A U.S. envoy’s meeting with Vladimir Putin yields “great progress” on peace talks just before President Trump’s deadline, as the U.S. hikes tariffs on India for buying Russian oil. President Trump is set to sign an executive order targeting “de-banking” to protect Americans from being denied financial services based on their political or religious beliefs. NASA announces an accelerated plan to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, driven by a new space race with China.
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U.S. Envoy Meets With Putin Ahead Of Peace Deadline
Topline: U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held a “highly productive” meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, just two days before President Trump’s deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin held a nearly three-hour meeting that both the White House and the Kremlin described as “constructive” and “useful”. Following the discussion, President Trump announced that “great progress” was made and that he intends to meet with Putin personally as soon as next week, before bringing both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky together for talks. The diplomatic push comes just before Trump’s shortened deadline of this Friday for Russia to agree to a ceasefire. While Putin is reportedly not ready for a full ceasefire, he may agree to de-escalate by pausing airstrikes.
As part of a “carrot and stick” approach, the Trump administration increased pressure on Russia’s allies immediately following the meeting. On Wednesday, the president signed an order to raise tariffs on goods from India by an additional 25%, bringing the total tariff to 50%. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett explained that the move was intended to close a “release valve for Russia,” which has been funding its war effort by selling oil to India.
There has also been significant misinformation surrounding the war in Gaza. The New York Times recently ran a front-page story featuring a photo of an emaciated child, implying starvation caused by Israel. It was later revealed that the child suffered from preexisting medical issues. While conditions in Gaza are dire, hundreds of tons of aid enter the territory daily, but according to the U.N., nearly 90% of it is looted by Hamas. As one Gazan native told MSNBC, “Hamas wanted to see the deterioration of the humanitarian conditions in Gaza” to create “horrendous imagery” and turn the international community against Israel.
Trump To Sign Order Targeting ‘De-Banking’
Topline: President Trump is set to sign an executive order to ban the practice of “de-banking,” which denies customers access to financial services based on their political or religious beliefs.
The practice of “de-banking” grew under the previous administration and has targeted numerous conservative individuals and organizations. Ryan Bangert of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) told Morning Wire that the executive order is “very needed,” because “access to financial services is absolutely essential to be able to function” in the modern economy.
Bangert pointed to several documented cases of de-banking, including the Supreme Court case NRA v. Vullo, where New York regulators pressured financial institutions to cut ties with the National Rifle Association. He also cited a congressional report that found Treasury Department officials had pressured banks to surveil customers who shopped at sporting goods stores like Cabela’s or were associated with groups labeled as “hate groups” by far-left organizations, including ADF.
While some states like Tennessee and Idaho have passed laws to prohibit ideological de-banking, this executive order will provide federal protection. Bangert dismissed concerns that the order would infringe on the rights of private businesses, arguing that this type of discrimination is already unlawful and that the order would relieve banks from pressure from “leftists and elitists in government”.
NASA Announces Plan For Nuclear Reactor On The Moon
Topline: In a major push to win the new space race, the Trump administration has directed NASA to build a nuclear reactor on the surface of the moon by 2030.
This week, acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy issued a directive to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear micro-reactor on the moon within the decade. The ambitious plan is driven by a renewed space race with China and Russia, both of whom have announced their own intentions to put reactors on the moon by the mid-2030s. Duffy stressed the urgency, saying, “We want to get there first and claim that for America,” to prevent adversaries from declaring a “keep-out zone” that would inhibit U.S. operations.
Nuclear power is considered the most efficient option for a long-term lunar base because the moon experiences two weeks of continual darkness every month, making solar power impractical. The reactor is a key component of NASA’s Artemis Program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon by 2027 and eventually establish a permanent base.
The lunar base will serve as a critical staging point for future deep-space exploration, particularly missions to Mars, as launching from the moon’s lower gravity is far more efficient than from Earth. While the mission’s stated purpose is exploration, it also has potential military implications, as a lunar presence would be of significant interest to the Pentagon in an era of increasing weaponization of space by adversaries like China and Russia.
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