All posts tagged: J.D. Vance

JD Vance visits Hungary to support Viktor Orbán

JD Vance visits Hungary to support Viktor Orbán

Published by Sam Flores

US Vice President JD Vance (L) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban shake hands as they meet in Budapest, Hungary, April 7, 2026. Jonathan Ernst | Afp | Getty Images Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has U.S. President Donald Trump’s “complete and total support” — but is on course to lose the country’s elections, which are shaping up to be one of the most important and contentious in Europe this year. On Tuesday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance will touch down in Hungary to offer Orbán his support and address an election rally at a soccer stadium in Budapest ahead of Sunday’s elections. While other European leaders have aligned themselves unambiguously with Ukraine in its war against Russia, Orbán has maintained comparatively close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He even said on the campaign trail that the EU was a greater threat to Hungary than Russia. The latest polls show Orbán and his Fidesz party are set to lose to their main challenger, the pro-European opposition party Tisza, with its leader, Peter Magyar, on …

U.S., Iran weigh peace plan as Trump’s ‘hell’ warning nears deadline

U.S., Iran weigh peace plan as Trump’s ‘hell’ warning nears deadline

Published by Sam Flores

Smoke rises after explosions struck the northeastern, western, and central areas amid Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran on April 1, 2026. Tolga Akbaba | Anadolu | Getty Images With ⁠a U.S. deadline approaching, the United States and Iran received the framework of a plan to end their five-week-old conflict, though Tehran rejected any immediate move to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump has threatened to rain “hell” ​on Tehran if it did not make a deal ​by the end of Tuesday that would allow traffic ​to start moving again through the vital route for global energy supplies. The Pakistani-brokered plan emerged from intense overnight contacts and proposes an immediate ceasefire, followed by negotiations on a broader settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days, a source aware of the proposals said on Monday. Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was in contact “all night long” with U.S. Vice President ⁠JD Vance, special ‌envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the source said. Iran won’t reopen the Strait ⁠as part …

U.S. sent Iran 15-point plan to end war, report says

U.S. sent Iran 15-point plan to end war, report says

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony for newly sworn in Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, March 24, 2026. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. and Iran are “in negotiations right now” and suggested Tehran is eager to make a peace deal, even as the Islamic Republic has denied it is in direct talks with Washington. Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, said he decided to back off from his recent threat to order strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure “based on the fact we’re negotiating.” “They’re talking to us, and they’re talking sense,” Trump said when asked to further explain his pivot. Later Tuesday, The New York Times, citing two unnamed officials, reported that the U.S. has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war. It was unclear how widely the plan — delivered through Pakistan — has been circulated among Iranian officials, the Times reported. It was also unclear if Israel, which is …

Trump says he thinks he will have the ‘honor’ of ‘taking Cuba’

Trump says he thinks he will have the ‘honor’ of ‘taking Cuba’

Published by Sam Flores

A tricycle is decorated with U.S. and Cuban flags in Havana on Feb. 26, 2026. Yamil Lage | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Monday said he thinks he will have the “honor” of “taking Cuba,” speaking during an executive order signing at the White House. “Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office with Vice President JD Vance standing behind him. “They’re a very weakened nation right now.” The president’s comments on taking Cuba come as he carries out a war in Iran that is stretching into its third week. Trump has encouraged the people of Iran to depose their government in that conflict, one of a litany of reasons he has given for starting the war. Trump recently suggested he will turn his sights to Cuba after the U.S. achieves its aims in Iran. He has threatened a “friendly takeover” of the Caribbean nation, which has been an adversary of the U.S. for decades except for …

7th U.S. service member killed ID’d; Benjamin Pennington

7th U.S. service member killed ID’d; Benjamin Pennington

Published by Sam Flores

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Ky. Source: U.S. Army The Pentagon on Monday identified the seventh U.S. service member to have died in the Iran war as 26-year-old Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington. Pennington, a resident of Glendale, Kentucky, was seriously wounded March 1 during an Iranian strike at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. He died on Sunday from his wounds, according to the Defense Department. Read more U.S.-Iran war news A satellite image shows planes at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia February 21, 2026. 2026. 2026 Planet Labs Pbc | Via Reuters “I just want to say that if you are the praying type, and I certainly am, I hope you’ll spare a prayer for the six souls that we lost, for the seventh soul who will be coming home tonight, and for all of the families, you all know better than almost any category of Americans what it means to put on a uniform and to sacrifice for our country,” Vance said. “And so I hope you’ll …

Trump attends return of soldiers killed in war in the Middle East

Trump attends return of soldiers killed in war in the Middle East

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a casualty return for the soldiers who were killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Julia Demaree Nikhinson | AP Photo President Donald Trump on Saturday joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base at the dignified transfer for the six U.S. soldiers killed in the war in the Middle East. The dignified transfer, a ritual that returns the remains of U.S. service members killed in action, is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief. During his first term, Trump said bearing witness to the transfer was “the toughest thing I have to do” as president. “It’s a very sad day,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Florida later Saturday afternoon, saying that he was “glad we paid our respects.” He said the relatives of the deceased are “great people, …

How long will the Iran war last? Experts weigh in on the debate

How long will the Iran war last? Experts weigh in on the debate

Published by Sam Flores

A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital Tehran, on March 3, 2026. Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images Since the U.S. and Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last weekend, Washington has been keen to stress that the military action will be over in a matter of weeks and won’t turn into a so-called “forever war.” But experts say the U.S. could easily get bogged down in “Operation Epic Fury” if the Iranian regime proves more resilient than expected. “What we’re seeing is going to be more complicated than the White House may have hoped,” Suzanne Maloney, Brookings Institution vice president and director of foreign policy, told CNBC Tuesday. “Obviously, the start of the conflict appeared to be tremendously successful with the very quick announcement that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, had been killed, that was a huge breakthrough in many respects and the U.S. and Israel have been able to do immense damage to Iran’s military capabilities.” “But the day after is going to be …

Trump administration offers shifting narrative for U.S. war in Iran

Trump administration offers shifting narrative for U.S. war in Iran

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump says combat will continue in Iran until U.S. “objectives” are complete. Those objectives and the justification for the war have remained fluid more than 48 hours into the conflict.  Trump and his proxies have not been aligned on their narrative, leading to confusion about how Trump and his advisors are defining the endgame for ending the escalating conflict. Trump began a military buildup near Iran after promising dissidents “help is on its way” when protests against its government rocked the country in January. The stated justification since the attack began Saturday has whipsawed among preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, deposing the Iranian regime that brutally represses dissent, stopping an imminent attack from Iran on U.S. interests and following Israel’s lead. The muddied messaging underscores a broader question of whether Trump is pursuing solely a military objective or full-blown regime change. The changing justification and growing list of objectives raise questions about the administration’s motives and the extent to which the U.S. will be entangled in Iran, a more urgent question …

Doesn’t want war, ‘sometimes you have to’

Doesn’t want war, ‘sometimes you have to’

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump stops to speak to the media as he departs on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Friday said that “I’d love not to use” the U.S. military to attack Iran, “but sometimes you have to.” But Trump also said, “We haven’t made a final decision” on whether to attack Iran. “We’ll see what happens,” he said. “We’re talking later today. We’ll have some additional talks today.” Trump’s comment to reporters outside the White House came after he expressed frustration at Iran’s refusal to comply with American demands to curb its nuclear program. Read more CNBC politics coverage “We’re not thrilled with the way they’re negotiating,” Trump said. “They cannot have nuclear weapons.” “I’m not happy that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have,” Trump said, referring to that condition. Asked by a reporter if there could be a long, drawn-out conflict in the Middle East if the …

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns

Published by Sam Flores

Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds. Vance, who made the announcement with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the administration was taking the action “in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligations seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money.” Oz, who referred to people committing fraud as “self-serving scoundrels,” said the federal government would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota in funding for Medicaid, the health care safety net for low-income Americans. “This is not a problem with the people of Minnesota, it’s a problem with the leadership of Minnesota and other states who do not take Medicaid preservation seriously,” Oz said. Wednesday’s move is part of a larger Trump administration effort to spotlight fraud around the country. That effort comes after allegations of …