• Police seek suspects in deadly birthday party shooting
  • Lawmakers launch inquires into U.S. boat strike
  • Nov. 29, 2025, 10:07 PM EST / Updated Nov. 30, 2025,…
  • Mark Kelly says troops ‘can tell’ what orders…

Be that!

contact@bethat.ne.com

 

Be That ! Menu   ≡ ╳
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Contact Us
  • Politics Politics
☰

Be that!

Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner Meet With Ukraine Officials in Florida

admin - Latest News - November 30, 2025
admin
4 views 39 secs 0 Comments



Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are meeting in Florida with Ukrainian officials to discuss a proposed peace deal with Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy reports that Russia launched a series of attacks killing at least two people in Kyiv. Russia’s defense minister claims the strikes were in response to a Ukrainian naval drone assault on Russian tankers in the Black Sea.



Source link

TAGS:
PREVIOUS
Nov. 30, 2025, 8:17 AM ESTBy Freddie ClaytonIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted a request for a formal pardon amid a yearslong corruption trial, just weeks after President Donald Trump said he should be pardoned.“Today my lawyers submitted a request for clemency to the President of the State,” Netanyahu said in a video address posted on X Sunday. “The continuation of the trial is tearing us apart from within, provoking fierce divisions, intensifying divisions,” he said. “My personal interest was and remains to continue the process until the end, until I am fully acquitted of all charges, but the security and political realities, the national interest, require otherwise.”Netanyahu is facing charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. Prosecutors have alleged that he exchanged regulatory favors with media owners in Israel seeking positive press coverage.He has also been accused of accepting gifts — including cigars and champagne — in exchange for advancing the personal interests of Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. Prosecutors say these were worth hundreds of thousands of shekels.Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and the first sitting Israeli leader to have taken the stand as a criminal defendant, has consistently denied the allegations, branding them a “witch hunt.” A verdict in the ongoing five-year trial isn’t expected until 2026 at the earliest, while Netanyahu will also have the option to appeal to the Supreme Court.An Israeli anti-government protester dressed up as US President Donald Trump holds a doll depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Nov. 15Jack Guez / AFP – Getty ImagesUnder Israel’s Basic Law, the country’s president has the power to pardon criminals or reduce their sentence.A spokesperson for Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Netanyahu’s request for a pardon was “extraordinary,” carrying with it “significant implications.”In accordance with “guidelines and procedures,” Netanyahu’s request is “currently being transferred to the Pardons Department in the Ministry of Justice which will gather the opinions of all the relevant authorities,” read the statement, without indicating when a decision might be reached.In his video message, Netanyahu also cited Trump’s recent appeal for the trial to be cancelled, saying it would allow the two leaders to “promote more vigorously the vital interests shared by Israel and the United States in a window of time that is unlikely to return.”Trump penned a letter to Herzog two weeks ago asking the president to grant Netanyahu a full pardon.At the time, Herzog’s office had said that “anyone seeking a pardon must submit a request in accordance with the established procedures.”Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir both immediately backed the proposed pardon, with Katz citing the “complex security reality” in Israel.Netanyahu has previously cited the war in Gaza and security concerns while seeking delays in the court proceedings.Benny Gantz, a political rival of Netanyahu, said that the pardon request was “fake” and urged him: “Instead of fanning the flames, extinguish the fire you created within Israeli society.”The International Criminal Court last year issued a separate warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.Both Israel and the U.S. do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC. The warrant theoretically puts Netanyahu at risk of arrest if he steps foot in an ICC member country, though the body has no police force and is reliant on international cooperation.Israel responded furiously to the warrants, with Netanyahu’s office branding the decision “antisemitic,” rejecting the charges as “absurd and false.”Freddie ClaytonFreddie Clayton is a freelance journalist based in London. Yarden Segev contributed.
NEXT
Nov. 30, 2025, 8:35 AM ESTBy Dan De Luce and Rich SchapiroBefore Rahmanullah Lakanwal settled in a quiet part of Washington state, he was part of a secret unit of Afghans who operated under CIA direction and hunted down Taliban commanders in highly dangerous missions.They “took malignant actors off the battlefield and saved American lives, period,” said Andrew Sullivan, who served as an officer with the Army’s First Division in Afghanistan and is now executive director of No One Left Behind, a nonprofit that helps resettle Afghans who worked for the U.S. military during the war. These members of “Zero Units,” also known as National Strike Units, were among the most extensively vetted of any Afghans who worked with American forces. CIA officers hailed their bravery, skill and loyalty, and the agency prioritized their evacuation from Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul in 2021 because they were prime targets for the Taliban.But since arriving in the United States, thousands of these Afghan veterans have lived in a legal limbo without work permits, struggling to feed their families, according to refugee advocates. Their former CIA and military colleagues appealed to both the Biden and Trump administrations and to Congress to take action to resolve their legal status, warning that the lack of progress was driving some veterans into despair, the advocates said. Lakanwal, 29, is accused of driving across the country and shooting two National Guard members near the White House last week, killing Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounding Andrew Wolfe, 24. The suspect, who was shot and wounded during the attack, will face charges of first-degree murder and other offenses, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has said.Authorities have not provided a motive for the shooting, and a relative of Lakanwal’s has said the family cannot fathom why a man who fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan may have carried out such an attack. “I need your help to know why this happened,” the relative told NBC News last week, his voice cracking with emotion. In the wake of the shooting, President Donald Trump has called for a full review of all Afghans admitted to the country and a halt to processing any immigration requests from Afghans seeking to resettle in the United States. Some administration officials have claimed without evidence that the Biden administration failed to vet Lakanwal. But Lakanwal, as a member of the CIA-trained strike force, would have undergone extensive vetting before he joined the Zero Unit and also regular security checks during his tenure, former intelligence and military officials said. The Central Intelligence Agency oversaw the evacuation of Lakanwal and nearly 10,000 members of the force when the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. Like other refugees, Lakanwal would have been vetted again, multiple officials said, when he applied for asylum, which was granted in April — during the Trump administration.White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson on Saturday blamed Trump’s predecessor.“This animal would’ve never been here if not for Joe Biden’s dangerous policies which allowed countless unvetted criminals to invade our country and harm the American people,” Jackson said in an emailed response to a request for comment.Former intelligence officers and military veterans who work with refugees say even the most extensive vetting cannot guarantee that a person will never resort to violence.“Vetting can help mitigate threats, but it doesn’t eliminate threats,” said Geeta Bakshi, a former CIA officer who worked in Afghanistan and now runs FAMIL, a nonprofit that assists members of the Zero Units. “It’s hard to say what motivated this individual to act in such a violent and horrific way. You never know what’s going on in someone’s head, or why their mindset shifts.”She added: “I understand the FBI is leading a very thorough investigation to get to these answers — we look forward to supporting them in their efforts.”Appeals for helpThe veterans of the Zero Units took part in intense combat. Many saw friends killed on the battlefield and some suffered grievous wounds. Like their American counterparts in special operations forces, they continue to grapple with the effects of their war-time trauma. Their legal difficulties in the U.S. have only aggravated their mental health challenges, according to former intelligence officers and military veterans.“If you bring people here and you don’t let them feel like there is any hope, you’re leaving them in a very troubling situation,” said a spokesperson for the nonprofit 1208 Foundation, which provides assistance to Afghans who worked with U.S. Special Forces. “Americans are looking at these people like they’re pariahs now but in reality they potentially offer a major advantage to the U.S. if we use them correctly,” he said, referring to how valuable the Zero Force veterans could be in security jobs.Lakanwal, who grew up in Khost province, was living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, the relative said.This past summer, he worked for Amazon Flex, a service run by Amazon where people use their own vehicles to make deliveries as contract workers. But he had not been active recently, an Amazon spokesperson said. Two years ago, a former Afghan commander with the Zero Units, Mohammad Shah, wrote a letter warning lawmakers that his former troops are in “urgent crisis” and that Congress needed to act to resolve their legal status.“Without your help, we are trapped,” Shah wrote.“Recently, there have been cases of suicide within our community driven by the overwhelming sentiment of helplessness we feel as our requests for immigration assistance go ignored by the U.S. Government,” Shah added.During the war, multiple human rights organizations alleged the Zero Units troops committed abuses and possible war crimes, including extrajudicial executions, partly due to flawed intelligence. A Human Rights Watch report alleged 14 incidents of serious abuses from 2017 to 2019.Former members of the strike force and former CIA officers who worked with them reject the allegations. They say that the Zero Units were trained in the laws of armed conflict and that each operation was carefully reviewed in advance.Earlier this month, members of the strike force were honored at an event in Washington organized by the FAMIL group that featured speeches by Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, along with former CIA and military officers. “The Zero Units were the cream of the crop. They were the top of the top 1%,” Mullin said in a video posted by FAMIL.Proposed bipartisan legislation, the Afghan Adjustment Act, would have put an end to the legal uncertainty for the Zero Units veterans and all other Afghans who worked for the U.S. government during the war. The bill, which was endorsed by military veterans in Congress, also called for additional security vetting for Afghan refugees seeking permanent legal status. But despite several attempts over the past four years, Congress never adopted the proposal. Apart from the Zero Units members, tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan still face legal uncertainty. Many have applied for asylum while they wait for their applications for special immigrant visas to be processed. As of July, about 3,000 members of the Zero Units still had no work permits and no certainty about their legal status, according to advocates who work with the veterans. Returning to Afghanistan is not an option for them, advocates say, because of the threat of being hunted down by the Taliban for working with Americans. During his first term, Trump agreed to a deal that called for the departure of all American troops from Afghanistan, and Biden decided to carry out the accord after delaying the exit day by several months. Since then, Trump has repeatedly criticized his predecessor for the way the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled. This July, Trump suggested that some Afghans deserved to be granted legal status in the United States. “We know the good ones, and we know the ones that maybe aren’t so good,” Trump said after he was asked a question about Afghan refugees. “We’re going to take care of those people, the ones that did a job [for us], the ones that were told certain things.”Dan De LuceDan De Luce is a reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Rich Schapiro Rich Schapiro is a reporter with the NBC News national security unit.
Related Post
October 8, 2025
More Americans are living in RVs as cost of homes rise
October 4, 2025
'This is a big day': Trump responds to Hamas agreeing to release hostages, pending conditions
September 30, 2025
Suspect ID’d in 34-year-old Yogurt Shop cold case
November 12, 2025
Nov. 12, 2025, 9:46 AM EST / Updated Nov. 12, 2025, 9:48 AM ESTBy Gordon Lubold, Courtney Kube and Carol E. LeeWASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s directive to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War could cost as much as $2 billion, according to six people with knowledge of the potential cost.The name change, which must be approved by Congress, would require replacing thousands of signs, placards, letterheads and badges, as well as any other items at U.S. military sites around the world that feature the Department of Defense name, according to two senior Republican congressional staffers, two senior Democratic congressional staffers and two other people briefed on the potential cost.New department letterhead and signage alone could cost about $1 billion, according to the four senior congressional staffers and one of the people briefed on the potential cost.One of the biggest contributors to the cost of changing the name would be rewriting digital code for all of the department’s internal and external facing websites, as well as other computer software on classified and unclassified systems, the four senior congressional staffers said.The government could decide not to make every change to the Department of Defense branding, which could bring down the cost. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said a final cost estimate for changing the name has not been set.“The Department of War is aggressively implementing the name change directed by President Trump, and is making the name permanent,” Parnell said in an emailed statement. “A final cost estimate has not been determined at this time due to the Democrat shutdown furloughing many of our critical civilians. A nod to our proud heritage, this change is essential because it reflects the Department’s core mission: winning wars. This has always been our mission, and while we hope for peace, we will prepare for war.”A spokesperson for the White House directed questions to the Pentagon when asked for comment on the cost of changing the Pentagon’s name.The cost estimate for renaming the Pentagon comes as Trump has promised to cut back on federal spending. He’s signed off on steep cuts to government agencies since taking office. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth specifically plans to cut thousands of Pentagon military and civilian personnel as part of his effort to reshape the department’s budget to focus on what he dubs “lethality” and a “warrior ethos.”“Under the Trump administration, we are restoring the pride and the winning spirit of the United States military. That’s why we have officially renamed the Department of Defense back to the original name Department of War,” Trump said Tuesday during a Veterans Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery.Currently, the Department of War is a secondary title for the Department of Defense, not the formal name of the department. Trump did not mention that an official name change requires congressional approval, but said Department of War better conveys the message that the U.S. is ready to “fight to win.”He first announced a proposed name change in early September when he signed an executive order that authorized Hegseth to adopt the title “secretary of war” and to use “Department of War” in official correspondence and public communications. Trump’s new order gave the Pentagon two deadlines — one 30 days after the president signed the order and another 60 days after — to submit paperwork to the National Security Council that would move the process forward to formally and legally provide Congress with what it needs to consider the name change.White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly would not say whether either of those deadlines have been met.“Under President Trump’s leadership, the now aptly-named Department of War is refocused on readiness and lethality — and its title now reflects its status as the most powerful fighting force in the world,” Kelly said in an emailed statement. “The White House is working hand-in-glove with the Department of War on implementation of the Executive Order.”Following the signing of the order, the Pentagon quickly changed its website URL and social media handles to feature the Department of War rather than Department of Defense. Hegseth also replaced the sign outside his office –- which now reads, “The Office of the Secretary of War” — as well as some signs at the Pentagon.But many signs remain unchanged, including a brass nameplate that hangs outside one of the Pentagon’s entrances that still tells visitors they’re entering “The Department of Defense.”Trump’s executive order required that all executive branch departments and agencies “recognize and accommodate these secondary titles in internal and external communications.”It also acknowledged that the name change would require congressional action.Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah introduced legislation in September to make the name change, and Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla,, introduced legislation in the House. “Restoring the name to Department of War reflects our true purpose: to dominate wars, not merely respond after being provoked,” Scott said in a statement at the time. “It should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don’t just play defense,” Lee wrote. But so far, the Trump administration has not made any formal attempt to push legislation through Congress, which would have to fund the cost of the name change.Some Republican lawmakers have privately griped about the focus on what they see as a vanity project, according to two of the senior congressional staffers. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has been public about his criticism of the change as potentially glorifying war and has vowed to lead opposition to formalize and fund the change in the Senate.Democrats have been dismissive of the idea.Last week, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said the name change is a form of “cosplay.”“The department is designated by congressional statue as the Department of Defense, not the Department of War,” Kaine said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “Congress has not authorized the name change … and as far as I’m concerned, there’s no effort for Congress to make the name change.” Ten Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Congressional Budget Office in September requesting the cost of changing the department’s name, including for procuring new signage, branding and ceremonial materials, updating titles of personnel, website redesign and digital infrastructure updates. They called the effort to change the name “wasteful and hypocritical,” particularly given the Trump administration’s focus on fiscal restraint, and said “it appears to prioritize political theater over responsible governance, while diverting resources from core national security functions.”The Pentagon has undergone name changes since its original Department of War designation in 1789. The first change was under President Harry Truman who changed it from the Department of War to the National Military Establishment. The National Security Act of 1947 that was signed by Truman organized all military services into a single entity led by a secretary of defense.Congress then changed the name to Department of Defense a couple years later.Gordon LuboldGordon Lubold is a national security reporter for NBC News.Courtney KubeCourtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.Carol E. LeeCarol E. Lee is the Washington managing editor.
Comments are closed.
Scroll To Top
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Contact Us
  • Politics
© Copyright 2025 - Be That ! . All Rights Reserved