Trump Says Countries Snubbing His Board of Peace Are 'Playing Cute'
Speaking at the first meeting of his Board of Peace, a body created to implement his vision for Gaza, President Donald Trump jabbed at countries who have snubbed his organization.
At least 27 countries have joined the board, with leaders of oppressive and authoritarian regimes taking most of the seats.
Major Western countries — including the U.K., France and Germany — have so far declined Trump's invitation.
Most have objected as they fear the board will undermine the United Nations.
Speaking on Thursday at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace, a building in Washington, D.C., the president recently renamed for himself, Trump said that those who haven't accepted are “playing a little cute.”
“You can't play cute with me,” he added.
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NYC Mayor Gives In: Snow Day!
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani canceled classes for the city’s public schools on Monday -- with no remote learning -- due to a blizzard hitting the nation’s largest city.
Although this is the city's second major snowstorm since Mamdani became mayor on New Year’s Day, he broke hearts in January when he ordered students to attend virtual classes. He did, however, jokingly announce that kids could vent their frustration by hitting him with a snowball.
But, with 18 to 22 inches of snow forecast overnight and power outages possible on Monday, Mamdani decided to give the kids and school staffers a day off. He only asked that they stay indoors until after the storm has passed.
Mass Suspensions For Student Walkout Protests In Virginia
323
—That’s how many students were suspended at Woodbridge Senior High School in Virginia for leaving campus earlier this month to protest the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
According The New York Times, students in more than three dozen states have walked out of class in recent weeks to conduct similar demonstrations.
On Friday, students at Woodbridge and eight other schools in the area again walked out of class to protest ICE. This time, they remained on campus.
Read more in The Washington Post:
‘That’s Not True’: Shapiro Disputes NYT Report About Frosty Ties With Fetterman
During an ABC News interview on Sunday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) pushed back on a New York Times report which suggested that he and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) were on frosty terms.
The Times story, titled “Why Pennsylvania’s Two Most Powerful Democrats Don’t Speak,” details years of tension between the lawmakers going back to their time serving on a state pardon board together.
“That's not true," Shapiro said in response to the headline. "And I guess journalists sometimes want to conjure up a lot of drama."
Shapiro described his relationship with Fetterman as “constructive,” while acknowledging that the senator had cast votes and taken positions he strongly disagreed with. He also declined to make an endorsement until Fetterman decided if he plans to run for re-election.
Government Reportedly Lost Track Of A Minnesota Teen Arrested By Immigration Agents
Immigration agents took a 16-year-old boy in Minnesota into custody as “an unaccompanied minor” and then lost track of him.
His family and attorneys struggled to track down the teen for days after the government gave him an unnecessary "alien number." But they eventually discovered that he was sent to Bridgeway in Michigan. The short-term residential facility bills itself as the “largest Christian child and family organization in the U.S.," and has a history of violations.
Read more at The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Gavin Newsom Weighs In On A Possible Harris Showdown In 2028
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) weighed in on the possibility of a 2028 showdown against former Vice President Kamala Harris during an interview on CNN on Sunday.
“Fate will determine that,” he said, while noting that he was still considering various factors when it came to a potential run himself. “And I've never gotten in the way of her ambition. Ever. I haven't. And I don't imagine I would in the future.”
Newsom and Harris are both prominent California politicians who’ve long been described as "frenemies" due to their complicated relationship. In her book, “107 Days,” Harris recalled calling Newsom for support after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
“Hiking. Will call back,” he reportedly texted, though he never called.
Newsom later said he received a call, but that it came from an unknown number.
Another Round Of U.S.-Iran Talks Expected On Thursday
American and Iranian negotiators are expected to sit down once more on Thursday amid growing scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s military buildup in the Middle East.
The two sides are set to discuss potential terms for a nuclear deal, even as Trump pressures Iran to make concessions, Axios reported.
Read more from Axios:
Johnson Faces Backlash After Denying Request For Jesse Jackson To Lie In Honor At The Capitol
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing backlash after he denied a request for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol.
A Republican leadership source told NBC News that the decision was based on precedent; the honor has been largely reserved for former government and military leaders. Similar requests to commemorate conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Vice President Dick Cheney were also denied, the source said. However, private citizens, including civil rights activist Rosa Parks and Rev. Billy Graham, have laid in honor in the Capitol.
Civil rights leaders were among those who criticized Johnson’s decision.
“Mike Johnson will defend a president who wants to unlawfully nationalize elections, but won’t authorize a civil rights legend to lie in honor,” NAACP national president Derrick Johnson said in a statement to The Washington Post. “That tells you everything you need to know about Mike Johnson and his gross disregard for our Constitution and our democracy.”
Attorney Lee Merritt also characterized Johnson’s actions as a “deliberate choice to minimize the legacy of a man who bled for this country’s promise of equality," per The Grio.
Jackson will lie in state at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago, and be commemorated at a number of events this week. The Congressional Black Caucus is also looking into whether Jackson can be honored at the Capitol in a different way, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Read more from The Grio:
U.S. Secret Service Shot And Killed Armed Man Who Entered The Secure Perimeter Of Mar-a-Lago
The U.S. Secret Service announced Sunday that an armed man was shot and killed after entering the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Fla.
Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House during this incident. First lady Melania Trump was also with the president at the White House on Saturday night.
Read more here:
Trump Curious Why Iran Has Not ‘Capitulated’ Amid U.S. Military Buildup, Says Witkoff
Feb 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is curious as to why Iran has not yet “capitulated” and agreed to curb its nuclear programme, as Washington builds up its military capability in the Middle East, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘frustrated,’ because he understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he’s curious as to why they haven’t... I don’t want to use the word ‘capitulated,’ but why they haven’t capitulated,” Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News on Saturday.
Read more here:
U.S. Ambassador Causes Uproar By Claiming Israel Has A Right To Much Of The Middle East
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East.
Huckabee made the comments in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include essentially the entire Middle East, and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land.