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FBI Director Kash Patel's country singer girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, has a new "government gig" planned in Belgium this summer, according to reports on Wednesday.Wilkins will perform the national anthem in Brussels for a "Freedom 250" party featuring a military flyover, thousands of VIP guests, troops and fireworks, reported The Swamp, one of The Daily Beast's Substacks. "The event will be held at Cinquantenaire Park, a sprawling 30-hectare urban park known for its Triumphal Arch, sweeping gardens, and grand museums," according to The Swamp. Not everyone was thrilled about the party. "The Swamp has learned that some locals are already annoyed that a large part of their city is set to be sealed off ahead of the MAGA-fest."Bill White, the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Wilkins's friend, has planned the event.Patel and Wilkins started dating in 2023. It's unclear if Patel, who has been criticized for using his FBI jet to attend the Olympics in Italy and taking secret snorkeling trips in Hawaii, will be there."Which raises two obvious questions: Is Wilkins getting paid— and will Keystone Kash be making the trip?" The Swamp wrote.

The internet was shocked on Wednesday after President Donald Trump appeared to reverse his stance on Iran having nuclear weapons — a key point he argued for launching the war.The president was boarding Air Force One and heading to Paris when he spoke about Iran's nuclear program. Trump had spent the last several days at the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, with world leaders and discussed the agreement."I'm saying that if other countries have them, it's a little unfair for them not to have some," Trump said.Media and political experts were stunned by the comment and reacted to the remark."Remember, one of their stated aims for the war was to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles," Mehdi Hasan, founder and CEO of news outlet Zeteo, wrote on X."That's what Iran has been saying for years," journalist Ray Locker wrote on X."Not the first time he’s said this still," Laurence Norman, reporter for The Wall Street Journal, wrote on X. "Quite a day," Adil Haque, Rutgers Law professor and executive editor of Just Security, wrote on X."And if Israel has nukes?....." Political analyst and writer Yousef Munayyer wrote on X."Quite natural for Trump. He loves seere [SIC] dictatorships & the more autocratic the better in Trump's eyes," economist and author Anders Åslund wrote on X."Just complete surrender on every front," Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones, Center for Investigative Reporting and Reveal, wrote on Bluesky."Again, need to say it - if Biden, Obama or any other Democratic President publicly endorsed Iran having ballistic missiles after launching an ill advised war to essentially eliminate Iran's missile launching capabilities - Congress (even a Dem led one) would launch impeachment proceedings next day," Murshed Zaheed, founder and CEO of Pacifica Strategies, wrote on Bluesky.Just complete surrender on every front.[image or embed]— Clara Jeffery (@clarajeffery.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 12:40 PM

President Donald Trump's shifting relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be a boon for Vice President JD Vance's 2028 presidential ambitions, an analyst reported on Wednesday.Jonathan V. Last, editor of The Bulwark, explained that a split between America and Israel could redefine the MAGA coalition. Although Vance is in a tough position with pro-war Republicans furious over the surrender and blaming the vice president — instead of Trump — he could also win over America First isolationists who have been skeptical of the relationship with Israel."Playing the part of Trump’s surrender monkey queers Vance with both wings of MAGA," Last wrote. But there could be more to it for the vice president, who was skeptical of the war to begin with."The best thing that could happen for Vance would be Trump souring on Israel," Last wrote."Israel will be one of the big cleavages in the post-Trump GOP," Last wrote. "The rising, young segment of the base is . . . skeptical of America’s relationship with Israel. But the establishment wing of MAGA remains pro-Israel. So long as Trump was wedded to Israel and Bibi Netanyahu, Vance was going to have to tread lightly. He’d have to signal enough of his Israel skepticism to keep the Tucker-wing of MAGA guessing while staying publicly aligned with Trump."If that changes, and Trump does turn on Israel, it could reveal a different future MAGA."Netanyahu has tried to undermine the deal. He is likely to fail because Trump needs to end the war, period. Which leaves Netanyahu with a choice," Last wrote.The Israeli prime minister could examine two potential options: pretend Trump's deal is a good one and try to convince the Israeli public it is, or condemn the deal and break away from Trump.Trump has criticized Netanyahu, calling him "crazy," and as the president's popularity has dropped in Israel, it could reveal that Israelis have soured on Trump — and Republicans might not have realized this as fast as Israelis have, Last explained."Vance has neither of those advantages and on top of that, he’s a bad politician," Last wrote. "He’s good at managing up, not pandering down. My guess is that Vance has taken stock of the situation and realized that he may be over a barrel now, but there is a path for him. If he leans into Iran, takes ownership of Trump’s surrender, then he can take advantage of any Trump-Israel schism and exit this war in a reasonably strong position with the Republican base."

The internet fired off stunned reactions on Wednesday as President Donald Trump gave a meandering speech after the G7 Summit in France.Trump spoke about the Iran agreement from Évian-les-Bains and talked for more than 40 minutes on a stage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick standing behind him.Political and media experts commented on the president's demeanor and claims."This is one of the most erratic press conferences I think I've ever seen from Trump. He sounds like he's got a rotten cold," Mikey Smith, deputy political editor for The Mirror, wrote on X."Even with the bronze plaster on his face, the president looks exceedingly unwell," former CIA case officer and political commentator, wrote on X."Ummm………….," political commentary account Spiro’s Ghost wrote on X."A few missiles never hurt anybody," Ron Filipkowski, MeidasTouch editor and attorney, wrote on X."This is the dumbest speech in the history of speeches. My 7th grade speech for class secretary was better," Georgetown University professor Anthony M. Hopper wrote on X."Sounds like Trump's personal 'Strait of Hormuz' just opened," former Metro editor at the Chicago Tribune Mark Jacob wrote on Bluesky."Heads up to the moms whose SNAP benefits just got cut," editor Amanda Katz, former Washington Post writer, posted on Bluesky.This is one of the most erratic press conferences I think I've ever seen from Trump. He sounds like he's got a rotten cold. https://t.co/CWF2i1FlB6— Mikey Smith (@mikeysmith) June 17, 2026

Major operation launched after spate of pet thefts in Ho Chi Minh City, according to local mediaPolice in Vietnam have rescued more than 400 cats in a bust of a cat meat crime ring in Ho Chi Minh City, according to animal welfare groups and local media reports.More than 40 cats were reunited with their owners after the multiday operation last week, but several dozen of those rescued have died due to the harsh conditions in which they were found, the groups said. Continue reading...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) put a baffling spin on Trump's Iran War deal, but he didn't get off scot-free.Although details of Trump's Iran War deal remain murky, it's already being criticized for reportedly giving up a $300 billion reconstruction fund. Graham told reporters on Tuesday, however, what he believed the deal achieved."If this thing goes through, we've opened up the straits," the GOP senator said. "The war will be in a permanent ceasefire, and we'll try to get a nuclear deal with Iran."On X, commentators dogged Graham as they pointed out that these achievements were what was already in place before Trump started the war."We've achieved opening the Strait that was open before the war that Trump lost," wrote Ben Rhodes, a former Obama foreign policy advisor and political writer."The big achievement of the war, according to Lindsey Graham, is that things will hopefully go back to the way they were before the war," MeidasTouch, a political news network, piled on."Trump started the fighting and is responsible for the closing of the Strait," agreed Norman Ornstein, a political scientist and contributing editor for The Atlantic. "So he is giving Iran tons of money, draining $50 billion or more from taxpayers, depleting our vital stocks, bloodshed from our military, oil, helium, and fertilizer prices up, to return to status quo ante.""Not only were the straits open before Trump initiated combat operations, but the U.S. could have very likely prevented Iran from closing them & clearly was not able to/did not prioritize that part of mission," senior national security reporter Zachary Cohen wrote. "Now, Iran has demonstrated it can successfully close them."

The internet mocked President Donald Trump after photos and video footage showed him wandering off the stage among world leaders at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday.Trump was in Évian-les-Bains discussing the Iran agreement and during a family photo, he appeared to be somewhat disoriented, moving away from the group of dignitaries who tried to direct him back to the group. Another photo also revealed Trump needed a helping hand from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to climb a single step for the photo opportunity.Media and political commentators caught the moment and reacted to what they saw."Every picture tells a story," anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project wrote on X. "Trump seems dazed and confused at G7.""A confused Trump wanders off in the wrong direction and has to be guided back in front of G7 world leaders," the Democratic Party posted on X."WATCH: Here’s a very confusing Donald Trump wandering off in the wrong direction and had to be guided back in front of G7 world leaders. Does he actually know where he’s going?" Progressive social media commentator Lucas Sanders wrote on X."Trump starts wandering off in the wrong direction after a G7 photo and world leaders have to step in and redirect him," media organization MeidasTouch wrote on X."They almost had to issue a Silver Alert," investor and strategist Daniel Micovic wrote on X.Trump starts wandering off in the wrong direction after a G7 photo and world leaders have to step in and redirect him pic.twitter.com/ahFNRXIsYi— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) June 16, 2026

Fashion house pays tribute to Chinese style with its 75th anniversary catwalk show in Shanghai“New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Shanghai doesn’t even sit down.” For the British designer Ian Griffiths, who encountered this line in the New Yorker, it summed up why China’s biggest city was the right place to celebrate Max Mara’s 75th anniversary.“Max Mara is a product for metropolitan women, and it would be patronising to assume that a metropolitan wardrobe should be western-centric,” Griffiths said. Continue reading...