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The new pope is a balanced papal leader with a biblical message, but that hasn't stopped MAGA allies from being enraged about him being elected, a conservative political consultant said on Friday. Rick Wilson wrote that "MAGA hates the woke pope, they wanted a MAGA Pope, a cardinal in a red baseball cap willing to turn the Church of Rome into one more echo chamber." Where the pope is from also serves its part, Wilson said. ''The fact that Leo is an American from Chicago makes them more furious," he noted, "He understands our politics and culture in a way no other candidate for the Papacy would have, and this frightens MAGA Trad Cath types who wanted a Trump ally in the Vatican." 'MAGA is very angry': Conservative strategist says new pope is in far right's 'crosshairs'

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said you "cannot spy against an ally" after reports of US gathering intelligence on Greenland. They come after reports in US media that Washington's spy agencies have been told to focus on Greenland, including on the island's independence movement, and sentiment around US extraction of its mineral resources. On Thursday, Denmark's foreign minister summoned the US ambassador to address the reports in The Wall Street Journal; Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence, did not deny the stories which Ms Frederiksen referred to as "rumours", but did condemn those responsible for leaking classified information. Denmark's PM says 'you can't spy against an ally' after claims of US gathering intelligence on Greenland

Irish Prime Minister Martin has condemned what he described as Israel’s weaponization of basic life necessities, referring to the country’s restriction on food and aid from entering the strip for almost two months. He said, ''I went to see, first hand, the impact of the horrific Hamas attack on Israel. I've condemned it from the outset when I went there to show empathy to people who have been attacked,” he said, adding that the hostages should have been released a long time ago. He said however that the war waged in response has “lost any moral compass in terms of its unacceptable impact on the civilian population and on children, and in Ireland there is this sadness now and horror and a sense of helplessness at what we see on our TV screens: young children in stretchers and hospitals, very badly injured, many families being wiped out, kids being orphaned. From a humanity point of view, it's beyond comprehension.” Irish PM says Gaza is 'hell on earth'

The Trumps are thought to have made tens of millions from cryptocurrency ventures, including the $TRUMP and $MELANIA coins they launched days before the inauguration; a new report by State Democracy Defenders Action estimates the president's crypto holdings now represent nearly 40% of his net worth, or approximately $2.9bn (£2.1bn). "Currently, people who wish to cultivate influence with the president can enrich him personally by buying cryptocurrency he owns or controls," said Senator Merkley. Senators Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren wrote to Office of Government Ethics acting director Jamieson Greer about a billion-dollar business deal involving a Trump-backed cryptocurrency company and foreign crypt firm: "The deal, if completed, would represent a staggering conflict of interest, one that may violate the Constitution and open our government to a startling degree of foreign influence and the potential for a quid pro quo that could endanger national security." US senators attempt to ban Trump's 'profoundly corrupt' crypto schemes

The Ukrainian-affiliated Atesh partisan group has claimed responsibility for sabotaging military communications infrastructure in Russia’s Moscow Oblast on the eve of the country’s Victory Day celebrations. In a statement posted to Telegram, the group said it carried out a sabotage operation in the village of Mogiltsy, approximately 45 kilometers northeast of Moscow, by destroying equipment at a local transformer substation which supported both electrical and telecommunications services for several Russian military facilities in the area. The attack allegedly disrupted communications at multiple military units, including the 629th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Unit 51857), the 21st Separate Operational Purpose Brigade (Unit 3641), and military units 20007, 03523, and 51084. Saboteurs Strike Near Moscow Before Victory Day Parade

Trump's constant lies are enough to seriously irritate anyone. One of those is Trump's claim that the United States is "subsidizing Canada" to the tune of $200 billion a year. CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale explained that it's a little closer to $36 billion, "Even if you only count goods trade, ignore the services trade, at which the U.S. excels, about $71 billion, so, just wrong." Trump also complained that only 4% of US trade went to Canada, however, Dale said, "About 17% of U.S. exports go to Canada, Canada was the No. 1 buyer of U.S. exports in 2024. 'It's imaginary!' CNN fact-checker smacks down Trump's new 'wildly inaccurate' claims

Where are Ukraine's critical mineral deposits? Ukraine has at least thirty seven crtiical mineral deposits across the country, with Lithium, Titanium and Graphite being the most abundant. Approximately 19% (seven) of Ukraine's main critical mineral deposits are currently held in Russian-occupied territory, according to the latest frontline data from ISW in February 2025. What are Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, where are they and what does this deal with Trump involve? | The Independent

Vladimir Putin has reportedly been forced to cancel the upcoming Victory Day parade in Crimea, just days after a Ukrainian sea drone destroyed a Russian fighter jet worth €41 million. The celebration was scheduled to take place on May 9 in the city of Sevastopol, but it has now been called off due to security concerns, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of the annexed region, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. Throughout the war, Kyiv has dealt significant blows to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, prompting Moscow to withdraw much of its naval presence from the region. Putin humiliated as Victory Day parade ditched in Crimea

An interesting article about the minerals deal recently signed between Trump and Zelensky Mining projects are slow, high-risk and enormously expensive processes which can often take over a decade. It’s possible, however, that profits are a secondary calculation for the US, boxing out China is likely to be as – if not more – important, given Beijing’s closeness to Moscow and their deepening cooperation on natural resources, the US-Ukraine deal may prevent Russia — and, by extension, China — from accessing Ukrainian minerals. The terms of the agreement are explicit: “states and persons who have acted adversely towards Ukraine must not benefit from its reconstruction”. Zelensky just might have beat Trump at his own game

A senior Hamas official told AFP on Tuesday the group was no longer interested in truce talks with Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced a new “intensified” offensive in Gaza that will involve Israeli troops holding on to seized territory and significant displacement of the population. “There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip,” Basem Naim told the news agency, urging the international community “to pressure the Netanyahu government to end the crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings” in Gaza. His comments come a day after Israel’s military said expanded operations in Gaza would include displacing “most” of its residents, and amid Israeli strikes on Yemen and Lebanon. Hamas says no sense in truce talks after Israel’s new Gaza plan, senior official says – Israel-Gaza war live

Mobile internet services in Moscow were significantly disrupted on Monday, just as military aircraft flew over the city in rehearsal for the upcoming Victory Day parade. According to HotNews.ro, Russian authorities warned citizens that similar outages could continue throughout the week due to heightened security measures. The disruptions, affecting Russia’s largest telecom providers and other online services, coincided with early morning flyovers conducted in preparation for the May 9 celebrations—a politically important holiday marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Major Internet Outages Reported in Moscow Ahead of Putin’s Victory Day Parade

World Liberty Financial, announced that its so-called “stable coin” — with Trump’s likeness all over it — will be used by the United Arab Emirates to make a $2 billion business deal with Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world; the deal will generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the Trump family. The U.S. Constitution's Emoluments Clause, Article II, Section 1, Clause 7, bars a president from receiving any compensation or other emolument from a foreign government. Meanwhile Trump is instructing the government to ease up on regulating crypto, The Securities and Exchange Commission is ending its crypto fraud investigations and The Justice Department is terminating its enforcement actions against crypto. The media needs to stop pretending about Trump's 'conflicts' | Opinion

Ukraine could seize the opportunity presented by the 9 May parade in Moscow to attack Russian military targets as Russia plans to transfer 280 air defence units to Moscow, potentially weakening the protection of other crucial military installations. Pavlo Narozhny highlights that this situation allows Ukraine to target "exposed" sites such as arsenals or military bases. '' If they relocate 280 systems of various ranges, it indicates that some areas will be vulnerable, they will withdraw these systems from other combat zones. This presents an opportune moment for us to strike purely military targets, such as arsenals, military units, and airports,'' Narozhny notes. ukraine eyes strategic gains as russia shifts air defences

You've got Nigel, a Trump wannabe until he realised how unpopular Trump is in the UK

He's a loony and before too long the men in white coats will be coming to take him away. It's all very well being an attention seeker when you're the average man in the street, but as president of a country it means he always putting himself (look at me!) before the country, and that's plain stupid.

Donald Trump recently gave a wide-ranging NBC interview, and his various answers led to renewed discussion about his purported "cognitive decline." Among other things, Trump was asked, "Your secretary of state says everyone who's here, citizens and noncitizens, deserve due process... Do you agree?" The president then replied, saying, "I don't know... I'm not, I'm not a lawyer. I don't know." Regarding the latest AI images of Trump portrayed as the pope and as a muscle-bound Jedi (or Sith), Democratic House insider Aaron Fritschner commented, "Any one of these from a previous president would have rightly caused widespread open speculation from the press and the public that something was genuinely wrong with their brain," he said on X. 'Huge issue': Trump's new interview spurs growing calls to cover his 'cognitive decline' Apart from the obvious inappropriateness of Trump's AI generated Pope image, fans of the sci-fi film and television franchise Star Wars pointed out in Trump's portrayal of himself as Jedi, Trump’s red light sabre in fact marks him out as the villainous Sith Lord himself! If you're going to be silly , at least get the stupidity right, White House.

My history on AN goes back to 2004. I've posted hundreds of post about Thailand, many about Thai language. I've also had 2 books published about life in Thailand. I love Thai people, Thai politics is another matter, so little can be said. I try to provide assistance, aiding readers to realise the lunacy and danger of Trump.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry criticised UK's invitation of Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen to the upcoming Victory Day military parade in the UK. "Of course, inviting followers of neo-Nazi elements to the Victory Day celebrations is a disrespect to those British veterans who gave their lives during World War II, to put it in Russian terms it is blasphemy," Dmitry remarked. Peskov's remarks regarding "neo-Nazi elements" have been widely dismissed as cynical and misleading, as Ukrainians played a pivotal role in the defeat of Nazism during World War II. Around 7 million Ukrainians fought in the ranks of the Soviet Army, while over 250,000 served in the armies of the Allies, estimates suggest between 5 and 7 million people from Ukraine perished in the war. Kremlin outraged over UK's invitation to Ukrainian troops for Victory Day parade

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham previously introduced a bill that envisions "bone-crushing" sanctions against Russia. According to the text of the document, it proposes imposing a 500% tariff on imports from countries that purchase Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or uranium. Graham stated that the bill is already supported by 72 senators — a majority. US discussing 'hard choices' as Putin obstructs peace, Politico reports

According to three officials and a source familiar with the matter, US officials have completed the development of new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures, targeted sectors include the state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom, as well as large companies operating in natural resources and the banking sector, said an administration official on condition of anonymity. At the same time, it is unclear whether Trump will approve the sanctions package, the US National Security Council is “trying to coordinate some set of more punitive actions against Russia,” said the source familiar with the issue. “This will have to be signed off by Trump,” “It’s totally his call,” confirmed a second US official. US completes new sanctions plan against Russia, decision up to Trump

Boz Scaggs when he was with Steve Miller

Posting on X, Greene railed against current government policy: 1. "I campaigned for no more foreign wars, and now we are supposedly on the verge of going to war with Iran; I don't think we should be bombing foreign countries on behalf of other foreign countries especially when they have their own nuclear weapons and massive military strength." 2. Ukraine: "And on top of that, now we are told that we have signed a deal for mineral rights in Ukraine, in order to pay us back for the hundreds of billions of dollars that we gave Ukraine and they used for money laundering, sold the weapons we gave them to our enemies, and their leader is a dictator who cancelled elections, was involved of the first impeachment of Trump, and campaigned for (President Joe) Biden." 3. COVID-19 vaccines: "I also campaigned on accountability for the communist and tyrannical acts made by the government during Covid, yet the Covid vaccine still has FDA approval even though there are millions reported injuries and deaths, and this mRNA vaccine is known to have horrific side effects and DOES NOT STOP PEOPLE FROM CATCHING COVID.'' 'Losing the base': MTG goes on massive rant against Trump