Author: Stephanie Gauthier

The Trump administration’s attempt to secure a peace agreement in Sudan is at high risk of collapse, as Abdel-Fattah Burhan, a top Sudanese general, voices his strong opposition to the US-led ceasefire proposal aimed at stopping the war that has raged in Sudan since 2023.

Sudan’s top general rejected a ceasefire proposal provided by US-led mediators as “the worst yet,” in a blow to efforts to stop a devastating war that has gripped the African country for over 30 months.

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-11-25T04:01:01.800707996Z

General Burhan denounces the proposal as «the worst document yet» and accuses the US of trying to «impose some conditions on us».

«We’re not warmongers, and we don’t reject peace».

At war since 2023

The conflict in Sudan, which escalated dramatically in 2023, pits the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Sudan’s de facto leader Abdel-Fattah Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

What began as a power struggle between two former allies who jointly seized control in 2019 quickly turned into one of the world’s deadliest urban wars, devastating Khartoum and spreading across Darfur and other regions. Millions of civilians have been displaced, basic services have collapsed, and widespread atrocities have been reported, particularly in Darfur where ethnic targeting has resurfaced.

Despite multiple international attempts at mediation, a durable ceasefire has remained elusive, as both sides accuse each other of atrocities and refuse to concede ground.

US accused of «biased mediation»

Abdel-Fattah Burhan insisted that «no one can threaten us or dictate terms to us» as he rejected accusations of warmongering, saying «We’re not warmongers, and we don’t reject peace». However, he stressed that his military will only accept a ceasefire when the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) completely withdraws from civilian areas.

Sudan’s top general described the US mediation attempt as «biased mediation», saying it «eliminates the Armed Forces», «dissolves security agencies» and «keeps the militia where they are», and accused the Trump administration of lying.

Burhan’s rejection further complicates ongoing diplomatic efforts, as the US plan had been presented as the foundation for the next round of negotiations.

Several international actors, including the UN, the African Union and key Arab states, had viewed the US proposal as the last serious attempt to secure a pause in the fighting.

On the US side, officials privately argue that Burhan’s stance is primarily aimed at buying time on the ground and consolidating his military lines.

For the Trump administration, the setback is significant, as Trump was particularly eager to add Sudan to his self-styled peace agreement trophy list.

Trump says US will work to end war in Sudan at Saudi's request reut.rs/3X8BrE7

— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2025-11-19T23:45:08Z

Donald Trump’s family fortune has taken a big hit as their crypto bets turn sour. According to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, the family’s wealth has dropped by more than $1 billion in just a few months, falling from about $7.7 billion in early September to around $6.7 billion now.

The Trump family fortune has plummeted by a billion dollars in just a few months due to losses in the volatile cryptocurrency market.

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-11-24T12:47:06.813370Z

The main reason: heavy losses in high-risk cryptocurrencies and meme coins linked to the Trump brand. From $TRUMP to WLFI and American Bitcoin Corp, Trump-branded crypto ventures are now in a steep crash, wiping out a significant chunk of the family’s newly made wealth.

«What a great buying opportunity. People who buy dips and embrace volatility will be the ultimate winners. I have never been more bullish on the future of cryptocurrency and the modernisation of the financial system.»

From $TRUMP to WLFI and American Bitcoin Corp, Trump-Branded Crypto Ventures Are Crashing

One of the biggest factors is the Trump-branded memecoin $TRUMP, which has lost nearly a quarter of its value in recent months.

At the same time, Eric Trump’s stake in a Bitcoin-mining company has fallen by almost half from its peak, cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from the family’s paper gains.

Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, has also slumped. The president’s stake in the company has lost about $800 million in value since September, after earlier plans to build a big crypto treasury helped fuel a spike in expectations.

A great buying opportunity

Despite this, Eric Trump is telling investors not to panic. He called the downturn «a great buying opportunity» and said that people who «buy dips and embrace volatility» will be «the ultimate winners», arguing he has never been more optimistic about cryptocurrency and the modernisation of the financial system.

«What a great buying opportunity. People who buy dips and embrace volatility will be the ultimate winners. I have never been more bullish on the future of cryptocurrency and the modernisation of the financial system,» Eric Trump told Bloomberg News.

After Trump returned to the White House, his family’s fortune soared as crypto became their main growth engine. World Liberty Financial’s launch briefly added around $5 billion, Trump-branded tokens like $TRUMP surged, and Eric Trump’s American Bitcoin stake ballooned, pushing overall family wealth well above pre-presidency real-estate levels.

Trump’s second term, crypto assets transformed his family’s wealth. Now the Trumps — and their followers — are getting a crash course in the wild volatility ingrained in digital currencies.

— Bloomberg News (@bloomberg.com) 2025-11-24T00:30:09.631Z

X recently introduced a feature that reveals the country or region where an account is based, and it quickly went viral after users spotted that many major pro-Trump social media accounts appear to be operating from outside the United States.

X launched a feature over the weekend that displays users’ locations, renewing scrutiny of the provenance of many accounts, including those that post frequently about U.S. politics.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-11-24T13:40:04.438898Z

X presents the update as a way to help users judge what is real and what isn’t on the platform. As Mr. Bier put it, «This is an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square,» adding that the platform was working on more ways for users to verify the authenticity of content on the platform.

«This is easily one of the greatest days on this platform. Seeing all of these MAGA accounts get exposed as foreign actors trying to destroy the United States is a complete vindication of Democrats, like myself and many on here, who have been warning about this.»

Not based in the United States

According to multiple outlets, including the New York Times and The Guardian, many prominent MAGA accounts are not based in the United States but instead operate from places like Eastern Europe, Nigeria, South Asia, Thailand and Russia, and X users are now accusing the platform of having allowed years of ongoing interference in American politics by foreign adversaries.

Anger among X users grew when the platform suddenly pulled the tool just hours after its implementation: users reported the location feature being taken down, and while some speculated it was because it exposed the foreign origins of far-right accounts, the platform has since reinstated it with tweaks, including warnings that locations may be inaccurate or affected by VPN use.

A long-suspected foreign influence networks

Liberal commentator Harry Sisson, who was recently targeted by an AI-generated Trump video depicting the president dumping excrement on him from a «King Trump» plane, captured the mood on X, saying «This is easily one of the greatest days on this platform. Seeing all of these MAGA accounts get exposed as foreign actors trying to destroy the United States is a complete vindication of Democrats, like myself and many on here, who have been warning about this.», a reaction that echoed growing concerns about long-suspected foreign influence networks operating in U.S. political discourse.

This is easily one of the greatest days on this platform. Seeing all of these MAGA accounts get exposed as foreign actors trying to destroy the United States is a complete vindication of Democrats, like myself and many on here, who have been warning about this.

— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) November 23, 2025

Among the foreign-based accounts flagged by the new X tool are pro-Trump pages that present themselves as all-American but appear to operate from abroad, including «Trump Is My President», listed as being based in Macedonia, and «ULTRAMAGA 🇺🇸 TRUMP🇺🇸2028», which claims Washington, D.C. but is shown as being in Africa.

🚨 BREAKING: The House Oversight Committee has ruled that all documents signed using Biden’s autopen are INVALID.

That means corrupt figures like Adam Schiff, Mark Milley, Liz Cheney, and Jack Smith are finally going to face justice.

This is exactly what I voted for… pic.twitter.com/BEc4w3TDHE

— MAGA NATION 🇺🇸 (@MAGANationX) October 30, 2025

Other high-profile examples documented by media outlets include MAGA NATION, with nearly 400,000 followers, operating out of Eastern Europe, Dark Maga from Thailand, MAGA Beacon from South Asia and MAGA Scope from Nigeria, underscoring how a chunk of the online MAGA ecosystem is being run from far beyond U.S. borders. «IvankaNews», a fan account dedicated to Ivanka Trump with around one million followers, is listed by X’s new feature as being based in Nigeria.

A new feature on Elon Musk’s X has given surprising new insight into the online “America First” movement.

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-11-23T08:15:11.077694Z

Donald Trump turned his anger on Ukraine once again after details of a supposed peace plan being discussed between Washington and Moscow leaked last week, revealing a 28-step roadmap that would hand major victories to Russia while forcing extreme concessions from Kyiv.

Ukraine’s government has been insufficiently thankful for American aid, President Trump said Sunday, as representatives from both nations were meeting to discuss a peace plan with Russia.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-11-23T20:23:41.563589Z

Trump Insists Joe Biden Is Responsible for the War

In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump framed the conflict as a failure of current leadership in both Kyiv and Washington, insisting that «The War between Russia and Ukraine is a violent and terrible one that, with strong and proper U.S. and Ukrainian LEADERSHIP, would have NEVER HAPPENED.»

«I INHERITED A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, A WAR THAT IS A LOSER FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SO NEEDLESSLY DIED.»

The president went on to claim that the conflict «began long before I took office for a Second Term, during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, and has only gotten worse,» arguing that «If the 2020 Presidential Election was not RIGGED & STOLEN, the only thing the Radical Left Democrats are good at doing, there would be no Ukraine/Russia War, as there wasn’t, not even a mention, during my first Term in Office. Putin would never have attacked! It was only when he saw Sleepy Joe in action that he said, “Now is my chance!”»

Trump Blasts Ukraine for Lack of Gratitude

Trump portrayed himself as the victim of a disastrous inheritance, declaring that «I INHERITED A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, A WAR THAT IS A LOSER FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SO NEEDLESSLY DIED.»

«UKRAINE “LEADERSHIP” HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS.»

-Donald Trump

He also vented at Kyiv, writing that «UKRAINE “LEADERSHIP” HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA,» before turning his fire back on Washington: «THE USA CONTINUES TO SELL MASSIVE $AMOUNTS OF WEAPONS TO NATO, FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UKRAINE (CROOKED JOE GAVE EVERYTHING, FREE, FREE, FREE, INCLUDING “BIG” MONEY!). GOD BLESS ALL THE LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE HUMAN CATASTROPHE! President DJT».

«We are grateful for everything that America and President Trump are doing for security, and we keep working as constructively as possible».

Since February, as Trump’s second-term push for a deal with Vladimir Putin gathered pace, Moscow’s offensive has only intensified. Russian forces have dramatically stepped up missile and especially drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, with independent tallies showing that the average number of kamikaze drones launched in 2025 is now more than three times last year’s rate.

Zelensky Stresses Gratitude to Trump

In Kyiv, officials argue that Putin has taken advantage of having Trump back in the White House to escalate under the cover of “peace talks,” gambling that Washington will avoid any move that might seriously disrupt Russia’s campaign while its own 28-point plan is on the table.

After Trump’s tirade, Zelensky issued a carefully worded statement stressing Kyiv’s appreciation for Washington’s backing, saying «We are grateful for everything that America and President Trump are doing for security, and we keep working as constructively as possible».

Britain, France and Germany have put forward a counter-proposal aiming to blunt the most controversial elements of the U.S. plan. Their framework rejects limits on Ukraine’s armed forces, opposes any territorial concessions to Russia and insists on long-term security guarantees, signaling Europe’s push to shield Kyiv from a deal seen as too favorable to Moscow.

The European counter-proposal from Britain, France and Germany softens the language around NATO, strips out any requirement for territorial concessions, and demands an immediate ceasefire. It also removes the deadline for Ukrainian elections, seeking to ease pressure on Kyiv while keeping the focus on strong security guarantees and full sovereignty.

U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators met in Geneva for what officials cast as an emergency session convened after last week’s leak of the 28-point American peace proposal, a disclosure many in Kyiv and Western capitals believe was deliberately fed to the media by Moscow, with both sides saying they made «good progress» on refining the plan and pledging to continue talks «in the coming days».

JUST IN: The U.S. and Ukraine made "meaningful progress toward aligning positions" on President Trump's proposed peace plan during their talks in Geneva today, the two countries said in a joint statement issued by the White House.

— Axios (@axios.com) 2025-11-23T23:59:35.266Z

The president, Donald Trump, and the vice president, JD Vance, were left off the guest list for the invitation-only funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral on Thursday morning, even as more than 1,000 people were expected to attend, including four living former vice presidents and two former presidents.

Past presidents and politicians of both parties will gather Thursday in Washington, DC, for former Vice President Dick Cheney's funeral — sending off a key figure of pre-MAGA Republican politics. https://cnn.it/3XC114v

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-11-20T10:31:03.956141101Z

Across the political spectrum

At the funeral of former Vice President Dick Cheney at Washington’s National Cathedral, the presence of Joe Biden and George W. Bush, former vice presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence and Al Gore, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh, senior Cabinet members from both Republican and Democratic administrations, as well as congressional leaders such as Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell offered a stark visual contrast.

Washington’s traditional political and institutional class united to honor Cheney while the sitting president and vice president were conspicuously absent.

During the service, tributes to Cheney mixed the political and the deeply personal. George W. Bush remembered his vice president as a trusted partner, saying «They do not come any better than Dick Cheney» and «He was everything a President should expect in a second-in-command», before closing with the promise «Somewhere up the trail, we will meet again».

His daughter, Liz Cheney, offered a more intimate portrait, recalling that «The night before my dad died, the sky about my parents’ house filled with clouds in the shape of winged angels», and that «As my dad left this earth, his last words were to tell my mother he loved her», calling «One of the greatest blessings of my life» the time she had with him.

Never be trusted again

Dick Cheney, long seen as one of the most polarizing Republican vice presidents, started by backing Trump in 2016 but ultimately broke with him over January 6 and Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results.

In 2024, he went even further and publicly announced he would vote for Kamala Harris, crossing party lines and warning that Trump was a «greater threat to our republic» who «can never be trusted with power again».

«Somewhere up the trail, we will meet again».

-George W. Bush

That endorsement, widely described as an extraordinary and even shocking move for a lifelong Republican, crystallized the rupture between Cheney and the MAGA wing he believed was endangering democratic norms.

Liz Cheney also campaigned alongside Kamala Harris during the 2024 race.

In that context, Trump and Vance’s absence from Cheney’s funeral — and the lack of an invitation in the first place — is not just a matter of protocol, but a visible symbol of how completely Cheney had turned away from Trump’s Republican Party by the end of his life .

President Trump was not invited the memorial service for Dick Cheney on Thursday, and Vice President JD Vance was also not in attendance. Cheney, a once-powerful Republican, turned on Trump last year by announcing he would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-11-20T17:05:02.340809Z

Donald Trump spent hours on Truth Social railing against multiple Democratic lawmakers, repeatedly boosting posts suggesting they should be hanged and amplifying calls for extreme punishment. In one of his own messages, Trump wrote that those lawmakers’ actions should be «punishable by DEATH!».

Trump rages at Democratic vets urging troops to defy unlawful orders."SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH."

— Axios (@axios.com) 2025-11-20T17:43:12.162Z

A video urging to refuse illegal orders

Trump erupted after six Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds released a video urging service members and intelligence officials to refuse illegal orders, reminding them that their oath is to the Constitution, not to any one president.

We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.

The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.

Don’t give up the ship. pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r

— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) November 18, 2025

«This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP??? President DJT».

They say they recorded the video at a moment when Trump’s escalating attacks on democratic institutions, his threats to prosecute political opponents, and his repeated demands for absolute loyalty from the military and intelligence community have intensified concerns about protecting the rule of law and ensuring that no president can bypass constitutional limits.

The president appeared to endorse the execution of his political enemies in a chilling online post.

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-11-20T15:28:39.576842Z

The video featured Senator Elissa Slotkin (former CIA analyst and Iraq war veteran), Senator Mark Kelly (former Navy pilot and astronaut), Representative Jason Crow (former Army Ranger), Representative Maggie Goodlander (former Navy reservist), Representative Chris Deluzio (former Navy officer), and Representative Chrissy Houlahan (former Air Force officer).

«HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!».

A rage-filled posting spree

In a single Truth Social post, Trump shared an article about the video and wrote: «This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP??? President DJT».

Trump seized on the message as a direct attack on his authority, branding the lawmakers «traitors» engaged in «SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR» and using his Truth Social feed to demand their arrest and hint that their actions should be «punishable by DEATH!».

«It is a call to hang Democratic lawmakers who spoke out against Trump.»

-Gavin Newsom

His rage-filled posting spree also included a series of retruths branding the Democratic lawmakers as «traitors», with some of the amplified posts even urging «HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!».

«Donald Trump must immediately delete these unhinged social media posts and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed.»

House Democratic leaders condemned Trump’s rhetoric as incitement and a threat to their colleagues’ safety.

House Democratic leaders denounced Trump’s posts as dangerous incitement that could lead to real-world violence. In a joint statement, Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team warned:

«We have been in contact with the House Sergeant at Arms and the United States Capitol Police to ensure the safety of these Members and their families. Donald Trump must immediately delete these unhinged social media posts and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed.»

California Governor Gavin Newsom also sounded the alarm on X, writing:

«Trump just reposted this. It is a call to hang Democratic lawmakers who spoke out against Trump.»

Trump just reposted this.

It is a call to hang Democratic lawmakers who spoke out against Trump. pic.twitter.com/8u4SJn5yID

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 20, 2025

The Trump administration spent weeks working behind the scenes to slow or block a congressional push to force the release of the Epstein files, with Trump repeatedly dismissing the effort as a Democratic hoax and doing everything possible to prevent the documents from coming out.

Breaking News: President Trump signed a bill calling on the Justice Department to release files tied to Jeffrey Epstein, but with significant exceptions. Follow live updates: nyti.ms/484IDWJ

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-11-20T02:00:10.263959Z

But that strategy collapsed under intense, bipartisan pressure, culminating in Trump signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compels the Department of Justice to make the documents public within 30 days.

«We will continue to follow the law with maximum transparency while protecting victims.»

A near-total agreement in Washington

The bill sailed through the House on a 427–1 vote and cleared the Senate by unanimous consent, reflecting rare, near-total agreement in Washington on the need for greater transparency around the Epstein case.

Yet despite the sweeping mandate, many observers doubt that the public will see the full contents of the files anytime soon.

The law allows prosecutors and the DOJ, under the control of Pam Bondi, to withhold or heavily redact material tied to ongoing investigations, classified information, or any information deemed to pose a risk to government security, leaving the Justice Department with significant discretion over what is actually disclosed.

Critics warn that these carve-outs, combined with the DOJ’s insistence that most releasable material is already public, could mean that some of the most sensitive records remain out of view for months or even years, even as the clock ticks on the 30-day deadline.

Investigation Could Delay Full Epstein Files Release for Years

While pressed by reporters, Pam Bondi had only one response to offer: «We will continue to follow the law with maximum transparency while protecting victims.»

But in a last-ditch push to block the release of the Epstein files, Trump asked the DOJ to investigate Bill Clinton, Larry Summers and other high-profile Democrats for alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Pam Bondi responded by assigning U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the investigation «with urgency and integrity».

This move jeopardizes the release of the full set of files, despite approval by the House, the Senate and Trump’s final signature, and opens the door to an investigation that could drag on for years before any of these documents are made public.

The most explosive presidential scandal in history

The pressure surrounding the Epstein files has reached a level Trump has never faced before, fueling speculation that the documents could conceal the most explosive presidential scandal in modern U.S. history.

Whether Trump’s signature will ease the public pressure or whether it will continue to build, as it has for months, remains to be seen.

For decades, Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein moved in the same Palm Beach and New York circles, attending the same parties and appearing together at Mar-a-Lago, before Trump since claimed he had cut ties with Epstein «a long time ago» and was no longer his friend.

Newly released emails subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate, however, suggest their relationship may have continued into Trump’s first presidency: in a Thanksgiving Day 2017 exchange with modeling executive Faith Kates, Epstein, when asked who else was with him, simply replied: «david fizel, hanson, trump.»

The decision represents a stunning reversal for the president aimed chiefly at quelling a brewing GOP revolt and restoring his iron grip over the party. But few believe the path will be so easy from here. https://cnn.it/484YoNt

— CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-11-20T14:34:03.998426434Z

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has raised his country’s US investment target from the $600 billion commitment he announced during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May to a headline-grabbing $1 trillion, according to a statement on the White House website.

US, Saudi tout new business deals at investment forum reut.rs/47NZ1My

— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2025-11-19T16:50:13Z

The new figure, confirmed by the White House in a statement during the Saudi crown prince’s trip to Washington, dramatically expands the scale of the pledged investment but remains vague in practice, with no breakdown, timetable, or sector-by-sector plan, leaving key questions unanswered about how and when such funds would actually be deployed.

During his visit to Washington, the crown prince took part in multiple events with the president that brought together top US executives from across major industries, including Elon Musk of Tesla, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, and senior leaders from companies such as Chevron, Cisco, Qualcomm, Google, Boeing, and Pfizer.

The $1 trillion would be made up of prospective deals in major arms contracts (including a flagship F-35 package), artificial intelligence partnerships involving firms such as Nvidia and AMD alongside data centers and cloud infrastructure, and agreements on critical minerals and civil nuclear cooperation that Washington would present as key to securing US supply chains, according to the White House fact sheet.

«We’re told that $270 billion in agreements and sales are being signed between dozens of companies, and that’s just happening today.»

Trump Touts $270 Billion in US–Saudi Deals

During the investment forum, President Donald Trump announced that some US–Saudi deals were being signed with a total value of approximately US $270 billion, marking a further step in the deepening economic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

He presented these agreements as part of a broader agenda to bring high-paying jobs and strategic industry cooperation back to the US, spanning sectors such as defence, technology and infrastructure.

Trump highlighted the scale of those deals by saying: «We’re told that $270 billion in agreements and sales are being signed between dozens of companies, and that’s just happening today.»

While the headline number of US $270 billion was cited, the administration offered few details on timing, exact terms or sector-specific commitments, which leaves major questions about how and when these deals will materialize.

Donald Trump touted $1tn of investment from Saudi Arabia during his welcome for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that included a 21-gun salute, a Marine Corps band, a fighter jet flypast — and threats against US journalists who might offend his guest. on.ft.com/3LKGOXG

— Financial Times (@financialtimes.com) 2025-11-19T01:05:36.870593Z

Axios and several media outlets, including Reuters, report that Donald Trump and his administration are quietly pressuring Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to accept their proposed peace plan.

SCOOP: New Trump plan to end war in Ukraine grants Russia parts of eastern Ukraine it does not currently control.

— Axios (@axios.com) 2025-11-19T17:35:45.850Z

A «28-point roadmap»

According to Axios, the U.S. administration is working on a secret «28-point roadmap» for ending the war in Ukraine, a plan reportedly developed in consultation with Russian officials and overseen by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. The discussions are taking place through secret channels rather than public diplomatic talks.

The plan described by Axios would require Ukraine to accept significant territorial losses and a substantial reduction of its armed forces.

These conditions, presented as part of a broader effort to end the conflict, would markedly reshape Ukraine’s borders and military capabilities.

According to Axios, Trump’s proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine includes granting Russia parts of eastern Ukraine that it does not currently control, as his administration tries to bargain these territories with Kyiv in exchange for security guarantees for Ukraine.

Major doubt on the credibility of the security guarantees

Trump’s peace plan would hand over the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk (the Donbas) to Russia, even though Ukraine still controls part of those territories. According to the plan, Trump wants to turn the Donbas into a sort of demilitarized zone under exclusive Russian control, claiming that Putin would not be able to station troops there.

According to Axios, a Ukrainian official said the Trump peace plan would also limit the size of Ukraine’s military and its weapons in exchange for U.S. security guarantees, but warned that the proposal fails to ensure protection if Russia attacks again or seizes more Ukrainian territory in the future, casting major doubt on the credibility of those guarantees as a whole.

For many in Kyiv, these vague security promises echo the broken assurances of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, deepening doubts about their real value.

Trump’s bargaining with Ukrainian territory in exchange for vague security guarantees is likely to shock Ukraine’s allies and European partners, as many already criticise him for failing to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty since entering peace negotiations earlier this year and for treating its land as a bargaining chip for Putin’s benefit.

The US signaled to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine must accept a US-drafted framework to end the war with Russia that proposes Kyiv giving up territory and some weapons, two people familiar with the matter said reut.rs/3X5jBBS

— Reuters (@reuters.com) 2025-11-19T17:02:49.333Z

A federal appeals court is now reviewing Donald Trump’s attempt to revive a sweeping RICO lawsuit accusing Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, and several others of driving what Trump calls the «Russia hoax» against his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump’s lawyers appeared before an appeals court in Alabama to try to revive a civil suit accusing Hillary Clinton of leading a conspiracy to bog down his 2016 presidential campaign with bogus allegations tying him to Russia.

— Bloomberg News (@bloomberg.com) 2025-11-19T10:30:12Z

«This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it.»

In 2022, Donald Trump brought a lawsuit claiming that Hillary Rodham Clinton, James Comey, and others conspired to invent allegations of collusion with Russia during the 2016 campaign, which he argued harmed his reputation and business dealings.

In 2023, U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton, dismissed Trump’s lawsuit, calling the 193-page filing a «shotgun pleading» that was confusing and poorly structured.

Middlebrooks found that the complaint failed to identify any coordinated enterprise, did not allege valid criminal acts, did not show concrete financial damages, and was filed outside the applicable statute of limitations. Concluding that the suit served a political rather than legal purpose, Middlebrooks wrote:

«This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it»

«I can read this complaint. It seems a classic shotgun complaint. It incorporates, by reference, hundreds of paragraphs into succeeding counts.»

A «classic shotgun complaint»

At the appeals stage, the three-judge panel expressed skepticism as they weighed whether the case, dismissed in 2023, should be revived in federal court and whether nearly $1 million in sanctions against Trump and his former attorney Alina Habba stemming from that lawsuit should be allowed to stand.

Chief Judge William H. Pryor Jr., one of the three judges on the Eleventh Circuit panel hearing Trump’s appeal, underscored early in the session that he viewed Trump’s sprawling 108-page complaint — expanded to 193 pages in a later version — as a «classic shotgun complaint» that improperly lumped together too many defendants and claims, saying:

«I can read this complaint. It seems a classic shotgun complaint. It incorporates, by reference, hundreds of paragraphs into succeeding counts.»

The appeals court is expected to issue its decision in the coming weeks or months, and if Donald Trump loses, he can seek a rehearing by the full court or ask the Supreme Court to take up the case.

«No reasonable lawyer would have filed it.»

-U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks

In another of his legal cases, Donald Trump recently filed a request with the Supreme Court seeking to dismiss a civil judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll case, after a New York jury in May 2023 found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded 5 million dollars in damages, followed by a second jury in January 2024 that ordered him to pay an additional 83.3 million dollars for further defamatory statements.

Appeals court panel mulls $1M penalty for Trump in lawsuit against Hillary Clinton

— Politico (@politico.com) 2025-11-19T03:33:32Z