Melania Trump says she’s “never been friends with Epstein”

Source: Axios

“First lady Melania Trump denied that she had a friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or that she had any ties to his crimes in a head-turning White House address Thursday. … Trump has previously taken legal action over claims related to herself and Epstein with three publishers issuing apologies for publishing claims that the sex offender introduced her to her future husband. … She did not answer any questions shouted by reporters as she left.” (04/09/26)

https://archive.is/hdgG8

Thomas L. Knapp

For second time, Trump seeks to eliminate federal funding for tribal colleges and universities

Source: SFGate

“For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is proposing slashing federal funding for tribal colleges and universities. President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal calls for a $1.5 trillion increase to defense spending and would carve billions of dollars out of programs that fulfill trust and treaty responsibilities to tribal nations, including entirely eliminating funding for the Institute for American Indian Arts, the country’s only federally funded college for contemporary Native American arts. The budget proposal released last week also calls for cutting funding for TCUs, as well as funding for two schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education: Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. Students at both colleges sued the BIE last year over funding and staffing cuts made by the administration.” (04/09/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/for-second-time-trump-seeks-to-eliminate-federal-22197743.php

Steve Trinward

The Unwarranted Iran War: US-China Stakes, Regional Costs, Global Losses

Source: Antiwar.com
by Dan Steinbock

“Originally set for March, the high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was postponed for about ‘five or six weeks,’ due to the U.S. focus on military operations in Iran. The delay suggests that the Trump administration grossly underestimated Iran’s resilience. The summit will take place under the shadow of the worst energy crisis since the 1970s.” (04/09/26)

https://original.antiwar.com/dan_steinbock/2026/04/08/the-unwarranted-iran-war-us-china-stakes-regional-costs-global-losses/

Thomas L. Knapp

Iran war rejected: Trump’s credibility gap widens

Source: The Hill
by Brad Bannon

“Trump’s political liability is that he broke two key promises he made to the American people in his desperate bid to win a second term during the 2024 presidential campaign. He pledged to reduce prices and told voters that he would put ‘America First.’ He’s batting 0 for 2 on those two vows. One more strike and he’s out.” (04/08/26)

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5821063-iran-war-trump-approval/

Thomas L. Knapp

Fighting Between Sahel-Based Jihadist Rivals Spills Into Niger

Source: US News & World Report

“The West African affiliates ⁠of ⁠al Qaeda and Islamic State ⁠have clashed in Niger for the first time, according to a ​statement from one of the groups, a development that analysts said signals an intensification of their years-long ‌rivalry. Al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM) ‌and Islamic State in the Sahel Province (ISSP) engaged in their first skirmishes in 2019 and ⁠have since clashed ⁠hundreds of times, resulting in more than 2,100 deaths, according to ​Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a conflict monitoring group. That fighting had unfolded exclusively in Mali and Burkina Faso until last week when ISSP fighters attacked a JNIM position in the Tillaberi region of western Niger.” (04/09/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-04-09/fighting-between-sahel-based-jihadist-rivals-spills-into-niger

Thomas L. Knapp