Public Occurrences August 16, 2025

Republicans are disgusting. They are stupid, of course. Far worse, Republicans are just not good people. Horrible human beings. The worst of the worst.

OSLO, Aug 14 (Reuters) - When U.S. President Donald Trump called Norway's finance minister last month to discuss tariffs, he also told him he wanted the Nobel Peace Prize, Norwegian business daily Dagens Naeringsliv reported on Thursday.

Several countries including Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia have nominated Trump for brokering peace agreements or ceasefires, and he has said he deserves the Norwegian-bestowed accolade that four White House predecessors received.

Israel! Well THERE'S a recommendation. Do they give a Nobel Prize for War Criminals? 

"Out of the blue, while Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg was walking down the street in Oslo, Donald Trump called," Dagens Naeringsliv reported, citing unnamed sources.

"He wanted the Nobel Prize - and to discuss tariffs."

Reuters

The nightmare of a Trump-Putin pact isn’t over

A new Oval Office showdown with Zelensky looms after Alaska

BEFORE HIS meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Donald Trump reportedly called Norway’s finance minister to float the idea that he should win a Nobel prize once he had secured peace in Ukraine. Instead, the summit has handed Mr Putin what he wanted: a red carpet and a chance to boast that Russia’s isolation is over even as he ramps up pressure on the battlefield. In return, Mr Putin provided nothing: no ceasefire, no roadmap, not even a token concession. They spoke for three hours. 

The Economist

Russia sees victory as Trump adopts Putin’s approach to ending Ukraine war

In President Donald Trump’s warm red-carpet greeting at the Alaska summit, Russians saw an opening to pull America away from its traditional allies in Europe.

WaPo

Putin Returns to Moscow With Air of Triumph After Summit

The meeting with Trump helped give the Kremlin leader much of what he wanted, including putting Russia on an equal footing with the U.S.

WSJ

11:13 am:

Trump, in Thrall, Adopts Putin's Position

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/KYIV, Aug 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not", after hosting a summit with President Vladimir Putin that failed to yield a ceasefire.

In a major shift, Trump also said he had agreed with Putin that negotiators should go straight to a peace settlement - not via a ceasefire, as Ukraine and its European allies, until now with U.S. support, have been demanding.

...

"It was determined by all ["All" did not include Ukraine] that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," Trump posted on Truth Social.

That statement will be welcomed in Moscow, which says it wants a full settlement - not a pause - but that this will be complex because positions are "diametrically opposed".

Before the summit, Trump had said he would not be happy unless a ceasefire was agreed on.