After years of near-exclusive control over the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) rich mineral reserves, China now faces growing competition from the United States. Washington is moving aggressively to secure access to cobalt, copper, and lithium—vital for electric vehicles, green energy, and defense technologies, according to the South China Morning Post.

Last year, the US reportedly pressured Kinshasa to block a Chinese acquisition of Chemaf Resources. Now, a US consortium, including firms led by former military executives, has bid for Chemaf’s operations, including the major Mutoshi copper-cobalt project. Bill Gates- and Jeff Bezos-backed KoBold Metals has also signed a deal to explore the Manono lithium deposit, despite a legal dispute with Australia’s AVZ Minerals.

These moves follow a US-brokered “minerals-for-security” agreement between the DRC and Rwanda aimed at stabilizing eastern Congo. In return, American companies gain mineral access.

Joseph Cihunda, a law professor at the University of Kinshasa, said the Congolese government is trying to avoid becoming a battleground between global powers. “Even in Congolese public opinion, they do not want such a confrontation,” he noted. President Félix Tshisekedi recently met with Chinese officials to reassure them of continued cooperation.

“Minerals are abundant in the DR Congo and there is room for everyone, American, European and Chinese,” Cihunda added.

SCMP writes that China remains deeply embedded in the DRC mining sector. Its ambassador to Kinshasa, Zhao Bin, rejected claims Beijing had neglected Congo, saying: “We have neither treated the DR Congo as a bargaining chip nor imposed any discriminatory measures against it.” Zhao emphasized China’s “non-interference” policy and its practical support, from military aid to economic assistance.

Analysts say the US is now trying to catch up. Sun Yun of the Stimson Center said, “The US is catching up on its critical mineral vulnerability and it will have to vigorously push for more assets and security in its supply chain.”

Much of the competition centers on cobalt—of which the DRC supplies roughly 70% of the global total—as well as copper, lithium, and other key metals. Western companies ceded many assets to Chinese control in past years, including Freeport-McMoRan’s sale of Tenke Fungurume and Kisanfu to China Molybdenum in 2016 and 2020.

Chris Berry of House Mountain Partners said US policy on minerals has shifted from environmental goals to security priorities: “Rather than a focus on ESG or ‘green growth’ the focus is now on national defence and self-sufficiency in critical mineral access.” He expects US companies to be “much more aggressive in deal making” as they compete with China.

Authored by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson via RealClearPolitics,

The rise of socialist New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has highlighted a fundamental truth that I learned as a former Democratic elected official: the Democratic Party never learns.

Sure, Democrats occasionally pay lip service to law and order and economic opportunity. But before I announced two years ago that I was officially renouncing my Democratic ties and becoming the only Republican mayor to lead a top 10 American city, I saw over and over again that when given the choice between effective, common-sense growth-focused governance or the fever dreams of radicals – high taxes, burdensome regulations, and hostility toward law enforcement – the Democratic Party will consistently run to the left and jump off the deep end.

In the end, Democrats are content to make cities unaffordable, unlivable, and untenable for businesses – driving out the very people who make cities vibrant. America’s cities deserve better leadership that is grounded in public safety, fiscal responsibility, and a respect for their taxpayers.

New York’s Democratic primary could have been about who represents these fundamental values, and about who could bring competence to city leadership. Instead, Mamdani’s nomination sends a clear message about where the modern Democratic Party intends to take our nation’s largest city. The entrepreneurial spirit, hardworking families, and vibrant communities that made New York great are now cast as the villains in a never-ending story of victimhood.

Just take a look at some of Mamdani’s radical comments and ridiculous policy proposals. Mamdani has publicly called on “defunding” and “dismantling” the police on numerous occasions. He wants to increase New York’s already high taxes to the point where it will drive more businesses and job creators out. He even wants to harken back to the days of the Soviet Union and establish government-owned grocery stores.

Should he be elected the next mayor, Mamdani would move New York toward failed socialist policies under which the government dictates outcomes rather than creating an environment that allows people and businesses to thrive. It’s a vision of a city government you would expect from undergraduate freshmen, not from supposedly serious adults. It’s insanity.

That’s why I recently invited New Yorkers who are concerned about this trajectory to consider Dallas. My invitation wasn’t a stunt. We’ve declared ourselves as America’s first “Sanctuary City from Socialism” for a reason, and we’re ready to welcome anyone who wants to be a part of it.

Since I’ve been in office, we’ve lowered property tax rates by record amounts and embraced a “Build Baby Build” approach when it comes to housing. We’re empowering the private sector by slashing regulations to meet the demand for housing, reducing the median time to issue a residential building permit from 68 days to just eight days.

We also prioritize public safety. We don’t demonize law enforcement. We fund them, we thank them, and we stand with them. As a result, Dallas has now experienced a remarkable four straight years of violent crime reduction.

We also understand that thriving businesses create jobs and generate tax revenue that allows us to invest in public safety, infrastructure, world-class parks, and essential services. In Dallas, we embrace innovation, entrepreneurship, and the free market as forces for good.

It’s no coincidence that Dallas has become the top destination for corporate headquarters relocations and is emerging as America’s new financial capital. We don’t just talk about opportunity, we build it. Whether it’s Goldman Sachs investing half a billion dollars for a landmark campus for 5,000 professionals or the Texas Stock Exchange getting ready to launch in 2026, Dallas is leading a new era of competition and innovation in American finance.

Business leaders across the country are watching, and they’re telling me the same thing: If New York chooses this unadulterated socialism, they’re ready to bring their jobs, their talent, and their investment to Dallas.

I get it: Leaving a place you love isn’t an easy decision. However, I also know that a city with leadership that refuses to embrace a focus on the basics – such as keeping people safe, keeping taxes reasonable, and keeping the government focused on results – makes it harder for families and companies to stay.

If you’re a New Yorker who feels like your city is slipping away from the values that once made it great, know that you’re not alone, and you have options – a concept you won’t find in your new government-owned grocery store.

Six months ago, Goldman Sachs analysts sounded the alarm with a “cautious view” on Government IT & Services, as Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) strike teams began slashing bloated federal contracts. Now, with billions of dollars in cancellations piling up, especially across consulting programs, those same analysts are continuing their bearish stance, warning that pain for government contractors is not over. 

A team of Goldman analyst led by Noah Poponak stated that the DOGE website now shows “41 new contract changes with $1.2bn in reported savings across our coverage,” adding, “Of the 41 changes, 26 of them are from the Department of Defense (DoD), accounting for ~$1.1bn (90%) of the new reported savings.” 

Those savings materialized between the June and July updates on DOGE’s website. Savings include:

• CACI International: $700mn in savings were reported for the revised portion of a large Enterprise IT as a Service contract. The contract’s FPDS page indicates there was $0 of action obligation remaining for the contract, but it is unclear if the remaining value was canceled or only a portion of a ceiling was changed, given this was a $5.7bn / 10 year program that started in 2022.

• Booz Allen Hamilton: 21 additional BAH contracts totaling $216mn in reported savings were logged over the last month

Across Goldman’s Government IT & Services and Defense coverage, these are the latest DOGE impacts on a company-by-company basis:

DOGE impact so far on a federal agency basis:

Canceled Contracts (with a value greater than $0) by federal agency:

In early July, Poponak pointed out that DOGE’s contract cancellations at DoD were beginning to ramp up.

Deep Staters On Edge As DOGE’s DoD Strike Team Hits Pentagon With Sweeping Contract Cuts https://t.co/7u6nYbHyLQ

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 9, 2025

The good news for DOGE’s mission is that some of its spending cuts are now being codified into law. However, both Trump and GOP lawmakers have been surprisingly slow to accelerate and sign off on these measures. While Trump did sign a rescissions bill last week targeting funding for USAID, NPR, and PBS, the pace must go into high gear. Without a more aggressive push to dismantle the bloated federal bureaucracy, it risks consuming this administration from within.

Authored by Steve Cortes via RealClearPolitics,

January 6 has become a date of hallowed pagan sacredness to the ruling class – a supposed talisman marking chaos, a shorthand for “threats to democracy.” But the media, predictably, has focused on the wrong January. And the wrong threat.

Because the real January 6 – the one that changed everything – wasn’t in 2021. It happened four years earlier, in 2017. Not at the Capitol, but rather in a glass-walled conference room on the 26th floor of Trump Tower.

That morning, President-elect Donald J. Trump received a classified briefing from top intelligence officials – a routine, transitional step for any incoming commander in chief.

But what he got wasn’t intelligence. It was a malicious setup, a trap.

FBI Director James Comey entered the room alone and handed Trump the political equivalent of a political grenade: the now-debunked Steele dossier. A document so flimsy, partisan, and salacious, it wouldn’t pass editorial review at Mother Jones, let alone FBI verification. And yet, veracity wasn’t the point.

The objective wasn’t to actually inform the incoming president, but instead, Comey arrived at the behest of President Obama and CIA Director Brennan with two missions. First, he sought to bait Trump into some sort of dubious false confession. Second, once the briefing was made, the even bigger trap was set.

How?

Because once the FBI told Trump about the dossier – even informally, even off the record – that fact became the news hook, it became the poisoned seed to grow the entire Russian collusion hoax. The contents of the briefing were leaked to legacy, Trump-hating media, likely by Brennan himself.

Within hours, BuzzFeed and CNN were live. The chyron wrote itself: “President-elect Trump briefed on Russian kompromat.” Boom. Mission accomplished. The fuse was lit.

These actions weren’t national security protections of legitimate law enforcement operations. Instead, Obama and his top security officials engaged in secret information warfare – waged not by foreign actors but by our very own intelligence community. 

Comey’s maneuver gave the press permission to launder partisan opposition research into a years-long national scandal that had the veneer of respectability because of the alleged imprimatur of the U.S. intelligence community. Even though they all knew that the story was false, from Hillary Clinton to James Clapper, in these propaganda ops, truth is not the coin of the realm. What matters is what can be effectively sold to the compliant media and a divided electorate, regardless of the absurdity of the allegations.

The story did not need to be verified, only mentioned to Trump. Then media charlatans like Jake Tapper and Joe Scarborough took their effective marching orders.

Let’s call this plot what it was: a soft coup in slow motion. A preemptive strike against a duly elected president.

For all the talk about “resistance,” this scheme wasn’t legitimate political opposition. It was preemption … and a crime.

Permanent Washington was not about to try to wait for Trump to fail. Instead, they conspired to ensure he would never get the chance to succeed. Before he signed a single order. Before he picked his cabinet. Before he took the oath of office.

January 6, 2021, made for dramatic images of chaos in Washington. While the violence vs. the police that day will always be inexcusable, the affront to our republic did not unfold on that cold January day on the Mall, but rather four years earlier, as the White House concocted a hoax, using the full powers of a weaponized federal government.

The January 6, 2017, plot does not lend itself to compelling images, but it was nonetheless a wicked, coordinated institutional betrayal carried out by insiders who simply refused to accept the will of the American people in the 2016 election.

They feared Trump not because he was reckless, but because he was serious. Serious about pulling back the curtain. Serious about cutting off the Beltway lifelines. Serious about cleaning house.

And for the permanent class – that’s the real threat. Not tweets. Not tone. But independence. So they acted. Quietly. Strategically. And with the full knowledge that the supplicant media would play its part.

What followed was years of sabotage dressed as journalism. Leaks. Investigations. Impeachments. Perjury traps. All seeded from that original sin – the January 6 meeting that gave the Steele dossier a phony legitimacy.

If the goal was to erode trust in American institutions, it worked. The public watched as once-respected agencies turned into tools of narrative warfare. They saw a sitting president hunted for crimes that didn’t exist – while his accusers were lionized for their lies.

So yes – let’s talk about January 6.

But let’s talk about the one that set the whole thing in motion. The day unelected elites turned a routine briefing into a headline ambush. The day narrative replaced truth as the driving principle of the federal bureaucracy. The day the media, intelligence community, and political class all quietly agreed: Elections only matter when the “correct” side wins.

That’s the real January 6 … and we’re still living in its aftermath.

Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers, a populist right pro-laborer advocacy group, and senior political advisor to Catholic Vote. He is a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, and a former commentator for Fox News and CNN.

When he’s not bankrolling lawsuits against President Donald Trump, defending his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, or funding hoaxes against Republican candidates, Reid Hoffman is coming to grips with the fact that the millions he’s dumped into the Democratic Party might not have been his smartest investment.

Hoffman, who founded the corporate cringe machine Linkedin, recently appeared on Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale’s podcast, American Optimist, where he waxed poetic from everything to the future of artificial intelligence from his unhappiness with politics.

“I regret this and wish it didn’t happen, but I think the Democratic Party really did alienate a section of Silicon Valley and the tech people,” Hoffman told Lonsdale. “Whether it was attacks on crypto or attacks on Big Tech.”

Reid Hoffman to @JTLonsdale: Democrats Alienated Part of Silicon Valley With Attacks on Crypto, Diversity Push

“I regret this and wish it didn’t happen, but I think the Democratic Party really did alienate a section of Silicon Valley and the tech people. Whether it was attacks… pic.twitter.com/xQRw6p6yin

— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) July 28, 2025

“One of these things Silicon Valley shares is this deep view that the way you make massive progress for humanity is creating scale technologies, and the principal way of creating scale technologies is companies,” the leftwing billionaire added. “If you’re attacking that and limiting it, then you have all kinds of problems.”

Hoffman then tried to play the both-sides card, decrying supposed extremists on both the left and right spectrum, but, in a surprising moment of self-reflection, called out the Democrats on prioritizing racist diversity, equality, and inclusion efforts over technological progress.

“You’ve got crazy people on both sides.  [ZH: oh?] You have crazy people saying, ‘No, no, no, no, we shouldn’t allow any technological progress until you have exact proportionate of races and genders and everything else.’ And it’s like, no, no, no, no, progress and technology—it’s fundamental,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman reportedly visited Epstein’s private island, Little St. James, in 2014 for MIT fundraising with Joi Ito, the then-MIT Media Lab director, despite Epstein’s 2008 conviction as a sex offender, and was scheduled to stay at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse that year. The billionaire later expressed regret for these associations.

Hoffman also funded E. Jean Carroll’s defamation and battery lawsuit against President Donald Trump through his nonprofit, American Future Republic, raising concerns about political motivations in the judicial process.

In the 2017 Alabama Senate election, Hoffman funded American Engagement Technologies (AET) which provided funds that were used for “Project Birmingham” a disinformation campaign that created fake Facebook pages to discourage Republican voters from supporting Judge Roy Moore for the U.S. Senate, for which he later apologized, claiming ignorance of the tactics.

Authored by Yeny Sora Robles via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. State Department issued a statement on July 27 reaffirming that the United States remains steadfast in its support for the restoration of democracy and justice in Venezuela, one year after the election that saw leader Nicolás Maduro remain at the helm.

“One year since dictator Nicolás Maduro defied the will of the Venezuelan people by baselessly declaring himself the winner, the United States remains firm in its unwavering support to Venezuela’s restoration of democratic order and justice,” the statement reads.

The foreign policy agency, headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, declared that Maduro is the leader of the narco-terrorist organization Cartel de Los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), responsible for drug trafficking to the United States and Europe.

“Maduro, currently indicted by our nation, has corrupted Venezuelan institutions to facilitate the cartel’s criminal drug trafficking scheme to the United States,” added the statement.

It also accused Maduro and his group of manipulating the Venezuelan electoral system “for years” to stay in power.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the Cartel of the Suns as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” organization on July 25 and noted that the criminal group is led by Maduro and other senior Venezuelan officials in his government.

According to the OFAC, Maduro and high-ranking officials in his government have “corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela, including parts of the military, intelligence apparatus, legislature, and the judiciary, to assist the cartel’s endeavors of trafficking narcotics into the United States.”

It noted that the cartel’s name is derived from the sun figures that often appear on the uniforms of Venezuelan military officers.

The Treasury office also noted that the Cartel of the Suns has been providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel that provide “material support to foreign terrorist organizations threatening the peace and security of the United States.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement that this action “further exposes the illegitimate Maduro regime’s facilitation of narco-terrorism through terrorist groups like Cartel de los Soles.”

“The Treasury Department will continue to execute on President Trump’s pledge to put America First by cracking down on violent organizations including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and their facilitators, like Cartel de los Soles,” he added.

The Tren de Aragua (TdA) emerged in 2013 within the prison system of the Venezuelan state of Aragua and grew stronger through alliances with small local gangs in key areas of the country during long periods of impunity under Maduro’s watch.

Since 2018, the TdA has spread across the continent and expanded its activities to include crimes of extortion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of women and children, and money laundering. In recent years, it has taken advantage of the massive emigration of Venezuelans fleeing the difficult situation in their country.

According to the OFAC, the Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico’s oldest and most powerful cartels. For years, it has been responsible for trafficking lethal drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other illicit drugs to the United States and has been involved in widespread violence.

“The Cartel de los Soles supports Tren de Aragua in carrying out its objective of using the flood of illegal narcotics as a weapon against the United States. Additionally, the Cartel de los Soles has provided support to the Sinaloa Cartel,” OFAC stated.

By FreightWaves

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern today announced an $85 billion deal to tie their networks together and create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad.

The merged company — which will be called Union Pacific — will transform the U.S. supply chain and economy, strengthen domestic manufacturing, and preserve all union jobs, the railroads said.

UP will acquire NS in a stock and cash transaction that values NS at $320 per share, a 25% premium. The combined company would have an enterprise value of more than $250 billion. The railroads said the merger would create $2.75 billion in annual synergies within three years, through a combination of $1.75 billion in revenue growth and $1 billion in cost savings.

“Railroads have been an integral part of building America since the Industrial Revolution, and this transaction is the next step in advancing the industry,” UP Chief Executive Jim Vena said. “Imagine seamlessly hauling steel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Colton, Calif., and moving tomato paste from Heron, Calif., to Fremont, Ohio. Lumber from the Pacific Northwest, plastics from the Gulf Coast, copper from Arizona and Utah, and soda ash from Wyoming. Right now, tens of thousands of railroaders are moving almost everything we use. You name it, and at some point, the railroad hauled it.”

The combined company will deliver faster, more comprehensive freight service to U.S. shippers by eliminating interchange delays, opening new routes, expanding intermodal services, and reducing distance and transit time on key rail corridors, the railroads said.  The merged Union will shift freight to rail, reducing congestion and wear and tear on taxpayer funded highways, they added.

“Norfolk Southern, like Union Pacific, is a railroad integral to the U.S. economy, with a storied 200-year legacy of serving customers across 22 states in the eastern half of the nation,” NS CEO Mark George said in a statement. “Our safety, network, and financial performance is among the best we’ve had as a company, as is our customer satisfaction. And it is from this position of strength that we embark on this transformational combination. We are confident that the power of Norfolk Southern’s franchise, diversified solutions, high-quality customers and partners, as well as skilled employees, will contribute meaningfully to America’s first transcontinental railroad, and to igniting rail’s ability to deliver for the whole American economy today and into the future. Union Pacific is a true partner that shares our belief in rail’s ability to deliver for all stakeholders simultaneously, and we are excited for our future together.”

Vena, who will be CEO of the combined railroad, invoked President Abraham Lincoln, who created the Union Pacific in 1862 with the signing of The Pacific Railroad Act.

“This combination is transformational, enhancing the best freight transportation system in the world – it’s a win for the American economy, it’s a win for our customers, and it’s a win for our people,” Vena said. “It builds on President Abraham Lincoln’s vision of a transcontinental railroad from nearly 165 years ago and advances our Safety, Service and Operational Excellence Strategy. I am confident this historic transaction will enhance competition to benefit customers, communities, and employees while delivering shareholder value.”

Creating the transcontinental version of Union Pacific is overwhelmingly in the public interest, the railroads said, and will enhance competition, consistent with the test that will be applied in the review of the transaction by the Surface Transportation Board.

The companies expect to file their application with the STB within six months, in which the companies will describe how the combined rail network will provide safer, faster, and more reliable service and increased competition. A pre-filing notification of intent to file an application could come as soon as Wednesday, and is the first official step in the merger evaluation timeline.

Eastern carrier CSX, which has been reported as a possible merger partner with Fort Worth-based BNSF, had no comment. BNSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment from FreightWaves.

“The intermodal freight supply chain thrives when it offers a competitive alternative to long-haul trucking,” said Anne Reinke, president and chief executive of the Intermodal Association of North America, in an email statement to FreightWaves. “It succeeds where there are strong efficiencies, a focus on growth, and a commitment to customer service. As this merger moves forward, we will be looking for these core values to be reinforced.”
The board of directors of both Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern unanimously approved the transaction, which is subject to STB review and approval within its statutory timeline, customary closing conditions, and shareholder approval.

The companies are targeting closing the transaction by early 2027. The deal includes a $2.5 billion reverse termination fee.

They do not plan to use a voting trust, a common maneuver in prior rail mergers that allows the shareholders of the target railroad to cash out while the deal is under regulatory review. The STB rejected a voting trust in Canadian National’s ill-fated attempt to acquire Kansas City Southern under the board’s tougher 2001 merger review rules.

The combined company will be headquartered in Omaha, Neb., which has long been UP’s home base. The NS headquarters in Atlanta will remain a core location over the long-term, with a focus on technology, operations, and innovation, among other priorities, the railroads said.

North Korea is demanding that the United States recognize it as a permanent nuclear power, according to the latest words of Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a senior official in the country’s ruling Workers Party.

She was commenting Tuesday through the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the possibility of renewing diplomatic talks with Washington, and laid out that any future negotiations must begin with a clear acknowledgment of North Korea’s “irreversible” status as a nuclear-armed state.

In essence she vowed to never give up nukes, amid the long-running South Korean and US-backed push for nuclear disarmament on the peninsula. 

Kim warned further that attempts to deny this new reality “will be completely rejected” and stressed the country remains resolute and ready to defend itself in any situation.

Any future talks must be premised on the fact that Pyongyang’s capabilities and the geopolitical environment had “radically changed”. This new reality must be the basis for “everything in the future,” she said. 

“Any attempt to deny the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state, which was established along with the existence of a powerful nuclear deterrent and fixed by the supreme law reflecting the unanimous will of all the DPRK people, will be thoroughly rejected,” Kim said.

“The DPRK is open to any option in defending its present national position,” she added. It is by “no means beneficial” for the US and North Korea to be in confrontation, so the Trump administration should “seek another way of contact on the basis of such new thinking.”

Much of this messaging appeared a response and reaction to recent regional reporting that President Trump aims to achieve a “fully denuclearized” North Korea. She also addressed the several warm, and unprecedented, visits between Kim Jong-Un and Trump during the US leader’s first term:

Kim also said that while the relationship between her brother and US President Donald Trump was “not bad”, any attempt to use their personal relations to advance denuclearization would be interpreted as a “mockery”.

“If the US fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK-US meeting will remain as a ‘hope’ of the US side,” she said.

Between 2018 and 2019, Trump met with Kim Jong-un no less than three times, but which resulted in no firm lasting agreement related to denuclearization and the economic incentives reportedly offered. Instead relations were arguably improved slightly, at least in terms of opening up the possibility of further dialogue.

Pyongyang fears that the moment it gave up its nuclear arsenal, it could be subject to a regime change war – akin to what has happened with Iraq, Libya, Syria, or Iran. This fear is obviously not irrational, given recent history of countries which were persuaded to give up WMD programs.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued the Kremlin’s response to President Trump’s Monday announcement from Scotland that he’s reducing a deadline for Russia to agree a peace settlement from 50 days to 10 or 12 days, citing ‘disappointment’ in Putin not ending or at least winding down the war.

Medvedev, who serves as the current deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, wrote on X that the US President was playing “the ultimatum game” with Moscow, which we should note is of course nuclear-armed, and that each new threat like this is a “step towards war”.

Medvedev warned: “Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran” and thus that “Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with (Trump’s) own country.”

America’s own loudmouth hawk later in the day Monday responded with his own challenge pushing back. Here’s what the senator from South Carolina said on X:

“To those in Russia who believe that President Trump is not serious about ending the bloodbath between Russia and Ukraine: You and your customers will soon be sadly mistaken. You will also soon see that Joe Biden is no longer president,” Lindsey Graham said, adding: “Get to the peace table.”

Medvedev then responded to this on X, telling “gramps” to instead get busy working on America First. “Negotiations will end when all the objectives of our military operation have been achieved. Work on America first, gramps!” he said.

Trump’s new deadline means that he could impose fresh sanctions by somewhere in early August: possibly Aug. 7-9, as opposed to what was initially the 50-day window which would have ended on September 2.

How Russia’s RT presented the whole back-and-forth:

‘GRAMPS’ Lindsey Graham tries to dictate peace

Ex-Prez Medvedev tells him to SIT DOWN

‘Not for you or Trump to DICTATE when to ‘get to the peace table’

‘Work on America first’ https://t.co/8HHtxX211I pic.twitter.com/MUOJJYalCn

— RT (@RT_com) July 28, 2025

Naturally, Zelensky is hailing Trump’s tougher new timeline and ultimatum. “Everyone needs peace – Ukraine, Europe, the United States, and responsible leaders across the globe,” Zelensky said on Telegram. “Everyone except Russia.”

In follow-up, on Tuesday he commented on deadly overnight Russian attacks which included at least two two Iskander-M ballistic missiles along with 37 Shahed-type strike drones and as well as decoys.

Bilenkivska Correctional Facility was among locations struck, resulting in at least 17 dead and the hospitalization of over 40 inmates.

Zelensky announced that 22 people were killed in total in these latest Russian attacks on dozens of on cities, towns and villages. As if appealing directly for Trump to do more, he emphasized, “These were conscious, deliberate strikes – not accidental.”

A Russian airstrike on a prison in southeastern Ukraine overnight killed 17 inmates and wounded dozens of others, Kyiv said on Tuesday, after Washington pressured Russia to end its invasion. https://t.co/mgDfQ2f1Ii pic.twitter.com/xvOgL9MzHb

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 29, 2025

Still, Ukraine is having its own problems after controversial Zelensky action seen as eroding corruption oversight in the country. The EU is poised to cut off funding. An EU official told European Pravda that Brussels has indeed issued a clear warning: “Yes, the EU has warned Kyiv. If the law is not passed, loans financed through revenues from frozen Russian assets under the ERA program will stop – we will simply stop disbursing them. Funding from the EBRD and EIB will also be suspended,” the official stated in reference to key oversight offices which were gutted by Zelensky.

As previously reported in what appeared to be a leak by the South China Morning Post, moments ago US and Chinese negotiators have concluded their latest round of trade talks in Stockholm with an agreement to extend their tariff truce, Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang told reporters, without giving details of the extension.

#China and U.S. agree to extend #tariff truce after two day talks in Sweden as expected. @USTradeRep @SecScottBessent

China, U.S. to continue pushing for continued extension of pause on 24 pct of reciprocal tariffs of U.S. side, as well as counter measures of Chinese side, says…

— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) July 29, 2025

Talks were candid and in-depth, he said Tuesday, and both sides will continue close communication going forward. The meetings followed previous rounds between the world’s two biggest economies in Geneva in May and in London in June

China’s top trade negotiator says at close of talks that the two sides “will continue to push for the continued extension of the pause” in tariffs. Notably, he doesn’t say the extension has been agreed to yet

Without extension, US tariffs on China ratchet back to 145% on Aug. 12

— Megan Cassella (@mmcassella) July 29, 2025

Without extension, US tariffs on China ratchet back to 145% on Aug. 12