TRUMP: ‘THERE’S A LOT OF BRAVERY THERE’: Relishing what he believes is a victory over the Houthi rebels in Yemen, President Donald Trump lavished praise yesterday on the group that just two months ago his administration designated a foreign terrorist organization.
“You know, we hit them very hard. They had a great capacity to withstand punishment,” Trump said, referring to the more than 50 consecutive days of bombing carried out by U.S. forces. “They took tremendous punishment. And, you know, you could say there’s a lot of bravery there, that it was amazing what they took.”
Trump said Tuesday that the Houthis had “capitulated,” announcing “they don’t want to fight anymore.” However, since then, neither the White House, the State Department, nor the U.S. Central Command has released any formal statement outlining the precise terms of the agreement. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s only public comment to date was to repost Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi’s statement that, “In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping.”
“The objective from Day One: ‘ensuring freedom of navigation,’” Hegsteth said. “PEACE THRU STRENGTH in action.”
Trump insists he’s got a deal. “We had a very good outcome with the Houthis, and we honor their word. I mean, they made a commitment,” he said yesterday. “We’ll see what happens. But I think, you know, I believe that, hopefully, that’s over with, and they’ll leave the ships alone … they gave us their word that they wouldn’t be shooting ships anymore, and we honor that.”
HOUTHI LEADER: THE U.S. ‘BACKED DOWN’: Meanwhile in an interview with Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, Mohammed Abdulsalam, the chief Houthi negotiator, rejected the capitulation characterization and insisted it was the U.S. that “backed down,” according to a report by the BBC.
“What changed is the American position, but our position remains firm,” said Abdulsalam, adding Houthis’ support for the Palestinian people in Gaza “will not change” and calling Trump’s remarks “a reflection of Washington’s frustration after failing to protect Israeli ships and contain the fallout of its involvement.”
“The agreement does not include Israel in any way, shape or form,” Abdulsalam told Reuters in a separate interview, in which he portrayed the ceasefire as a response to the U.S. standing offer to end the bombing if the Houthis stopped threatening shipping in the region.
“As long as they announced the cessation (of U.S. strikes) and they are actually committed to that, our position was self-defence, so we will stop,” he said.
SHIPPERS STILL WARY: The comments — and the lack of specificity over whether, for example, Israeli ships will be targeted — has muddied the waters enough that international shipping companies are not rushing to resume their old trade routes.
“The top five container-shipping companies said they were assessing the deal announced Tuesday by President Trump but had no immediate plans to return to the area where the Houthis began targeting merchant ships in late 2023,” the Wall Street Journal reports this morning.
With the Houthis still waging war against Israel, the Red Sea shipping lanes will remain risky, a Pentagon official conceded to the newspaper. “It will take some time before the southern Red Sea is safe, and we are working on it,” the official said. “It will also depend on how the Houthis behave.”
HOUTHI ‘CAPITULATION’ AGAINST US DOESN’T END ISRAEL CONFLICT
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Trump was ALL CAPS posting last night on his Truth Social platform, touting what he called a “MAJOR TRADE DEAL WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A BIG, AND HIGHLY RESPECTED, COUNTRY. THE FIRST OF MANY!!!”
The big reveal, set for 10 a.m., Trump confirmed this morning is a trade agreement with the United Kingdom, the first of what Trump hopes will be dozens of new deals signed with countries under pressure from punitive U.S. tariffs.
“The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning. “Because of our long time history and allegiance together, it is a great honor to have the United Kingdom as our FIRST announcement. Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!”
“A team of senior British trade negotiators landed in Washington on Wednesday as talks over a deal between the two countries gathered pace,” the Guardian newspaper reported, quoting one source as saying both sides are seeking “a quick deal” and with the U.K. hoping to get an agreement signed before a planned U.K.-EU summit on May 19.
HAPPY WW2 VICTORY DAY: As promised, President Trump, who doesn’t think the U.S. gets enough credit for winning World War II, signed a proclamation declaring today, May 8, “Victory Day for World War II.”
“We won two World Wars, but we never took credit for it — Everyone else does!” Trump posted on Truth Social Monday night. “All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn’t celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us.”
“We won the war, and we won it with the help of others. But everybody was celebrating but the United States of America,” Trump said yesterday at the swearing-in ceremony for David Perdue, the new U.S. ambassador to China. “All Americans should take pride in what these incredible patriots have achieved, so I just want to say Happy Victory Day to all.”
But, just because we’re celebrating, don’t think you’re getting another federal holiday. “We’re not going to have days off because we don’t have enough days in the year. We have too many celebrations already,” Trump said.
While World War II officially ended at 11:01 p.m. on May 8, 1945, in Europe (because of the time difference, it was already May 9 in Moscow), for the U.S., the end of the war didn’t come until after the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945, and the official signing of surrender documents on the deck of the American battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.
CLOUDS OVER PUTIN’S PARADE: Both Russia and Ukraine celebrate May 9 as Victory Day over Nazi Germany, and this year Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted to engineer a three day pause in attacks to accommodate his massive parade through Red Square, at which he is hosting world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
But Ukraine, which said it could not honor a ceasefire, has accused Russia of already violating the ceasefire that technically took effect midnight yesterday (5 p.m. EDT), with attacks overnight but none so far this morning.
“Air raid sirens across Ukraine have sounded almost the entire day. Overnight, there was yet another Russian attack with missiles and drones,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last night. “And it is entirely fair that the Russian sky – the sky of the aggressor – is not calm either today. Our proposal for a halt to the strikes, for a ceasefire of at least 30 days, still stands – we are not withdrawing this proposal.”
Ukraine sent a wave of drones to attack Russian military targets late Tuesday and early Wednesday, which caused Russia to close more than a half-dozen airports in and around Moscow, causing travel chaos, including from some invited guests attending tomorrow’s parade.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanintold the Moscow Times that Russian air defenses destroyed eight drones on Tuesday evening and nine early Wednesday morning, marking the third consecutive day of attacks targeting the capital.
VANCE: RUSSIA IS ‘ASKING FOR TOO MUCH’: Speaking at the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, Vice President J.D. Vance sounded surprisingly sympathetic to Ukraine and seemed to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin for the failure to achieve a ceasefire in the more than three-year-old war in Ukraine.
“I’m not yet a pessimist on this,” Vance said. “The Ukrainians have said they would agree to a ceasefire — a 30-day ceasefire. We appreciate that…What the Russians have said is, ‘A 30-day ceasefire is not in our strategic interest.’”
“So, we’ve tried to move beyond the obsession with the 30-day ceasefire and more on the, ‘What would the long-term settlement look like?’” Vance continued. “And there’s a big gulf, predictably, between where the Russians and the Ukrainians are, and we think the next step in the negotiation is to try to close that gulf.”
“I wouldn’t say that the Russians are uninterested in bringing this thing to a resolution,” Vance said. “What I would say is, right now, the Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much.”
Later, Trump was asked about Vance’s comments, which he hadn’t heard. Told by reporter Vance has said it earlier in the day, Trump said. “Well, it’s possible that he’s right. He may know some things that — because I’ve been dealing with this and some other things. But we are getting to a point where some decisions are going to have to be made. I’m not happy about it. I’m not happy about it.”
“What the president has said is that he will walk away if he thinks he’s not making progress,” Vance said. “The step that we would like to make right now is we would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another.”
BIDEN DUMPS ON TRUMP’S APPROACH TO UKRAINE IN WAR AGAINST RUSSIA: ‘BENEATH AMERICA’
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Army leaders stress importance of cheap drones in future conflicts
Washington Examiner: Houthi ‘capitulation’ against US doesn’t end Israel conflict
Washington Examiner: Israeli hostage families alarmed after Trump says fewer are still alive than previously shared
Washington Examiner: Biden dumps on Trump’s approach to Ukraine in war against Russia: ‘Beneath America’
Washington Examiner: Concerns emerge four-star general reduction could be ‘loyalty test’
Washington Examiner: Trump’s current FEMA leader says agency should not be eliminated
Washington Examiner: Trump administration eyes expanding deportations to Ukraine and Libya
Washington Examiner: Lankford pushes Congress to pass immigration bill to make border security permanent
Washington Examiner: Trump says he won’t drop 145% China tariffs to advance negotiations, as requested by Beijing
Washington Examiner: Bill Gates’s charity deeply invested in Chinese military companies
Washington Examiner: Xi Jinping visits Moscow ahead of Bessent’s trade talks with China
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Congress must speak out as Trump shreds US interests on Greenland
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: End temporary protected status for Salvadorans
New York Times: The Indian Aircraft Pakistan Says It Shot Down
Wall Street Journal: Shippers Are Skeptical of Trump’s Truce With the Houthis
Washington Post: U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink
Axios: Israel Plans to Occupy and Flatten All of Gaza if No Deal by Trump’s Trip
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Industry Head: $150B Reconciliation Bill is ‘Sugar High,’ We Need Budget Stability
New York Times: Hegseth’s Use of Passwords Raises New Security Concerns
Reuters: Boeing Proposes 2027 Delivery Date for New Air Force One Jets, Official Says
Defense One: Could Striking First in Cyber Be New Pentagon Policy?
Air & Space Forces Magazine: B-52 Bombers Join B-2s on Diego Garcia
Defense One: Trump’s F-15 Basing Decision Adds to Air Force’s Training Troubles
Defense News: More Data, Comms, Countermeasures Needed for Special Ops Aircraft
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF Gets New Autonomous Gliders to Resupply Troops in High-Risk Environments
Breaking Defense: Space RCO Head Envisions Orbital Warfare Satellite Product Line
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Eyes More Uses for AI—with Guardrails
DefenseScoop: Pentagon Moves to Implement ‘Anything-as-a-Service’ Pilot Program
Air & Space Forces Magazine: T-7 Making Progress on New Ejection Seat, on Track for November 2027 IOC
The War Zone: PhantomStrike Low-Cost Lightweight AESA Radar Flies for First Time
Task & Purpose: Military Daycares Must Change How They Inform Parents About Reports of Abuse, Watchdog Says
Military.com: ‘We Shouldn’t Be Burying Our Kids’: Mom of Airman Files New Civil Lawsuit Over Fatal Police Shooting
Air & Space Forces Magazine: What the Supreme Court’s Transgender Ban Really Means
Military Times: DOD Working on Recipe to Improve Food on Military Bases
THE CALENDAR:
THURSDAY | MAY 8
9 a.m. 2212 Rayburn — House Armed Services Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee hearing: “Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Posture of the Department of Defense,” with testimony from Douglas Matty, DOD chief digital and artificial intelligence officer; and Katie Arrington, performing the duties of DOD chief information officer http://www.armedservices.house.gov
9 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “Space superiority, space fires, Golden Dome, and the continued delivery of unparalleled spacepower advantage,” with Lt. Gen. Thomas James, deputy commander, U.S. Space Command; and Charles Galbreath, senior resident fellow for spacepower studies, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/ltg-thomas-l-james/
9 a.m. 2008 Rayburn — House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing: “Oversight Hearing — The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency,” with testimony from Bridget Bean, acting director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency http://appropriations.house.gov
9 a.m. 138 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing: “A Review of the President FY2026 Budget Request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” with testimony from FBI Director Kash Patel http://appropriations.senate.gov
9 a.m. Cannon Caucus Room 390 — United Against Nuclear Iran displays an Iranian Shahed-136 drone on Capitol Hill to call attention to Iran malign drone proliferation, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); Sen. James Lankford (R-OK); Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) [email protected]
9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to consider the nominations of Michael Obadal to be undersecretary of the Army; and Sean O’Keefe to be deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings
9:30 a.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “National Security and the Future of Space Commerce,” with retired Gen. John Raymond, former chief of space operations at U.S. Space Force https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/general-john-raymond
11 a.m. 1750 Independence Dr. — Friends of the National World War II Memorial V-E Day 80th Anniversary Commemoration, to “pay tribute to the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives and the more than 60 million souls lost worldwide in the deadliest conflict in human history.” https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/ceremony-registration
12 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army “Noon Report” webinar: “U.S. Army: Powering the Mission,” with Brandon Cockrell, deputy assistant Army secretary for energy and sustainability https://www.ausa.org/events/noon-report/us-army-powering-the-mission
12:30 p.m. 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW — Institute for Policy Studies book discussion: Fire and Rain: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Wars in Southeast Asia, with author Carolyn Woods Eisenberg https://ips-dc.org/event/fire-and-rain
3 p.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies virtual discussion: “Logistics While Under Attack: Key to a CCA (Concepts and Capability Assessments) Force Design,” with Brig. Gen. Joseph Kunkel, director of force design, integration, and wargaming for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Futures; Mark Gunzinger, director of future concepts and capability assessments, Mitchell Institute; and retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean, Mitchell Institute https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/events/research-study-release-cca2025/
FRIDAY | MAY 9
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave., NW— Center for Strategic and International Studies CSIS Military Fellows discussion: “Insights for Future Conflicts from the Russia-Ukraine War,” with Col. Scott Pence, U.S. Army fellow; Capt. Quinton Packard, U.S. Navy fellow; Capt. Luke Slivinski, U.S. Coast Guard fellow; Col. Nathan Lewis, U.S. Air Force fellow; Col. Matthew Slusher, U.S. Air Force fellow; and Seth Jones, president, CSIS Defense and Security Department https://www.csis.org/events/insights-future-conflicts-russia-ukraine-war
12 p.m. 112 Elden St., Suite P, Herndon, Virginia — Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women discussion: “Escaping North Korea: From Brainwashing to Freedom,” with Seohyun Lee, North Korean defector and human rights advocate https://tinyurl.com/48c7pcdy
MONDAY | MAY 12
10:30 a.m. 1333 H Street, NW — Center for American Progress discussion: “Pushing Back and Moving Forward: A Conversation with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD),” focusing on his recent trip to El Salvador and the importance of defending the principle of due process, moderated by Neera Tanden, president and CEO, Center for American Progress https://rsvp2.americanprogress.org/cvhpushingbackmovingforward
TUESDAY | MAY 13
8:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies Global Security Forum: “Strength Through the Storm: Industry, Innovation, and the Future of U.S. Military Power.” https://www.csis.org/events/2025-global-security-forum
THURSDAY | MAY 15
8 a.m. 111 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, Virginia — Potomac Officers Club Cyber Summit, with Bridget Bean, executive director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and Acting assistant secretary of defense for Cyber Policy Ashley Manning https://potomacofficersclub.com/events/2025-cyber-summit/
8 a.m. 700 M St. NE — Politico Security Summit with House Intelligence ranking member Rep. Jim Himes (D-CN); and Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY) chairman, House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee https://2025politicosecuritysummit.splashthat.com/Invite
FRIDAY | MAY 23
9 a.m. 550 Taylor Ave., Annapolis, Maryland — U.S. Naval Academy 2025 graduation and commissioning ceremony at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium https://www.usna.edu/CommissioningWeek/schedule.php
