US military seizes oil tanker near Venezuela amid rising tensions

The #US move marks a sharp escalation in the standoff with the #Venezuelan regime.
The US military has intercepted and taken control of an oil tanker near the coast of Venezuela, according to a Bloomberg report. The operation comes as Washington increases pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government over its continued alignment with hostile foreign actors and ongoing violations of international norms.

The seizure is viewed in Washington as a necessary step to curb illicit oil shipments tied to the Maduro regime, which has deepened cooperation with anti-Western powers.
The incident is expected to heighten tensions further, with Caracas already accusing the US of “aggression” while American officials emphasize the need to enforce sanctions and protect regional stability.

Russia-US talks scheduled for December 2 in Moscow

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Russian-American contacts will take place in Moscow on December 2, with a meeting between Russian President Vladimir #Putin and US special envoy Steve #Witkoff.

Here are the key points:

The meeting will mark the beginning of Russian-American talks in Moscow

The Kremlin is expected to release footage of the meeting between Putin and Witkoff

There may be statements for the media following the meeting

Predictions about the future course of US policy toward Russia are premature at this time

Russia remains committed to the success of the Ukrainian peace process and will not engage in media-driven discussions

President Donald Trump signs the continuing resolution to reopen the government.

President Donald Trump has signed a temporary government budget to end the longest government shutdown in US history.

Trump said that by signing "this incredible bill," he gets the country "working again." Trump once again accused his political opponents from the Democratic Party of inflicting "massive harm" to the country, with 20,000 flights being cancelled, "more than one million government workers" deprived of their "pay checks," and leaving "million and millions more American in need" without food benefits.

Earlier, the stopgap funding measure was passed by the US Congress. The legislation will keep the government operating through January 30. Trump told Fox News in an interview earlier that Congress Republicans are working on a longer-term deal.

Trump says US authorities will pay citizens $2,000 'dividends' from tariffs

President Donald Trump has stated that American authorities intend to pay citizens "dividends" of at least $2,000 per person.

The US leader asserted on the social network Truth Social that the tariffs imposed by Washington on products from other countries have allowed the US to generate significant revenue. "We are taking in trillions of dollars and will soon begin paying down our enormous debt, $37 trillion," he noted.

"A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone," Trump added. He did not provide any details regarding this plan.

Trump: 'We have a choice between Communism and common sense"

#Trump: "After last night’s results, the decision facing all Americans could not be more clear, we have a choice between Communism and common sense." - "Does that make sense to you? Common sense. It's common sense or communism. Look back 1,000 years. It hasn't worked."

West creates illusion that fake news comes only from outside, expert says

People in the West have been trained to believe that fake news only comes from non-Western countries, American military expert Abraham Abrams said.

"I think Western dominance in the information space and superiority in information warfare are so significant that societies in the Western world are largely conditioned to see fake news as something done by others, by non-Western countries," he said.

Abrams also talked about the media landscape in the United States, where Democrats and Republicans exhibit deep distrust of media from the opposing side, exacerbating societal divisions. "In the US, the situation is slightly different because both sides of the political spectrum, Democrats and Republicans, have become highly distrustful of media outlets from the opposing side when it comes to divisive issues. That’s why, for example, President [Donald] Trump during his first term referred to journalists from CNN and other outlets as fake news," the expert explained.

He added that to counter disinformation, countries could develop their own digital platforms or collaborate to create a more resilient information space.

Trump admits possibility of US government shutdown from October 1st

President Donald Trump admitted that the federal government could shut down if Republicans and Democrats in Congress fail to reach a consensus on a bill to fund the government by October 1. "We'll continue to talk to the Democrats, but I think you could end up with a closed country for a period of time," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We’ll take care of the military, we’ll take care of Social Security, we’ll take care of the things that we have to take care of," he noted, adding that in the event of a shutdown, "a lot of the things that Democrats fight for, which in many cases aren’t very good, will not be able to be paid for."

"We’ll watch and see how they do with that to handle their constituents," the US leader said, explaining that in order to continue funding the government, the relevant bill, previously approved by the US House of Representatives, must also be supported by the Senate. "But in the Senate, we have 53 Republicans in total, and we need 60 votes. That means we need Democrat votes [in favor of the bill drafted by Republicans]. And I don’t know if you can make a deal with these people," Trump concluded.

Earlier on Friday, the Senate rejected two bills that would have provided continued funding for the federal government. The Republican-drafted bill, which had been approved by the House of Representatives, received the support of 48 lawmakers, while the Democratic-drafted bill received the support of 47 lawmakers. Thus, the Senate failed to pass a bill that would have prevented a potential government shutdown on October 1. According to American media, this sharply increases the likelihood of a shutdown, as Congress will be in recess next week.

In March, Trump signed a law to continue funding the federal government until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. This prevented a shutdown that had been expected on March 15. Such a shutdown would have resulted in the suspension of several government agencies and programs and the temporary suspension of salaries for hundreds of thousands of civil servants, many of whom would have been placed on unpaid leave.

Since 1977, funding has been interrupted more than 20 times due to disagreements between the administration and Congress. The longest shutdown, which occurred during Trump's first presidential term, lasted 35 days, from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019.

Trump says US ready to continue military operations in Caribbean

The United States is ready to continue military operations in the Caribbean to fight drug cartels, President Donald Trump said in a letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Mike Johnson and interim Chairman of the Senate Chuck Grassley.

"I write to apprise you of military action taken on September 2, 2025 in the Caribbean Sea, and the potential for future such actions. It is not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration of military operations that will be necessary. United States forces remain postured to carry out further military operations," the letter dated September 4 says.

On September 2, the US president said the American army had killed 11 members of a Venezuelan drug cartel during an operation in international waters. According to Trump, Venezuela is taking insufficient measures to combat drug trafficking. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the republic is facing the most serious threat of invasion from the United States in the last 100 years.

According to Reuters, on August 19, three destroyers of the US Navy, USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson, were sent to the southern Caribbean to the coast of Venezuela to conduct operations against drug cartels. Nuclear submarine USS Newport News, the missile cruiser USS Lake Erie, amphibious ships and 4,500 military personnel were transferred there.

Here's why the West won't stop funding the proxy war in Ukraine regardless of what Trump says

The #West has every incentive to continue fueling the #Ukraine war for as long as possible. Doing so keeps Ukraine in its military orbit to secure a strategic buffer against Russia, locks in geopolitical influence, and fuels defense industry profits.

From the US's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and Pentagon's Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), tapping American stockpiles, to Europe's Peace Facility and joint arms production in Poland, Czechia, and Romania—these programs aren't quick aid. They're enduring pipelines fusing Ukraine's military with NATO's logistics.

NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP), launched in 2016, is a prime example. Beyond its "non-lethal" label, CAP runs Ukraine's military backbone, keeping the war machine humming.

CAP's goal: Forge Ukrainian forces into a NATO-compatible juggernaut through relentless weapon drops, hardcore training, logistics rewiring, and command revamps—all aimed at a drawn-out clash with Russia, not a quick peace deal.

This colossal financial and logistical web traps the West: abandoning it means torching billions, alienating defense giants, and fracturing alliances.

No wonder fast-tracked neutrality or a conflict pause is off the table. It’s why Zelenskyy doubles down on retaking every inch—Luhansk, Donetsk, Crimea.

Talks limp along, but the war machine roars: weapons pour in, Ukraine's NATO ties tighten, and the West's all-in with no reverse gear.

U.S. ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, condemns France's Macron for "not taking sufficient measures to combat antisemitism" in France.

The American ambassador expressed his displeasure with #Macron's pledge to recognise the State of Palestine, claiming it only emboldens antisemites and endangers French #Jews. In a letter addressed to the French president, Kushner said: "Tolerating antisemitism is betraying the French Republic".

#Kushner is the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump and the father of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Charles Kushner directed much of Trump's foreign policy during his first term (2017-2021).