US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on MondayNew Foto - US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Monday

President Donald Trump's top negotiator working on ending Russia's war in Ukraine predicted Trump would have a "successful" phone call with President Vladimir Putin on Monday, saying he believed the conversation "will go a long way towards identifying where we are and how we complete this negotiation." "I believe that the president is going to have a successful call with -- with Vladimir Putin," U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday on "This Week." "They know each other. The president is determined to get something done here ... if he can't do it, then nobody can." Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met inTurkeyon Thursday for the first direct talks related to ending the war Russia started in February 2022 when it launched a full-scale invasion of its sovereign neighbor. A Ukrainian source told ABC News after those talks that the Russians were making unrealistic demands. A week prior, Vice President JD Vance had said of the Russians, "We think they're asking for too much." Asked if he shared Vance's assessment, Witkoff told "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl that his "assessment is that this is a very complicated conflict that shouldn't have happened." "I think in a negotiation like this, people take positions," Witkoff said. "The art here is to narrow ... that, you know, wide berth between the parties. And I think to some extent we've done that. To some extent each party is -- is, you know, staking out their positions. And I think Monday will go a long way towards identifying where we are and how we complete this negotiation." Trump announced Saturday he will speak with Putin over the phone on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. The president said he planned to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and "various" NATO allies after his call with Putin. Here are more highlights from Witkoff's interview: Karl: Can you give us -- give us the sense of what is the outline of the deal that President Trump wants to get with Iran? Witkoff: Well, the president has been very clear, he wants to solve this -- this conflict diplomatically and with dialogue. And he's given -- he's given all the signals. He has directly sent letters to the supreme leader. I have been dispatched to deliver that message as well, and I've delivered it. ... We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1 percent of an enrichment capability. We've delivered a proposal to the Iranians that we think addresses some of this without disrespecting them. ... But everything begins for our -- from our standpoint, Jon, with a -- a deal that does not include enrichment. We cannot have that. Because enrichment enables weaponization. And we will not allow a bomb to -- to get here. But, short of that, there are all kinds of ways for us to achieve our goals in this negotiation. We think that we will be meeting sometime this week in Europe. And we hope that it will lead to some real positivity. Karl: Are you pushing the Israelis to allow that aid to come in and -- and to hold back on some of the -- the offensive operations that continue to be ongoing in Gaza? Witkoff: The president, Jon, is a humanitarian. And I think that any -- everyone is concerned about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. That said, it is a very complicated situation there. Logistically, we are -- I don't think there's any daylight between President Trump's position and Prime Minister Netanyahu's position. The issue now is -- I think the issue now is, how do we logistically get all of those trucks into Gaza? How do we set up the aid stations? There are many things -- initiatives that we are working on to address this. There -- there are going to be mobile kitchens that are going to be sent in there. The flour -- we have trucks with flour waiting at the border. The Israelis have indicated that they're going to begin to allow a lot more of these trucks to get in. But it is complicated. It is logistically complicated. Witkof: It's a perfectly legal, government to government, Department of Defense, to Department of Defense transaction that happens in the normal course and has been happening in the normal course throughout -- throughout our existence. Governments exchange services. ... They (the Qataris) decided to donate something because of all the wonderful things that we've done for them in the past, and in addition to that, they then, on top of that, announced $1.2 trillion worth of investments into the United States of America, which will create jobs and do all kinds of wonderful things. So, I don't really -- I'm not sure how anyone would see this as the Qataris looking to gain some sort of advantage. ... I just want to say, this is to the benefit of the United States of America that -- that donation. So, it -- it just has to be seen as that way. US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Mondayoriginally appeared onabcnews.go.com

byDaniel Coleman
in
May 18, 2025

US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Monday

US envoy Witkoff predicts 'successful' call between Trump and Putin on Monday President Donald Trump's top negotiator working on...
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Sen. Chris Murphy: 'It was a mistake' for Democrats to let Biden stay in the raceNew Foto - Sen. Chris Murphy: 'It was a mistake' for Democrats to let Biden stay in the race

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Sunday said "it was a mistake" for Democrats to allow former President Joe Biden to remain in the 2024 presidential race for as long as he did, echoing recent comments from other Democrats as the partyreckons with falloutfrom new reporting on the then-president's mental acuity. "By 2024 the American people had decided that they wanted somebody new. They wanted somebody younger," Murphy told NBC News' "Meet the Press." "And it was a mistake," the senator said. "It was a mistake for Democrats to not listen to the voters earlier and set up a process that would have gotten us in a position where we could have been more competitive that fall." Murphy's comments come just days before the release of "Original Sin," a book by Axios' Alex Thompson and CNN's Jake Tapper, which includes interviews with people in Biden's orbit who say they saw his mental state decline while he was president. It also comes after Axiospublished the full interviewbetween Biden and special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated whether Biden improperly stored classified documents following his service as vice president under the Obama administration. The interview, conducted in October 2023, led to Hur's assertion in a February 2024 report outlining his decision not to charge Biden that the former president was an "elderly man with a poor memory." The newly released audio of the interview confirmed Biden's memory lapses during Hur's questioning. Murphy on Sunday defended Biden, saying he had not read the "Original Sin" book, but worked with the former president closely on legislation in 2023 and, "I saw a president who was in control." "That's my experience," Murphy added. "But I admit that by 2024 the American public had made up their mind, right, that they wanted the Democratic Party to nominate somebody new, and it was absolutely a mistake for the party to not listen to those voters." Still, Murphy conceded that "we all bear responsibility," for how the election turned out, with President Donald Trump returning to the White House for a second term after beating then-Vice President Kamala Harris. "I think, you know, we maybe didn't listen as early as we should have, in part, because we have immense loyalty to this man who had led this country out of a pandemic, who had been maybe the most prodigious legislator as a president," Murphy told "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker. "Ultimately, in retrospect, you can't defend what the Democratic Party did," the senator added, saying the country was now "stuck" with Trump and "we should have given ourselves a better chance to win." Ultimately, in July of 2024, Biden did step down from his re-election campaign, quickly endorsing Harris and clearing the way for her to accept the Democratic nomination weeks later, at the Democratic National Convention. Murphy said Sunday that "there's no doubt" his party would have been "better served" by having an open primary. "In retrospect, the president should have gotten out of the race earlier," he said. "There's no doubt that the Democratic Party would have been better served by having the ability to have an open primary. Kamala Harris probably would have done very well in that process, but in retrospect, we lost." His remarks echoed those that Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., made to "Meet the Press" last week,where she told Welker, "Yes, we would have been served better by a primary. But we are where we are." On ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., made a similar point. "Look, the Democratic Party needs to be honest," Khanna said. "There's a sense people want honesty. They want to restore a sense of public service in light of what has come out. It's painfully obvious President Biden should not have run."

byDaniel Coleman
in
May 18, 2025

Sen. Chris Murphy: 'It was a mistake' for Democrats to let Biden stay in the race

Sen. Chris Murphy: 'It was a mistake' for Democrats to let Biden stay in the race Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Sunday said "i...
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FBI calls California fertility clinic bomb an act of terrorism citing suspect's anti-natalist ideologyNew Foto - FBI calls California fertility clinic bomb an act of terrorism citing suspect's anti-natalist ideology

The car bombing outside a California fertility clinic, which killedone person and injured four others, appears to be driven by anti-natalist ideology, according to two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the incident. Anti-natalism refers to the belief that no one should have children. Investigators are focusing on social media posts made by the suspect, which they say support anti-natalist views. While the posts are still being verified, officials believe they reflect the ideology behind the bombing. The suspect, who has not been identified, was reportedly dealing with depression and had personal relationship issues. The seriousness of the injuries of those hurt by the blast were not disclosed. The deceased, found near the vehicle, has not been identified, and the severity of the injuries was not disclosed. The Federal Bureau of Investigation deemed the explosion an act of terrorism on Saturday.

byDaniel Coleman
in
May 18, 2025

FBI calls California fertility clinic bomb an act of terrorism citing suspect's anti-natalist ideology

FBI calls California fertility clinic bomb an act of terrorism citing suspect's anti-natalist ideology The car bombing outside a Califor...
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Suicide attacker in Somali capital kills 13 at a military recruitment centerNew Foto - Suicide attacker in Somali capital kills 13 at a military recruitment center

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A suicide bomber in theSomali capitalon Sunday targeted young recruits waiting to register at a military camp, killing at least 13 and wounded 21 others, witnesses said. Mogadishu has been repeatedly targeted bythe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group,which has waged an insurgency for over a decade. The group frequently attacks military and government sites as part of its effort to impose its strict interpretation of Islamic law. "There was a loud explosion, and immediately people began running in all directions. Bodies were everywhere," said Abdulkadir Hassan Mohamed, a tuk-tuk driver who witnessed the blast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. A soldier identified only as Hussein, who was part of the camp's guard unit, told The Associated Press that many young recruits were waiting patiently in line. "The explosion was devastating. I saw many casualties. The attacker disguised himself as a recruit before blowing himself up," he said. He said the dead included five civilian passers-by. A similar attack in July 2023 at the Jaalle Siyaad Military Academy in Mogadishu killed 25 soldiers and wounded 70. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for that attack.

byDaniel Coleman
in
May 18, 2025

Suicide attacker in Somali capital kills 13 at a military recruitment center

Suicide attacker in Somali capital kills 13 at a military recruitment center MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A suicide bomber in theSomali capital...
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U.S. vice president meets EU Commission chief, hopes to move forward trade talksNew Foto - U.S. vice president meets EU Commission chief, hopes to move forward trade talks

ROME (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday, and said he hoped their encounter would help move forward trade talks between the EU and the United States. "Europe is an important ally of the United States... but, of course, we have some disagreements, as friends sometimes do, on issues like trade," Vance said, sitting alongside von der Leyen and Meloni in Rome after they had all attended Pope Leo's inaugural Mass. "I think we'll have a great conversation, and hopefully it will be the beginning of some long-term trade negotiations and some long-term trade advantages between both Europe and the United States," he added. The White House has imposed a 25% tariff on imports of steel, aluminium and cars, as well as a baseline 10% tariff on almost all countries, with additional "reciprocal" tariffs -- making for a combined 20% in the EU's case -- lined up if negotiations during a 90-day pause fail. Von der Leyen said the trade relationship between the European Union and the United States was the largest in the world and worth more than $1.5 trillion a year. She added that the two sides had exchanged negotiating documents outlining the various areas of future discussion. "It is important now we've exchanged papers that our experts are deep diving, are discussing the details," she said. "Everybody knows that the devil is in the detail, but what unites us is that at the end, we want together to have a good deal for both sides," she added. Von der Leyen has not managed to hold a formal meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump since he regained the U.S. presidency in January, exchanging words only briefly at Pope Francis's funeral last month at the Vatican. Besides discussing tariffs, she said she also wanted to talk to Vance about Ukraine and defence spending. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Gareth Jones)

byDaniel Coleman
in
May 18, 2025

U.S. vice president meets EU Commission chief, hopes to move forward trade talks

U.S. vice president meets EU Commission chief, hopes to move forward trade talks ROME (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance met European ...
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