Aamer Madhani, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Marwan Barghouti, center, raises his handcuffed hands in the air on the opening day of his trial in Tel Aviv, Israel, Aug. 14, 2002. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)

Trump mulls asking Israel to free Palestinian leader Barghouti as US looks to Gaza’s post-Hamas rule

October 23, 2025

President Donald Trump is suggesting he could call on Israel to release imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, the most popular and potentially unifying Palestinian leader. Trump’s comment in a Time magazine interview comes as the United States aims to fill a leadership vacuum in postwar Gaza. The president’s acknowledgment of internal discussions on the issue underscores the difficult task ahead of finding credible political figures to oversee governance in Gaza. The U.S. and Israel say they’re committed to preventing Hamas from continuing to rule the territory. Barghouti was convicted in 2004 in connection with attacks in Israel that killed five people.

FILE - President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Ahead of Zelenskyy meeting, Trump shows signs he might not be ready to send Kyiv Tomahawk missiles

October 16, 2025

President Donald Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks at the White House on Friday. The U.S. leader is signaling he’s not ready to agree to sell Kyiv a long-range missile system that the Ukrainians say they desperately need. The meeting comes a day after Trump had a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In recent days, Trump had shown openness to selling Ukraine long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, even as Putin warned against it. Following Thursday’s call with Putin, Trump appeared to downplay the prospects of Ukraine getting the missiles.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Trump confirms the CIA is conducting covert operations inside Venezuela

October 15, 2025

President Donald Trump has confirmed that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. The president on Wednesday also said he’s considering land operations following recent U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats from Venezuela. Trump told reporters at an Oval Office event that he had authorized the move because Venezuela is allowing criminals and drugs to flow into the U.S. Since early September, U.S. forces have conducted at least five strikes in the Caribbean, resulting in 27 deaths. The New York Times was first to report that Trump had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, not pictured, at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Sept 2, 2025. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump will hold talks with Pakistan’s prime minister in the latest sign of warming relations

September 25, 2025

President Donald Trump is set to hold talks with Pakistan’s prime minister at the White House. The meeting with Shehbaz Sharif later Thursday is the latest sign of warming relations. Earlier this week, Sharif joined Trump and other leaders of Muslim and Arab countries at the U.N. General Assembly to discuss the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Ties have improved between the U.S. and Pakistan as Trump’s relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become strained over India’s increased purchases of discounted Russian oil after Moscow invaded Ukraine. The U.S. and Pakistan recently reached a trade agreement to develop Pakistan’s oil reserves and lower tariffs.

Russian warplanes detected flying near Alaska for ninth time this year, US military says

September 25, 2025

The U.S. military says fighter jets have intercepted Russian warplanes near Alaska again. The North American Aerospace Defense Command reported the incident Thursday. The incident occurred Wednesday, marking the third time it has happened in about a month and the ninth time this year. NORAD says it detected two Tu-95s and two Su-35s in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. Nine U.S. aircraft, including an E-3 Sentry and four F-16s, were scrambled to intercept them. NORAD says the Russian planes stayed in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian territory. NORAD says such activity is regular and is not considered a threat.

FILE - President Donald Trump shakes hands with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 13, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File)

Trump is hosting Turkey’s Erdogan at the White House as the US considers lifting ban on F-35 sales

September 24, 2025

President Donald Trump plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday. Trump has hinted that the U.S. might soon lift its hold on advanced fighter jet sales to Turkey. During Trump’s first term, the U.S. removed Turkey from the F-35 program because of concerns over Turkey’s use of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. Trump recently suggested a resolution might be near, mentioning ongoing trade and military deals with Turkey. Despite tensions over Turkey’s human rights record and ties with Russia, Trump sees Erdogan as a crucial partner, especially in efforts to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

President Donald Trump walks from Marine One with Col. Christopher Robinson, right, commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump to take aim at ‘globalist institutions,’ make case for his foreign policy record in UN speech

September 22, 2025

President Donald Trump will use his address to the United Nations General Assembly to spotlight his second-term foreign policy achievements and lament that “globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order.” That’s according to the White House. World leaders will be listening closely to Tuesday’s remarks as Trump has moved quickly to diminish U.S. support for the world body in his first eight months in office. The U.S. president’s speech comes at one of the most volatile moments in the world body’s 80-year-old history. Global leaders are being tested by intractable wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, uncertainty about the economic and social impact of emerging artificial intelligence technology, and anxiety about Trump’s antipathy for the U.N.

In this image made from video, Police and Military Police secure parts of a damaged object shot down by Polish authorities at a site in Wohyn, Poland, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafal Niedzielski)

Trump offers ambiguous initial response to Russian drone incursion into Poland’s airspace

September 10, 2025

President Donald Trump has offered an ambiguous initial response to Russia’s drone incursion into Poland’s airspace. Trump wrote on social media Wednesday: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” Russian drones earlier Wednesday entered Poland’s territory over the course of many hours and were shot down with help from NATO allies. It was a provocative act by Moscow that put the United States’ NATO allies in Europe on edge. Trump’s reaction was notably less robust than that of his ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker. It also stood in contrast to the strong condemnation by several European leaders.

President Donald Trump speaks about the relocation of U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

New Polish president who was endorsed by Trump is making his first White House visit

September 2, 2025

Newly inaugurated Polish President Karol Nawrocki is set to visit the White House just months after President Donald Trump took the unusual step of weighing into Poland’s election and endorsing the nationalist politician. With Wednesday’s visit, Nawrocki is looking to strengthen his relationship with Trump and make the case that the U.S. needs to maintain its strong military presence in his country. Some key advisers in the Republican administration have advocated for shifting U.S. troops and military from Europe to the Indo-Pacific with China’s lock as the United States’ most significant strategic and economic competitor. Roughly 10,000 American troops are stationed in Poland on a rotational basis.

FILE - A Homeland Security vehicle, right, is parked outside the Moakley Federal Courthouse, April 19, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Federal judge issues order blocking Trump effort to expand speedy deportations of migrants

August 30, 2025

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out speedy deportations of undocumented migrants detained in the interior of the United States. It’s a setback for the Republican administration’s efforts to remove migrants from the country without appearing before a judge first. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb wrote in a 48-page opinion issued Friday night that the effort is based on the argument “that those who entered the country illegally are entitled to no process under the Fifth Amendment, but instead must accept whatever grace Congress affords them.” The administration says the judge’s ruling ignores federal law and Trump’s power under the Constitution.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe departs a classified briefing for senators at the Capitol on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

CIA chief told lawmakers Iran nuclear program set back years with strikes on metal conversion site

June 29, 2025

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has told skeptical U.S. lawmakers that American military strikes destroyed Iran’s lone metal conversion facility and delivered a monumental setback to Tehran’s nuclear program that will take years to overcome. That’s according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive intelligence. Ratcliffe also told lawmakers at a classified hearing last week that the intelligence community assessed the vast majority of Iran’s amassed enriched uranium likely remains buried at Isfahan and Fordo nuclear facilities. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran’s capabilities have been “destroyed to an important degree” but “some is still standing.”

Trump is at a moment of choosing as Israel looks for more US help crushing Iran’s nuclear program

June 16, 2025

President Donald Trump in about eight hours went from suggesting a nuclear deal remained “achievable” to urging Tehran’s 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives. He cut short a visit to the Group of Seven summit in the Canadian Rockies so he could return to Washington for urgent talks with aides about the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Trump is expected to arrive at the White House early Tuesday. Israel over four days of strikes has done considerable damage to Iran. It believes that it can now deal a permanent blow to Tehran’s nuclear program — particularly with more direct help from Trump. But deepening U.S. involvement comes with enormous political risk.

President Donald Trump, left, escorted by Air Force Col. Angela F. Ochoa, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, walks from Marine One to board Air Force One, Sunday, June 15, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for a trip to Canada to attend the G7 Summit. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, undeterred by protests

June 15, 2025

President Donald Trump has directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities after large protests have erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Trump in a social media posting Sunday called on ICE officials “to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.” He added that to reach the goal officials ”must expand efforts to detain and deport” people in the country illegally in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk after greeting guests during the congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Israeli strikes on Iran lead to new test of Trump’s ability to deliver on ‘America first’ agenda

June 12, 2025

Just hours before Israel launched strikes on Iran early Friday, President Donald Trump was still holding onto hope that the long-simmering dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program could be resolved without military action. But with the Israeli military operation now underway and likely to continue for some time, Trump will be tested anew on his ability to deliver on a campaign promise to disentangle the U.S. from foreign conflicts. He’s already struggling to find an endgame to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Aamer Madhani.