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President Donald Trump is set to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night for the first time in his second term and is expected to deliver a speech to outline his plans for the nation under the theme of ‘The Renewal of the American Dream.’ 

The president is scheduled to speak before all members of Congress on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST. 

The speech is not officially called the ‘State of the Union’ because Trump has not been in office for a full year, though it operates in a similar fashion. The yearly presidential address is intended to showcase the administration’s achievements and policies. 

The president has been working at a breakneck pace to align the federal government with his ‘Make America Great Again’ policies. The president took more than 200 executive actions on his first day in office on Jan. 20 and has not slowed the pace since. 

White House officials exclusively told Fox News Digital that the speech, themed ‘The Renewal of the American Dream,’ will feature four main sections: accomplishments from Trump’s second term thus far at home and abroad; what the Trump administration has done for the economy; the president’s renewed push for Congress to pass additional funding for border security; and the president’s plans for peace around the globe.

Trump’s joint address ‘will be must-see TV,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. 

‘President Trump has accomplished more in one month than any president in four years, and the renewal of the American Dream is well underway,’ Leavitt said. ‘In his joint address to Congress, President Trump will celebrate his extraordinarily successful first month in office while outlining his bold, ambitious and commonsense vision for the future.’

The president will review his administration’s ‘accomplishments from his extraordinarily successful first month in office, both here at home and abroad,’ White House officials told Fox News Digital.

Officials said the president will also discuss what his administration has done and continues to do to ‘fix the economic mess created by the Biden administration and end inflation for all Americans.’

The president is expected to highlight the more than $1.7 trillion in investments made since he took the oath of office to bring manufacturing back to the United States, including increases in energy production, investments in the private sector on AI and more. 

Also in the address, the president will push Congress to pass more border security funding to fund deportations and the continued construction of the border wall along the U.S. southern border. 

On foreign policy, the president is expected to outline his plans ‘to restore peace around the world.’ A White House official told Fox News Digital that he will lay out his plans to end the war in Ukraine. He will also focus on the work of his administration to ensure the release of all hostages from Gaza.

The president posted on his Truth Social account on Monday morning teasing his address, saying, ‘Tomorrow night will be big. I will tell it like it is!’ 

When asked for comment on the president’s post, a White House official told Fox News Digital, ‘As always, President Trump will keep it real and speak the truth.’

Fox News Channel, Fox News Digital and Fox News Go will have live coverage of the event Tuesday evening.

Fox News Channel will also preview the speech during its prime-time and afternoon programming.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Trump-appointed leadership plans to fire nearly all its 1,700 employees while “winding down” the agency, according to testimony from employees.

In a trove of statements released late Thursday, federal employees said that the mass layoff was discussed in meetings they attended this month with senior CFPB leaders and members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

“My team was directed to assist with terminating the vast majority of CFPB employees as quickly as possible,” said an employee identified as Alex Doe, a pseudonym used out of fear of retaliation.

Doe said the plan from CFPB leaders and DOGE was to cut the bureau’s workforce in three phases. It would first eliminate probationary and term employees, then carry out a wave of about 1,200 layoffs, leaving a skeleton crew of a few hundred workers.

“Finally, the Bureau would ‘reduce altogether’ within 60-90 days by terminating most of its remaining staff,” Doe said.

The workers’ testimony comes at a crucial time for the CFPB, the agency created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis was caused, in part, by irresponsible lending. Since DOGE operatives first arrived at the CFPB this month, the bureau has closed its Washington headquarters, initiated the first round of layoffs, and told those who remain to stop nearly all work.

The filings were made in the case started by a CFPB union that suspended acting Director Russell Vought’s moves to shutter the bureau. After the CFPB fired about 200 probationary and term employees, the agency’s actions were put on hold until a hearing scheduled for Monday.

The documents show an apparent disconnect between some of the external messaging from Vought and the behind-the-scenes activity at the bureau.

“CFPB leadership has also been apparently lying to us that it will allow us to follow the law and our statutory obligations to protect consumers,’ said a current CFPB employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared repercussions. ‘Those of us employed at the CFPB will not stop fighting for our right to get back to the work of protecting consumers that Congress has required of us.”

In a motion filed Monday, Vought pushed back against the idea that he planned to eliminate the CFPB.

“The predicate to running a ‘more streamlined and efficient bureau’ is that there will continue to be a CFPB,” he wrote.

But the Trump administration’s plan was to take the CFPB down to the barest minimum staffing required under law: Just five CFPB employees would remain, either in a standalone office or folded into another regulatory body, the workers testified.

In meetings from Feb. 18 to Feb. 25, “staff were told by Senior Executives that the CFPB would be eliminated except for the five statutorily mandated positions,” said another current CFPB employee, this one identified as Drew Doe.

“One Senior Executive said that CFPB will become a ‘room at Treasury, White House, or Federal Reserve with five men and a phone in it,’” Doe said.

The employees said that, if directed to by the court, they would provide their names and titles under seal.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen has resigned after an internal investigation into his personal conduct.

Kroger, the nation’s largest grocery chain, said Monday that the investigation into McMullen’s personal conduct was unrelated to the business, but was found to be inconsistent with its business ethics policy.

Board member Ronald Sargent will serve as chairman and interim CEO, effective immediately.

Sargent has been on Kroger’s board since 2006 and has served as the lead director of the company since 2017. He’s worked in several roles at the grocery chain across stores, sales, marketing, manufacturing and strategy. Sargent is also the former chairman and CEO of Staples.

McMullen, 64, began his career with Kroger in 1978 as a part-time stock clerk and bagger at a store in Lexington, Kentucky. He worked his way up through the company, becoming chief financial officer in 1995 and chief operating officer in 2009. McMullen was named Kroger’s CEO in 2014 and became the company’s chairman the following year.

Cincinnati-based Kroger said its board was made aware of the situation on Feb. 21 and immediately hired an outside independent counsel to conduct an investigation, overseen by a special board committee.

The company said that McMullen’s conduct is not related to its financial performance, operations or reporting, and did not involve any Kroger associates.

Kroger will conduct a search for its next CEO, with Sargent agreeing to remain as interim CEO until someone is appointed to the role permanently.

Kroger shares fell more than 3.5% ahead of the opening bell Monday.

McMullen’s departure comes as Kroger is regrouping from its failed effort to merger with Albertsons. The two companies proposed what would have been the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history in 2022, saying they needed to combine forces to better compete with rivals like Walmart.

But two judges halted the $24.6 billion deal in December, saying it was likely to lessen competition and raise prices. Albertsons later sued Kroger, saying it had failed to make every effort to ensure that the merger would win regulatory approval.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

The U.S. Treasury Department announced it will not enforce a Biden-era small business rule intended to curb money laundering and shell company formation.

In a Sunday evening announcement, Treasury said in a news release that it will not impose penalties now or in the future if companies fail to register for the agency’s beneficial ownership information database that was created during the Biden administration.

Despite efforts by small businesses to undo the rule in the courts, it remains in effect.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump on his Truth Social media site praised the suspension of enforcement of the rule and said the database is “outrageous and invasive.”

“This Biden rule has been an absolute disaster for Small Businesses Nationwide,” he said. “The economic menace of BOI reporting will soon be no more.”

In September 2022, the Treasury Department started rulemaking to create a database that would contain personal information on the owners of at least 32 million U.S. businesses as part of an effort to combat shell company formations and illicit finance.

The rule required most American businesses with fewer than 20 employees to register their business owners with the government as of Jan. 1, 2024. Small businesses are targeted because shell companies, often used to hide illegally obtained assets, tend to have few employees.

Treasury officials, including former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, said the regulatory burden would be small, costing about $85 per business, but would offer benefits to law enforcement officials seeking to track down money launderers and other criminals. She said in January 2024 that more than 100,000 businesses had filed beneficial ownership information with Treasury.

The rule and its legislative authority — the Corporate Transparency Act, an anti-money laundering statue passed in 2021 — have been mired in litigation. In 2022, a small business lobbying group sued to block the Treasury Department’s requirement that tens of millions of small businesses register with the government. On Feb. 27, Treasury’s Financial Crimes and Enforcement Network said it would not take enforcement actions against companies that do not file beneficial ownership data with the agency.

Business leaders cite privacy and security concerns about the database and say it is duplicitous to other government agencies that maintain corporate databases.

“This is a victory for common sense,” said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent on Sunday. “Today’s action is part of President Trump’s bold agenda to unleash American prosperity by reining in burdensome regulations, in particular for small businesses that are the backbone of the American economy.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

When the Los Angeles wildfires swept through Southern California in January, Barbara Shay lost much more than the building housing the cafe she owned.

Gone were the ingredients for menu items like grits or pancakes. Gone were the photos of icons ranging from former President Barack Obama to actor Richard Pryor that had lined the walls. Gone, too, were the decades of labor from Shay’s family.

“I am still in shock,” Shay said in an interview with CNBC. “It’s an emotional roller coaster — not just for me, but just for everyone.”

Shay is part of the diverse fabric of small business owners in Altadena, a town about 15 miles outside downtown L.A that was hard hit by last month’s blaze. As the community starts the yearslong rebuilding process, entrepreneurs like Shay are starting to chart their paths forward.

She plans to rebuild the 70-year-old Little Red Hen Coffee Shop and is evaluating the finances for opening up a temporary storefront or popups. The business spans generations: After following in the footsteps of her mother and brother in owning the business, she now works alongside her daughter and grandson.

But while many in Altadena’s entrepreneurial community remain optimistic about a recovery, multiple business owners described lengthy and difficult roads ahead.

Some businesses were burned entirely to the ground like Shay’s, while others face long-term displacement due to damage or smoke. For those fortunate enough to have brick-and-mortar properties still standing, they’re surrounded by what some have described in interviews as “ground zero.”

“It’s kind of unfathomable,” said Henri Wood, who owned a cannabis business called The Flourish Group that was burned down. “What was once just a vibrant, lively community is just completely gone.”

Altadena’s diversity cannot be understated. Census data shows that more than half of the population is people of color, with Latinos making up 27% of residents and Black people accounting for 18%.

Altadena has historically been known as a hub for Black families and businesses after being one of the only Los Angeles County areas exempt from redlining during the Civil Rights movement. The Associated Press found that the home ownership rate for Black people in Altadena now sits above 80%, which is nearly double the national average.

People stop to take in the scene of burned down businesses along Lake Avenue in Altadena on Thursday, January 9, 2025. Christina House / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images

But Altadena’s business owners — many of whom also grew up and now raise families there — are worried the fires will leave that diversity in the rubble. Emeka Chukwurah, founder of community culture center Rhythms of the Village, said he’s concerned that the fires will expedite gentrification that was already taking place in the neighborhood.Black residents accounted for more than 40% of the town’s population in 1980, according to Altadena Heritage. That proportion has been more than halved since then. Chukwurah has sold Altadena-branded merchandise to keep the community and its diversity from being forgotten by broader society.

“I’m hoping that we can keep the developers and those kind of people at bay so that we can hold on to what’s been built over generations,” Chukwurah said. “I’m hoping that this one will be in the history books as a resilient community, and that a large amount of us — or, if not, all of us — can stay to tell the story.”

Insurance agent Maricela Viramontes has seen how homeowners in the town at the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains are responding firsthand. Many are accustomed to fires due to its geographic location, she said, but they did not expect the destruction seen in January. The deadly fires caused more than $250 billion in damage and economic loss, according to an AccuWeather estimate.

Viramontes, who has lived in Altadena for nearly 25 years, woke up the morning after the fires in a shelter, as it was the only place her family could find to evacuate to. By early that morning, she began receiving calls while still at the shelter from clients looking for guidance on filing claims for lost property.

It’s the same paperwork that she, too, is filling out. Shortly after that day taking calls in the shelter, Viramontes learned that her home and car were both destroyed. Her office needs months of repairs for smoke damage.

“Everyone asks, ’What can I do?, ‘How can I help you?,‘” said Viramontes, who now lives and works out of her parents’ home nearby. “It’s so hard to answer that question when you don’t know.”

As businesses begin draft plans to clear their land and build new structures, they’re making plans for how to make ends meet in the short term.

Wood’s cannabis shop, for instance, has been connecting customers directly with providers while it figures out a long-term strategy. He called donations and mutual aid a “lifeline” for the business, which he said is excluded from several government aid programs because marijuana is not legalized federally.

Multiple entrepreneurs interviewed by CNBC said they are considering short-term rentals. They’re also considering business loans, though there’s concern about owing money with the financial outlook for their ventures so uncertain.

Through it all, these owners haven’t forgotten they are part of a community that’s stepping up to meet the moment.

Steve Salinas, who’s owned a namesake bike shop in Altadena for nearly four decades, has been repairing donated bicycles and re-homing them with community members. He’s gotten parts donated from other shops and monetary support through GoFundMe.

“Everybody sort of pitches in to help where they can,” said Salinas, who is looking for a short-term rental space after his store burned down. “People that have lost everything are donating their time and their resources and, most importantly, their connections to help other people in the community heal.”

In the same vein, Rhythms of the Village’s Chukwurah opened a free boutique with clothing and other necessities at his family home. It’s the temporary headquarters for the business, which has previously offered drum lessons and classes on Nigerian language and African history, after their storefront burned down.

Chukwurah said he’s committed to keeping the business in the Altadena area. As he scouts out a new location for the center, he’s planning to purchase this time around instead of rent.

“The structures are down,” he said, “but the community spirit is up.”

— NBC News contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Sunday announced it won’t enforce the penalties or fines associated with the Biden-era “beneficial ownership information,” or BOI, reporting requirements for millions of domestic businesses. 

Enacted via the Corporate Transparency Act in 2021 to fight illicit finance and shell company formation, BOI reporting requires small businesses to identify who directly or indirectly owns or controls the company to the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN.

After previous court delays, the Treasury in late February set a March 21 deadline to comply or risk civil penalties of up to $591 a day, adjusted for inflation, or criminal fines of up to $10,000 and up to two years in prison. The reporting requirements could apply to roughly 32.6 million businesses, according to federal estimates.     

The rule was enacted to “make it harder for bad actors to hide or benefit from their ill-gotten gains through shell companies or other opaque ownership structures,” according to FinCEN.

In addition to not enforcing BOI penalties and fines, the Treasury said it would issue a proposed regulation to apply the rule to foreign reporting companies only. 

President Donald Trump praised the news in a Truth Social post on Sunday night, describing the reporting rule as “outrageous and invasive” and “an absolute disaster” for small businesses.

Other experts say the Treasury’s decision could have ramifications for national security.

“This decision threatens to make the United States a magnet for foreign criminals, from drug cartels to fraudsters to terrorist organizations,” Scott Greytak, director of advocacy for the anticorruption organization Transparency International U.S., said in a statement.

— Greg Iacurci contributed to this article.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

A contentious law that allows South Africa’s government to expropriate land – without compensation in some cases – has enraged the United States, triggering aid cuts by Washington and outbursts from President Donald Trump.

Many fear that the African nation could now potentially lose some of its US trade privileges as relations between the two countries deteriorate.

South Africa is the largest beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), a US trade agreement that provides preferential duty-free access to US markets for eligible Sub-Saharan African nations.

Some US lawmakers want those benefits withdrawn when AGOA is reviewed this year.

What has angered the US?

In January, South Africa enacted the Expropriation Act, seeking to undo the legacy of apartheid, which created huge disparities in land ownership among its majority Black and minority White population.

Under apartheid, non-White South Africans were forcibly dispossessed from their lands for the benefit of Whites. Today, some three decades after racial segregation officially ended in the country, Black South Africans, who comprise over 80% of the population of 63 million, own only around 4% of private land.

The expropriation law empowers South Africa’s government to take land and redistribute it – with no obligation to pay compensation in some instances – if the seizure is found to be “just and equitable and in the public interest.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the legislation would “ensure public access to land in an equitable and just manner.” But the White House disagrees.

Trump and his South African-born billionaire adviser Elon Musk believe that the land reform policy discriminates against White South Africans. Sanctions have since followed.

Responding to a post by Ramaphosa on X about the new legislation, Musk asked: “Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?”

In an executive order issued on February 7, Trump revoked all aid for South Africa, accusing the country of human rights violations. He also denounced South Africa’s stance against Israel’s war in Gaza, saying the nation undermined US national interests.

The executive order did not specify what aid was being halted but nearly $440 million was committed to South Africa in 2023 – the bulk of which went to its health sector – according to data on the US Foreign Assistance website.

Ramaphosa said in a post on X before the order was issued that, “with the exception of PEPFAR Aid (the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIVAids programme, there is no other funding that is received by South Africa from the United States.”

“Based on the changes in trade policy and national interests of the US government, the possibility of changes and South Africa’s exclusion does exist,” he said.

To remain eligible for AGOA, a benefiting nation “must demonstrate respect for rule of law, human rights … (and) should also not seek to undermine US foreign policy interests,” according to requirements outlined on its website.

In a letter to Trump on February 11, US Rep. Andy Ogles and three other Republican congressmen called for South Africa’s duty-free access to the US market to be withdrawn and for diplomatic ties to be suspended, expressing disapproval of its land reforms, its alleged “vendetta against Israel” and its “embrace of China.”

What happens if South Africa is cut off from AGOA?

South Africa’s exports are partly driven by agriculture, which accounted for 10% of the country’s total export earnings in 2021, according to the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC). South Africa is the main agricultural exporter under AGOA and its largest beneficiary, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

In a 2023 report, the department said that two-thirds of South Africa’s agricultural exports to the US “are exported tariff-free under AGOA,” with exporters of citrus, wine and fruit juice among the top beneficiaries.

“South Africa is likely to face higher tariffs of about 3% for agricultural exports to the USA should the country be ineligible for AGOA benefits,” he said.

“The loss of preferential market access for the agricultural sector could lead to reduced foreign exchange earnings, decreased competitiveness of South African agricultural products in the USA, and potential job losses,” Thindisa added.

The move might also run counter to the Trump administration’s apparent aims. Stripping South Africa of its AGOA privileges on account of its expropriation law would hurt the same White farmers whom the US seeks to protect, according to Chrispin Phiri, a spokesperson for the country’s foreign minister.

He added that: “It’s a known fact that most of our commercial farmers are White. They are the ones who are in the majority in the commercial agricultural sector, and they have a commercial gain from an agreement like AGOA. So, the very same people that you believe are being persecuted would be persecuted by such a volatile decision.”

“It would affect us considerably and threaten local jobs,” he said. “It is difficult to estimate precisely to what extent. Citrus is the economic heart of Citrusdal, and any shocks or changes in the industry affect the entire rural community.”

Justin Chadwick, who heads South Africa’s Citrus Growers Association (CGA), said the group was concerned about the situation.

“If AGOA is not renewed, it will create a challenging environment for South African citrus. AGOA ensures our citrus isn’t subject to US tariffs. A US tariff on South African citrus would make our fruit more expensive for American consumers.”

“To give you an idea of how many jobs are currently connected to US citrus export: an estimated 35,000 local jobs from farm level throughout the supply chain as well as an additional 20,000 jobs in the US are sustained by US-SA citrus exports. Without AGOA, these jobs will surely be under threat.”

At least 100,000 pallets of citrus are shipped to the US from South Africa annually, he said, adding that “South Africa’s entire North American exports make up around 9% of our total citrus exports.”

Are there other markets to turn to?

Outside the Americas region, which accounted for 6% of South Africa’s agricultural exports in 2024, the African continent is the main market for the country’s agricultural goods, making up 42% of its agricultural exports, according to the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz).

Other export destinations include Asia and the Middle East, which together totaled 21%, and the European Union, which made up 19% of South Africa’s agricultural exports for 2024, Agbiz data showed.

Despite the comparatively lower trade volume, the US market “matters significantly,” according to Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz.

“Firstly, the exports (to the US) are concentrated in specific industries, mainly nuts, citrus, wines, grapes, and fruit juices. This means while the risks associated with this market are not as significant in proportion to overall agricultural exports, they present challenges to specific industries,” he said.

Secondly, Sihlobo said, “the negative sentiment arising from any confrontation with the Americas region would have negative effects on South Africa’s agriculture.
It is, therefore, vital that South Africa maintains positive agricultural relations with this region.”

For the citrus grower Van der Merwe, finding an alternative destination for his produce if South Africa is removed from AGOA and exporting to the US becomes less profitable would not be easy.

“We would still probably export quantities (of) citrus to the US, but given that the usual tariffs would then apply, it would be a big setback,” he said. “South African citrus is valued in other markets like the Middle East and the EU, and switching to those markets if it is more profitable can be considered. But the volume of exports for us to the US is large, it will be difficult for it to be absorbed elsewhere.”

Can South Africa mend its ties with the US?

South African leader Ramaphosa said on Thursday he was ready to “do a deal” with the US to repair their plummeting relations.

“We would like to go to the United States to do a deal,” he said while responding to questions from Richard Gnodde, vice chairman of US bank Goldman Sachs, during a conference in Johannesburg.

“We don’t want to go and explain ourselves,” he added. “We want to go and do a meaningful deal with the United States on a whole range of issues.”

Ramaphosa did not specify what the deal would entail but noted it would span trade, diplomatic and political issues.

“We decided that it’s not best to have a knee-jerk reaction,” Ramaphosa said of Trump’s executive order cutting aid to his nation. “We wanted to let the dust settle.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com

To seasoned diplomatic observers, US President Donald Trump’s furious dressing down of Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was a planned political mugging, a trap set by the Trump administration to discredit the Ukrainian leader and remove him as an obstacle to whatever comes next.

Whether it was orchestrated or not, Moscow – which reacted with glee to the White House slanging match – is now anticipating talks aimed at rebuilding the US-Russia relationship will continue, even accelerate, in the weeks ahead.

Nothing has been announced in public. But, privately, there’s talk of the Trump-Putin summit, always on the cards, now being fast-tracked.

There is also renewed optimism in Moscow that, with President Zelensky at odds with President Trump and his team, difficult negotiations to end the war in Ukraine will now take a back seat to a raft of potentially lucrative US-Russia economic deals already being tabled behind closed doors.

Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia, is where the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov led the first round of extraordinary talks last month, sidelining Ukraine.

Separately, the Financial Times is reporting that there have been efforts to involve US investors in the restarting Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe, which Germany halted at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Dmitriev has called for the Trump administration and Russia to start “building a better future for humanity,” and to “focus on investment, economic growth, AI breakthroughs,” and long-term joint scientific projects like “Mars exploration,” even posting a highly produced computer graphic, on Elon Musk’s X social media platform, showing an imagined joint US-Russia-Saudi mission to Mars, on board what appears to be a Space X rocket.

Putting aside the many risks, there are clearly vast profits to be made in doing business with Russia, which incidentally also has the world’s fourth biggest reserves of rare earths, far bigger than Ukraine’s.

That clearly appeals to the mercantile President Trump, whose relentless pursuit of a lucrative deal is being harnessed by the Russian state.

“Trump’s business acumen crushes Biden’s narratives. The attempt to defeat Russia collapsed,” Dmitriev commented on X.

But what has been witnessed since Trump’s inauguration in January seems to be about way more than money but a fundamental resetting of US-Russia ties.

By so closely embracing the Kremlin, the Trump administration risks turning its back on the Western allies, leaving Europe isolated in a seismic shift of Washington’s global stance.

Even the Kremlin, somewhat taken aback by the speed of events, has publicly taken note.

“The new (US) administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,” the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Russian state television in remarks which aired Sunday.

But why the US president would choose the Kremlin over America’s traditional partners remains the subject of intense speculation.

Much of it, like the frequent suggestion that Trump is somehow a Kremlin agent, or beholden to Putin, is without evidence.

Perhaps the right-wing US ideological fantasy that Russia is a natural US ally in a future confrontation with China, and can be broken away from its most important backer, is motivating Washington’s dramatic geopolitical shift.

But for many bewildered observers, both explanations for Trump’s extraordinary pivot to the Kremlin seem equally misplaced.

The usually strained, if not openly hostile, relationship between the US and Russia appears to be entering a new and radical phase.

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Massive snowstorms and record heat hit eastern China over the weekend, with residents of one province wrapping up against driving snow and their compatriots down the coast heading outdoors to enjoy ice cream.

Blizzards on Sunday swept across the eastern province of Shandong, south of Beijing, with snow piling up to 13 centimeters (5.1 inches) deep in some areas, according to state-run outlet the Global Times.

Photos from provincial capital Jinan showed residents bundled up in thick coats and boots, workers shoveling snow from roads, and parks boasting newly-built snowmen.

City authorities issued two red alerts for road ice and blizzard dangers, while several districts canceled classes for Monday, the Global Times reported.

Travel was also disrupted, with delays on multiple high-speed rail lines through the province.

But about 400 miles down the coast in the finance hub of Shanghai, residents experienced a weekend of record heat.

The city of almost 25 million recorded its hottest early March in more than 150 years, according to the Global Times.

Temperatures hit a new early March record on Saturday – then rose even higher on Sunday to 28.5 degrees Celsius (83 Fahrenheit). Residents took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, flocking outdoors in t-shirts and shorts; photos from the city show people eating ice cream in the sun and children frolicking in public fountains.

Temperatures in Shanghai are expected to drop in the coming days. But the vastly different conditions across the country reflect the increasingly unpredictable climate that in recent years has brought soaring temperatures, prolonged droughts and devastating floods.

Last year was China’s hottest since nationwide records began more than 60 years ago and in Shanghai, it was the warmest year since the Qing dynasty, Reuters reported, citing local authorities.

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It was a weekend for the history books. What began with US President Donald Trump furiously berating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House ended with a show of European unity in London and vows to wrestle negotiations over the Russia-Ukraine war away from the US.

Here are five key takeaways from a public bust-up that has profound implications for Washington’s relationship with some of its strongest allies:

Zelensky-Trump fallout

The unprecedented scenes that unfolded in the Oval Office on Friday appalled Western allies, but came after weeks of fundamental changes in transatlantic relations led by a new White House administration pushing an “America First” agenda.

Those changes first became apparent when US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said last month that Kyiv joining NATO was unrealistic – upending the alliance’s stated policy while handing Russia a major concession – and told European allies the US will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security.

Later, Vice President JD Vance made a blistering speech to European leaders in Munich, claiming they are suppressing free speech, losing control of immigration, refusing to work with hard-right parties in government – and that the biggest threat they face comes “from within,” rather than China and Russia.

And Trump had already wrongly accused Kyiv of starting the conflict and labeled Zelensky a “dictator.”

Then Zelensky met Trump on Friday as their two countries tried to hammer out an agreement that would give Washington access to Kyiv’s mineral resources in exchange for investment and what Ukraine hopes would be concrete security guarantees.

That deal looks off the table for now after the fiery showdown which saw the Ukrainians instructed to leave the White House, accused of being ungrateful for American military support.

Europe steps up

Western nations were quick to signal their continued support for Zelensky and his war-torn country.

On Saturday Zelensky arrived in London, where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer embraced him in front of the TV cameras. That warm reception also extended to a meeting with King Charles at Sandringham House.

But it was at a crucial summit of European leaders in London that European unity and allyship with Ukraine was on full display, as they attempted to forge a path toward a ceasefire and ramp up ongoing military support for Kyiv.

Starmer told the summit that the West is at a “crossroads in history” and “this is not a moment for more talk. It’s time to act.”

NATO chief Mark Rutte said more countries agreed to ramp up defense spending, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was vital for Europe to “rearm” and would present a plan to do that this week.

Fresh plan to stop the fighting

During the meeting, France and Britain proposed an alternative peace deal for Ukraine that would involve a month-long limited ceasefire, French President Emmanuel Macron told Le Figaro newspaper.

Countries would enter a “coalition of the willing” to defend a deal and guarantee peace, Starmer said, and his country would back this with “boots on the ground and planes in the air.”

Any potential peace plan would have to involve Russia, but Moscow would not dictate the terms of “any security guarantee,” Starmer added. Zelensky has not said whether he agreed with the proposal and Russia has already said it will not accept European troops as peacekeepers.

And it remains to be seen whether this proposal has legs with the White House, which has pursued direct peace talks with Moscow that currently do not include Ukraine or Europe.

American support still needed

What was clear from the meeting is that US support is still crucial for Ukraine peace efforts. Starmer reiterated any plan would need “strong US backing.”

Since his disastrous visit to Washington, Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his gratitude for both US and European military support. “There has not been a day when we have not felt this gratitude,” he said in his nightly address Sunday night.

Zelensky said on Saturday his country was ready to sign the rare minerals deal with the US, and called the US a “strategic partner,” saying it would not benefit anyone other than Russia if US assistance to Ukraine were to stop.

A win for Putin

Putin has been tight lipped about the Oval Office fracas although Russian state media and officials have reacted with glee.

Moscow is now anticipating talks aimed at rebuilding the US-Russia relationship will continue in the weeks ahead and, though nothing has been announced in public, there’s talk of a Trump-Putin summit being fast-tracked.

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