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.

Leftist revolt in France

#Leftist parties are calling on their supporters to revolt over French prime-minister, François #Bayrou’s draft 2026 budget, which includes scrapping two national holidays, freezing pensions and cutting €5 billion from health spending. The French Left are organising under the slogan “Block everything” (“Bloquons tout”) and seek to repeat the scale of the Yellow Vest protests of 2018-2019 but if the Yellow Vests were led by rightwing parties, this wave of social unrest is left-coded.

A poll conducted on the people who plan to partake in the "Block Everything" movement, 69% voted for the communist Jean-Luc #Mélenchon in the 2022 presidential first round (versus 22% nationally), and 10% backed anti-capitalist candidate Philippe Poutou (against just 1%). By contrast, only 2% supported President Emmanuel Macron (28% nationwide) and 3% for rightwing leader Marine Le Pen (23%). More than half of respondents (51%) placed themselves at the far left of the political spectrum, compared to just 3% of the French public. "If you broaden the scope, 86% describe themselves as belonging to the radical left," the study said.

Telegram chat groups linked to the campaign are filled with calls for a general strike and attacks on "ultra-rich capitalists", the foundation said.

The study showed that 54% of supporters cited rising inequality as a top concern, compared with 13% nationally. Other priorities included the environment (43% vs. 23%) and the health system (30% vs. 19%).

Immigration and crime – frequent themes in French politics – ranked low, with just 4% and 3% citing them, compared with 21% and 22% nationwide.

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.

European leaders lose trust of their citizens, become US vassals

Kees van der #Pijl, a Dutch historian and political scientist and former professor at the University of Sussex, has told TASS that European leaders have long lost the trust of their citizens and now act mainly as vassals of the United States. Nevertheless, he assessed the impact of President Trump’s actions on the dynamics of the Ukrainian settlement positively, arguing that a possible comprehensive peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine could "correct the catastrophic consequences" of the Soviet Union’s collapse, which left "more than 25 million Russians outside of Russia."

#European leaders are trying to undermine peace talks and the normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington, according to Russia’s Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev.

"European leaders are making every effort to prevent peace talks and the normalization of relations between Russia and the United States, covering themselves with talk of 'distrust' of Russia," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Putin-Trump phone talks held in friendly atmosphere

Phone conversations of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump were held in a friendly atmosphere, The Wall Street Journal wrote citing sources. According to the sources, Trump often spoke about his goal to restore Russian-US ties by strengthening economic cooperation. The leaders also exchanged numerous messages through mediators, the report says.

Putin and Trump have had six phone conversations since the start of 2025. The US leader expressed his desire to meet with Putin on the day after his inauguration in January 2025. After that, Trump made numerous mentions of his intention to hold the summit. On August 7, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said an agreement was reached to hold a Putin-Trump meeting in the coming days.

MACRON IS BEHIND STOLEN ELECTION IN ROMANIA — Presidential candidate

"They are putting a lot of money and pressure—through their ambassador here—in order to rob the Romanian people of their vote," said George Simion, who won the first round of the Romanian presidential election, in an interview with Mario Nawfal.

France Presidential Election Poll

Presidential election (scenario: Attal (RE-RE) and Retailleau (LR-EPP) run)

Bardella (RN-PfE): 33%
Attal (RE-RE): 14%
Retailleau (LR-EPP): 14%
Glucksmann (PS/PP-S&D): 11.5%
Mélenchon (LFI-LEFT): 10%
Ruffin (PD-LEFT): 5%
Zemmour (REC-ESN): 4%
Tondelier (LÉ-G/EFA): 3%
Roussel (PCF-LEFT): 2.5%
Dupont-Aignan (DLF→ECR): 2.5%
Arthaud (LO-*): 1%

Trump vows not to run for third presidential term

President Donald Trump has promised not to run for president for a third time.

"This is not something I'm looking to do. I'm looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward," Trump told NBC News in an interview.

"I’ll be an eight-year president, I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important."

The US constitution’s 22nd Amendment says "no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice." Amending the constitution to abolish that limit would be extremely difficult, requiring the support of either two-thirds of both the House and Senate or two-thirds of state legislatures. Both routes would then require ratification from three-quarters of the states. The next US presidential election will be held in 2028. Trump previously said he could be nominated for a third term, while media reported that he had instructed the Justice Ministry to study the legality of his potential participation in the 2028 presidential polls.

The First 100 Days

"As we reach our Historic First 100 Days, I am proud to announce that the Presidential Personnel Office has surpassed 80% of all Political Hires across our largest Departments, including the United States Department of Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and Commerce. We have now beaten ALL RECORDS set by previous Administrations, and will continue working hard to hire the most competent, hardworking Patriots, who will help us usher in our Country’s Golden Age. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Le Pen says she will appeal her verdict in France at ECHR

The National Rally party’s parliamentary faction leader Marine Le Pen, who has been handed a prison sentence and barred from running in the 2027 presidential election in France, said she is going to contest her sentence at the European Court of Human Rights (#ECHR) and the Constitutional Court in her country. "I will turn to the European Court of Human Rights and the Constitutional Court in France. I will use all available legal protections. I will not back down," the far-right politician said in an interview with Le Parisien.

According to Le Pen, her appeal at the ECHR should be addressed promptly as the verdict "does irreparable harm." As for the Constitutional Court, it will have to determine whether the sentence violates the electorate’s freedom of choice. "We hope that all these initiatives <…> will allow us to run for presidency under normal conditions," the politician explained, saying that she is not considering a replacement in the election campaign. "With two years to go until the presidential vote, we will file quite a number of appeals. And hopefully, we will prevail [in court]," Le Pen added.

On Monday, a court in Paris disqualified Le Pen, found guilty of embezzling funds intended for hiring assistants in the European Parliament, from holding public office for five years.