The Dictatorship
FACT FOCUS: Trump says he’s ended eight wars. His numbers are off
U.S. President Donald Trump continues to claim he has ended eight wars this year, but that is exaggerated. His meeting this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlights that far more work remains before any declaration of an end to the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, fresh fighting broke out in recent weeks between Thailand and Cambodia, and between Congolese forces and Rwanda-backed rebels. And one conflict that Trump has claimed to end has never been a war at all.
Here’s a closer look:
Israel and Hamas
The current ceasefire and hostage deal is a major achievement, but Israel has said it won’t move into the truce’s more difficult second phase until the remains of the last hostage are released from Gaza. And Hamas has threatened to halt the agreement because it says Israel isn’t allowing enough aid into Gaza and continues deadly strikes on Palestinians there.
The path to a permanent end to the warlet alone a two-state solution for the Palestinians, is long and complicated. Issues ahead include disarming Hamas, creating and deploying an international security force, determining Gaza’s future governance and further withdrawing Israeli forces from the devastated territory.
With the Trump-Netanyahu meeting, Washington wants to create fresh momentum for next steps in the U.S.-brokered truce that took effect on Oct. 10 and is largely holding.
Israel and Iran
Trump is credited with ending the 12-day war. In June, Israel launched attacks on Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership, saying it wanted to stop Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. Iran has denied it was trying to do that.
Trump negotiated a ceasefire after directing U.S. warplanes to strike Iran’s Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites.
Evelyn Farkas, executive director of Arizona State University’s McCain Institute, has said that Trump should get credit for ending the war, adding that “it didn’t have any real end in sight before President Trump got involved and gave them an ultimatum.”
Lawrence Haas, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the American Foreign Policy Council, agreed the U.S. was instrumental but characterized the ceasefire as a temporary respite from the ongoing “day-to-day cold war.”
Egypt and Ethiopia
Mediation efforts, which do not directly involve the United States, have stalled in what is best described as heightened tensions, not war.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile has caused friction between Ethiopia and Egypt and Sudan since the project was announced more than a decade ago. The dam was inaugurated in September.
Egypt and Sudan oppose the dam. Egyptian agriculture relies on the river almost entirely. Sudan fears flooding and wants to protect its own dams.
During his first term, Trump tried to broker a deal between Ethiopia and Egypt. He could not get the countries to agree.
India and Pakistan
The April killing of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir pushed India and Pakistan closer to war than they had been in years, but a ceasefire was reached.
Trump has claimed that the U.S. brokered the ceasefire, which he said came about in part because he offered trade concessions. Pakistan thanked Trump. India denied Trump’s claims, saying there was no conversation between the U.S. and India on trade in regards to the ceasefire.
Haas and Farkas have said they believe the U.S. deserves some credit for helping stop the fighting. “Again, I’m not sure whether you would define that as a full-blown war,” Farkas added.
Serbia and Kosovo
The White House lists the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo as one that Trump resolved. But there has been no threat of a war between the neighbors during Trump’s second term or any significant contribution from him this year to improve relations.
Kosovo is a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Tensions have persisted but never to the point of war, mostly because NATO-led peacekeepers have been deployed in Kosovo, which has been recognized by more than 100 countries.
During his first term, Trump negotiated a wide-ranging deal between the countries, but much of what was agreed on was never carried out.
Rwanda and Congo
Trump has played a key role in peace efforts between the African neighbors, but he is not alone and the conflict is far from over.
Eastern Congorich in minerals, this year saw the return of the M23 rebel group. It is backed by Rwanda, which claims it is protecting territorial interests and that some of those who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide are working with the Congolese army.
In June, the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers signed a peace deal at the White House. And in early December, the countries’ presidents signed a peace deal as Trump looked on. But the M23 has said it would not abide by an agreement that did not directly involve it. Days after the latest signing, the rebels seized another eastern Congo city before claiming to withdraw.
There is also a separate Qatar-facilitated deal between Congo and M23but the parties have accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
Armenia and Azerbaijan
In August, Trump hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House, where they signed a deal aimed at ending a decades-long conflict. The countries signed agreements intended to reopen key transportation routes and reaffirm their commitment to signing a peace treaty. The text of the treaty was initialed by foreign ministers, which indicates preliminary approval. But the leaders have yet to sign the treaty and parliaments have yet to ratify it.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over territory since the early 1990s, when ethnic Armenian forces took control of the Karabakh province, known internationally as Nagorno-Karabakhand nearby territories. In 2020, Azerbaijan’s military recaptured broad swaths of territory. Russia brokered a trucebut in September 2023, Azerbaijani forces launched a lightning blitz to retake remaining portions.
The two countries have worked toward normalizing ties ever since.
Cambodia and Thailand
Officials from Thailand and Cambodia credit Trump with pushing the Asian neighbors to agree to a ceasefire in this summer’s brief border conflict. But fighting flared again in recent weeks.
Cambodia and Thailand have clashed over their shared border. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pressed for an unconditional ceasefire, but there was little headway until Trump intervened. Trump said he warned the Thai and Cambodian leaders that the U.S. would not move forward with trade agreements if hostilities continued.
Ken Lohatepanont, a political analyst and University of Michigan doctoral candidate, has said that Trump’s decision to “condition a successful conclusion to these talks on a ceasefire likely played a significant role in ensuring that both sides came to the negotiating table when they did.”
A more detailed October agreement followed, also under Trump’s pressure. But heavy fighting broke out in early December. A new ceasefire agreement was signed on Dec. 27.
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Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
The Dictatorship
‘ICE out’: Bad Bunny uses Grammy speech to speak out
As awards season progresses, celebrities continue to speak out against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — especially in Minneapolis. Though some stars have opted for a slight nod of resistance with pins that say “ICE out,” others have been more vocal in their stances.
Upon accepting the Grammy Award for Best Música Urbana Album on Sunday night, Bad Bunny got straight to the point.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out,” the Puerto Rican performer said as soon as he approached the podium with award in hand.
After a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd, he continued.
“We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
This is not the first time the artist has spoken out against the Trump administration’s rhetoric against immigrants in the United States. Last year, he announced he would no longer tour in the U.S., which drew criticism from some right-wing commentators.
Despite that pushback, Bad Bunny scored the headlining spot at this year’s Super Bowl and said he decided to “do just one date in the United States.”
The album Bad Bunny accepted the award for, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” also won Album of the Year, becoming the first primarily Spanish-language album to win the distinction in the ceremony’s 68-year history.
Kathleen Creedon is a platforms editor for MS NOW. She previously worked as a web producer for Vanity Fair.
The Dictatorship
‘Melania’ documentary beats expectations at box office
Despite a brutal critical reception“Melania,” the documentary about the first lady released on January 30, outperformed expectations in its opening weekend.
“Melania” earned more than $7 million at the domestic U.S. box office, the highest opening for a non-concert documentary in decades. Most recently, the best-performing film in the same genre was Stephen Gray and Chris Radtke’s “After Death,” which opened at around $5 million domestically in 2023. With an opening box office of almost $24 million, Michael Moore’s 2004 film “Fahrenheit 9/11” remains the highest-grossing political documentary.
Critics, however, have been less kind to “Melania.” The documentary has received an aggregate rating of 10% among professional critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (which is owned by Versant, MS NOW’s parent company), and negative reviews from major news outlets abound. Writing for MS NOW, media critic Jen Cheney said the film is “so devoid of substance that it feels wrong to call it a documentary” and suggested “This thing is basically ‘Let Them Eat Cake: The Movie,’” invoking Marie Antoinette, the French queen beheaded during the revolution.
Still, the film about the model-turned-political figure found its audience. Media analytics company Comscore reported that roughly 72% of Melania’s audience during opening weekend were women, and 72% were over the age of 55. The majority of the movie-goers were also white.
Directed by Brett Ratner in his first film since he faced accusations of sexual abuse (allegations he has denied), “Melania” outperformed expectations out of the gate but has far to go before it becomes profitable: Amazon’s MGM Studios paid $40 million to license the film and another $35 million to promote it.
“We’re very encouraged by the strong start and positive audience response, with early box office for ‘Melania’ exceeding our expectation,” said Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of domestic theatrical distribution.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for MS NOW. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
The Dictatorship
British prime minister says Prince Andrew should testify to Congress over Epstein ties
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced British royal formerly known as Prince Andrew, to testify before the U.S. Congress over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Firstly, I have always approached this question with the victims of Epstein in mind. Epstein’s victims have to be the first priority. As for whether there should be an apology, that’s a matter for Andrew,” Starmer told press on Saturday during an official visit to Tokyo, Japan.
“But yes, in terms of testifying, I have always said anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that. You can’t be victim-centered if you’re not prepared to do that.”
The statement comes after the Justice Department on Friday released more than 3 million pages of documents related to its investigation into Epstein as part of its mandate to fulfill the requirements of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Among the documents are photographs that show a barefoot Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over and touching the stomach and waist of an unidentified female figure whose face has been redacted.
Also among the newly released documents, the Guardian identified email exchanges between him and Epstein dated 2010. In them, Epstein tells Mountbatten-Windsor, “I have a friend who I think you might enjoy having dinner with” and refers to a 26-year-old Russian woman. Andrew replied that he would be “delighted to see her” and told Epstein to give her his contact information.
Mountbatten-Windsor has been unable to distance himself from the scandal over his friendship with Epstein, the American financier who ran a sex-trafficking ring.
Amid ongoing revelations about his history with Epstein, Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last year by his older brother, King Charles III. Andrew was also evicted from his home at Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion located on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Virginia Giuffreone of Epstein’s victims, sued Mountbatten-Windsor in 2021, claiming she was forced to have sex with him. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount in 2022with no admission of wrongdoing. Giuffre died by suicide last April. Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied the allegations against him. In a now-famous BBC Newsnight interviewhe claimed he was at a PizzaExpress in Woking with his daughter, Princess Beatrice, at the time of the alleged assault.
MS NOW is reviewing the documents released by the Justice Department in collaboration with journalists from NBC, AP, CNBC and CBS. Journalists from each newsroom worked together to examine the documents and share information about what is in them. Each outlet is responsible for its own independent news coverage of the documents.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for MS NOW. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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