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A man who formerly worked for the U.S. government found himself in a shouting match with Russian "Merchant of Death" arms dealer Viktor Bout on Tuesday.During a segment on The Alex Jones Show, a caller from Kansas named Lee spoke to Bout about Russia's war in Ukraine."It's quite a unique experience to be able to talk to you, sir," Lee said. "The question I'd like to put forward to you is, you are a legislator, a legislator in your government. Is that correct?""Well, I'm a part of the regional legislature, and this year we are participating in the election to our federal Duma," Bout explained."Very good," Lee remarked. "Now, this war with Ukraine, your country has been waging the last four years, has created millions of casualties, and you've really not changed anything. The lines have been drawn for the last two and a half. At what point are you going to start coming down on Vladimir Putin about ending this war, even if it means a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territory prior to 2014?"Before allowing Bout to respond, Jones defended Russia's war of choice."Russia has stopped NATO's expansion, and it's now fighting the proxy war that was launched," Jones claimed. "And that's just a fact... The EU Commission has said they want to break up Russia. The West launches attack. Let's just be honest about it.""My response is very simple," Bout chimed in. "First of all, [Ukraine's] Donbas is a Russian land. It was illegally, you know, given to so-called Ukrainian Republic.""Second one, majority of the population of these areas is almost 90% is Russians," he continued. "What are you thinking? That Russia ever will abandon its own, you know, people to be, you know, subjugated to these neo-Nazis regime? Hell no! The population of Russia fully supported [the war]!"Bout insisted that the war was a battle for Russia's future. "And this is our land," he quipped. "So there is no way Russia will, you know, decide it or surrender or get out, because first of all, everything, if you look from the history, Ukraine has not existed. It's an artificial creation... it should be a single unitary territory of Russia."Jones again spoke up in defense of Russia: "Well, Russia's had naval bases in Crimea for 500 years.""I find it audacious that I see you on here saying, well, the Ukrainians are hitting residential areas," the caller replied. "What I mean you've been doing it for four years, sir? The other thing is, you guys invaded illegally in 2014. You started this war. The only resolution is the complete withdrawal of Russian troops!""You have lost the war!" the man exclaimed. "No, it's absolutely incorrect!" Bout shouted back. "We're not started this war!" "Would we put up with a bunch of foreign troops on the Canadian border or the Mexican border?" Jones asked."What troops were in Ukraine prior to [the war]?" the caller shot back."Oh, my! I've had family over there as advisors before this even started!" Jones bellowed. "But Lee, you sound really pissed off because you know Russia is winning this war against the unelected EU and the British Empire, who are our enemies. This war is hurting America. We should have trade deals with Russia.""Yeah, if you want to give your taxpayer money to this, you know, drug addict Zelenskyy," Bout said, "who everything — lost his legitimacy, go ahead. Spend your money. Then you don't have a [expletive], you know, bridges, schools! Go ahead, support Ukraine!"Before hanging up, Jones scolded the caller."NATO for decades has moved missiles up to the border of Russia," he ranted. "And then we were taught, oh, Russia went into Cuba because — just to start a fight. No, they did it and said because you put nukes on our border. Now they've got hypersonic nukes even closer. This is crazy!"

President Donald Trump struggled to demonstrate his athletic prowess to a group of children at the White House, failing on several attempts to putt a golf ball.After arriving on the White House lawn to "Eye of the Tiger" on Tuesday, Trump walked over to a group of kids who were on hand to promote the Presidential Fitness Test. The president observed the kids playing golf for several minutes before grabbing a club.He attempted two to three putts before giving up on trying to sink one.Trump, 79, reportedly claims a handicap of 2.8 in the Golf Handicap Information Network, the lowest recorded for any president. He has been repeatedly accused of cheating. In a 2025 viral video, the president's caddie appeared to drop a ball in a more favorable position.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has gone missing from public view and has shifted his attention away from diplomacy amid "America's global collapse," an analyst pointed out on Tuesday. Salon's Chauncey DeVega described how Rubio's focus appears to be on the State Department — and altering its previous emphasis on "cultural pluralism, secularism and inclusiveness in its public messaging and other communications" — and not on international peace negotiations, including the Iran war, or Ukraine and Russia war. "He has not visited the Middle East since last October, nor has he played a direct role in diplomatic negotiations over Ukraine and Gaza," DeVega explained. Instead, Rubio has been restructuring his "department as a tool of MAGA." "While also attending to Trump’s needs, Rubio has been busy remaking the State Department in the MAGA image — an act that is undermining democracy at home and accelerating strategic failures abroad," DeVega wrote. "What the administration calls 'America First' is, in practice, white racial authoritarianism and white Christian nationalism that governs who and what is deemed to be in America’s vital interests."Under Trump, the State Department has dropped its recognition of Islamic holidays or other non-Christian religious observations that it previously celebrated on social media. Now, Rubio has been pushing a MAGA agenda forward. "Since Trump’s return to power, the United States has been repositioning itself as an explicitly Judeo-Christian nation — and government departments and agencies are following suit," DeVega wrote. "On Easter Sunday Rubio shared a video on social media in which he passionately described the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The department’s Instagram account has featured images of Christian crosses and references to 'Christ’s sacrifice.'"Trump has reportedly asked Republican allies whether he should endorse a Rubio or Vice President JD Vance 2028 presidential nomination, with focus groups apparently favoring Rubio for the potential run."Many see him as a stabilizing force, as well as a more presentable and traditional representative for their 'America First' nationalism and so-called conservative values," DeVega wrote. "Rubio sacrificed his values and the storied institutional legacy of the State Department itself to be in closer proximity to Donald Trump, a chaos agent — and America’s reputation and power are collapsing," DeVega added.

During a relatively subdued Pentagon briefing on the Iran War on Tuesday morning, both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine were caught by surprise by a question about “kamikaze dolphins” being deployed in the Strait of Hormuz.During the question and answer segment following the opening statements, a reporter identifying herself as Mary Margaret Olohan from the far-right Daily Wire addressed her question to both of the Pentagon officials.“My first question is for General Caine," she began. "You said that the attacks by Iran so far are below the threshold of restarting major combat operations. What is that threshold? And then for Secretary Hegseth, are there still concerns about mines in the strait? And can you kind of clarify these reports of kamikaze dolphins that we've heard about?”That led Caine to smile and glance over at his counterpart and then joke, “I haven't heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It's like sharks with laser beams, right?” to laughter from the assembled reporters.After Caine added, “The threshold of restarting is a political decision above my pay grade,” Hegseth contributed, “And I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't. Ultimately, the any follow-on effort, if there are mines identified, would be something that some of our units could undertake or the world could undertake. But right now we know we have a lane of safe passage.” - YouTube youtu.be

A retired Army colonel and former dean of the U.S. Army War College is calling for the removal of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, arguing that his combative and factually questionable performance before congressional committees has raised serious doubts about his fitness to lead the Pentagon during a period of unprecedented global instability.In a column for MS NOW, Jeff McCausland, now a visiting professor at Dickinson College, laid out a damning case against Hegseth, noting that the nation faces an escalating conflict with Iran, an ongoing war in Ukraine, rising Chinese threats, and a potential energy crisis — none of which can be effectively managed by an unprepared secretary of defense."The American people are threatened by an ongoing conflict that could easily escalate and is already having a dramatic effect on the global economy. The nation is potentially facing its greatest energy crisis in history, and Hegseth's testimony cast doubt on his fitness for the position of secretary of defense," McCausland wrote.According to McCausland, Hegseth's testimony was "disturbing from the onset" for his "combative and argumentative style," as he immediately lashed out at lawmakers from both parties rather than engaging seriously with their concerns about a proposed 45% increase in the Pentagon budget — a massive jump that would worsen the nation's already dire fiscal crisis with national debt exceeding $39 trillion.Hegseth's strategic analysis of the Iran war revealed even deeper problems. Last June, he claimed that Operation Midnight Hammer strikes against Iran had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities. When questioned about conflicting media reports during his testimony, Hegseth attempted to have it both ways, stating that facilities had been destroyed but that Iran still possessed "nuclear ambitions."During his testimony, Hegseth claimed the United States is "winning" the war with Iran, apparently failing to grasp that successful military strategy requires far more than "a target list," noted McCausland.McCausland also cited Hegseth's troubling record since taking office, including his role in the "Signalgate" scandal, where his use of unclassified communications risked placing American military personnel in harm's way. He has also fired more than two dozen senior officers without justification — actions questioned by both Democratic and Republican members of Congress."Even the most loyal supporter of President Donald Trump must look at Hegseth's record and agree that he is in over his head," McCausland wrote. "He was selected for this critical post not for his expertise but, rather, for his fealty to Trump."McCausland concluded that at a moment of unprecedented global danger, the nation cannot afford incompetence in Pentagon leadership.

Exclusive: amid unrest, President William Ruto promised to give all Kenyans access to healthcare. But the algorithm favours the rich, an investigation has foundAn AI system used to predict how much Kenyans can afford to pay for access to healthcare, has systemically driven up costs for the poor, an investigation has found.The healthcare system being rolled out across the country, a key electoral promise of President William Ruto, was launched in October 2024 and intended to replace Kenya’s decades-old national insurance system. Continue reading...

Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi has called for discussions to revise the constitution, saying it should ‘reflect the demands of the times’Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has called for “advanced discussions” on revising the pacifist constitution, as large demonstrations were held nationwide to oppose any changes to the country’s supreme law.Speaking during an official visit to Vietnam, Takaichi said the constitution, which was written by US occupation forces after the second world war, “should periodically be updated to reflect the demands of the times”. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump faced fresh market manipulation accusations on Sunday after he said the U.S. would guide "neutral and innocent" ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump wrote on Truth Social that "countries from all over the world" have asked him to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that accounts for 20% of the world's energy trade. The waterway has been shut down since late February, when the war in Iran began, and the Iranian regime has reportedly attacked merchant ships from the U.K. and other countries for trying to pass through. "I have told my Representatives to inform them that we will use [our] best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else. This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time."Political analysts and observers reacted to Trump's post on social media. "So, the blockade is bad again, or is this the market calling?" Tricia Hope, a self-described former January 6 participant, posted on X. "Big bet on oil was no doubt placed an hour before announcement," radio host Charlie Thompson posted on X. "It's Sunday evening again, so Trump is coming out with another 'breakthrough,'" political writer Maarten Verheyen posted on X.