NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte Sees No Imminent Threat from Russia to NATO

October 14, 2026 | sundance |

During a press conference with the Prime Minister of Estonia, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was asked about Russian threats to NATO and the reports of SpaceX’s slowing Starlink capabilities being used for military purposes.

Mark Rutte Asked About SpaceX Restricting Starlink Military Uses As Zelensky Attacks Russian Diesel

4:39

https://youtu.be/qTiJY48u-CU

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/10/14/nato-general-secretary-mark-rutte-sees-no-imminent-threat-from-russia-to-nato/

Is NATO and Rutte getting tired of Zelensky with his manipulations and lies about Russia attacking Ukraine? If so that is the right path!

Sanctions are permanent, until Washington decides otherwise

The Russian diesel deal reveals how US sanctions combine sweeping restrictions with exceptions that serve Washington’s interests

Published 14 Oct, 2026 21:33

The agreement to supply Russian diesel fuel to the United States has made a considerable political impact, and it comes amid another escalation of the Ukraine conflict during which both sides have been exchanging large-scale missile and drone strikes.

Meanwhile, the European Union has approved its 22nd package of sanctions against Russia, while Washington has adopted another round of punitive measures under the so-called Hellish Sanctions Act.

Yet against this backdrop, the US Treasury has issued a general license authorizing transactions involving the sale, delivery, unloading and import of Russian diesel fuel until April 2027, which, at first glance, appears extraordinary.

In reality, however, such exemptions are a familiar feature of American sanctions policy as they illustrate a fundamental paradox of the US system:exceptionally severe restrictions coexist with considerable flexibility when Washington’s own interests are at stake.

On one hand, sanctions against Russia, particularly those targeting its energy sector, have become increasingly entrenched, and the latest legislation makes their removal considerably more difficult, adding to an extensive framework of federal laws, presidential orders and administrative regulations accumulated over recent years.

On the other hand, the American executive retains substantial powers to authorize exceptions, meaning even the harshest sanctions need not prevent transactions that Washington considers necessary.

The latest exemption is particularly revealing because the administration didn’t need to invoke the waiver provisions contained in the new legislation, given that Section 115 of the Lindsey Graham Act, for example,permits exemptions provided the administration submits a written justification to Congress, so instead, the Treasury employed a much simpler mechanism.

Last week, Bradley Smith, director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), signed a general license permitting the diesel transactions. Formally, therefore, the decision was taken not by President Donald Trump, or even by the Treasury secretary, but by a specialized department within the department.

There’s nothing unusual about this procedure. Under the sanctions program targeting what Washington calls Russia’s “malicious activities,” more than 100 general licenses have been issued covering a wide range of transactions, meaning another license is hardly a sensation.

Nor should it be mistaken for the lifting of sanctions because general licenses typically have limited validity and can be revoked before their expiry and a change in the political climate,a shift in Washington’s priorities, or an influx of imported diesel into the American market could be sufficient grounds for withdrawing the exemption.

There are precedents for licenses remaining in force for years. During the improvement in US-Belarusian relations in the 2010s, several major Belarusian enterprises benefited from exemptions that effectively suspended certain restrictions, but when relations deteriorated again in the early 2020s, those licenses were withdrawn.

In other cases, licenses serve the entirely technical purpose of allowing companies to complete transactions or wind down existing operations without violating sanctions, which means the distinction between the political significance of the Russian diesel agreement and its legal substance is therefore essential.

No sanctions have been lifted and Washington has merely employed an established administrative mechanism that can be reversed at any moment.

Nevertheless, the episode demonstrates something important about American sanctions policy in that even as Congress seeks to make restrictions against Russia increasingly permanent,the executive branch retains considerable room for maneuver.

The US can impose unprecedented economic restrictions while simultaneously creating exceptions whenever its interests demand them.

The legal machinery is already in place, but what ultimately determines how it is used is political will.

https://rt-english.com/news/647212-sanctions-are-permanent/

Musk blames Trump for throttling Starlink in Ukraine

The US president had pressured Kiev to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, which he blamed for surging energy prices

Published 14 Oct, 2026 23:01 | Up

Elon Musk has denied instructing his company SpaceX to abruptly restrict Starlink and Starshield satellite communications services used by Ukrainian forces to operate drones.

Ukrainian officials and frontline commanders said terminals suddenly stopped working overnight Tuesday into Wednesday when drones flew faster than 100 mph, disrupting some combat missions. The problems with Starshield, the military-grade counterpart to SpaceX’s Starlink service, occurred as US President Donald Trump was pressuring Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, which he blamed for surging energy prices.

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk wrote on X on Wednesday in response to criticism from Ukraine. He had earlier suggested that the disruption might have been “a mistake”and said he was working to restore connectivity.

Musk also said that Starlink should be used only for civilian and defensive purposes,arguing that using it for offensive operations would be “inappropriate for a commercial company.”

Although Trump has not commented directly on the restrictions, a senior US official told Axios that his administration had nothing to do with the disruption of Starlink services.

In an interview with NPR on Tuesday, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky confirmed reports that the US had threatened to stop sharing intelligence with Kiev unless Ukraine halted attacks on Russian energy facilities.

Ukrainian officials also said they had received no advance warning from their Western partners before Russian missile strikes on Kiev on two consecutive nights, Monday and Tuesday. According to media reports,US officials attributed the failure to detect the missile launches to bad weather, an explanation their Ukrainian counterparts reportedly found hard to believe.

Asked by British talk show host Piers Morgan on Wednesdaywhether he had been “betrayed” by the Trump administration, Zelensky replied, “Yes.”

“It’s a pity that we are losing a strong partner,” he added. (Fuck off Zelensky!)

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fyodorov said Wednesday evening that Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 100 mph was being restored, but urged the removal of speed restrictions on Starshield altogether.

Russia has argued that Ukraine would use a ceasefire without preconditions to regroup and replenish its forces. “We want not a ceasefire but a lasting peace, and we are ready to do everything possible to achieve it,”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

https://rt-english.com/news/647213-ukraine-musk-starlink-limits/

Ex-fiance of US Rep. Nancy Mace and 2 others charged with sex crimes she detailed in a House speech

The ex-fiance of U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace and two of his business associates have been charged with sex crimes and voyeurism

By MEG KINNARD and JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press

October 14, 2026, 11:58

COLUMBIA, S.C. – U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace'sformer fiance and two of his business associates were charged with sex crimes and voyeurismon Wednesday over an episode the South Carolina congresswoman described in detail during a speech last yearon the House floor about how crimes against women are not investigated thoroughly.

John Douglas Osborne committed sex acts on a 23-year-old incapacitated and intoxicated woman while Mace's ex-fiance Patrick Bryant and Eric Bernard Bowman watched, according to sworn statements by agents from the State Law Enforcement Division, which brought the charges.

The men talked about who would assault the woman beforehand, took photos and recorded the assault, which was also seen on a security system feed at the home in Sullivan's Island, an affluent suburb of Charleston, state agents said. The woman had fallen into a pool and was passed out on a couch covering herself with a pillow, agents said.

Another woman who happened to be watching the feed saw the assault and took pictures and wrote about it in a journal, police said. Mace and Bryant were not yet engaged at the time of the October 2018 assault.

Osborne, 46, is charged with first-degree assault and battery and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Bryant, 53, and Bowman, 46, are each charged with voyeurism.

Along with the voyeurism charge, Bowman was also charged with obstruction of justice after agents said he did a factory reset on a cellphone he knew investigators were seeking in a search warrant, and with publishing the name of a victim of criminal sexual conduct after posting the victim’s name and a video of her on X.

Bryant didn't return a message seeking comment on Wednesday, and attorneys who have been listed as representing Bowman and Osborne in other cases did not immediately return messages.

Mace, a Republican, described the assault at length in a nearly hourlong speech in February 2025 that named the men and described other photos and videos found when she looked at Bryant's cellphone when they were still together.

Mace said she “accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable. We’re talking about rape, non-consensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district.”

At the time, Bryant completely denied the allegations. “I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name,” he told The Associated Press.

The State Law Enforcement Division didn't say if their investigation into any of the men is continuing.

After the arrests, Mace released a statement detailing the 25 bills she says will protect victims of sexual assault, harassment or discrimination, including in retaliatory defamation and libel lawsuits that may result from allegations they bring to light.

The Republican, who is leaving the Housethis term after losing her bid to be South Carolina governor, introduced a proposal this week to require that anyone who brings such a case and loses must pay attorney fees for the defendant.

“Protecting women and holding predators accountable isn’t a slogan. It’s been one of my top priorities in Congress. For too long, survivors have faced broken systems while predators exploited loopholes and walked free,”Mace said in her statement.

https://abcnews.com/amp/US/wireStory/fiance-us-rep-nancy-mace-2-charged-sex-137261493

Exclusive: Judge limited Justice Department access to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s records in sprawling immigration fraud probe

(Court and judge DS is covering for the criminals).1/2

By Katelyn Polantz, Evan Perez, Jake Tapper, CNN. Wed October 14, 2026

The Trump administration pushed for an unusually aggressive search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s house in recent days in an immigration fraud probe that targets the congresswoman, possible false statements made on government documents, and a potential conspiracy, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.

Prosecutors, however, first had to contend with a federal magistrate judge, in a prolonged back-and-forth that hasn’t previously been reported. Judge Matthew Sharbaugh of the DC District Court ultimately limited how the Justice Department could access Omar’s documents in Monday’s search, before he would approve the warrant, because of her role as a member of Congress and the Constitutional protections that affords, multiple people familiar with the investigation told CNN.

The investigators’ inquiries that prompted the search include whether Omar or her now-deceased father lied about her age when she obtained citizenship in 2000, claiming she was a minor when she was of adult age.

Omar emigrated to the US as a Somalian refugee around the age of 12 and became a citizen in 2000, according to people familiar with Omar’s situation.

One source told CNN the government could try to expand the investigation into a wider conspiracy case and try to investigate if this was deception and the purposeful falsification of information over years by a larger group of individuals.

Omar has been under criminal investigations for years — including before Trump took office last year. But the Trump administration has pushed further with the belief that she has repeated false statements when filling out government documents, such as a passport, in recent years. That is what led to the search on Monday, the sources say.

The search of her home in DC was highly unusual for its timing less than a month before Election Day voting ends, including while Omar is running for reelection as a Democrat in Minnesota.

The effort is also the federal push this month has also been unusual for its attempt to access a member of Congress’ records — the type of criminal investigative work that Republicans this year have made into a political firestorm for past administrations.

As part of the renewed probe, at least a dozen subpoenas were issued beginning last Friday to witnesses, most of them relatives, according to people familiar with the investigation.

Government records and archives in Somalia are notoriously unreliable and hard to access due to years of conflict and disconnected government entities.

Judge limits search on Omar’s home

In recent weeks, the Justice Department argued for broad access to records that Omar kept at her home in Washington, the sources said.

The Justice Department has argued that with Omar there was little need for sequestering the records taken from her home on Monday.

But the judge who ultimately approved the search told the Justice Department that wasn’t possible under the law, the sources said. Sharbaugh of the DC District Court told prosecutors from DC they would need to set up a process for screening the records to protect Omar’s legislative work from investigators.

In DC, the courts have upheld expansive protections around records of legislative work for members of Congress under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause.

The multi-day back-and-forth between the judge and the Justice Department in recent days hasn’t been previously reported.

It may now have vast implications for both federal investigators that are looking to potentially charge Omar with a crime and for her campaign.

The Justice Department’s approach to the search also was especially notable because Omar, a US citizen originally from Somalia, is a high-profile member of the group of female progressives known as “The Squad,” a top and frequent political target of President Donald Trump and is running for re-election to Congress in Minnesota, where voting in the mid-term elections has already begun.

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/10/14/politics/judge-limited-justice-department-access-rep-ilhan-omar-records-immigration-fraud

>>25141701

2/2

Omar has publicly called the search of her home a political attack prompted by the hatred that Trump and Republicans have for her.

“This is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar said in a post on social media on Monday. “For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.”

She has denied any wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged with a crime. An attorney for Omar didn’t respond to multiple requests for this story.

Years of investigations into Omar

Investigators are looking into an unsubstantiated claim around whether her now ex-husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, was her brother, in order to get him citizenship — a claim that has been repeated by Trump and which Omar has called “bigoted lies.”

Even if substantiated, the statute of limitations would have long run out over any crime, and it’s unclear what role that would play in the inquiry, informed sources told CNN.

No charges were brought by the Biden-era investigators and the case around Omar didn’t progress nearly as far as the current Trump-era investigators have taken it, several people familiar with the investigation said.

The case was reopened last year and is now being led by prosecutors in the deputy attorney general’s office and in the US attorney’s office in Minneapolis, the sources said. The US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, has also been involved.

Any new case, if charged, would likely be complicated by Trump’s rhetoric against Omar, over many years and some of it being racist. Vice President JD Vance has also talked about discussing the case with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and White House border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly talked on Fox News about an ongoing investigation into Omar.

“If someone committed immigration violation, someone committed marriage fraud or anything like that, regardless if they’re a congressman or not, no one’s above the law, so I’ll leave it at that,” Homan said in a September interview after mentioning an “ongoing criminal investigation” around Omar.

A separate investigation of possible financial misconduct, including around campaign finance, also continues in the DC US attorney’s office.

DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro was asked on Tuesday on Fox News about Omar’s financial disclosures that House ethics investigators previously scrutinized.

“That is the subject of an investigation as well,” Pirro said. “We’re looking at the facts. Based upon the facts we will follow them wherever they take us.”

Since the DC federal court’s oversight of the search of Omar’s home, any criminal investigation that would rely on her own records may be slowed down substantially, and has already raised concerns about Justice Department integrity and politicization.

Judges in the DC District Court have grown increasingly skeptical of the Trump administration’s approach to Constitutional protections in criminal cases, especially when those cases appear politically charged.(CNN just made that up!)

At the same time, Republicans have been furious with the Justice Department under President Joe Biden for seeking Congress members’ communications in past criminal investigations. Republicans on Capitol Hill and Trump have been particularly critical of former special counsel Jack Smith obtaining secrecy orders when Smith’s office subpoenaed phone companies for call logs of members around the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack conspiracy investigation.

Generally, the Justice Department avoids overt investigative activity that could affect an election within 60 days of Election Day.

In this case, however, top Justice officials signed off on Monday’s HSI search.

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/10/14/politics/judge-limited-justice-department-access-rep-ilhan-omar-records-immigration-fraud

Watchdog files complaint against Zacharia with California bar

MALLORY WILSON 10/14/26

(The ugly dogs are attacking!)

The Campaign for Accountability has filed a complaint with the State Bar of California asking for an investigation into White House press secretary Katie Zacharia over her claims that she is a lawyer after reports surfaced that she is not licensed to practice law in any state.

The complaint notes that if the reporting is accurate that Zacharia has “repeatedly held herself out to the public as entitled to practice law without a license to do so,” then it’s an act that California law treats as a crime.

“Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility as a television legal commentator and now as the White House spokesperson, yet it seems it was all a lie,” Campaign for Accountability Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a statement.

“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime. The State Bar should investigate whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials and hold her accountable if she has,” she said.

Zacharia’s LinkedIn profile says she was general counsel of Fix California from 2024-2025, an organization started by Richard Grenell, a former Trump administration official.

White House communications director Steven Cheung called Campaign for Accountability a “radical leftist-organization run by rabid numbskulls suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

“Nobody takes them seriously because they are deranged low lifes,”he wrote on X.

When reached for comment, the White House referred The Hill to Cheung’s social media post.

Zacharia’s job history was called into question as she started her job as White House press secretary. The newsletter Popular Information first raised questions about her legal career.

Zacharia held her first press briefing Tuesday, taking questions from three reporters and dropping the news that U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle had been asked to resign. The briefing lasted roughly 14 minutes. Zacharia was criticized by some observers for appearing nervous during the briefing and for calling on just a handful of reporters, some of whom represent conservative outlets.

Zacharia later appeared with President Trump when reporters asked the president how he thought she did and where she passed the bar exam.

Trump deferred to Zacharia, who said it was “when I moved to China.”

A White House official said she moved to China with her husband after graduating due to his job at a U.S. private equity firm, and she worked on international transaction law. Her LinkedIn says she was an associate on the International Practice Team for Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011-13.

Trump also described her as an attorney when he announced she would take over the position from former press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“Katie is a distinguished Graduate of Pepperdine University, and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, an attorney, and a frequent Commentator on outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax,” he wrote on Truth Social last week.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6148366-katie-zacharia-legal-license-investigation/amp/