Trump envoys pitching ‘new ideas’ to settle Ukraine conflict – media

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet Kiev’s representatives on Friday and might travel to Moscow later this month

Published 9 Oct, 2026 00:46 |

US President Donald Trump’s top negotiators are preparing to pitch “new ideas and proposals” aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Ukraine conflict, with talks involving representatives of Kiev and its European backersscheduled to begin in Miami on Friday, according to Reuters and Axios.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to hold a two-day working session with the Ukrainian delegation in an effort to develop a unified proposal that could later be presented to the Kremlin.

The pair could then travel to Moscow later this month for another round of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions.

According to Reuters, the ideas were developed during and after Witkoff and Kushner’s diplomatic tour of Moscow and Kiev in early September.The pair have since remained in contact with both Russian and Ukrainian officialswhile working on an updated peace initiative.

One proposal reportedly under consideration is a partial ceasefire covering attacks on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping. The talks are also expected to address possible security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-conflict economic plan and other elements of a potential settlement.

Witkoff and Kushnermet Trumpon Thursday to present the latest proposals andreceive his input ahead of the Miami talks, according to Axios. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Deputy National Security Adviser Mike Needham also attended the meeting.

Kiev's European backers ‘nervous’ about winter

Kiev will reportedly be represented by Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kirill Budanov, intelligence chief Rustem Umerov, diplomatic adviser Sergey Kislitsa and top lawmaker David Arakhamia.

National security advisers from Britain, France and Germany, as well as representatives of NATO and the EU, have also reportedly been invited.

A US source told AFP that European governments have privately complained about soaring energy prices and other economic costs stemming from the conflict, adding that there is growing concern about another winter of hostilities.

“They are all nervous about the winter. It will be a tough winter if the war does not stop,”the source said.

Trump has also repeatedly pressed Zelensky to stop “hurting the world” and halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, arguing that the attacks are worsening a global diesel shortage and driving up fuel costs in the US.

Kremlin agrees with Rubio on ‘stalemate’

The new diplomatic push comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the conflict as a “dangerous stalemate,”warning that further escalation could spill beyond Ukraine and trigger a broader confrontation.

“This war needs to end in a negotiated settlement. The sooner, the better,” Rubio told reporters in Lisbon on Thursday, while cautioning that Washington would not invest indefinitely in “pointless processes” that produce no progress.

The Kremlin said it shared Rubio’s assessment of the current diplomatic impasse, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying he “agreed” that no clear prospect of a negotiated settlement was currently visible.

He nevertheless reiterated Moscow’s position thatRussia remains open to negotiations, while accusing Kiev of showing no willingness to accept reality and pursue a long-term settlement.

Despite the lack of progress on Ukraine,contacts between Washington and Moscow have continued on other tracks, Peskov added,noting that the two countries are discussing “a whole range” of potentially mutually beneficial economic projects, including possible cooperation in the energy sector.

(https://www.rt.com/news/646959-witkoff-kushner-ukraine-ideas/)

Syria’s new rulers restrict women’s access to universities

New admission rules have sparked claims of gender discrimination by the country’s Islamist government

Published 9 Oct, 2026 04:

Syria’s new Islamist governmenthas barred women from enrolling in several university and technical programs, drawing public criticism.

The rules for the 2026-2027 academic year affect several institutions, including two universities established in July under Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa, a former leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), rose to power following the overthrow of Bashar Assad in December 2024. He was appointed transitional president in January 2025 andhas since pledged to build an inclusive government.

According to documents published by the Ministry of Higher Education,women are excluded from military engineering programs, as well as legal and social sciences, management, and economicsat the National University for Defense Sciences. Another institution, the Syrian University for Security Sciences, reserves several programs for men, althoughwomen remain eligible to study cybersecurity.

The restrictions extend to technical institutes specializing in oil and gas, railway transport and radio and television directing. Under theprevious academic year’s rules, women could still enroll in certain oil and gas programs, includingaccounting and precision instruments.

Criticism has come from students and educators. “No one has the right to force me to choose a particular field of study or exclude me from another,” Israa Salloum, a high school graduate preparing to apply to university, told AFP.

A constitutional declaration adopted in March 2025 guarantees women’s right to education.

The rules contrast with recent efforts to expand women’s participation in law enforcement. In September,Syria graduated its first class of 150 female police officers following six months of training.

Since taking power, Syria’s new authorities have faced criticism over measures affecting women’s freedoms. In September, aprominent Damascus school reportedly announced plans to separate male and female students from middle school onward. Four feminist and civil society organizations also accused the authorities in August of restricting freedoms and imposing forms of social control that particularly affect women.

The new admission rules do not include a blanket ban on women studying law or engineering, with such programs remaining available at other Syrian universities.

(https://www.rt.com/news/646951-syria-women-education-restrictions/

Star of Buzzy New Movie About a Christian Family Hits Back at ‘Daily Show’ Host: ‘When Did “Conservative” Become So Wrong?’. 1/2

By Bryan Chai, The Western JournalOct. 9, 2026 1:00 pm

Well, it turns out not every liberal actor in Hollywood harbors unhinged hate for conservatives. (Though many certainly do.)

Marvel actor Sebastian Stan — perhaps best known for playing the Winter Soldier — appeared on “The Daily Show” to discuss his upcoming film “Fjord.”

And, somewhat surprisingly given what we know of Stan’s politics, the actor actually had a very easy pathway to attack conservatives — and didn’t.

Michael Kosta, one of the rotating hosts of “The Daily Show” — a progressive parody of cable news — spoke to Stan on Wednesday about his upcoming movie.

And before we go any further, here is a quick recap of “Fjord.”

Mihai Gheorghiu, who is portrayed by Stan, and Lisbet Gheorghiu, portrayed by Renate Reinsve, are a devout evangelical Christian couple with five children who move from Romania to a remote Norwegian fjord, where Lisbet was originally from.

The Gheorghiu family’s faith means they raise their children in a conservative manner — putting them at immediate odds with the fjord’s liberal populace.

Things come to a head when Mihai’s daughter shows up to school with bruises, and the entire town immediately casts aspersions on the family, with authorities eventually hauling all five children away.

And now a spoiler warning: Lisbet struggles mightily to cope with the loss of her children, while Mihai rallied other conservative Christian networks across the world to support his case.

Interestingly, the movie deliberately avoids answering the question of who, or what, caused the daughter’s bruises. The movie intentionally leaves this ambiguous — maybe Mihai is abusive, maybe the daughter got bruised while wrestling at school, or maybe the daughter got hurt while playing games with neighbors.

The movie ultimately seems more interested in exploring what happens when cultures clash — the liberal fjord folks are not presented in an especially gracious manner, often seeming rigid and paranoid — instead of ascribing villainy to any side.

But that brings us back to Wednesday’s Daily Show appearance.

“Some people might characterize the themes of this movie as fairly conservative,” Kosta said. “What’s your response to that? Are people overthinking it?”

“No, I mean, I think that’s a pretty fair assessment, but that shouldn’t necessarily cancel out the issues that this family is facing or that the feelings that they have and the desire that they have to raise the kids in the best way they can,” Stan replied.

Fjord - Official Trailer - In Theaters October 9

1:58

https://youtu.be/frg59VOungA

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/star-buzzy-new-movie-christian-family-hits-back/

>>25123946

2/2

“I think there’s probably always, on either side, that there needs to be an opening of a door, you know, for more of a back and forth to happen,” he continued.

“Like, when did conservative become so wrong, I guess? I didn’t really grow up in that kind of a religious environment, but as long as there’s curiosity, at least, instead of immediate judgment, maybe there’s something else there,” Stan said.

“But if a family is trying to stay together, we should at least give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they’re trying to do it for the right reasons.”

That… is a shockingly good response, especially for a liberal actor who was flamed for his antagonistic portrayal of a young Donald Trump in the biopic “The Apprentice.”

Fair is fair, and I genuinely wish more actors adopted Stan’s approach to conservatism.

(Which, I should note, is a fairly new approach, given that Stan once told The Hollywood Reporter that Trump was a “paranoid, scared little man.”)

The most refreshing part of Stan’s response is that he didn’t endorse conservatism, renounce liberalism, or pretend that ideological differences don’t matter.

He simply acknowledged that conservative Christians are human beings whose beliefs deserve to be understood before they’re condemned.

In today’s Hollywood, that’s a surprisingly radical concept.

Stan’s politics may not have changed, and that’s perfectly fine. If more Americans approached their ideological opponents with the same curiosity instead of reflexive contempt, perhaps we’d discover that disagreement doesn’t have to mean disdain.

“Fjord” hits theaters on Oct. 9.

Sebastian Stan On the Complexities of “Fjord” | The Daily Show

16:20

https://youtu.be/nHFDl3J5YZw

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/star-buzzy-new-movie-christian-family-hits-back/

NEXT! Peter Navarro GOES OFF on Liberal CBS Reporter – “Don’t Give Me That Crap… Don’t Be a Sock Puppet!”

By Jordan Conradson Oct. 9, 2026

Trump’s Senior Counselor to the President for Trade and Manufacturing, Peter Navarro, eviscerated a CBS reporter this afternoon during a press conference, slamming her for working as a “sock puppet” for the left and asking a politically motivated question to hurt Republicans in the midterms.

Navarro delivered a news conference at the White House on Friday to tout Trump’s US “manufacturing renaissance,” where he highlighted the trillions of dollars in investments in US manufacturing under Trump.

Notably, only about 10 reporters attended, which Navarro said was “disappointing.”

“It’s really disappointing that some of the so-called mainstream media, legacy media aren’t here. I want to call Fox out in particular,” Navarro said to open the press conference, and he took several shots at the mainstream media throughout his remarks.

When a reporter later identified herself as a CBS reporter to ask a question, Navarro exclaimed, “Hallelujah!”

But when she asked her question, he was less pleased. “Are you able to speak a little bit about the pressures that elevated diesel prices are putting on manufacturing?” she asked.

“Now, see, check this out. The legacy media comes in here, and we’re talking about manufacturing, and the first thing she hits with is diesel prices, right? That’s what these people want to hit with going into this election, okay? They don’t want to talk about any of this stuff,” Navarro fired back.

“So, if you’ve got a good question and you want to write a good story about this, hit me with it, but don’t give me that crap, okay? No, we’re not doing that!”

“Manufacturers rely on diesel for their plants,” she responded, as Navarro interrupted, “Oh, we’re pivoting that way, yes.” She continued, “No, sorry, I’m wondering about manufacturers that rely on diesel-powered machinery.”

Navarro cut her off and said, “Just hand the microphone over to the next person.”

“It’s like folks, you’ve got to learn, okay? There’s a lot of stories in the world. You can’t just be — you’re a young person. Don’t be a sock puppet for your liberal producers and work as an agent to interfere with a selection with crap like that.”

Via Real America’s Voice:

Peter Navarro GOES OFF on CBS - "Don't Give Me That Crap… Don't Be a Sock Puppet"

JordanConradson

1:05

https://rumble.com/embed/v7eghm2/?pub=4

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/next-peter-navarro-goes-liberal-cbs-reporter-dont/

Get Woke, Go Broke: Canada Loses 68,000 Jobs in September Following Carney’s Globalist War with Trump

By Jim Hoft Oct. 9, 2026 4

Canada lost another 68,000 jobs in September following Prime MinisterMark Carney’s globalist war on Trump.

This follows the previous month’s job losses of 41,700 in August.

Maybe Carney was not so smart in pitting his country’s workers against the world’s largest economy?

Since Carney took on Trump, the US created 975,000 jobs and Canada lost 110,000 jobs!

The numbers are BRUTAL! Canada’s housing market is frozen, they’re losing jobs, and Companies are leaving for the US.

Carney, the globalist savior, does not look so bright.

Score ANOTHER victory for Donald Trump!

The Last Refuge reported:

According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, the Canadian economy lost a net of 68,300 jobs in September. This follows a loss of 41,700 positions in August and wipes out all job gains for the entire year 2026.

The alarming results come after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has led all provincial premiers in a coordinated effort to confront U.S. President Donald Trump through an “elbow’s up” program of political antagonism and trade conflict.

Based on economic scale, Canada losing 68,000 jobs in a month would be the U.S. equivalent of losing 500,000 jobs. The “elbow’s up” program may be politically beneficial to Prime Minister Carney, but the economic consequences are crushing the northern neighbors.

The Canadian dollar immediately weakened after the jobs report and was trading down 0.44% at C$1.4287 to the US dollar, or 69.99 US cents. Yields on the two-year government bonds reversed early moves and were trading down 9.5 basis points to 2.410%.

More… Canadian Unemployment is second-highest in the G7.

Socialism kills prosperity. Every. Single. Time.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/get-woke-go-broke-canada-loses-68000-jobs/

Canada Loses 68,000 Jobs in September After Losing 41,700 Jobs in August 1/2

October 9, 2026 | Sundance |

(Sundance has been reporting on Carney and Canada for at least 8 to 12 months and how Carney will destroy Canada, by fighting with the U.S. on the renewal of the trade deals. Carney believed he could control the U.S., Trump admin, etc. Carney was always going to fail and destroy Canada’s trade deals.)

According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, the Canadian economy lost a net of 68,300 jobs in September. This follows a loss of 41,700 positions in August and wipes out all job gains for the entire year 2026.

The alarming results come after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has led all provincial premiers in a coordinated effort to confront U.S. President Donald Trump through an “elbow’s up” program of political antagonism and trade conflict.

Based on economic scale, Canada losing 68,000 jobs in a month would be the U.S. equivalent of losing 500,000 jobs. The “elbow’s up” program may be politically beneficial to Prime Minister Carney, but the economic consequences are crushing the northern neighbors.

The Canadian dollar immediately weakened after the jobs report and was trading down 0.44% at C$1.4287 to the US dollar, or 69.99 US cents. Yields on the two-year government bonds reversed early moves and were trading down 9.5 basis points to 2.410%.

Initially, when the trade war was announced, CTH anticipated a bottom for the CAD at 50¢/USD under the trade reciprocity program. 50¢ remains the forecast target when the termination of the USMCA (CUSMA) is announced, and analysts have the opportunity to gauge the outcome.

Meaning, if the Canadian trade surplus with the USA was eliminated, and if all the non-tariff barriers were removed, and if full trade reciprocity programs were instituted, and if Canada has to stand on its own economic footing with NATO spending requirements, current domestic tax rates and GDP growth factored, $1 CAD will be worth around 50¢ USD.

Remember, the Bank of Canada has already run the numbers on this. ……”A cascading series of events could cause a sharp loss of investor confidence and lead to a spike in demand for liquidity or rapid asset sales”… {MAY ’26}

• (CBC) – Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September, according to Statistics Canada, marking a second straight month of losses. The unemployment rate ticked up by 0.1 percentage points to 6.5 per cent, which is where it stood at the start of 2026.

The figures bucked economists’ predictions for a gain of 9,200 positions in September. It comes after another surprise last month of 42,000 job losses for August, which snapped a hot streak for the labour market.

[…] By sector, educational services, health care and social assistance, and manufacturing led the declines. More workers in “other services,” which includes things like repair and maintenance, offset the losses.

Porter says the drop in education jobs, which was concentrated in Quebec, could be a bit of a blip, but says it could also point to weakness in the sector with fewer international students studying in the country. (MORE)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/10/09/canada-loses-68000-jobs-in-september-after-losing-41700-jobs-in-august/

>>25124184

2/2

For CTH readers, allow me to explain what is happening that is not found in the Canadian financial media.

Business investment is essentially at zero; nothing is happening. Multinational corporations who are spending in Canada are purchasing assets. Other vulture capitalists and China are looking at exploiting the shrinking Canadian system, which is giving the Canadian govt a false sense of investment security. However, these institutions are not investing for growth, they are simply purchasing assets – purchasing in advance of what they predict will be massive leverage for how they will exploit the commodity or asset they are purchasing.

Carney is selling Canadian assets, pipelines, raw materials, energy, infrastructure and airports. He is essentially carving up the economy, selling Canadian assets and trying to organize the economy so that Canadians don’t realize the GDP shrinking around them. But you will notice that positive economic activity, that is activity that would grow the GDP valuation, is not Canadian owned.

Corporations who operate inside Canada are not replacing retirees and/or ordinary turnover within their organizations. Corporations are downsizing as the internal economic activity shrinks. This is directly related to the September jobs data.

Meanwhile, through deportation and cutting off the avenues of illegal alien subsistence in America, Trump is putting pressure on the parasite class of illegal migrants and a portion of those are fleeing to Canada. Trump is transferring the economic dependency to Carney.

• The decline was concentrated in youth aged 15 to 24, who accounted for 48,000 job losses, according to the data agency. But the pool of young workers also shrank in September, leaving the unemployment rate for that group relatively unchanged at 13 per cent.

• Core-aged women, between 25 and 54 years old, also held 28,000 fewer positions, and the number of women in that age group looking for work increased.

• Quebec led the job losses by province, with 49,000 jobs lost in the month, while B.C. followed with 20,000 fewer jobs. Alberta, on the other hand, added 23,000 positions. (more)

It will get a lot worse. Slowly at first, then suddenly (USMCA termination notice) all at once.

That’s at the core of what these remarks are all about.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/10/09/canada-loses-68000-jobs-in-september-after-losing-41700-jobs-in-august/

President Trump Sanctions Politically Motivated International Criminal Court (ICC)

October 9, 2026 | Sundance | 1

The Trump administration has imposed sweeping new sanctions on the International Criminal Court in an effort to dismantle the tribunal that President Trump, Secretary Rubio and congress believes has become politicized and attempted to unfairly and illegally prosecute Americans and Israelis on war crimes charges.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions Friday, after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African prosecutor Navi Pillay, a former judge at the ICC and other international courts. The ICC is based in the Netherlands, an EU and NATO member. Secretary Rubio made the announcement:

'Fake ICC': US hits the International Criminal Court with new sanctions

1:43

https://youtu.be/2dOI4TACiHA

(VIA MSM) – […]US sanctions typically bar all US-based companies from any work with a sanctioned organization, forcing banks to shut accounts, insurers to end coverage and software companies to halt cooperation.

The Trump administration previously imposed targeted sanctions on court officials during his first term, which were rescinded under President Joe Biden.Washington announced new sanctions just days after Trump returned to office in January 2025.

[…] Court officials have been preparing for months for the prospect of sanctions on the court itself, shifting office computers from Microsoft software to open source equivalents and making new arrangements for banking and health insurance.

The court’s registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler called earlier this weekfor the EU to be prepared to use a so-called “blocking mechanism” that lets it shield European countries from the extra-territorial effects of sanctions.

In his statement, Rubio said the United States had delayed its sanctions hoping that the ICC and the countries party to its founding Rome Statute would address US concerns, but they had failed to do so.

“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC. We expect our allies, many of whom are part of the ICC and that rely on American servicemembers for their defense, to rein in the court,” Rubio said. (read more)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/10/09/president-trump-sanctions-politically-motivated-international-criminal-court-icc/