Russia could make Olympic return under national flag – Trump envoy

Paolo Zampolli has voiced optimism about broader participation by Russian athletes in the 2028 Los Angeles Games

Published 15 Oct, 2026 20:54 |

Russia could make a major return to the Olympics in 2028 under its national flag for the first time in years, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Paolo Zampolli, has said.

Russian athletes were barred from numerous international competitions following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Some were later allowed to compete under neutral status, without their national flag or anthem.

Speaking to TASS on Thursday, Zampolli expressed optimism about broader Russian participation in the Los Angeles Games, arguing that sporting bans should not become a permanent substitute for political dialogue.

”I am optimistic about further progress that would establish a reliable mechanism for fuller participation by Russian athletes at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” he said. “The US must host Games that are safe, fair, and open to every eligible athlete.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee in July, paving the way for broader participation at LA 2028. However, it has yet to decide whether Russian athletes will be able to compete under their national flag and anthem.

Several international federations, including World Aquatics, World Gymnastics and the International Fencing Federation, have also eased restrictions on Russian competitors.

Zampolli called the return of the Russian flag and anthem at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy an “important step,”arguing that excluding top athletes for reasons unrelated to their conduct undermines international competition.

”True champions want to beat the best,” he said. “The greatest victories are those earned against the strongest opponents.”

Russia’s gradual return to international sport has faced opposition from the EU. On Monday, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced plans to propose measures to “sustain Russia’s isolation in global sports.” Nine member states have also urged Brussels to cut funding for international sporting bodies that readmit Russian athletes.

Moscow has repeatedly denounced the bans as politically motivated and challenged them in court. Despite the restrictions, Russian athletes have continued to win international titles in events where they are permitted to compete.

On Friday, Zampolli announced that he had left his position as special envoy for global partnership, which he held since March 2025. He expressed gratitude to Trump in a post on X, saying that “serving him and the US has been the greatest honor of my life.”

“Special envoys appointments are for one year. President Trump extended it for more than six months,” the businessman and former modeling agent stressed.

Politico reported on the same day that Zampolli was actually fired from the job because of a longstanding dispute with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau over a number of issues, including the chain of command, and messages that included personal insults.

Zampolli is known to have introduced Trump to his wife, Melania, during a party that he hosted in New York in 1998.

https://rt-english.com/news/647262-russia-olympics-national-flag/

Far-Left LA Times Accidently Makes Damning Admission in Headline While Attempting to Stoke Fear Over Voter Turnout by Attacking ICE

By Cullen Linebarger Oct. 18, 2026

The corporate media consistently spreads so much misinformation that when they tell the truth, it’s often by accident. This was the case in a recent Los Angeles Times headline that was attempting to attack ICE.

On Friday, the far-left Los Angeles Times published an article bemoaning the possibility that ICE raids have the potential to impact voter turnout, citing so-called immigration advocates.

The headline strongly implies that illegal aliens do vote, because a citizen would have nothing to fear from ICE.

And we all know which party the illegals are voting for.

“Surge in ICE raids is aimed at discouraging voter turnout, immigration advocates say,” the LA Times headline reads.

LOOK:

X users were quick to note that the LA Times accidentally told on themselves and proceeded to mock the paper for admitting that illegals do vote.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/far-left-la-times-accidently-makes-damning-admission/

Americans LIGHT UP CBS After Noticing the Word the Outlet Uses to Describe the Horrifying Islamo-Marxist Riots in France

By Cullen Linebarger Oct. 18, 2026

CBS ‘News’ got absolutely destroyed online after using a very poor choice of words to describe the worst riots in the history of France.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, the Islamo-Marxist riots in France have completely exploded after weeks of mayhem and are threatening President Emmanuel Macron’s home.

Thousands of violent protesters on Saturday overturned cars, set buildings ablaze, and attacked police across the country. One of the most historic structures in the entire country, the 143-year-old Limoges town hall, has now burned to the ground as the police continued to sit on their hands.

Rioters were also on the verge of reaching Macron’s palace. Just imagine the horror if it were set on fire as well.

CBS, however, considered the torching of an entire country by Muslims and communists a mere “scuffle.”

Yes, the outlet really tweeted that word.

Credit: CBS News

While CBS later deleted the tweet, it came far too late. X users were livid over the choice of words.

Many compared the post to CNN’s infamous “fiery but mostly peaceful protests” chyron during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots.

Glenn Beck

@glennbeck

Really @CBSNews ?SCUFFLES? Wow. Nothing says we want more textbooks than “scuffles”. Get your head out of your back end. This has everything to do with the coming elections (in France) and is all done by a red green alliance. Gee, do you think CBS that “SCUFFLES” might Show more

5:25 PM · Oct 17, 2026

Gunther Eagleman™

@GuntherEagleman

“SCUFFLES” That's the word CBS News chose.

Rioters fired mortars at police in Marseille and torched cars in Paris, and hundreds were arrested. CBS called it "scuffles" with "small groups of protesters."

They aren't reporting the news.

They're managing how you feel about it.

3:30 PM · Oct 17, 2026

AwakenedOutlaw⚒️

@AwakenedOutlaw

Employing the words "scuffles" and "small groups of protesters" = next-level fake news gaslighting.

4:29 PM · Oct 17, 2026

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/americans-light-up-cbs-after-noticing-word-outlet/

Border Czar Tom Homan Confirms Plans to ‘Denaturalize and Deport’ Ilhan Omar if Investigators Prove Immigration Fraud(VIDEO)

By Ben Kew Oct. 18, 2026

President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has confirmed that the administration could denaturalize and deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) if federal investigators can prove she committed immigration fraud.

Federal agents raided her home in Washington, D.C. on October 12 as they seek to examine whether Omar or her relatives provided false information when entering the U.S. as alleged refugees from Somalia in the 1990s or during her subsequent naturalization process.

Omar, who became a naturalized American citizen in 2000, has described the investigation as based on “disgusting lies.”

In an interview with Fox News host Tomi Lahren, Homan confirmed that she could be denaturalized and deported but warned that it would be a “long, tedious process.”

Here is a transcript of the exchange:

LAHREN: I think people were rather shocked to see this raid, and this has been something that many feel has been a long time coming, because there have been suspicions and allegations for a long time. What more can you tell us about it?”

HOMAN: Well, look, I said over a year ago the allegations were made clear, and it would be investigated. And they are investigating it.

I’m not going to get ahead of, you know, the bureau or agency, but, you know, I’ve been told they have a strong case, and we’ll let the evidence lead where it leads.

She’ll be held to the same standard you and I are held. If she violated law, then she will be held accountable.

But I don’t have the specifics of the evidence they have line by line, but we’ll see where it leads.

I think they’re doing a great investigation. I think they’re going to turn over every rock they’ve got with this.

LAHREN: Would this involve denaturalizing and then deporting her, if it does turn out there is some kind of immigration fraud?

HOMAN: Of course. If you lie during the naturalization process, there is a process to denaturalize somebody.

We’ve done it before; it’s a long, tedious process, but it’s been done before. I’ve been involved with those investigations before, and certainly, if the evidence points that way, that could happen.

(Homan looked very happy when explaining what could happen to her. He hardly ever looks happy or laughs in interviews!)

https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2111634941037453567

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/border-czar-tom-homan-confirms-plans-denaturalize-deport/

Kimberly Guilfoyle Reportedly Turned to Pete Hegseth to Make ‘Personal Pitch’ to Trump As Her Ambassadorship Crumbled

Sean James

Oct 18th, 2026, 5:15 pm

Kimberly Guilfoyle made “frenzied calls” to several high-profile pals to enlist their help with placating President Donald Trump in the days leading up to her resigning as the U.S. ambassador to Greece, according to a Sunday reportfrom the Daily Mail.

One of the three people Guilfoyle turned to: Pete Hegseth.

Guilfoyle reportedly asked Hegseth for “moral support” — and to make a “personal pitch” on her behalf to Trump. She did the same exact thing with U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, according to the report. But her attempts to save her job didn’t work.

“Trump, two sources close to the president said, did not answer her calls,” according to reporter Elina Shirazi.

The former Fox News analyst resigned on Tuesday after she was hit by multiple reports of alleged corruption, including a report she pressed Trump donor Eric Deters for $100,000 to settle her credit card debt in exchange for administration access.

The Wall Street Journal reported Guilfoyle had been bragging about her “close ties to two Greek tycoons andsaid they were bankrolling her high-rolling trips around the world.” Guilfoyle was also heard on audio tape urging a rich Greek businessman to help her get an invite to a dinner hosted by Eric Trump, saying she could “deliver the world to you” and that she was “going to make you a lot of f*cking money.”

Soon after, CNN and the Associated Press reported Guilfoyle was on thin ice.The AP reported last weekend that Trump-and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “extremely pissed off” with Guilfoyle and debating whether to fire her.

Before quitting, Guilfoyle turned to one other heavy hitter: Fox News chairman emeritus and WSJ owner Rupert Murdoch.

The Daily Mail reported Guilfoyle placed a “direct call” to Murdoch about the WSJarticles and “tried to get the stories removed,” but Murdoch “did not sway to her demands.”

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/kimberly-guilfoyle-reportedly-turned-to-pete-hegseth-to-make-personal-pitch-to-trump-as-her-ambassadorship-crumbled/

Mike Steger Interprets President Trump Ukraine and Russia Policy Objectives

October 18, 2026 | sundance |

CTH doesn’t put as much weight on the strategic planning of President Trump as outlined by the folks at Promethean Action. The results Trump achieves may end up at the same destination, but Trump’s geopolitical map to get there is not as predictable as Mike Steger may propose.

That said, there is some good insight as Steger interprets what he believes is in the background of President Trump’s larger objective with the Ukraine-Russia conflict in general, and with Russia specifically.

In this Sunday Overview, Mike Steger breaks down Trump’s broader strategy toward Russia, Ukraine, and Europe, examining how energy agreements, economic reconstruction, and security guarantees could lay the foundation for a new international order. As European governments face mounting debt and political pressure, Mike examines Volodymyr Zelensky, Marine Le Pen, Alice Weidel, and the growing debate over Europe’s economic future. Drawing on Otto von Bismarck, World War I, British geopolitics, and the American System, Mike explores why he believes Trump’s strategy could reverse more than a century of conflict and usher in a new era of industrial growth and Western civilization. WATCH:

Trump's Squeeze Play to End the War in Europe: The Plot Behind Russia, Russia, Russia

11:54

https://youtu.be/PcM7xaqWr2c

President Trump isn't just trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Is he preparing to reshape Europe and the entire global order?

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/10/18/mike-steger-interprets-president-trump-ukraine-and-russia-policy-objectives/