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Jul 29, 2026 - World

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is running into a brick wall as he begs U.S. allies for support, according to a new report.After months of browbeating European nations to join his Iran war, Hegseth is now desperately seeking their assistance—only to discover that his previous bullying has consequences, Politico reported Wednesday.The Defense Secretary is proposing an international coalition that will patrol the Strait of Hormuz, according to Politico. "Hegseth is urging the U.K. and France to help lead the naval coalition," according to the report. "But even with the assistance of U.K. Defense Minister Wes Streeting, he’s facing skepticism across Europe, according to four British officials and one U.S. official."European officials have expressed "deep frustration" over the President Donald Trump administration's treatment so far, stemming back to when the president launched airstrikes on Iran in February without consultation—no heads-up to Congress, no warning to longstanding partners."There was no consultation with Congress, no consultation with allies, just boom," Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told Politico.Even America's closest ally is drawing firm lines. U.K. Defense Minister Wes Streeting cautiously agreed to help with maritime security but explicitly rejected further offensive operations. "The U.K. has 'not joined and will not join offensive U.S. military action in Iran,'" Streeting said, maintaining distinction between defending shipping lanes and supporting Trump's escalation agenda.Coons articulated the deeper problem, stating Trump is "deeply frustrated that Congress isn't supporting it, the American people aren't supporting it, our core allies aren't supporting it. You can't be surprised when you throw a party and you don't invite anybody."

Jul 28, 2026 - World

American diplomats walked out of a United Nations meeting after they were confronted with harsh criticism about President Donald Trump, The Guardian reported.During a U.N. Security Council meeting on the Ukraine-Russia war, United States diplomats staged a walkout after months of foreign diplomats and U.N. officials blasting Trump's human rights record, according to reporting by The Guardian.The condemnation came after the Trump administration imposed sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries it alleged were using "forced labor," The Guardian reported, noting that U.S. lawmakers also took issue with the tariffs. Critics dismissed the allegations as a "convenient" justification for Trump's tariffs, The Guardian added.The Trump administration has also come under fire for criticizing the U.N. human rights system and opposing the reappointment of U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk, according to The Guardian.Türk said in March that he was "deeply worried by the fundamental shift in direction" in the US. In June, Türk called for "prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations" into immigration custody during the Trump administration.The U.S. was one of ten countries that voted against Türk's reappointment last week. The U.S. voted against Türk's reappointment alongside Russia, North Korea, Nicaragua, Israel, and Mali, which led French diplomats to call it out via a social media post, per The Guardian."The U.S. used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore," French diplomats wrote in a post on X. "Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it."

Jul 28, 2026 - World

Critics were mocking President Donald Trump on Tuesday after he dodged questions on Fox News over who exactly he was negotiating with in Iran and boasted about his tariff policy.Iran’s foreign ministry has pushed back on Trump's claims about the discussions. And during an interview on Tuesday, "Fox & Friends" host Brian Kilmeade pressed Trump during a phone interview for specifics."We hear that you’re talking right now with leaders on Iran,” Kilmeade said. "But Iran has come out publicly and said ‘we’re not talking to the U.S.—'"Trump interrupted the conservative outlet's anchor."Well, they just came out and said ‘we are talking’ a little while ago," Trump said."So could you tell me who you’re talking to, Mr. President?" Kilmeade asked.But Trump didn't give a direct answer — and the internet noticed. The conversation then shifted into talk about late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), tariffs and the economy."Trump's dementia talking again. The old jerk has quite an imagination," Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, wrote on X."THE IRANIAN LEADER I'M TALKING TO LIVES IN CANADA YOU WOULDN'T KNOW HIM," S.V. Dáte, White House correspondent at HuffPost, wrote on X."Trump: 'I stopped 8 wars, I would say 5 of them because of tariffs,'" X account Republicans Against Trump, which has more than 1 million followers, wrote."That is exactly the reason why they are hurting the economy, as well as reciprical [sic] tariffs on US companies," Meidas Touch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski wrote on X."This is a test for Fox News viewers: After all these lies, are you still willing to believe him?" Conservative anti-Trump attorney George Conway wrote on Bluesky.Trump's dementia talking again. The old jerk has quite an imagination. https://t.co/8eBRpSgbrG— Dean Baker (@DeanBaker13) July 28, 2026

Jul 28, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump's negotiations with Iran have even stumped Fox News, The New Republic reported.Fox News host Brian Kilmeade grilled Trump during an interview Tuesday after the president had claimed talks were underway "right now," despite Iran’s foreign ministry saying the country has no interest in direct talks."We hear that you’re talking right now with leaders on Iran,” Kilmeade told Trump. “But Iran has come out publicly and said ‘we’re not talking to the U.S.—""Well, they just came out and said ‘we are talking’ a little while ago," Trump said, interjecting Kilmeade's comment. "So could you tell me who you’re talking to, Mr. President?" Kilmeade asked.Trump avoided directly answering the question."For some reason, we can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion, and they’ll come out and say 'we’re not talking' or 'we didn’t discuss nuclear,'" Trump said. "Well, that’s all we discussed, because they’ll never have a nuclear weapon, they understand that. We’ve had some very good talks."Trump then shifted the conversation to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). "It does not inspire confidence when the president can’t confidently say who he has been in contact with while supposedly trying to negotiate an end to his increasingly unpopular and expensive war," The New Republic reported. "This conversation came after a recent pause in violence in the region, and ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House on Tuesday—in which he most likely lobbied Trump to start bombing Iran again."KILMEADE: We hear that you're talking with leaders from Iran. But Iran has come out publicly and said 'we're not talking to the US'TRUMP: Well, they just came out and said we are talkingKILMEADE: So could you tell me who you're talking to?TRUMP: We've had some very good… pic.twitter.com/bAqKISTbjU— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 28, 2026

Jul 28, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump’s proposal to ask Vladimir Putin to come clean on Russian involvement in Iran drew a smirk and an incredulous reaction from the former US Ambassador to Russia.Appearing on MS NOW with host Stephanie Ruhle to discuss Trump’s meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, the “Money Power Politics” host Michael McFaul asked why Trump continues to turn to Putin for news and advice. Referring to reports that Russia may be giving backdoor help to Iran after Trump attacked the Middle Eastern country, McFaul remarked, “Well, first, Russia and Iran are allies; they coordinate, they sell weapons together. There's — I can't imagine that there's not intelligence sharing. I don't have privy to secret information anymore. That's first.” “Number two: What is he saying?” he asked rhetorically. “ We'll find out. How come he doesn't know? You know, maybe we should be increasing our intelligence community and strengthening it, rather than gutting it in some kind of purge that's going on now.”“And then third, ‘I'm going to ask Putin’ — seriously?” he exclaimed. “Putin's never going to tell him the truth on that. And the very notion that he sets it up, that that's how he's going to find out whether it's truth or not, it's just shocking to me that he continues to say things like that.”“And I think it's embarrassing for him,” he pointed out. “I think it's such a weak look that he says things like that. I don't understand why his team doesn't explain to him: Mr. President, you look weak when you make statements like that.” - YouTube youtu.be