Iraq PM Visits Washington as U.S. Oil, Gas Deals Take Center Stage 
HHS Watchdog Reports $5.56 Billion in Healthcare Fraud Recoveries as Enforcement Actions Decline 
EU Weighs New Trade Restrictions on Israeli West Bank Settlements 
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Dies at 71, Leaving South Carolina Senate Seat Vacant 
Trump to Deliver National Address on Declassified 2020 Election Intelligence 
Ann Widdecombe Murder: Police Arrest Second Suspect, Rule Out Terrorism Motive 
Iran's Supreme Leader Vows Revenge as Trump Threatens Massive U.S. Military Response 
Trump Recommends Darline Graham for Interim South Carolina Senate Seat 
EU Ministers Split as Support Grows for Ban on Trade With Israeli West Bank Settlements 
Venezuela Appoints Felix Plasencia to Lead Foreign Relations and Trade 
Israel Sets October 27 Election as Netanyahu Faces Tough Political Test 
US-Iran Strikes Escalate as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Pushes Oil Prices Higher 
DOJ Subpoenas New York Times Journalists Over Air Force One Leak Report 
Ukraine, Europe Launch Freyja Missile Shield to Strengthen Air Defense Against Russia 
Russia Launches Missile and Drone Attacks on Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv 
EU to Propose New Rules Limiting Children's Access to Social Media 
Israeli Strikes Kill Six in Gaza as Ceasefire Talks Continue in Cairo 
Former President Donald Trump was the only one among the former US presidents to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russian troops are engaged in a full-scale military operation in Ukraine. A retired general ripped into the former president for praising Putin in the midst of an invasion being carried out into Ukraine.
Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday, retired General Barry McCaffrey blasted Trump, as well as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for their praises of Putin, whom McCaffrey described as a “murderous thug.” Trump and Pompeo’s praises of the Russian dictator have also been featured on Russian state television.
Both Trump and Pompeo praised Putin in their comments about the ongoing crisis while also taking a jab at US President Joe Biden.
“We’re trying to unite NATO to deter further violence. We have a visible – 60 percent of the Russian armed forces are parked around Ukraine. They’re probably a three-day attack from encircling the capital of Kyiv, which I’ve been in and out of over the years. We’re in great danger. We need to speak with one voice. Right now, we’ve got former President Trump and my fellow West Pointer Mike Pompeo being played on Russian TV as supportive of this political genius Putin, who is a murderous thug, essentially,” said McCaffrey.
In other related news, Trump has suffered another setback in the courts as the former president has attempted to return to Twitter. The former president was permanently banned from the social media platform following the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, with his Twitter posts inciting or glorifying violence.
The federal judge, US District Judge James Donato, who is overseeing the lawsuit Trump filed, questioned Trump’s attorneys about how the former president will get around a “mountain of law” against him. Trump’s attorneys argued that the platform colluded with Democratic lawmakers to ban him and accused the platform of being a “state actor.”
Donato reportedly rejected the claim. “It’s perfectly fine for a political to express dissatisfaction with conduct. I’m not looking for what a Democrat said at a committee hearing but an actual threat,” said the judge. “We’re talking express threats of government persecution, some kind of criminal sanction, a taking.”
