INTERNACIONAL
Trump responds to critics with counterpunches across politics and ongoing culture wars
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Whether you love or hate Donald Trump, it’s my duty to say that he responded to a user on Truth Social by saying: «NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.»
That’s in response to some ugly and reckless online rumors that I won’t dignify here, although CNN made time to discuss it, adding that vicious online chatter is not true.
What is true is that the president has been on an online rampage, that denouncing his opponents gives him immense satisfaction and portrays him as a fighter. Fighting has been his default setting, ever since he was battling the likes of Leona Helmsley as a New York developer.
And it goes beyond politics. Trump has demanded that Roger Clemens, credibly accused of taking illegal drugs, be admitted to the Hall of Fame now, rather than waiting till his death as in the case of Pete Rose. He says this is part of a «deal» he made with the baseball commissioner.
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And then there are other parts of the culture war, such as declaring parts of the Smithsonian museums too «woke,» and personally announcing the Kennedy Center Awards choices after ousting Democrats from the theater’s board.
The president is also escalating his rhetoric against the media, demanding that ABC and NBC – both of which settled his lawsuits by $16 million or more – lose their licenses because of their negative coverage…of him.
Joe Biden used to be out of sight in Rehoboth for three days and no one noticed. Trump does that – though there have been reporter «sightings» – and the media go crazy. That’s because we’re so accustomed to seeing him every day. He may have minor ailments – bruised hand, swollen ankles – but he’s, well, old,, and it would be helpful if he released more medical information. But the guy held a 3-hour, 15-minute presser just a few days ago!
And if you’ve crossed Donald in the past – fughedaboudit!
President Donald Trump addresses rumors of his death at the White House Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
He is a counterpuncher.
In reading jabs with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Trump said he got praise as «the greatest president of my lifetime.» But video from a Fox documentary shows the governor gave him a warm welcome and said he looked forward to working with him on rebuilding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.
«We’ll help you out,» Trump said.
But the president later posted: «I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge. I will now have to rethink that decision???»
Now who would be hurt by such a move? Millions of people tied to that region economically, and in the country served by that port. I don’t think he would actually do it, and he covers himself with the three question marks. (The funding was actually approved at the end of Biden administration.)
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When Chris Christie ripped his one-time ally on ABC, Trump brought up the 2013 George Washington Bridge scandal. New Jersey never charged the governor, and his two top indicted aides later had their convictions overturned.
«Chris refused to take responsibility for these criminal acts,» Trump posted.. For the sake of JUSTICE, perhaps we should start looking at that very serious situation again?»
Trump also called for Democratic donor and activist George Soros, and the son who’s taken over his organization, to face racketeering charges:
«George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America.»
TRUMP: Margaret Brennan. What do you think of her?
Trump, Karoline Leavitt, Margaret Brennan (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta; Mary Kouw/CBS via Getty Images)
KAROLINE LEAVITT: She’s stupid. You can put that on the record.
TRUMP: She’s nasty.
LEAVITT: Yes.
For the record, Brennan is far from stupid. What’s more, she was off for the holiday weekend, and it was CBS’s Ed O’Keefe asking Kristi Noem hard but fair questions. So there was no reason to be beating up on Brennan.
The Homeland Security secretary ripped CBS for «shamefully» editing this part out of the «Face the Nation» interview. In part:
«This individual was a known human smuggler, MS-13 gang member, an individual who was a wife beater, and someone who was so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors. And even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off. He was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children.»
Meanwhile, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough broke with the anti-Trump line and said this about Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker–after asking Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson five times if he wanted more money for police and not getting a straight answer.
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«I actually think that J.B. Pritzker should do something radical. I think he should pick up the phone, call the president, and say, ‘You know and I know you don’t have the Constitutional authority to deploy the National Guard here, and to police my [city]. You can do that in D.C., you can’t do that in Chicago. But let’s partner up. These are the most dangerous parts of my state, we would love to figure out how to have a partnership that’s Constitutional that respects the sort of balance of federalism between the federal government and the state government. And let’s work together to save lives.»
As for Johnson talking about the «dignity» of his constituents: «The mayor talking about ‘we’re gonna protect people’s dignity in our city,’ Scarborough said. «Well, protect their lives! That’s protecting their dignity!»
After the segment aired, Trump ripped Donna Brazile for her comments on ABC: «Wasn’t she totally discredited when she gave Crooked Hillary Clinton the questions to a Debate?»And later: «CRIME IS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL IN CHICAGO. 6 DEAD, 24 BADLY WOUNDED, LAST WEEK ALONE!!!»
Joe Scarborough speaks during the National Action Network’s Women’s Empowerment Luncheon at the Sheraton New York on April 11, 2024 in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Here’s another example: Ashley Parker, formerly of the New York Times and Washington Post and now with the Atlantic, and her colleague Nancy Youssef, did intensive reporting in talking to National Guard members, city residents and others and wrote that no one knows what the mission is:
«The occupation has chilled life in the city, especially in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations: quiet playgrounds, empty restaurants, fewer street vendors, fewer food-delivery scooters. Nannies have stayed home, and house cleaners have canceled. Some mixed-status families are keeping their children home from school or skipping work until the federal focus moves on, or they’re leaving home only when absolutely necessary. As D.C. Public Schools reopened this week, some local parent-teacher groups organized impromptu ‘walking buses’—volunteers willing to help walk to and from school kids whose parents don’t feel safe doing so…
«Their sudden appearance brings with it an absurdist sheen – their tasks quotidian (‘beautification’), their backdrops farcical (a Dupont Circle Krispy Kreme), their very presence sitcom-esque (as if lifted from an episode of Veep).»
Ok, it’s an opinionated piece for a liberal magazine. So what became the news?
That in June she had complained: «After another bike was stolen last night, my husband and I realized our life as DC homeowners by the numbers includes: 1 stolen car; 2 stolen scooters/Vespas; 3 stolen bikes; a partridge in a pear tree; etc.»
If anything, she put aside her personal experience with crime and slammed the «occupation.»
But let’s scrutinize the role of the media, much of which has resumed the role of the Resistance. Even if you despise every one of Trump’s policies, he is the most significant president of the 21st century, from bombing Iran’s nuclear sites to cracking down on D.C. crime and shutting down the border.
And yet the coverage has been overwhelmingly negative, though sometimes the press is fairly reporting an array of facts.
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For instance, that Trump wants to cut NOAA’s budget by 27 percent, eliminating its research arm, and has cut research for next-generation satellites.
But it seems that most of the negative coverage is aimed personally at the president, no matter what he says or does, with the knee-jerk reaction that he can never be given credit for anything.
fox news media,donald trump,us,politics,media buzz,donald trump,karoline leavitt
INTERNACIONAL
“No es ninguna amnistía”: el dirigente opositor Juan Pablo Guanipa fue liberado y cuestionó la nueva ley
Juan Pablo Guanipa, uno de los principales referentes de la oposición venezolana y quien es visto como mano derecha de María Corina Machado, recibió libertad plena durante la madrugada de este viernes. El propio Guanipa lo informó a través de su perfil en X (@JuanPGuanipa).
Guanipa ya había sido excarcelado una primera vez en tiempo reciente. Sin embargo, 12 horas después, fue detenido y condenado a prisión domiciliaria. Tras la aprobación de la Ley de Amnistía por la Asamblea Nacional (AN, Congreso), el referente de la oposición es uno de los primeros en tener libertad plena.
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“La liberación de presos políticos no es ningún acto de clemencia”
“Tras 10 meses en clandestinidad y casi nueve meses de injusto encarcelamiento, confirmo que estoy en libertad plena”, escribió Guanipa en su publicación. Luego, fue crítico con la aprobación de la denominada oficialmente Ley de Amnistía para la Convivencia Democrática. “Lo aprobado hoy (este jueves) en el Palacio Legislativo no es ninguna amnistía. Es un documento chucuto que pretende chantajear a muchos venezolanos inocentes y que excluye a varios hermanos que siguen injustamente tras las rejas”, dijo.
Y agregó: “La liberación de presos políticos no es ningún acto de clemencia. Ninguno de ellos debió estar preso. La dictadura los secuestró tratando de quebrar el espíritu del pueblo venezolano, pero no pudieron”.
En la publicación, Guanipa contextualizó su reclamo: “Los centros de tortura en Venezuela siguen abiertos, cientos de venezolanos siguen en el exilio, las leyes que usan para reprimir siguen vigentes y hay decenas de oficiales de nuestra Fuerza Armada Nacional que siguen presos por alzar la voz frente al saqueo de nuestra patria”.
Leé también: Venezuela: el gobierno interino de Delcy Rodríguez eliminó siete programas clave del chavismo El comunicado de Juan Pablo Guanipa, tras haber sido liberado. (Foto: X/@JuanPGuanipa).
Las críticas a la Ley de Amnistía aprobada por la AN de Venezuela
Guanipa no es la única voz que critica la recién aprobada Ley de Amnistía en Venezuela. Distintos opositores venezolanos consideraron que es “insuficiente y sesgada” al contemplar solo coyunturas políticas específicas ocurridas entre 2002 y 2025.
“La ley aprobada hoy es insuficiente y sesgada, no podemos descansar ni ceder en los esfuerzos por la defensa de la libertad y una verdadera justicia transicional”, señaló el partido Primero Justicia (PJ) en una publicación en X.
Asimismo, indicó que no hay amnistía verdadera cuando las liberaciones dependen de los “mismos verdugos que persiguen inocentes”. PJ sostuvo que si la voluntad del Gobierno de Delcy Rodríguez es real, las liberaciones de los presos políticos podrían hacerse de inmediato y “no sería dilatada por debates estériles y procedimientos fingidos”.
“Una verdadera amnistía debe pasar por el desmontaje absoluto del sistema represor, tener mecanismos de reparación para las víctimas y garantías claras para la no repetición”, indicó la organización. Por su parte, la exdiputada Delsa Solórzano, quien recientemente salió de la clandestinidad, dijo en X que la cantidad de exclusiones en la ley son significativas.
Solórzano criticó que el texto no contemple la derogación de otras leyes, como la del odio, que “son usadas como instrumento de persecución política”. Pedro Urruchurtu, director de relaciones internacionales del partido Vente Venezuela, liderado por María Corina Machado, señaló en X que la ley es una excusa para ganar tiempo, “distraer y manipular, como los criminales que son”. Además, agregó: “No liberan a los presos políticos porque no les da la gana, no porque necesiten una ley”. Marina Saldivia, familiar de un detenido, reacciona frente al centro de detención de la Zona 7 de la Policía Nacional, tras la aprobación por parte de la Asamblea Nacional de la Ley de Amnistía, este jueves 19 de febrero de 2026. (Foto: REUTERS/Gaby Oraa).
“Es una ley bastante restrictiva”
Tamara Sujú, abogada defensora de Derechos Humanos y Directora Ejecutiva de Casla Institute, también cuestionó la ley a través de X (@Tamara_Suju). Para Sujú, la AN aprobó “un panfleto al que llaman Ley de “Amnistía” que deja por fuera a todos los acusados de rebelión, civiles y militares. Es decir, las 3/4 partes de los presos políticos que siguen en prisión. No existe un delito más político que este».
Para Alfredo Romero, Director de la ONG Foro Penal, una de las principales organizaciones que ha hecho seguimiento a las detenciones y excarcelaciones de presos políticos, indicó (@alfredoromero): “Es una ley bastante restrictiva y excluye a un sector importante de personas que son perseguidas políticas, que están detenidas; incluso, muchos de ellos, arbitrariamente”.
Por su parte, Liliana Ortega, defensora de Derechos Humanos y cofundadora del Comité de Familiares de Víctimas de los Sucesos de Febrero-Marzo de 1989 (COFAVIC), indicó (@LilianaOrtegaM) que “las amnistías solo son válidas en sus propósitos de reconciliación y paz si cumplen los estándares previstos en el Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos e incluyen los derechos de las víctimas. Ningún proceso de reconciliación es sostenible si se construye sobre la negación de los derechos de las víctimas”.
Venezuela, amnistia, presos políticos en Venezuela, María Corina Machado, Delcy Rodriguez
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FIRST ON FOX: Last year, when President Donald Trump helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, he took a victory lap.
«Who else could say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?’» he said.
Now, that agreement appears under strain. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told Fox News Digital that Thai forces have pushed into long-held Cambodian territory beyond the line of dispute. Thai soldiers have sealed off villages with barbed wire and shipping containers, leaving 80,000 Cambodians unable to return home, according to Cambodian officials.
«The occupation is beyond even Thailand’s unilateral claim,» Manet said. «Many of the villagers cannot go back to their hometowns.»
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Cambodia and Thailand have sparred for decades over sections of their 500-mile land border, much of which was drawn during the French colonial era and later interpreted differently by Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The dispute has periodically flared into armed clashes, particularly around areas near historic Khmer temple sites and rural villages where demarcation remains incomplete.
Tensions escalated again last year, with fighting breaking out along contested stretches of the frontier and displacing thousands of civilians on both sides. The clashes prompted diplomatic intervention and culminated in a ceasefire agreement brokered with U.S. involvement during an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Images and local reporting from the most recent fighting show damage to buildings near the frontier, including at or near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex, raising concerns about the safety of cultural heritage sites in contested zones. Cambodian officials have blamed Thai forces for the damage, while Thai officials have denied deliberately targeting religious or cultural landmarks, saying military operations were limited to contested security areas.
The Thai embassy could not be reached for comment on this interview.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet interviewed with Fox News Digital during a trip to Washington, D.C., for President Trump’s Board of Peace. (Fox News Digital)
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Still, Manet declined to threaten military retaliation.
«Our position is to always stick to peaceful resolutions,» he said. «We don’t believe that using war to stop a war is sustainable or practical.»
Thailand, with a population of more than 70 million — roughly four times Cambodia’s 17 million — maintains a significantly larger and better-equipped military, raising the stakes of any renewed conflict.
With fighting again threatening fragile stability along the frontier, Manet traveled to Washington this week for the inaugural meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace.
«The Board of Peace can play an active role in promoting peace, stability and normalcy between Cambodia and Thailand,» Manet said.
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Hun Manet took office in 2023, succeeding his father, Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades. The leadership transition marked the first formal handover of power in decades, though the ruling Cambodian People’s Party has maintained firm control over the country’s political system amid longstanding criticism from rights groups about limits on opposition activity.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Manet has sought to maintain close ties with China while cautiously reopening channels with Washington, including restoring joint military exercises that had been suspended in 2017.
As Cambodia navigates tensions with Thailand, it is also balancing relations between Washington and Beijing.
The Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, where cluster munitions, unexploded artillery shells and other ordnance are marked around the temple grounds, after clashes between the two countries, in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Feb. 12, 2026. (Soveit Yarn/Reuters)
Manet said navigating ties with competing world powers «doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game» and that Cambodia, as a smaller nation, cannot afford to «choose one country against the other.»
That balance has centered in part on Ream Naval Base, a strategic site on Cambodia’s southern coast rebuilt with Chinese financing.
The USS Cincinnati docked at Ream in late January, marking the first U.S. warship visit since the base was renovated with Chinese funding and technical support. The visit was marked by a striking visual, the USS Cincinnati docked roughly 150 meters from a Chinese naval vessel already moored at the base. For years, U.S. officials have raised concerns that Cambodia had granted China exclusive access.
But Manet insisted the base remains under Cambodian control.
«Our constitution says that no foreign military base [can] be situated on Cambodian soil,» Manet said.
Images and local reporting from the most recent fighting show damage to buildings near the frontier, including at or near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex, raising concerns about the safety of cultural heritage sites in contested zones. (Soveit Yarn/Reuters)
Manet said navigating ties with competing world powers «doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game» and that Cambodia, as a smaller nation, cannot afford to «choose one country against the other.» (Samrang Pring/Reuters)
The U.S. visit, he said, «clearly shows that Cambodia is not exclusively used as a naval base for cooperation with China.»
Manet also confirmed that annual U.S.-Cambodia military exercises known as Angkor Sentinel, suspended in 2017, will resume this year, signaling warming defense ties.
«We hope to have expanding cooperation with the U.S.,» Manet said.
In recent years, Cambodia has emerged as a hub for large-scale online scam operations, including so-called «pig butchering» schemes that have defrauded victims worldwide — including Americans — out of billions of dollars. U.S. authorities have sanctioned Cambodian-linked entities tied to crypto fraud and pressed Phnom Penh to intensify enforcement efforts amid concerns about trafficking and forced labor linked to some compounds.
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Manet said his government has stepped up cooperation with U.S. authorities and recently worked with the FBI to dismantle a major operation.
«We have recently worked with the FBI cracking on a major case involving one of the Oknyaks,» he said, referring to an influential Cambodian figure. «We arrested him, and we closed down one of the big compounds.»
conflicts defense,asia,foreign policy,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Zelenskyy dismisses Putin’s ‘historical s—’ in peace talks as ‘delay tactic,’ urges focus on ending the war
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday dismissed what he described as Vladimir Putin’s «historical s—,» saying he has no interest in debating the past and wants peace talks focused squarely on ending the war.
In a pointed post on X, Zelenskyy described Russia’s historical arguments as a «delay tactic,» accusing Moscow of using them to stall meaningful negotiations. He argued the only issue worth discussing with Putin is how to bring the war to a swift and successful end.
Putin has long made claims about the history of Ukraine and Russia, including a 2021 piece he wrote that discussed his position that «Russians and Ukrainians were one people» and that the two countries are «essentially the same historical and spiritual space.» Zelenskyy said debates about history will not accomplish the goal of reaching peace, and will only prolong the process of reaching a resolution.
«I have been to Russia – to many cities. And I knew a lot of people there. He [Putin] has never been to Ukraine this many times. He was only in big cities. I went to small cities. From the northern part to the southern part. Everywhere. I know their mentality. That’s why I don’t want to lose time on all these things,» Zelenskyy wrote.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have both met separately with President Donald Trump. Despite a peace deal agreement being close, territorial disputes remain, Zelenskyy said. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP; Christian Bruna/Getty)
The remarks came after another round of trilateral talks between Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian officials in Switzerland; meetings the Ukrainian president suggested he had produced limited progress.
«As of today, we cannot say that the outcome of the meetings in Geneva is sufficient,» Zelenskyy explained, saying that while military representatives had discussed certain issues «seriously and substantively,» sensitive political matters, possible compromises and a potential meeting between leaders have not yet been adequately worked through.
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A Ukrainian delegation (right) and Russian delegation (left) wait for the start of a meeting on the first day of the third round of trilateral talks between delegates from Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 17, 2026. (Press Service Of The National Security And Defence Council Of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte questioned at the Munich Security Conference last week whether Russia is serious about negotiations, noting that Moscow again sent presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who has previously emphasized historical narratives in talks, to lead discussions in Geneva.
Medinsky characterized the two days of negotiations as «difficult but businesslike,» according to a translation of his remarks from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky leaves after a second round of U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva on Feb. 18, 2026. (Harold Cunningham/AFP via Getty Images)
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NBC News reported that Medinsky, who has served as a Kremlin aide since 2020, is regarded as a close Putin ally whose views on Ukrainian history closely align with the Russian president’s.
«It would seem obvious to anyone familiar with history at the primary school level: Russians and Ukrainians are historically — one people,» he wrote in a November op-ed for the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.
volodymyr zelenskyy,vladimir putin,ukraine,russia
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