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Trump blasts close ally Meloni, says she’s failing US on Iran
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Tensions between Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni escalated Tuesday after the U.S. president publicly rebuked one of his closest European allies, accusing her of lacking «courage» and failing to support Washington’s efforts against Iran.
In a phone interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Trump called Meloni «unacceptable» and said he was «shocked» by her stance, according to the outlet’s English-language version.
The dispute with Trump was further fueled by Meloni’s criticism of his recent remarks targeting Pope Leo XIV, which she called «unacceptable,» prompting Trump to respond that «she is the one who is unacceptable.»
In a scathing rebuke of the Vatican’s call for Middle Eastern de-escalation, President Trump took to Truth Social to blast Pope Leo XIV. Labeling the Pontiff «WEAK on Crime» and «terrible for Foreign Policy,» Trump warned him to «focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.» The post, which quickly went viral, accused the first American Pope of «catering to the Radical Left» at the expense of global security.
MORE KEY US ALLIES BLOCK MILITARY FLIGHTS AS IRAN WAR RIFT WIDENS WITH TRUMP
In the interview to Corriere della Sera Trump also reiterated criticism of Pope Leo XIV, saying the pontiff «has no idea what’s going on in Iran» and «doesn’t understand» what is at stake.
Tensions between Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni escalated Tuesday. (Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters)
She «isn’t giving us any help, I’m shocked by her,» Trump said about Meloni in the six-minute conversation.
He went further, accusing Meloni of relying on Washington while refusing to act.
«They depend on Donald Trump to keep it open,» he said, referring to global energy routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
The comments mark a sharp shift in tone toward Meloni, who attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration and was praised by him as «a great leader» just weeks ago.
The White House and Meloni’s office did not immediately respond.
The public rift comes as Meloni has begun distancing herself from both Washington and Jerusalem amid mounting domestic and political pressure over the widening Middle East conflict.
RUBIO SAYS US MAY NEED TO ‘REEXAMINE’ NATO MEMBERSHIP AFTER ALLIES BLOCKED BASING, AIRSPACE HELP
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer applaud, following the official signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, during a world leaders’ summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Oct. 13, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
On Tuesday, Meloni confirmed in a statement that Italy had suspended the automatic renewal of a long-standing defense cooperation agreement with Israel, signaling a significant recalibration in ties.
«In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel,» she said, according to Reuters.
The move follows recent tensions between Rome and Jerusalem, including Israeli warning shots fired near Italian troops serving in southern Lebanon under a U.N. mandate, as well as growing Italian criticism of Israeli military operations in the region.
Israel downplayed the impact of the decision, saying the agreement was largely symbolic and «has never contained any substantive content,» Reuters reported.
In Israel, opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the government following Italy’s move.
«Italy’s decision to suspend the defense cooperation agreement with Israel is another embarrassing failure of the prime minister and the non-existent foreign minister,» Lapid wrote on X.
TRUMP SAYS HE’S CONSIDERING PULLING US OUT OF NATO OVER IRAN WAR STANCE
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is greeted by US Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley (L) upon arrival at the White House South Portico in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025. European leaders join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in talks with US President Donald Trump on August 18, as they try to find a way to end Russia’s offensive. The leaders heading to Washington on Monday to appear alongside Zelensky call themselves the «coalition of the willing.» (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) (Mandel Ngan/AFP)
«Meloni is not a left-wing progressive European leader,» she added. «She belongs to the conservative right and understands the need to fight terrorism.»
Meloni’s shift reflects what analysts describe as a broader political repositioning, as the war’s economic fallout, particularly rising energy costs, weighs heavily on Italy’s import-dependent economy and public opinion.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani defended Meloni, reaffirming Italy’s alliance with the United States while emphasizing that cooperation must be grounded in «loyalty, respect and mutual frankness.»
The escalating tensions highlight growing fractures within Western alliances as the U.S.-led confrontation with Iran reverberates across Europe, forcing leaders like Meloni to balance strategic partnerships with domestic political realities.
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A ship is seen passing through the Strait of Hormuz during a two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, 2026. (Shady Alassar/Anadolu/Getty Images)
The Israel Defense Ministry declined to comment.
Reuters contributed to this report.
benjamin netanyahu, donald trump, war with iran, iran, foreign affairs
Lawmakers continue dispute over FISA
Chief Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram reports from Capitol Hill on the ongoing debate surrounding the extension of the FISA surveillance tool.
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One of the government’s most powerful surveillance tools will go dark this weekend, and lawmakers aren’t sure what that means for the nation’s intelligence-gathering authorities.
Democrats rejected attempts in the House and Senate to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in an act of defiance against President Donald Trump, who tapped Housing chief Bill Pulte to temporarily oversee the nation’s intelligence services.
But there are differing trains of thought on the ramifications of failing to renew the program. Some lawmakers argued that an extension was not necessary given that FISA courts had authorized continued intelligence gathering until March 2027.
SPY PROGRAM CREDITED WITH STOPPING TAYLOR SWIFT TERROR PLOT BARRELS TOWARD EXPIRATION
President Donald Trump signs a proclamation about the fishing industry as Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum listen in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on June 11, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Others say that it opens up the possibility for telecommunications and major tech companies like Google to decline handing over information without explicit direction from Congress.
«We don’t know the answer to that,» Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said. «But it is, obviously, a high-risk proposition.»
Boiled down, the Section 702 program allows the U.S. government to collect intelligence on foreigners abroad who are using U.S. communication systems, and it serves as a major part of Trump’s daily intelligence briefing.
But it also sweeps up communications from Americans who are talking to foreign suspects — a key issue that threatened reauthorization among privacy hawks in both parties well before Pulte’s appointment.
CONSERVATIVE FISA REVOLT POSES FRESH TEST FOR SPEAKER JOHNSON
«That is a gray area, and it’s one of the things that we’re going to have to work through,» House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told Fox News when asked whether providers would still continue to share information with the government if the program was not authorized.
«What is clear is that we are going to have to address the issue of extending surveillance authority legislatively. And the problem is that the Trump administration has decided to toss this hand grenade into the middle of sensitive negotiations,» he added, referring to Pulte.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., contended that there were already thousands of FISA certifications approved, it’s just that new certifications wouldn’t be allowed until the program was reauthorized.
«It’s not like that will be the end of our ability to surveil foreign terrorists,» Kennedy said.
The standoff is not expected to end soon. Trump’s decision to nominate former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton to serve as the permanent director of national intelligence also failed to soften Democrats’ opposition.
Many lawmakers remain unwilling to back a renewal of the program while Pulte continues serving in the acting role.
THE TOP 3 FACTORS HEIGHTENING THE RISK OF TERROR ATTACKS ON THE HOMELAND
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks with reporters as he walks to his office after a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 27, 2026. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
«Nobody disputes that FISA has been used to stop terrorist attacks on our homeland here,» House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Thursday. «And why would anybody vote to end that tool is beside me.»
Meanwhile, the House is scheduled to begin a week-long recess next week, meaning that even if there is a resolution in the Senate in the coming week, the program will likely remain dark until they return.
The program’s expiration marks the first extended lapse since it was enacted in 2008. The Trump administration has argued that the surveillance authority is a critical national security tool, crediting it with helping foil a mass-casualty terror plot targeting a 2024 Taylor Swift concert in Austria and combat North Korean hackers, among other successes.
The uncharted territory comes amid a heightened threat environment as the war with Iran continues and large-scale events, such as the World Cup and America 250 celebrations, are beginning to ramp up.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., argued on the Senate floor in his bid to extend the program that there was a bipartisan bill waiting to be passed, but in the meantime, lawmakers should pause the partisan animosity and support an extension.
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«If we don’t extend it for at least a few weeks while we continue to try to work on our differences, the consequences could be severe,» Cotton said. «The consequences, to be frank, could be fatal.»
Still, Democrats counter that had Trump not appointed Pulte, or at least waited until the reauthorization was completed, Congress would not be in the current logjam.
«I cannot stress enough to you that none of this, none of this needed to happen,» Warner said.
politics, national security, congress, republicans, privacy, democrats senate, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
La fecundidad en Centroamérica cae por debajo del reemplazo demográfico en varios países
En Centroamérica, menos hijos deseados y más obstáculos para tenerlos marcan una tendencia regional. Según el último informe del Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas, el 39% de quienes desean tener hijos señala a la economía y la inestabilidad laboral como los principales frenos para formar la familia ideal.
María, de 28 años, se casó hace poco más de dos años y, junto a su pareja, evalúa la posibilidad de formar una familia. “Aunque contamos con más de dos ingresos, nos asusta la posibilidad de pasar carencias con un niño”, admite.
El trabajo eventual y la atención a clientes les dejan poco margen de tiempo y, también de ingresos, esa, dice la joven salvadoreña, es la principal razón por la que hasta hoy, han postergado la decisión de convertirse en padres, aunque reconoce que no han pensando en más de uno.
“Pensamos en tener solo un hijo, después de los 30, porque me preocupa no poder acompañarlo hasta el final de su formación”.
Las cifras muestran un descenso sostenido. En El Salvador, la tasa global de fecundidad bajó de 6.2 hijos por mujer en 1950 a 1.3 en 2024 y es la tasa más baja de todos los países de la región. El último Censo de Población y Vivienda del Banco Central de Reserva confirma esta cifra.
Costa Rica registra 1.32 hijos por mujer, mientras que en Nicaragua y Panamá los valores rondan los 2.2. Guatemala, aunque mantiene la fecundidad más alta de la región, cayó de 6.7 hijos por mujer en los 80 a 2.8 en la actualidad.
Estos niveles sitúan a varios países por debajo del umbral de reemplazo demográfico de 2.1 hijos por mujer y reconfiguran la estructura por edades. La Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) estima que la tasa de fecundidad promedio en la región es de 1.8 hijos por mujer en 2024.
La transición hacia familias más pequeñas no ha sido homogénea. Existen diferencias entre áreas urbanas y rurales, y entre sectores con mayor o menor acceso a educación y salud.
El descenso de la fecundidad no responde a una sola causa. La expansión de la educación femenina, la urbanización y la incorporación de las mujeres al mercado laboral cambiaron las aspiraciones y prioridades. La presión económica, marcada por salarios bajos, empleos inestables y altos costos de crianza, se combina con la falta de servicios públicos de cuidado infantil y la persistencia de roles tradicionales de género.
“En Centroamérica, muchas personas no pueden decidir cuántos hijos tener ni cuándo”, advierte el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas. La brecha entre el número deseado y el real se mantiene, ya sea porque se tienen menos hijos por restricciones materiales o más de los planeados por falta de acceso a anticonceptivos y salud sexual.
El embarazo adolescente sigue afectando a jóvenes rurales, indígenas y afrodescendientes, y perpetúa ciclos de pobreza y desigualdad.
En sectores urbanos y de clase media, la tendencia es postergar y limitar la maternidad. En contextos rurales y empobrecidos, la fecundidad alta y los embarazos tempranos siguen siendo frecuentes, asociados a bajos niveles educativos y barreras en el acceso a servicios.
El trabajo no remunerado de cuidados recae mayoritariamente en las mujeres y representa entre el 20% y el 30% de la economía doméstica invisibilizada, según el Banco Mundial. La falta de servicios de cuidado infantil y de licencias parentales equitativas limita las posibilidades de conciliación laboral y familiar.
El acceso a métodos anticonceptivos mejoró, pero las diferencias persisten entre países y dentro de ellos. Mientras en Costa Rica y Colombia más del 75% de las mujeres en edad reproductiva usa algún método anticonceptivo, en Haití, Guyana y Guatemala menos de la mitad accede a métodos modernos.
La falta de educación sexual integral y las restricciones legales sobre el aborto agravan las dificultades, sobre todo en El Salvador, Honduras y Nicaragua. Uno de los problemas más persistentes es la maternidad adolescente. Las adolescentes afrodescendientes en la región presentan un 50% más de probabilidades de ser madres antes de los 19 años respecto de otras jóvenes.
La tasa de fecundidad adolescente en América Latina y el Caribe es una de las más altas del mundo, con 76 nacimientos por cada mil adolescentes de entre 15 y 19 años.
Las recomendaciones del UNFPA insisten en que las políticas no deben centrarse en controlar la cantidad de nacimientos, sino en garantizar derechos y condiciones para decidir.
Propone fortalecer los servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva, facilitar el acceso gratuito y confidencial a anticonceptivos, promover el empleo formal femenino y desarrollar sistemas públicos de cuidado.
En sectores urbanos, muchas mujeres tienen menos hijos de los que desean por no poder conciliar trabajo y familia. En zonas rurales y pobres, la maternidad forzada y el embarazo adolescente siguen siendo frecuentes.
bebés,recién nacidos,hospital,gemelos,nacimiento,pediatría,cuidado neonatal,salud,maternidad,cuna
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Progressive Talarico knifes Biden’s open border, tries moderating stance on key issues in Texas Senate race
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The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas torched former President Joe Biden’s open borders policies as he races to clean-up past comments amid criticism he is too radical to be elected in Texas.
James Talarico hardened his stance on border security and pitted himself against the former president during a podcast interview on «Cogdell Law Uncensored» earlier this week.
The Democrat member of the Texas legislature has a far-left track record that includes calls to «tear down» Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), an agency which he has called «secret police,» and claiming the border should act as a «welcome mat» for illegal immigrants.
He is now the Democratic nominee taking on Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton in the race for a Senate seat in Texas in November.
Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico addresses supporters at a rally in Houston. (F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
JAMES TALARICO SAYS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS CONVINCED BORDER SECURITY WAS ‘RACIST’
«I called out Joe Biden for failing to secure our southern border and I got a lot of heat from my own party for doing that,» he told podcaster and attorney Dan Cogdell. «But I remember talking with my colleagues in the legislature who represent border communities and they told me about the utter chaos caused by President Biden’s policies.»
Those calls and his more moderate immigration stance emerged only after Talarico launched his Senate bid in the most populated U.S. red state where the most illegal immigration happens.
When asked repeatedly by Fox News Digital, Talarico’s campaign officials could not produce evidence to support the progressive candidate’s claims he was ever at odds with Biden on the issue of border security before his Senate campaign began and while Biden was still in office.
Millions of illegal aliens poured undetected into the United States during the previous presidency, while Talarico occupied his seat in the Texas House legislature.
Talarico said in the podcast: «The Democratic Party, we’re the ones that should be about making government work for people and our immigration system is a prime example of government not working for people. So I’m a border security Democrat. I believe we’ve gotta have a sane, orderly process to ensure that we know who’s coming into our country.»
President Joe Biden speaks during an official transition event to thank Ron Klain for his work and to welcome his successor Jeff Zients. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
While he has accused ICE of «terrorizing our country,» called for Americans to «stand up and fight back» and in 2019 slammed Texas Republicans for passing an «anti-immigrant bill» that funded President Donald Trump’s border wall project, Talarico said on the podcast this week that public safety should be a priority.
TEXAS DEM TALARICO’S ‘CULTURE OF VIOLENCE’ REMARKS RESURFACE AS HE DENIES DEFUND POLICE TIES
«But I also think we need to keep out folks who want to do us harm, and public safety is the most important thing the government does,» he said.
Under Trump, ICE has been tasked with zeroing in on the «worst of the worst» illegal aliens for arrest and deportation, especially those with violent criminal records.
«James has never supported abolishing ICE and supports more border security — which is why he’s authored legislation to modernize our ports of entry and called for more Border Patrol agents,» Talarico’s press secretary JT Ennis told Fox News Digital.
«Both parties have failed us on the issue of immigration, so James is running for Senate to keep our country safe by deporting criminals instead of hunting down moms, babies, and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades.»
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a runoff election night event in Plano, Texas, on May 26, 2026. (Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Speaking to Cogdell, Talarico also pitched himself as a defender of the Second Amendment while simultaneously calling for strict gun control methods.
TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES SIDESTEP ISLAMIC TERRORISM CONCERNS FOLLOWING DEADLY AUSTIN ATTACK
«I am a believer in the Second Amendment. I don’t pick and choose between the Bill of Rights. I believe in the Second Amendment just as much as I believe in the First,» he said. «We have a right to bear arms, to protect ourselves, our families. We have a right to own weapons for sport or for hunting, but like any freedom in the Bill of Rights, it’s not absolute.»
«We’ve gotta keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. We’ve gotta make sure that we’ve got safe storage laws and background checks so that we’re keeping everybody safe,» the candidate qualified.
He positioned himself during the conversation as a moderate Democrat, chastising people on the political left who are «trying to take away people’s guns» and people on the political right who «don’t want to see any regulations.»
MS NOW ANALYST ADMITS TALARICO ‘NOT A MODERATE,’ HAS PROGRESSIVE VIEWS LIKE CROCKETT
But only a few months ago, Talarico said he favored «red flag laws,» which allow judges to order Americans to be stripped of their firearms if they think a person is a danger to themselves or others. Talarico also once accused Republicans of loving guns more than children.
Democratic Texas State Rep. James Talarico speaks during a campaign launch rally in Round Rock, Texas, on Sept. 9, 2025. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
«You can’t be the party of freedom and control women’s bodies,» he said at a 2024 event with the Travis County Democratic Party. «You can’t be the party of family and love your guns more than our kids. You can’t be the party of faith and worship at the feet of Donald Trump.»
Ennis said that the candidate has «always believed, like the vast majority of Texans, that we must protect the Second Amendment while also enacting popular, common sense measures like universal background checks that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.»
MARK HALPERIN: IS DEMOCRAT JAMES TALARICO THE REAL DEAL — OR BETO 2.0 HEADED FOR A TEXAS FLOP?
Talarico also distanced himself from child sex change surgeries, sometimes called «gender affirming care,» and said he does not support them despite often earning criticism for his comments regarding children who identify as the opposite of their biological sex.
«I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors,» he told Cogdell, claiming «the people that are in power» are trying to distract from «corruption in our government.»
«So they’re gonna use a tried and true playbook to get out of this,» he said. «Distraction and division. That is how corrupt public officials stay in power.»
‘GOD IS NON-BINARY’: TEXAS DEM NOMINEE TALARICO’S PAST REMARKS ON ABORTION, RACE AND GENDER DRAW SCRUTINY
Talarico’s emphatic support for transgender children has raised eyebrows since he’s entered the national spotlight.
He has said he loves them on multiple occasions, including on a podcast in 2023 when he was asked to name something that he loved other than his friends and family.
«I love, I’m just saying this because it’s all on my mind, the trans children who showed up yesterday at the state capitol to advocate for their humanity,» he said on the Superbloom Podcast.
At the time, he had voted against a state bill to ban cross-sex hormones for minors.
Rep. James Talarico, Vanessa Fuentes and Jessica Weitz attend the Featured Session: State Of Being: How To Care in 2024 at the SXSW Conference and Festivals held at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, on March 8, 2024. (Jason Bollenbacher/SXSW Conference & Festivals)
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«I just want to say, I love you and so do a lot of people in this room, and so do a lot of people around this big state. I know it may not seem like it tonight, but you are loved beyond measure,» Talarico also said in 2023 on the Texas House floor, according to the Houston Chronicle.
«James opposes gender reassignment surgery for minors,» said Ennis. «While billionaire-bought politicians like Ken Paxton spread lies to divide Texans, James will continue to stand up against both political parties to fix this broken, corrupt political system and support Texas families.»
Paxton’s campaign did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Talarico’s apparent flip-flop on the border, Second Amendment or transgender youth
border security, texas, democrats elections, immigration, joe biden, republicans, politics
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