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Russians No Longer See U.S. as Chief Enemy, Poll Finds. See What Nation Tops List

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The perception of the United States within Russia has undergone something of a sea change over the past year, suggesting that resentments dating to the Cold War may be beginning to thaw, according to new polling.

The share of Russians who view the U.S. as a hostile nation has dropped dramatically since 2024, and now — for the first time in decades — more Russians label other countries as adversarial, a new survey from the Levada Center found.

Further, feelings toward the U.S. have improved substantially, according to the poll, which comes as President Donald Trump attempts to broker a peace deal to end the Ukraine-Russia war.

With that said, not all of the findings were so rosy. Most Russians continue to express pessimism about relations between the west and Russia, which they think will always be founded on mistrust. . .

In the survey, less than half of respondents, 40%, named the U.S. as hostile toward Russia. This is down 36 points from 76% in May 2024, marking a massive shift in opinion in just one year. (Read more from “Russians No Longer See U.S. as Chief Enemy, Poll Finds. See What Nation Tops List” HERE)

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Ukraine’s Surprise Drone Strike Shuts Down Moscow Airports As U.S. Experts Warn: “It Could Happen Here”

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Ukraine executed another bold drone assault deep inside Russian territory on Sunday, temporarily shutting down two of Moscow’s busiest airports.

The strike not only demonstrated Kyiv’s growing reach but also raised alarm bells among U.S. national security experts, who warn America could be just as vulnerable to such a surprise attack.

Russian air defense systems intercepted multiple drones flying toward Moscow, prompting authorities to shut down Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports early Sunday morning, Reuters reported.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed the incident on Telegram, saying that emergency teams were deployed to the crash sites. Both airports resumed operations later that morning, according to Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport. (Read more from “Ukraine’s Surprise Drone Strike Shuts Down Moscow Airports As U.S. Experts Warn: “It Could Happen Here” HERE)

Putin to Skip Peace Talks as Trump Pushes for Immediate End to War

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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s absence from the second round of in-person peace talks between Russia and Ukraine sends a clear signal that the Kremlin has no genuine interest in ending the war it started. Putin’s decision to skip the negotiating table underscores his continued commitment to aggression over diplomacy. However, President Donald Trump said meeting with world leaders is crucial to signing a peace agreement.

On Monday, June 2nd, Istanbul is set to host a planned meeting involving Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to discuss potential ceasefire talks amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. However, the future of these negotiations remains uncertain, as Russia has submitted “specific proposals” to Washington but has not shared them with Kyiv.

Meanwhile, it is uncertain whether Ukraine will attend the meeting, with outlets pointing out that Kyiv is “keeping Russia guessing.”

According to reports, Kyiv wants to exchange negotiation points with Moscow before the talks begin. At the same time, Russia insists on only sharing its proposals in person and behind closed doors, emphasizing that talks should remain private.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that, despite Russia’s claims of spending over a week preparing a memorandum for peace talks, they have yet to share it with Ukraine, international partners, or Turkey, the host of the initial meeting. (Read more from “Putin to Skip Peace Talks as Trump Pushes for Immediate End to War” HERE)

Trump: Russia and Ukraine Set to Begin Ceasefire Negotiations

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President Donald Trump announced Monday that Ukraine and Russia will begin negotiations toward a ceasefire and suggested that talks could take place at the Vatican.

Trump took to Truth Social after a two-hour conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to share that it “went very well.”

“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump wrote.

“The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” he added.

Trump said that Russia looks to engage in “large-scale trade” with the United States once peace is reached.

(Read more from “Trump: Russia and Ukraine Set to Begin Ceasefire Negotiations” HERE)

Soviet-Era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth After 53 Years Stuck in Orbit

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A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus.

Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also tracked the spacecraft’s doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station.

It was not immediately known how much, if any, of the half-ton spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said ahead of time that some if not all of it might come crashing down, given it was built to withstand a landing on Venus, the solar system’s hottest planet.

The chances of anyone getting clobbered by spacecraft debris were exceedingly low, scientists said.

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a rocket malfunction. (Read more from “Soviet-Era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth After 53 Years Stuck in Orbit” HERE)

Trump May Travel to Turkey for Putin-Zelensky Talks on Ending Ukraine War

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President Trump is considering making a pit stop in Turkey on Thursday to attend scheduled Ukraine-Russia peace talks during his tour of the Middle East.

“I think you’re going to have maybe a good meeting. You have the potential for a good meeting,” he told reporters Monday, referencing the talks proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

“That meeting wasn’t going to take place, I insisted that that meeting take place, and it is taking place.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky committed to the talks over the weekend — telling Putin on X Sunday that he “will be waiting” for him in Turkey. But so far, the Kremlin has yet to confirm whether the Russian leader will attend.

“Here in Ukraine, we have absolutely no problem engaging in negotiations, we are ready for any format,” Zelensky wrote. “I will be in Türkiye this Thursday, May 15, and I expect Putin to come to Türkiye as well. Personally. And I hope that this time, Putin won’t be looking for excuses as to why he ‘can’t’ make it.” (Read more from “Trump May Travel to Turkey for Putin-Zelensky Talks on Ending Ukraine War” HERE)

Candidate Who Called Opponent ‘Senator Ukraine’ Used Ukrainian Footage In Campaign Video

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Several scenes from Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign announcement video were shot in foreign countries, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

Paxton released a two-and-a-half-minute-long video April 9 following his decision to mount a primary challenge to incumbent Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn. The video, which touts Paxton’s conservative credentials and accuses Cornyn of betraying the “America First” movement, uses stock footage shot in Ukraine, Russia and South Africa, according to a DCNF review of the video’s sourcing.

“Senator John Cornyn turned his back on President Trump,” the video’s narrator states. “It’s time for a change. Ken Paxton is the conservative fighter they couldn’t cancel.”

Paxton’s campaign is not the first to use foreign imagery licensed from stock footage websites to depict Americans. Candidates across both parties, including Democratic Oregon Rep. Janelle Bynum and former Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, have raised eyebrows in recent years by featuring foreign stock footage in campaign materials.

The locations of the foreign footage used in Paxton’s video or those of the footages’ contributors were easily identifiable on most commonly used stock footage websites, according to a DCNF review. (Read more from “Candidate Who Called Opponent ‘Senator Ukraine’ Used Ukrainian Footage In Campaign Video” HERE)

Germany Ready to Bring Back Conscription as Russian Belligerence Grows

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If you want peace, prepare for war. Germany appears to be embracing this ancient maxim with the country’s top general warning Monday that Berlin is ready to bring back conscription.

Carsten Breuer, the German Chief of Defence, told BBC’s Radio 4 an additional 100,000 soldiers would be needed to ensure the country’s ability to defend itself as a belligerent Russia continues to roil the continent.

Defence chiefs have been looking to increase the size of the armed forces since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but have fallen short of even an initial target of 20,000, as Europe looks ahead to further unrest.

The Daily Mail reports Breuer warned Russia could attack NATO territory in as little as four years and he is calling for a massive troop buildup – achievable, he says, only through compulsory service through conscription.

“We won’t get this additional 100,000 soldiers without having one or the other, a model of conscription,” Germany’s highest ranking soldier told the programme. (Read more from “Germany Ready to Bring Back Conscription as Russian Belligerence Grows” HERE)

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Desperate Russia Will Pay Schoolgirls $1,200 to Have Children to Boost Birth Rates in Wake of Ukraine War Meat Grinder

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Russian authorities are offering to pay schoolgirls $1,200 to have children in a desperate attempt to boost the country’s birth rate after it lost a reported quarter of a million soldiers in the Ukraine War meat grinder.

School-age girls in the western Russian region of Oryol, some 200 miles south of Moscow and close to the Ukraine border, are the first in Russia to receive the payment if they have children.

From this year, girls in “full-time education,” will be eligible for the one-off payment of 100,000 rubles ($1,200), Oryol’s regional Governor Andrei Klychkov announced in a statement.

The region is already one of 40 in Russia that offer payment to female university students who have children, but on Thursday, Governor Klychkov extended the program to school-age girls in a statement on the region’s website.

“On Amending the Decree of the Governor of the Oryol Region dated December 12, 2024, No. 717 ‘On Establishing a One-Time Cash Payment upon Registration for Pregnancy for Women Studying Full-Time, Residing in the Territory of Oryol Region, in 2025-2027,’” the statement read. (Read more from “Desperate Russia Will Pay Schoolgirls $1,200 to Have Children to Boost Birth Rates in Wake of Ukraine War Meat Grinder” HERE)

Report: Judge Who Blocked Trump Deportations Played Key Role in Russia Collusion Hoax; and was a Member of Skull and Bones While at Yale

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The Obama-appointed federal judge who ruled against President Donald Trump’s deportations of suspected Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members played a key role in the failed Russia-Trump collusion accusations while presiding over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court.

Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has started a legal battle against the Trump administration by moving to block and return deportation flights of illegal aliens affiliated with the violent Venezuelan gang last Saturday, Breitbart News reported.

A Thursday report by investigative journalist Jerry Dunleavy on Thursday detailed how deeply entrenched the judge was in the “Russiagate” conspiracy theory that the FBI used in its attempted takedown of Trump during his first term as president:

As the head of the FISA Court, Boasberg “made a number of divisive decisions, including a slap on the wrist for a member of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane team, the appointment of officials who had defended the FBI’s actions during the Russiagate saga, the renewal of the FBI’s FISA powers, and more,” Dunleavy wrote for Just the News.

Despite writing that “the frequency and seriousness” of the errors found by the DOJ watchdog related to the Russia investigation “called into question the reliability of the information proffered in other FBI applications,” Boasberg signed off on the renewal of overreaching surveillance powers for U.S. spy agencies in November 2020. (Read more from “Report: Judge Who Blocked Trump Deportations Played Key Role in Russia Collusion Hoax” HERE)

Editor’s note: This activist judge was also a member of Cross and Bones while at Yale.