Month: May 2025

Tensions flared during a meeting in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday afternoon, with the two leaders at odds over allegations of so-called White genocide in South Africa.

The meeting between Ramaphosa and Trump was described as discussions about relations, both trade and diplomatic. Ramaphosa posted to his X account on Tuesday that “the trade relations between South Africa and the United States will be the focus of my working visit. We aim to strengthen and consolidate relations between our two countries.”

The visit began cordially, with Trump welcoming Ramaphosa by saying it was a “great honor” to host him and offered a backhanded compliment that Ramaphosa was “highly respected in some circles, and less so in others—just like all of us.” Ramaphosa opened his remarks by expressing hope for improved relations between the two nations: “we’re here today to recalibrate the partnership between South Africa and the United States.”

The visit between the two leaders was attended by South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, taking place amid a diplomatic strain following the U.S. government’s recent decision to grant refugee status to 59 White Afrikaners. Musk has also been vocal about the plight of South African landowners, amplifying claims of “white genocide.” Afrikaners are a White ethnic group in South Africa descended from Dutch settlers. Afrikaans, their native language, is rooted in Dutch and is one of South Africa’s 12 official languages.

Ramaphosa answer a question posed to Trump about what might convince him that White genocide is not occurring in South Africa. He said, referring to golfing legends Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, as well as billionaire Johann Rupert, who accompanied him: “it’s going to require President Trump to truly hear the voices of South Africans—some of whom are his friends, like the guests with me today. We’ll need to sit down and have honest conversations. I don’t intend to repeat myself on this issue.”

Trump has consistently claimed that White farmers in South Africa are facing genocide—a characterization that both Ramaphosa and the South African government have firmly denied. During the meeting, Trump remarked that “Elon wanted” the Afrikaners to be admitted to the U.S. as refugees, though Musk remained silent throughout the session.

Trump stated there are “thousands” of reports and documentaries highlighting violence against White South Africans — at which point he directed his staff to lower the lights in the Oval Office and played a video depicting what he claimed were scenes of attacks and burial sites involving White farmers. As the video ended, the discussion between the two leaders clashed – with Ramaphosa saying he hadn’t previously seen the footage presented by Trump’s team and stressed that the content of the video did not reflect official government policy. He also condemned the narrative used in the video.

Ramaphosa and members of his delegation also clarified that violent crime in South Africa is a widespread issue impacting people of all races, not just white citizens: “there’s definitely criminal activity in our country, but those affected are not only White individuals. In fact, the majority of the victims are Black South Africans.”

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The U.S. Department of Defense said on Wednesday that they have officially accepted of a high-end Boeing jet aircraft from Qatar, which may be repurposed for use as Air Force One. The New York Times was first to report the news that the Pentagon had accepted the jetliner from the government of Qatar.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accepted the Boeing 747 “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations. The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States.”

In addition, a spokesperson for the Air Force said in a statement: “As directed by the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force is preparing to award a contract to modify a Boeing 747 aircraft for executive airlift. Details related to the contract are classified.”

The acceptance of the plane from comes days after sources confirmed that the Qatari royal family would be donating aircraft for Mr. Trump’s use. Valued at $400 million, the jumbo jet — which has been described as a “flying palace” — will be donated to Mr. Trump’s future presidential library just before he leaves office.

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink explained that the Air Force has been tasked with overseeing the jet’s adaptation to meet the stringent security standards necessary for carrying President Donald Trump: “the secretary of defense has instructed the Air Force to begin planning the aircraft’s modifications. We’re prepared to move forward with that.”

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On Tuesday, President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping proposal from the White House for a new missile defense initiative aimed at shielding the United States from potential threats posed by nations such as North Korea. The concept, dubbed the “Golden Dome,” bears similarities to Ronald Reagan’s once-abandoned “Star Wars” missile defense strategy.

Trump made the announcement flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Michael Guetlein, currently serving as the Pentagon’s deputy chief for space operations. Trump touted $25 billion in initial funding for the “Golden Dome” and put Guetlein in charge of realizing the hemispheric missile shield. Trump said: “The Golden Dome will be integrated into our current national defense framework and is expected to be up and running before the end of my next term. We’re looking at roughly a three-year timeline. Once completed, this system will be capable of intercepting missiles, no matter where they’re launched—even from space.”

Trump said the project will cost around $175 billion and be built over the next three years, though those are both only initial estimates. The initial $25 billion will be included in the massive bill working its way through Congress.

Key details still remain undecided, including whether the Golden Dome would cover the entire nation or focus primarily on protecting major population centers. Congressional analysts note that, even with advancements in remote sensing, drone technologies, and image processing, a project of this scale could require many years to fully develop and deploy.

Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office projected that constructing and deploying a space-based missile interception system could cost between $161 billion and $542 billion over two decades. While the costs of launching spacecraft have decreased, CBO attributed the high estimates to North Korea’s technological improvements and the ambitious nature of Trump’s defense goals.

Israel’s Iron Dome was developed to defend against short- and medium-range missile threats, acting as a protective barrier over the country. The system gained global attention for its role in intercepting around 300 Iranian missiles and drones during a large-scale retaliatory attack in April 2024 following an Israeli strike that killed a high-ranking Iranian military leader.

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A maintenance employee at a New Orleans jail has been taken into custody for allegedly aiding in the escape of 10 inmates late last week, officials confirmed on Tuesday.  The arrest comes as the search for the six remaining fugitives continues into its fifth day. Officials identified four of those still at large—Corey Boyd, Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald, and Derrick Groves—as facing second-degree murder charges.

According to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, 33-year-old Sterling Williams reportedly told investigators he acted under threats made by one of the inmates involved in the breakout. Williams was employed at the Orleans Parish jail operated by the sheriff’s office, was taken into custody on Monday night, and booked into jail on Tuesday morning. Williams now faces 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape and an additional charge of malfeasance in office. After his initial booking at the Orleans Parish facility, he was transferred to another location. Also in connection with the ongoing investigation, three other employees of the jail have been placed on suspension.

Murrill stated that Williams had admitted to shutting off the water supply to a jail cell at the request of an inmate, which in turn made it possible to remove a toilet — which was key to the inmates’ escape plan. Williams confessed to investigators that he had assisted in the escape, and allegedly told agents that one of the inmates instructed him to cut off the water in the cell they ultimately fled from.  In addition, court documents also revealed that Williams told agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation he had been intimidated by Antoine Massey, one of the escapees. Williams claimed that Massey threatened to stab him if he didn’t cut the water supply, a move that allowed inmates to tamper with the toilet and wall structure behind it (Massey is among six inmates who have not yet been captured). Surveillance footage also showed Williams in conversation with Massey and another escapee, Derrick Groves, who also remains at large.

Security footage from inside the jail showed the inmates forcing open a cell door at around 12:22 a.m. Central Time. Investigators say the inmates managed to cut through steel bars located behind the toilet, then bent the bars enough to crawl through. By approximately 1 a.m., the escapees were captured on video making their way through a loading dock. About 20 minutes later, they were seen using blankets to scale a barbed wire fence before disappearing into a neighborhood across Interstate 10. The jailbreak wasn’t discovered until around 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Murrill said: “rather than reporting the request to authorities, Williams complied, shutting off the water and thereby enabling the inmates’ plan to proceed.” She added that “we will continue to uncover every detail surrounding this escape,” she said. “Anyone found to have played a role will be held accountable under the law. I urge anyone with knowledge of the incident—including those who may have helped—to come forward now, while they still have the opportunity to cooperate.”

Authorities initially reported 11 inmates missing, but later clarified that one had been moved to another unit and had not escaped. Three inmates were recaptured within 24 hours of the escape; among those apprehended that same day were Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis, and Kendall Myles (who had been held on a second-degree murder charge).  The most recent arrest happened on Monday, when authorities took 21-year-old Gary C. Price into custody.

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Pope Leo XIV welcomed U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Vatican for a series of discussions on Monday. The visit began with a private audience between the Pope and the two American officials, followed by broader talks that included Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. The diplomatic meeting followed the previous day’s inaugural Mass for Pope Leo XIV, which Vance and Rubio attended at the Vatican.

According to a Vatican statement, the conversation was described as “cordial” and touched on several significant issues concerning the life of the Church and the protection of religious liberty. The Vatican’s statement also noted that the group also shared perspectives on various global matters: “there was an exchange of views on several pressing international concerns, with an emphasis on the importance of upholding humanitarian and international law in conflict zones, and encouraging negotiated settlements among the parties involved.”

The White House added that Vance and Archbishop Gallagher also talked about global threats to religious freedom, persecution of Christians, and the mutual goal of President Trump and Pope Leo to put an end to the violence in Ukraine and the Middle East.

During the meeting, Vance presented the pope with a copy of two of St. Augustine’s seminal works, “The City of God” and “On Christian Doctrine.” He also gifted a personalized Chicago Bears T-shirt bearing the pope’s name, a nod to their shared hometown. In return, Pope Leo XIV gave Vance a bronze sculpture inscribed with the Italian phrase “Peace is a fragile flower” and a large-format photo book of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.

Vance and Rubio also extended a formal invitation from President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for the pontiff to visit the United States. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters that Vance passed a long a letter to the pope from the President and First Lady “extending their warm wishes and inviting him to the White House as soon as he possibly can” visit.

After briefly greeting Pope Leo at the conclusion of Sunday’s Mass, Vance spent much of the day in bilateral meetings, including with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who expressed optimism that the trilateral talks could mark a “new beginning.” According to a statement from Meloni’s office, he spoke by phone with President Trump and several other European leaders ahead of Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

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The U.S. Supreme Court approved a request from the Trump administration on Monday to move forward with ending special immigration protections for thousands of Venezuelans, potentially opening the door for their deportation.  The high court will permit the Trump administration to move forward with terminating the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for nearly 350,000 Venezuelan migrants

The court granted the Justice Department’s emergency appeal to lift San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Edward Chen’s order that had halted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate the deportation protection conferred to Venezuelans under the TPS program. The court’s brief order was unsigned, as is typical when the justices act on an emergency request. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole member of the court to publicly dissent from the decision. Legal proceedings will now continue in lower federal courts.

TPS was established by Congress in 1990, and provides temporary refuge to people from countries facing severe crises such as armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Individuals granted TPS are allowed to live and work legally in the United States for up to 18 months at a time, with the possibility of renewal. The Biden administration designated Venezuela for TPS due to its ongoing political and humanitarian turmoil in March 2021.

The legal challenge focused on a subsequent extension of Venezuela’s TPS designation issued in October 2023 and renewed again in January 2024, just before Trump returned to office. That extension was intended to last until October 2026. However, in February, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to revoke that extension, aiming to end the protections much sooner—by the end of this year.

In the emergency petition to the Supreme Court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that Noem’s decision was not subject to judicial oversight, writing that “his ruling interferes with core executive branch powers and unnecessarily delays urgent immigration policy decisions in an area where Congress has demanded speed, adaptability, and discretion.”

The Biden administration also established or expanded TPS programs for countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, and Ukraine. The Venezuelan TPS program is the largest, covering roughly 600,000 people through two separate designations, though only the most recent extension from 2023 is currently contested before the Supreme Court.

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