TV News LIES

Nicaragua’s long-serving president, Daniel Ortega, has said the country will hold no further elections to prevent the opposition from coming to power.

The 80-year-old authoritarian leader, who has been in office since 2007, also said he would work with the congress he controls to pass new laws that would “build a wall” against the opposition.

Ortega made the announcement on Sunday during the official ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista revolution, in which he helped overthrow the brutal dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza.

Although his administration and that of his wife and “co-president”, Rosario Murillo, had already been marked by the steady erosion of democracy in the Central American country, many are describing his announcement as a significant rhetorical escalation.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he expects to hold “key conversations” on Monday to formulate a strategy aimed at concluding the war, following a weekend of extensive consultations with military commanders.

In his evening video address on Sunday, July 19, Zelensky stated that the priority is evaluating active operations and establishing a future strategy to compel a conclusion to the conflict on terms acceptable to Ukraine.

“This has various components, and I want to hear how the commanders in our Defense and Security Forces see it,” Zelensky said. “Tomorrow I have key conversations. Ukraine must achieve its goals, and it will.”

The president noted that over the weekend, he held discussions regarding the situation on the front line and broader military strategy with several experienced military personnel.

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President Donald Trump was hit with some pretty loud boos for the second time in a matter of hours on Sunday when he walked onto the field to present World Cup medals, following Spain's 1-0 victory over Argentina in the championship game.

The Fox broadcast picked up the jeers as Trump sauntered onto the MetLife Stadium field in New Jersey.

Trump was flanked by his his pal FIFA boss Gianni Infantino as he waved to the crowd and clapped his hands; the president appeared to smirk at first, but he looked a bit more serious as he stepped onto the blue platform to give out the awards.

The cold reception came after Trump appeared to get booed by a healthy chunk of the crowd when he was shown on the big screen following the National Anthem.

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Spain winning the World Cup just feels right.

That opener against Cape Verde aside, they were the best team in this tournament. Beating Argentina 1-0 on Sunday, July 19, to win their second World Cup title confirms it.

One goal conceded across eight games. Goals from seven different players, including Ferran Torres, who pounced on a Nico Williams header and buried it for the game-winner in the 106th minute. That’s the dominance worthy of a World Cup champion.

Besides, Argentina had no business winning a second consecutive title, even if it would have been nice to send Lionel Messi out on top. If you can’t get off a single shot — not just a shot on goal, a shot of any kind — until stoppage time of the second overtime period, you have no business winning an AYSO tournament, let alone the World Cup.

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The European Union could be leaning toward banning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Foreign ministers debated various tactics to respond to the settlements on Monday at their monthly council meeting in Brussels, against the backdrop of rising violence by settlers and efforts by the government to expand settlements in the territory.

In a press conference following the meeting, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said one possibility had stood out.

“The option that got the most support was banning the trade with illegal settlements,” she said. All 27 member states consider settlements in the West Bank to violate international law.

Kallas added: “We tasked the ambassadors to take this work forward, and probably will also have an extraordinary meeting on this.”

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If there is one thing that has long defined the political career of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it is Iran. 

Retired general Isaac Ben Israel once described Netanyahu’s efforts to persuade the US to exit the nuclear deal as “the worst strategic mistake in Israel’s history” - one that has served only to push Iran closer towards seeking a nuclear weapon as a deterrent.

For decades, Netanyahu has framed Iran as an existential threat to the Jewish people, suggesting that the moment Iran acquires nuclear military capabilities, it will immediately attack Israel. 

The absurdity of these claims, which overlook Iran as a sovereign state of more than 90 million people with its own domestic challenges, cannot be overstated.

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