Trump Calls World Cup Ref ‘Very Suspect’ While Confirming Red Card Intervention

President Donald Trump confirmed that he requested a review of last week’s red card penalty given to U.S. forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, saying the penalty was “very unfair” and the referee responsible is "very suspect."

"I’m a person who loves sports, was a good athlete, and I understand sports really well, really well. And that wasn’t a foul, that wasn’t even an infraction," he told reporters at the White House.

Trump went on to say that he didn’t know what a red card was before the penalty against Balogun was made. Once he understood that it would take Balogun out of the next match, he personally intervened because "we have to have our best players."

"All I did, all I did, I asked for a review 'cause I didn’t think it was a foul. And again, I'm good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled," he said.

Trump's confirmation follows reports that he personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun's case. European soccer body UEFA on Monday said FIFA's later decision to suspend the red card "crossed a red line."

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Andrew Gillum, Ex-Florida Gubernatorial Candidate, Arrested On Drug Charges: Reports

Andrew Gillum, the 2018 Democratic nominee for Florida governor, is facing drug charges after being arrested in Alabama last week, according to reports.

Gillum, 46, was charged with possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana, the reports suggest, citing online police records.

He has reportedly been released from jail but could yet face prison time since the dangerous drugs charge is considered a felony.

TMZ and Florida Politics reported the arrest in Baldwin County, Alabama, on Tuesday.

Gillum, a former Tallahassee mayor, lost to Republican Ron DeSantis by about 30,000 votes in the 2018 gubernatorial race.

His political career has since collapsed.

In 2022, Gillum faced federal charges related to a scheme to seek donations and funnel a portion of them back to him through third parties. But the case did not lead to convictions.

Two years prior to that, Gillum was found intoxicated and unconscious in a hotel room with two men, including one who works as a male escort.

Prince Harry, Elton John And Others Lose Privacy Lawsuit Against Daily Mail Publisher

Prince Harry and six others, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, lost their 2022 lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail.

Prince Harry and the others sued Associated Newspapers Limited for alleged unlawful information gathering. They alleged that the Daily Mail bugged their phones, houses and cars to get information for stories, something the publisher denied.

The judge said Tuesday that Prince Harry and the others lacked enough evidence for their claims.

Trump Says He Will Lift Sanctions, Weigh Selling F-35 Fighter Jets To Turkey

President Donald Trump on Tuesday during bilateral talks in Ankara ahead of the NATO summit said he will lift sanctions against Turkey and consider allowing the country to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program.

"It's a decision we're going to make," Trump said while sitting next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Certainly something we will consider."

"I can tell you we're gonna be taking the sanctions off.... It's time to do that. We don't want to sanction friends," Trump told reporters.

The sanctions were imposed on Turkey during Trump's first term in 2019 under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

The Trump administration had banned the country from the F-35 program that manufactures the jets after the country accepted the S-400 air defense systems made by Russia, citing strategic and military risks for the U.S.

Nigel Farage Quits As British Lawmaker, But Will Stand In Special Election

Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain's anti-immigration Reform UK party, said on Tuesday he is quitting as a member of Parliament amid intense scrutiny of his finances.

But in a televised statement, Farage announced that he would stand to win back the seat in Clacton in the south of England in the subsequent special election.

“This will be a people versus the establishment by-election,” said Farage, one of Brexit's most prominent supporters. “I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started.”

His announcement follows reports questioning his decision to accept a gift of 5 million pounds ($6.69 million) from billionaire crypto investor Christopher Harborne.

Parliament's standards watchdog is investigating claims the gift was not properly disclosed. It has yet to rule on the case.

Earlier this week, Farage clashed with Sky News over a new set of donations that he is alleged to have failed to declare before he was elected to Parliament in 2024.

His decision comes as the insurgent Reform UK party consistently leads in nationwide opinion polls, putting pressure on the governing Labour Party.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned last month after acknowledging the Labour Party no longer thinks “I am best placed to lead us into the next general election.”

Trump Jabs NATO Members After Arriving In Turkey For Summit

President Donald Trump said he considered not turning up to the NATO summit in Turkey in his latest barb aimed at the military alliance.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday shortly after arriving in Turkey for the two-day event, Trump said it was “possible that I wouldn’t have attended” if it wasn’t for Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a close ally of Trump who is hosting the gathering.

The president went on to chastise fellow NATO members for not immediately supporting his war with Iran. “We didn’t need any help at all,” he then claimed.

“I was testing to see whether or not they’d be there because I’ve long said that we help them, but I’m not sure they’d be there for us,” Trump said.

He added: “Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars if they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them.”

French Court Clears Way For Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen To Run In 2027

A Paris appeals court cleared the way Tuesday for popular far-right leader Marine Le Pen to possibly run in the 2027 French presidential election but said she must wear an electronic bracelet, which she has said is a no-go.

The verdict declared Le Pen guilty of embezzlement but softened the ban on her holding elected office, putting the ball in her court.

She must now decide whether campaigning in 2027 with a monitoring bracelet as part of her sentence to be served at home is possible.

NATO Meets In Turkey To Counter Putin From The East And Trump From The West

As NATO leaders gather in Turkey this week to deal with an increasingly erratic Russian dictator and his now four-year-old invasion of a neighbor, they will simultaneously have to mollify the increasingly erratic head of the organization’s principal founding member, President Donald Trump.

A year ago, at the first summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since Trump’s return to the White House, planners conspicuously avoided discussing Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine, the largest war in Europe since World War II, to keep from setting off Trump’s temper. Unlike just about every other leader of a democracy on the planet, Trump has sided with Putin rather than Ukraine.

Ukraine's Security Service Says Woman Wanted In Connection With Monaco Bombing Found Dead

Ukraine's Security Service on Tuesday said it found the body of Ukrainian national Anastasiia Berezovska, who is wanted by authorities in Monaco in connection with the bombing targeting Ukrainian business tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev.

The security service, also known by its local abbreviation SBU, said an officer serving in Ukraine's military intelligence agency confessed to killing Berezovska with the help of a former law enforcement officer. He claimed he acted on his own initiative and without informing his superiors, a statement from the SBU said.

The attack shocked Monaco, a coastal playground for the rich and famous known for its tax-friendly incentives, royal family and Formula 1 Grand Prix. Its head of state, Prince Albert II, described the blast as "an odious act" and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.

Trump Lands In Turkey For NATO Summit

President Donald Trump has landed in Ankara, Turkey, where he is expected to attended the annual NATO summit starting Tuesday.

Trump has relentlessly attacked the military alliance and has said the only reason he is attending the meeting is because it's being hosted by his friend Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"Everything I’ve ever asked him for, he’s done," Trump said of Erdoğan last month.

Tankers Hit In Strait Of Hormuz As Millions Mourn Iran's Khamenei

Two tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran said there would be no more peace talks unless Donald Trump halted his repeated threats to restart the war, as millions of Iranians vowed vengeance at the week-long funeral of their slain leader.

The Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker Al Rekayyat reported that it had been struck overnight and its engine room set on fire. Maritime security sources said a Saudi crude oil tanker had also been damaged.

"Mayday mayday mayday. This is vessel Al Rekayyat, LNG vessel Al Rekayyat. We are being hit by drone on port side, top of engine room," the Rekayyat’s captain said in a recorded radio call reviewed by Reuters. "Status: engine room fire and full of smoke. Unable to assess further damage."

He said the crew were safe but the ship had been disabled without engines or steering, and called for help from any vessels in the area.