsider, as economic stagnation and trained public services have steadily eroded confidence in the established order.

Conservatives and Labour have each promised renewal, only to leave voters wondering whether either possesses a credible plan,while Reform and nationalist parties have moved into the space created by that failure. Their proposed remedies differ, but their appeal rests on a shared conviction that the old arrangements no longer work.

Brexit sharpened this argument, as Britain’s departure from the EU in 2020 changed the calculation for those considering a future outside the UK.

Previously, independence meant leaving a state that already offered access to the EU, but now nationalists can present separation as a route back into it.

The choice, as they frame it, is between joining a larger, more successful economic and political community and remaining attached to a declining imperial center, still occasionally tempted to compensate for its weakening position with displays of former grandeur.

This argument doesn’t remove the economic risks of independence, nor does it guarantee EU membership, but it gives separatists something more persuasive than a historical grievance: A competing account of where prosperity and security might lie.

Cardiff matters principally for this reason. It did not produce a mechanism for dismantling the UK, but it brought together politicians willing to imagine what might follow it and an alternative once discussed separately in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast has acquired a shared political expression.

It’s far too early to suggest that Burnham will be Britain’s last prime minister, as states can survive years of disillusionment, and nationalist declarations are easier to sign than to implement.

But Westminster’s problem is that preserving the union requires more than obstructing its opponents, and it also requires giving people a convincing reason to stay.

https://www.rt.com/news/645994-united-kingdom-late-ussr/

This sounds like Russia is giving England some advice in their changes.

US issues security alerts across Middle East

Washington has warned that renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis could “escalate rapidly”

Published 20 Sep, 2026 00:37 | Updated 20 Sep, 2026 06:04

The US has issued security alerts for its citizens across the Middle East, warning of further escalation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

The notices cover Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman.

“Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions,” the US State Department said on Saturday night.

“Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports. This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly,” the notice read, urging Americans to refrain from traveling to the Middle East.

“Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including U.S. businesses and other institutions.”

The alert came amid anticipation of potential new US strikes on Iran or Houthi targets in Yemen, as Saudi Arabia reportedly sought assistance in repelling the militant group’s offensive against forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Axios reporter Barak Ravid said US President Donald Trump cut his weekend stay at Camp David short and will return to the White House on Saturday evening, one day earlier than planned.

CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas cited sources as saying that Trump held a meeting at Camp David to “deliberate and review Yemen strike options.” ABC News previously reported, citing US officials, that Washington would limit its involvement to providing intelligence and targeting assistance to Saudi Arabia.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have expanded the territory they control in western Yemen, capturing the port city of Mokha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Saudi Arabia recently suspended operations on its East-West oil pipeline, also known as Petroline, after it was damaged in a drone attack that Riyadh blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The pipeline carries crude oil from the kingdom’s eastern oil fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis previously declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in response to what the group described as an illegal siege of the parts of Yemen under its control.

A Saudi-led coalition first intervened in the Yemeni civil war in 2015 after the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, the previous year. The current hostilities mark the biggest escalation in the conflict since the UN-brokered truce of 2022.

https://www.rt.com/news/645998-us-alerts-middle-east/

Iran sends peace terms to US

Tehran is awaiting US President Donald Trump’s response to its conditions for restarting negotiations, security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said

Published 19 Sep, 2026 22:53 | Updated 20 Sep, 2026 05:26

Iran has conveyed its peace terms to the US through Qatari mediators, the country’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, has said, arguing that it is in America’s interests to accept them.

The 60-day period provided under the US-Iranian memorandum of understanding to negotiate a settlement expired last month without a deal, while disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues to drive up energy prices.

“Seven conditions set by Iran for the start of any negotiations have been conveyed to the US administration. Tehran’s message is clear and unambiguous: If Washington wants to escape the predicament it has created for itself and avoid becoming further entangled in it, it has no choice but to recognize Iran’s rights and accept its conditions,” Rezaei wrote on X on Saturday.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the terms include “an end to the war on all fronts, the release of our frozen funds and an end to the naval blockade.”

Iranian officials previously said they are also seeking the withdrawal of US forces from the region and compensation for the US and Israeli strikes launched on February 28.

“Trump’s threats will not achieve any results. We are prepared for a decisive war,” Rezaei added. (They never stop threatening the US)

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that “hopefully we are toward the end of the war” and suggested that Iran wants to make a deal. The following day, however, he once again threatened to “annihilate” the Iranian leadership if the conflict does not end on his terms.

The US military revealed on Friday that the nearly seven-month conflict has cost $43.6 billion, with nearly two-thirds of the bill going toward replenishing depleted munitions.

According to Bloomberg, widely reported ammunition shortages could delay arms deliveries to US allies by several years. Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have denied that the conflict has left the US short of missiles and bombs.

https://www.rt.com/news/645996-iran-sends-peace-terms-us/

Trump signs off on Russia sanctions ‘from hell’: Who could get hit?

The new law authorizes the US president to impose secondary tariffs for key buyers of Russian energy

Published 20 Sep, 2026 21:00

US President Donald Trump has signed into law a sweeping expansion of sanctions against Russia, giving Washington new powers to target Moscow as well as major buyers of Russian energy.The legislation authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on goods from certain countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, while imports from Russia could face duties of up to 500%.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act also expands restrictions on Russian officials, financial institutions and other entities linked to the government. The White House has said the legislation is intended to increase economic pressure on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict while giving the president broad discretion over waivers and the eventual termination of sanctions.

RT examines the law’s key provisions, who could be affected and what the measures could mean for Russia’s trade partners.

What do the sanctions cover?

The legislation was approved by the Senate 86-11 in August before passing the House 262-159 on Wednesday. It originated with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Unlike earlier sanctions focused largely on designated companies and individuals, the law broadens restrictions covering Russian government-linked officials, financial institutions and enterprises. It also targets vessels Washington says are used to circumvent restrictions on Russian oil exports.

One of its most consequential provisions gives the president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries among the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil or natural gas. That is considerably below the 500% secondary tariff proposed in earlier versions of the legislation.

Who could be targeted?

China and India are among the countries most exposed to the secondary tariff provisions because of their large purchases of Russian crude.

Türkiye, a NATO member, is also a major importer of Russian energy, while EU countries continue to purchase Russian oil and gas despite the bloc’s efforts to phase out Russian supplies.

The picture is particularly significant for natural gas, where the EU remains a major market for Russia. China has also expanded its purchases, while Türkiye remains another important destination.

The law, however, does not make maximum tariffs automatic. It contains exemptions and gives the US president broad discretion over their application, meaning the eventual impact will depend heavily on how the administration implements it.

How are major buyers responding?

China and India have rejected US pressure over their energy trade with Russia and stressed that their economic and energy interests will guide their policies.

China’s Commerce Ministry has said Beijing reserves the right to take “all necessary measures” to protect its sovereignty, development interests and Chinese companies, while calling for dialogue with Washington.

India’s Foreign Ministry has reiterated New Delhi’s “firm commitment to ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people,” saying it would continue diversifying supplies according to market conditions.

Could US-Russia trade grind to a halt?

The legislation retains a 500% tariff on goods imported directly from Russia into the US.

In practice, however, the legislation contains exemptions and gives the president considerable waiver authority. The White House highlighted that discretion while backing the bill, including the president’s authority to lift sanctions following a peace agreement.

Washington has used similar exemptions before. A 2024 ban on Russian uranium imports included waivers allowing purchases to continue under certain circumstances. Moscow subsequently imposed temporary restrictions of its own on enriched uranium exports to the US, while allowing exceptions.

What has Moscow said?

Moscow has criticized the legislation, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying the new restrictions would not achieve their stated objectives and could complicate efforts to reach a settlement of the Ukraine conflict.

”Clearly, this cannot have a positive effect,”Peskov told reporters on Saturday.

The Russian Embassy in Washington has argued that the measures could also have consequences for the US economy, particularly amid tight global energy supplies. It warned that additional restrictions on Russian exports could put upward pressure on fuel prices and said escalating economic confrontation with Russia and China would be damaging to all sides.

https://www.rt.com/news/646009-us-sanctions-russia-oil/

Zelenskyy Brags About NATO Missile Systems Being Used to Attack Moscow and Russian Refineries

September 20, 2026 | sundance |

Days after President Trump asks Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries,Zelenskyy takes the attacks up a notch and brags about all of the different NATO country missile systems being used to attack Russian oil refineries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, “One of Russia’s key oil industry facilities and the aggressor’s logistics facility were hit. These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine. The systems used included FP-1, RZ-100, MICH-2000, Palianytsia, Vendetta, Liutyi, Bars, Flamingo, Sichen, and Pelican.”

Everyone can see this game for what it is.

Everyone can see it.

After weeks of various European/NATO countries hyping pending attacks from Russia, Zelenskyy now begins to name the missile systems being provided by those countries to target Russia.Zelenskyy and the EU-NATO group are intentionally trying to draw a Russian military response against the support the European countries are providing to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy is naming the missile systems as part of that antagonistic effort,and his NATO allies do it on the last day of the Russian elections. Specifically timed and coordinated for maximum propaganda use.

Zelenskyy is naming the missile systems as part of that antagonistic effort, and his NATO allies do it on the last day of the Russian elections. Specifically timed and coordinated for maximum propaganda use.

President Trump, or someone inside the U.S. administration needs to make a very public statement highlighting that everyone can see the organized effort for what it is. EU-NATO wants an expanded conflict with Russia, beyond the confines of the non-NATO Ukraine conflict.

Bloomberg reports that the Gazprom Neft-owned Moscow Oil Refinery, about 16 miles from the Kremlin, was struck by drones. The facility has a processing capacity of around 245,000 barrels a day and supplies fuel to the surrounding metro area.

Simultaneous with this increased provocation, the Ukrainian president announced plans for meeting with President Donald Trump in New York.

Zelenskyy feels emboldened by his relationships to his “NATO partners”, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

This is not going to end well unless someone steps on Zelenskyy to bring him back to reality.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/

French public debt to reach new record level in 2027, exceeding 120% of GDP

The government submitted its draft budget bill to the High Council of Public Finances on Friday. The bill provides for new tax increases, which are set to be the main factor in reducing the budget deficit. The public debt, meanwhile, will continue to rise.

By Denis Cosnard Published on September 19, 2026, at 4:09 pm (Paris)

France's public debt is set to continue soaring. It is expected to climb from 119.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026 to 121.7% in 2027, according to figures from the government's draft budget bill that the Finance Ministry released on Saturday, September 19.

That would represent a new record.In 2010, the public debt stood at 86% of GDP. Experts expect it to keep rising through the end of the next five-year presidential term. "As long as the public deficit stays above the 3% of GDP benchmark, the debt will increase; it's a mechanical effect," said a source at the Finance Ministry.

The other major element of the draft budget bill, which was submitted to the High Council of Public Finances on Friday, September 18,concerns mandatory levies. For 2027, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has pledged "tax stability" – a phrase that has become his budgetary mantra – and even a slight reduction in taxes for large corporations. However, the figures included in the bill tell a very different story. If this budget were adopted, taxes and other mandatory levies would, in fact, continue to rise. This increase will be the main factor in restoring public finances as hoped for, as they are currently off track.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2026/09/19/french-public-debt-to-reach-new-record-level-in-2027-exceeding-120-of-gdp_6757714_5.html#

France is totally bankrupt, and there’s no way to fix it at the levels they are at.

Stalling Argentine Recovery Is a Risk for Milei’s Reelection Bid

By Manuela Tobias September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

A year out from Argentine President Javier Milei’s reelection bid, the economic recovery that underpinned his popularity is stalling. Gross domestic product shrank 0.6% in the second quarter from the previous three months, the first contraction in two years and a setback for a government counting on stronger growth ahead of the October 2027 election.

Argentines elected the libertarian outsider in 2023 hoping austerity and freer markets could tame inflation and stabilize the crisis-prone economy. Milei’s “shock therapy” succeeded in sharply slowing price increases, but polls show voters are increasingly concerned about the weak jobs market.

Output rose 2% from a year earlier, supported by booming exports of energy and agricultural products, while imports fell. In a post on X, Economy Minister Luis Caputo boasted that 13 of 16 sectors grew in the first half of the year.

Even so, the latest GDP figures are “not nearly compelling enoughto dispel political concerns — the key variable weighing on Argentina’s markets,” said Jimena Zuniga, an Argentina economist at Bloomberg Economics.

Investors in the nation’s sovereign debt worry that weakening support for Milei’s program could increase the chances of a reversal of his fiscal and market reforms after the 2027 election. Milei’s leftist opponents are seeking to turn rising unemployment and weak household incomes into the central issues of the October 2027 election.

Bleak Outlook

Fernando Marull, partner at consulting firm FM&A, sees a possible second consecutive contraction in the third quarter, which would technically put Argentina in a recession. Even if the economy escapes a recession, the outlook for households is still bleak, said Carlos Melconian, director of MacroView SA.

“Whether or not you get two negative quarters, it’s going to be extremely close,” Melconian said. “The components people actually feel are already getting crushed.” Annual inflation slowed to 34% last month, from more than 200% when Milei took office. An AtlasIntel poll last month found that corruption and unemployment have overtaken inflation among voters’ top concerns.

Milei, however, remains focused on consolidating his victory over inflation, which he wants to push below a monthly rate of 1%.

Strong PesoThat’s led him to back a strong peso policy, even though it’s weighing on growth. The currency weakened just 3.7% against the dollar in the year through August, while consumer prices rose 21%.

That real appreciation has been bolstered in recent weeks by official intervention in bond and futures markets, while currency controls on companies remain in place.

Milei’s opponents are increasingly focused on this point. At an event earlier this month, the clearest contender, Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof, called the government’s approach a “criminal, suicidal policy of deindustrializing the country.”

Argentines Vote In Midterm Elections

Opposition lawmakers have also taken the argument to Congress, recently forcing a session on rising household indebtedness and loan delinquencies, though none of the proposals for relief have moved forward yet.

Milei tells a different story, pointing to strong growth in agriculture, energy and mining as evidence of an economy that has turned the corner.

At the same time, retail, construction and manufacturing, which employ far more people, are shedding jobs, while defaults on consumer loans are soaring.

Consumption contracted 2.4% in the second quarter as sluggish wage growth and tight credit hit household finances.

Those struggling sectors account for roughly half of Argentina’s registered private salaried employment, while the industries powering exports and investment account for only about a fifth.

Overall, registered private salaried employment has shrunk by about 246,300 jobs since just before Milei took office, while the number of companies has fallen by more than 30,000.

Approval Rating

That leaves Milei vulnerable heading into the election. His approval stood at 38% in the latest AtlasIntel survey, with 58% disapproving and 70% describing the job market as bad.

The government this week lowered its 2026 growth forecast to 3% from 5%, while economists surveyed by the central bank expect something closer to 2%.

Osvaldo Giordano, president of the IERAL economic institute at Fundación Mediterránea, expects the economy to dodge recession, with output approximately flat this quarter. But the gap between meager growth and what Argentines expect after enduring years of economic turmoil is a risk for Milei, he said.

“A society’s tolerance is not the same when you have a single bad year,” Giordano said. “Here, it’s a succession of very bad years. So patience is lower.”

https://archive.is/5D87A

Trump’s $403 million war chest is finally being spent on the midterms. Now comes the hard part

Published Fri, Sep 18 202612:32 PM EDTUpdated Fri, Sep 18 20264:30 PM EDT Luke Fountain@Luke_Fountain251/2

Key Points

• Trump’s flagship super PAC, MAGA Inc., ended July with more than $403 million in cash, much of it held back as competitive congressional races took shape.

• Democratic Senate candidates entered July with roughly twice as much cash as their Republican opponents across seven closely watched battlegrounds.

• The late outside spending comes with tradeoffs: Super PACs can pay more than candidates can for comparable airtime, while crowded ad markets and a wider Senate battlefield make huge sums harder to spend efficiently.

President Donald Trump speaks on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Sept. 9, 2026.

After sitting on a $403 million war chest for months, President Donald Trump’s flagship super PAC has finally opened the spending floodgates. The rapid deployment of Make America Great Again Inc.’s cash is reshaping some of the tightest congressional races ahead of the 2026 midterm election.

For Republicans, the cavalry couldn’t come soon enough.

GOP candidates spent months wondering when Trump’s massive coffer would come to their aid as Democratic opponents outraised them, sentiment soured on the economy and an expanding number of competitive Senate races pushed the party onto the defensive.

But with fewer than seven weeks until Election Day, the question is how much value Trump’s allies can wring from such an enormous sum, with some of the best advertising space already reserved and the most valuable voters being bombarded from every direction.

“They can still effectively use that money, but the ship has sailed on using it as effectively as possible,” said Joshua Wolf, a partner at AL Media Strategy, a Democratic political media firm, and co-founder of Warchest, a campaign budgeting platform used by Democratic campaigns. “It is not too late for it to have an impact. But they’ve sort of missed their window to optimize the value of that money for sure.”

Still, finding places to spend it is not the problem.

“Can it be deployed? Sure,” said Ken Goldstein, a politics professor at the University of San Francisco and a former president of a political consulting firm that has worked for both Democratic and Republican campaigns. “Is it a little bit more difficult later in the game? Sure. But there’s plenty of ways to deploy that money.”

The cash gap

Entering July, Democratic candidates held a roughly 2-to-1 cash advantage across seven of the most competitive Senate battlegrounds, stockpiling about $75 million in combined cash compared with the GOP’s $38 million, according to a CNBC analysis of the most recent Federal Election Commission filings.

The gap was starkest in Texas. Democratic nominee James Talarico entered July with $21.5 million in cash on hand, more than 12 times the $1.8 million held by his Republican opponent Ken Paxton, according to FEC records.

That early cash advantage can give campaigns more time to shape the race before most voters fully tune in.

“Democrats will tend to try and go a little bit earlier with advertising and try and define the race before it gets baked in,” Goldstein said. Republicans, he said, have historically been more willing to wait, on the theory that voters — particularly in midterms — do not begin paying close attention until closer to Election Day.

Over the past two weeks, three Trump-linked super PACs have reserved more than $136.5 million in advertising across House and Senate races, according to a CNBC calculation based on AdImpact data.

The newly formed No Going Back PAC alone has reserved more than $98.5 million in advertising, with its spending concentrated most heavily in competitive Senate contests, according to AdImpact, which tracks what’s been spent on political advertising and reservations for future ads.

In Texas, Trump’s MAGA Inc., committed roughly $10 million, while the Elon Musk-backed America PAC added about $2.6 million, according to FEC filings.

“Definitely not too little, too late. It’s a lot of money,” said Jaime Vasil Winkelfoos, group vice president for Candidates + Causes at Basis Technologies, a digital advertising and media platform. “It’s more a question of how much are they willing to pay.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/trump-election-ad-spend-maga-inc.html

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Logistical hurdles

Federal communications law entitles official candidates to broadcasters’ “lowest unit charge” during the final 60 days before a general election, meaning they get the best possible price for airtime.

Super PACs like MAGA Inc. enjoy no such protection. They can raise and spend virtually unlimited sums, but pay market rates that often are double or triple what candidates pay for comparable airtime, according to political advertising consultants.

Major political groups also began locking in fall ad space months ago. In April, the Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund PAC announced $342 million in ad reservations across eight Senate races, while the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC booked $272 million across 68 media markets, citing the need to “lock in lower rates early” and prioritize expensive and crowded markets.

By mid-September, local television affiliates in key battlegrounds were nearing saturation, according to AdImpact data, with the squeeze particularly acute in smaller states, Winkelfoos told CNBC.

When inventory gets tight, super PACs often funnel excess cash into streaming, digital platforms, mail and texts. But pricing for those ads is auction-based and dynamic rates can hike prices exponentially in closely contested ZIP codes.

“The system can absorb more money,” said Michael Beach, a Republican digital strategist who founded Cross Screen Media, a political and public-affairs advertising technology platform. “But costs start adding up, and you have to determine whether each additional dollar is reaching a voter worth the higher price.”

At the same time, Republicans now have more races demanding those resources.

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rates seven Senate races as toss-ups, five of them Republican-held: Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Ohio and Texas. The report moved Texas and Iowa from lean Republican in August after public and private polling showed tightening races, despite Trump carrying both by more than 13 points in 2024.

Republicans didn’t budget for a close Texas race: the Senate Leadership Fund’s $342 million April advertising plan bypassed the state entirely.

However, that expanded map can cut both ways.

Democrats benefit when they force Republicans to spend heavily in typically safe red states. But the Cook report says Republicans retain a “structural advantage” because of the partisan makeup of the Senate map.

Expensive pickup opportunities can also become costly diversions. For instance, Democrats spent heavily on Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 Senate bid in Texas, in which he narrowly lost to Republican Ted Cruz.

“There’s an argument that if you have fewer resources, you’re better off spending in fewer places,” AL Media Strategy’s Wolf told CNBC.

Preparations are made ahead of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Sept. 8, 2026.

The argument for waiting

Despite the logistical hurdles, some experts say Trump’s late spending could be well timed.

cont…

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/trump-election-ad-spend-maga-inc.html

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“The weight of the evidence is that spending earlier than September is most likely ineffective,” John Sides, a Vanderbilt University political scientist who studies campaigns and elections, told CNBC. “We can’t say exactly how close to Election Day is the truly optimal time, but it makes more sense to start advertising now than spend money all summer.”

Sides co-authored a 2022 study of more than 4,500 races that found summer TV ads had little effect on election outcomes, while ads in September and October did. The study also found ads were more influential in down-ballot races than in presidential contests.

“Spending is most effective when voters are less familiar with the candidates,” Sides told CNBC.

But timing is only half the battle. The payoff from Trump’s late spending may ultimately hinge on who those ads reach.

“Team Trump had far less money than Kamala Harris,” Beach said of the 2024 campaign cycle. “But Team Harris spread their money out amongst a much wider swath of people. Team Trump concentrated their media and was more effective in targeting persuadable voters and mobilizing their own supporters.”

Even targeted advertising eventually runs into diminishing returns.

“Your first, second, third and fourth ads are going to matter more than your 10,000th and 20,000th ads,” Goldstein said.

In the most heavily contested markets, repeated advertising can make it increasingly difficult to find fresh persuadable voters, Winkelfoos said.

“In some districts and some states, those persuadable voters could just be a couple hundred people you’re trying to reach,” she said. “Voters are already sick of the ads, so we have to figure out how to reach them where their eyes don’t glaze over.”

The next gauge of Trump’s firepower arrives Sunday. MAGA Inc.’s latest FEC filing, covering activity through Aug. 31, will offer a road map of where the operation is steering its money and which battlegrounds it is prioritizing in the final sprint to Election Day.