INTERNACIONAL
Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ message resonates with Russian neighbor
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UNITED NATIONS – Latvia is ready to move quickly once it starts its first-ever United Nations Security Council term in January 2026.
Of the 188 countries taking part in the vote, 178 cast their ballots in favor of the Eastern European nation.
Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Baiba Braže, who attended the vote at the U.N.’s New York City headquarters, told Fox News Digital that her country is ready to address the ongoing Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars. Ahead of its term on the council, Riga has its eyes set on peace for all parties involved in both conflicts.
«We shall work on the U.N. Security Council to help achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the Middle East and other conflict regions, to strengthen global security, safeguard the international rules-based order in line with the U.N. Charter and make the work of the U.N. Security Council more effective,» Braže said in her address to the U.N. last week.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze speaks to the press after Latvia was elected as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on June 3, 2025. (Xie E/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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When it comes to Israel and Hamas, Braže emphasized the need to get aid to the people of Gaza but said that Latvia did not have a position on how it should be done, despite international criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Braže expressed the need for the best solution to the aid issue in Gaza would be «whatever is more efficient» and that she believes both sides will be able to work on that. Overall, Braže was focused on one key point: getting aid to vulnerable people in Gaza.
The war in Ukraine hits closer to home for Braže. Latvia, like Ukraine, was part of the Soviet Union and gained its independence in 1991 after the USSR dissolved. She told Fox News Digital that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using «traditional Russian-Soviet tactics,» such as delays in negotiations, but she believes there are ways to pressure the Kremlin into peace.
Braže also said that Latvia «fully supports» President Donald Trump’s vision of peace through strength to quash the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
A serviceman of the 148th Separate Artillery Zhytomyr Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fires an M777 Howitzer toward Russian troops at a position on the front line amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on June 9, 2025. (REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov)
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«Currently we don’t see a single indication that Russia wants peace. It’s bluffing, it’s asking impossible demands from the U.S., from Ukraine and others, and then blaming Ukraine for not accepting those impossible demands,» she said.
Braže told Fox News Digital that limiting Russia’s income and its access to technology will be crucial to securing a stable and lasting peace. This would also mean intervening in potentially threatening partnerships, such as the one between China and Russia.
«Making sure that the oil price stays low and that its oil and gas exports are affected and limited is very important,» she said.
The foreign minister accused China of being the «main enabler» of Russia through its exports to the country. She said that Russia is able to «cannibalize» parts of the exports it gets from China and put them toward its missile program.
Soldiers of the 30th Prince Konstanty Ostrogski Mechanized Brigade fire a missile from a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher at the positions of Russian troops in the Donetsk direction, Ukraine, on June 3, 2025. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Beyond how the world handles Russia, Braže sees strengthening Ukraine’s ability to defend itself as a crucial part of ending the war. She noted that Ukraine is acting in accordance with Article 51 of the U.N. Charter. Braže also called Ukraine the «strongest deterrent of Russia’s aggression.»
«So, military aid, humanitarian aid, political support, moral support, everything is needed. So that is the strength, and that will lead to peace,» she told Fox News Digital.
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When asked about what a victory for Ukraine, as well as long-lasting security, would look like, Braže left it up to Kyiv.
«Ukraine will define what it sees both as peace and victory. We believe that Ukraine’s sovereignty, Ukraine’s ability to control its territory, Ukraine not accepting the occupied territories as Russian—because that’s against international law—that all are elements that will be required for both peace but also for Ukraine, considering that it has not lost the war.»
INTERNACIONAL
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INTERNACIONAL
Speechwriters split after Trump’s record-breaking SOTU: ‘Living in his own reality’ vs. ‘Resounding speech’
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Presidential speechwriters sharply split late Tuesday after President Donald Trump delivered a record-breaking State of the Union address, drawing praise from allies and prompting early exits from some Democrats.
During his address, Trump focused on immigration enforcement, economic concerns and global trade issues as he occasionally sparred with Democrats like Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who along with fellow Squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan left the chamber early, while Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was booted after waving a sign condemning a recent Trump social media post.
Gene Hamilton, a former deputy White House counsel who has written speeches, told Fox News Digital that Trump delivered a «resounding speech» and «could not have been more clear about the current state of our great nation.»
«A vision of hope, prosperity, and strength, driven by strong borders, a strong economy, and a love of country.»
President Donald Trump, center, greets lawmakers on State of the Union night. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)
Hamilton said the speech was «juxtaposed» against a swath of the Democratic caucus in the chamber that «wouldn’t even stand for the provision that the government’s first duty ‘is to protect American citizens, not illegal immigrants’.»
«Donald Trump saved this country with his election in 2024. His administration will keep working every day to deliver real wins for the American people,» said Hamilton, who worked in the first Trump administration and now works with America First Legal.
On the other side of the political spectrum, former Biden speechwriter Dan Cluchey told Fox News Digital that Trump did «less than zero to dispel the notion that he is living in his own reality.»
Asked if Trump succeeded in addressing the immigration crisis and affordability criticisms well enough, Cluchey said that while Americans endure «skyrocketing grocery, energy, and health costs, rising unemployment, and an economy that is growing more slowly today than in any year under President Biden, his only play is to tell families not to believe their own pocketbooks.»
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U.S. Rep. Al Green protests as President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)
«[That] doesn’t work,» said Cluchey, who co-hosted a SOTU watch party and speechwriting workshop across town at Georgetown University during Trump’s speech.
Asked about Trump’s ability to convey what he believed to be his administration’s successes, Cluchey said that dynamic «doesn’t really work when the claims you fabricate don’t square with people’s real lives.»
«A willingness to lie brazenly about anything and everything has some utility when you’re campaigning, but it doesn’t hold up when you’re governing — and people are actually living through the constant stream of chaos, cruelty, and ineptitude,» Cluchey said.
Cluchey added that Trump did not do enough to combat his critics, saying he instead came across as «self-obsessed and delusional as he always does.»
Unlike Hamilton, Cluchey believed Trump failed to change any minds in America with his remarks.
Hamilton separately countered that Trump did indeed reiterate that he has delivered on campaign promises.
«For all the haters and ‘black-pillers’ who run their mouths incessantly, just one year of President Trump’s successes has dwarfed the accomplishments of entire administrations that preceded him,» he said.
Michael Ceraso, a Democratic strategist with a background in speechwriting who worked with presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, offered a slightly different perspective, saying that as a Democrat, he wants a president who works toward collaboration and not someone who «speaks in monologues.»
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Connor Hellebuyck seen after President Donald Trump announces he will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
«As a voter, I may not like him. I may find his long form exhausting. But when he speaks, he never wavers from American exceptionalism,» Ceraso said.
«I see someone protecting our cities against those he deems a threat to democracy, revving up the economy, managing global partners, and defeating terrorism.»
Ceraso said, however, he misses former President Barack Obama and his message of intellectualism, curiosity and togetherness.
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«As a voter, I believe both parties are bad for this country.»
«So I go with the guy who entertains me,» Ceraso said.
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MEXICO CITY: Firsthand accounts are emerging from Americans trapped by this week’s cartel-related violence in Mexico following the death of cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as «El Mencho.»
As news spread of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) cartel boss’s murder, reports described armed clashes between rival criminal organizations and Mexican security forces, as well as coordinated vehicle burnings and temporary highway blockades. Mexican authorities say that such operations are often linked to internal cartel disputes or targeted law enforcement actions.
With the situation improving, Americans in the tourist area of Puerto Vallarta and beyond shared their experiences of the violent scenes they were caught up in.
A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Michoacán state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as «El Mencho.» (AP Photo/Armando Solis) (Armando Solis/AP Photo)
«My group was seven people, and we were on our way to the main port in Puerto Vallarta with a local shuttle driver when we saw a bus stopped horizontally across the road in front of us. At first, we thought it was an accident, but then we saw people running full speed away from the bus,» Colorado resident Scott Posilkin told Fox News Digital.
«As we were trying to register what was happening, we saw a man with a gun come around the far side of the bus. He waved it at us and gave us a hand signal to turn around, which we immediately did. We tried to head in the opposite direction, but we encountered another burning car, which left us essentially trapped between the two.»
He continued, «We went down to the only beach we could access. One of the locals advised us that the safest place for us would be out on the water. We took a tender boat out to the snorkeling boat we were supposed to be on and stayed there for a few hours. From the water, we could see what looked like much of the town burning.»
Posilkin said, «Getting a boat back to shore took a long time, and at one point we even considered swimming because there was no one on the beach to come get us. The captain said he had never seen the beach empty like that in his life, and he grew up there. We eventually flagged down a passing tender that brought us to shore. There were cartel members on a motorcycle who yelled «Viva Mexico» at us, but we did not feel that they were threatening us in any way. Both our shuttle driver and the locals assured us that the cartel was not interested in harming Americans and that it was still safest for us to get home that way.»
A burned-out bus in the Puerto Vallarta area of Mexico. (Photo courtesy of Scott Posilkin)
Posilkin gave credit to the locals for their help and support. «I want to emphasize how above and beyond the locals went to help us during an incredibly stressful situation. Everyone we interacted with — from our boat captain to our shuttle driver — had grown up here, and none of them had ever seen anything like this before… More than anything, I feel bad for the locals. Tourism is their livelihood, and I worry about the impact this will have on them. This experience hasn’t changed my love for travel or for Mexico, though it was a serious ordeal.»
TROOPS REINFORCE PUERTO VALLARTA AS UNREST SHOWS SIGNS OF EASING FOLLOWING EL MENCHO’S DEATH
Tourists walk past a burned shop in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, Mexico, on Feb. 24, 2026, after cartel-linked violence erupted following the death of Jalisco New Generation cartel leader Nemesio «El Mencho» Oseguera Cervantes. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)
Rodolfo Flores, an American citizen and executive in the energy sector talked to Fox News Digital: «Although it wasn’t one of the worst-affected areas, on Sunday I saw a convenience store in Querétaro that had been burned down with a Molotov bomb.»
He said, «On the way to Mexico City, we saw cars and trucks that had been set on fire. This is just one example of how vulnerable we are, and it’s astonishing how these criminal organizations can terrorize the population. The authorities are to blame for allowing them to grow and expand with highly effective criminal cells.»
Security analysts note that cartel violence often intensifies following high-profile arrests, internal leadership disputes, or shifts in territorial control. Public displays of force — such as coordinated blockades or attacks on infrastructure — can serve as demonstrations of operational capacity.
Smoke rises after violence hit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (Photo courtesy of Scott Posilkin)
Another American, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, told Fox News Digital, «I left Coalcoman Michoacan on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. when the chaos began. As I left town, I saw them burning cars and trucks, pulling people out of their vehicles, and setting them on fire. Luckily, I managed to escape and cross the mountains; it’s a mountainous region. All along the way, I kept seeing burning cars and armed people. I was fortunate that they didn’t stop me,» he said.
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«I made it all the way to Colima and then to Guadalajara. Later, things got worse in my town. I heard they started burning gas stations and set fire to a supermarket. They closed off the town so people couldn’t get in or out.»
On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. embassy in Mexico posted an update stating that «U.S. citizens are no longer urged to shelter in place.»
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