DOHA, QATAR – At the 2025 Doha Forum, U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson sat down with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani for a rare, blunt conversation about Middle East politics, the Gaza war, and the surprising role of Donald Trump.

The interview, held in front of a packed audience, focused on the Gaza conflict, Qatar’s disputed role as a mediator with Hamas, and the political shockwave from an Israeli strike on Qatari soil.

Carlson opened by pressing Sheikh Al Thani on the September 9 Israeli airstrike in Doha. The attack targeted Hamas officials but also killed a Qatari serviceman. The Prime Minister called the strike “unprecedented” and “not acceptable.” It also threatened fragile ceasefire talks and hostage negotiations tied to Gaza.

That incident set the stage for the interview’s most revealing point: the role of President Donald Trump in pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formally apologize to Qatar.

The Unthinkable: Trump Pushes Netanyahu to Say Sorry

The fallout from the Israeli strike in Doha marked a major turning point in U.S.-Israel relations. For decades, Washington had backed Israel almost without question, often protecting it from serious public criticism, especially when Arab states were involved. Many observers said that no previous American president had taken the side of an Arab country against Israel in the way Trump did after the Doha attack.

The strike violated the territory of a key U.S. ally that hosts the largest American military base in the region, Al Udeid Air Base. Reports at the time said Netanyahu ordered the operation without telling the Trump White House.

The U.S. administration saw the move as a direct threat to regional stability and to Qatar’s role as the main channel for a Gaza ceasefire.

At a White House meeting, Trump pressed Netanyahu to call Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and offer a formal apology. According to the official readout, Netanyahu “expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” and “affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”

In doing so, Israel admitted it had violated Qatar’s sovereignty.

This episode, in which a U.S. president pushed an Israeli leader to apologize to an Arab government for a military strike, was a sharp break from past practice. It showed that Trump’s foreign policy, for all its controversy, drew a firm “red line” when an ally’s actions risked U.S. interests, especially efforts to calm the Middle East.

Qatar’s Careful Response and Quiet Gratitude

Speaking with Tucker Carlson, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani confirmed the strong intervention from Trump after the strike. Calm and diplomatic as usual, he still made clear how serious the situation had been.

He said President Trump was “very clear from the beginning” after the attack, and that Trump expressed “frustration” and “disappointment” over what Israel had done. The Prime Minister stressed that Trump understood how sensitive Qatar’s mediation role was and saw the strike as a move to “sabotage the relations between Qatar and the United States.”

Sheikh Al Thani’s comments hinted at quiet satisfaction that Qatar’s steady investment in ties with Washington, across different U.S. administrations, had paid off. He framed the apology as a necessary step for Qatar to keep acting as the one trusted mediator in the Gaza talks.

After the apology, Qatar issued a statement that repeated its “refusal to tolerate violations of its sovereignty” while also affirming its “readiness to continue its involvement in efforts to end the war.”

Al Thani avoided bragging about the outcome, but his tone made clear that Trump’s move was a rare diplomatic win for Doha. It helped cement Qatar’s position not only as a major financial player, but as a state whose security and political value the U.S. was willing to protect, even when that meant publicly correcting Israel.

Looking Ahead: A Shifting Regional Picture

The Doha Forum exchange highlighted how tense and fast-changing the regional picture has become. Sheikh Al Thani firmly rejected claims that Qatar funds Hamas. He said Qatar’s engagement with the group over the last decade came at the request of the United States, to help arrange ceasefires and deliver aid.

He also sent a clear message about Gaza’s future: “We are not the ones who are going to write the check to rebuild what others destroy.” Qatar, he said, would keep sending humanitarian relief, but would not pay on its own to rebuild what was destroyed by Israeli military operations. That was a signal that Qatar wants wider international responsibility for Gaza’s reconstruction.

The “Trump apology moment” will likely be studied for years. It shows that even long-standing alliances can shift when power, interests, and timing change. For now, it stands as a rare example of the United States siding so openly with an Arab state over a specific Israeli action. That choice has reset what many in the region expect from Washington.

For a deeper look at the main points from the discussion on U.S. policy in the Middle East, you can watch a recap here: Why Do You Host Hamas? — Tucker Carlson Confronts Qatar’s Prime Minister.

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MINNESOTA – Minneapolis sits at the center of a massive federal case over welfare fraud, one of the largest in U.S. history. Dozens of defendants, many with ties to the state’s Somali immigrant community, now face charges. In the middle of the public debate stands U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose political rise has been closely linked to that same community.

Ilhan Omar says she knew nothing about the criminal activity that unfolded around her district. Critics, from conservative groups to some local voices, say that the answer is not enough. They ask how a lawmaker so connected to these networks failed to notice warning signs, and why her family’s reported wealth appears to have jumped sharply just as the scandal gained national attention.

Federal officials have called the case the “biggest theft of taxpayer dollars in American history.” Prosecutors say the scheme drained more than $1 billion from federal programs meant to feed children and support vulnerable families between 2020 and 2025.

The funds came from child nutrition programs, homelessness support, and autism services. According to charging documents, suspects used fake nonprofits, then billed the state for services that never happened, such as meals never served and therapies never provided.

Of the 87 people charged, prosecutors say 79 are members of Minnesota’s Somali community, the largest Somali population in the country. Much of the alleged criminal activity traces back to Minneapolis’s Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, a core base of support for Omar and a key part of her political identity.

Safari Restaurant: From Celebration Venue to Federal Exhibit

Safari Restaurant, a popular Somali spot on Lake Street, became both a political symbol and a federal crime scene. In November 2018, when Ilhan Omar won her first race for Congress and made history as one of the first Muslim women in the U.S. House, she chose Safari as the site of her election-night party.

Photos from that evening show Omar and her supporters smiling and celebrating around platters of Somali dishes. In a video from the event, she called the restaurant “our home” and praised its owners for building community.

Federal prosecutors later named Safari Restaurant in their case. Co-owner Salim Ahmed Said, 33, was convicted in March 2025 on 21 counts that included wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering.

According to the government, Said used the nonprofit Feeding Our Future to claim payments for 3.9 million meals for children that never existed, outside of falsified documents.

Officials say he pushed about $5 million through the program and used the money to buy a $2 million mansion in Minneapolis, luxury vehicles, and monthly shopping trips to Nordstrom that ran around $9,000.

Court records state that Safari itself collected roughly $16 million in payments for “phantom meals.”

Omar appeared again at Safari in 2020, where a video shows her praising what she described as the restaurant’s meal program. That appearance has fueled suspicion among her critics. Bill Glahn, a policy fellow at the conservative Center of the American Experiment, argues that her closeness to the people involved raises concerns.

He claims, “She was a regular. People in her immediate circle were bringing in tens of millions. Either she missed everything, or she saw it and chose not to act.”

Omar’s office rejects that framing and says, “The congresswoman had no knowledge of any illegal conduct and has always supported lawful community programs.”

The Daily Mail highlighted those ties in a December 4 feature that examined what it called the “extent of her connections to the federal scheme.” The outlet linked Salim Said’s conviction to the MEALS Act, a bipartisan bill Omar introduced in 2020 to expand pandemic-era funding for child feeding programs.

That law opened access to about $250 million in federal dollars, roughly a quarter of the total fraud amount in the case. According to the Mail, Omar “maintains she was completely unaware,” though debate continues over whether her policy push accidentally helped enable the grift.

Campaign Operative’s Fraud Conviction Hits Close to Home

The scandal does not stop at Omar’s community ties. It has also touched her political inner circle. Guhaad Hashi Said (no relation to Salim) worked as a key field organizer for Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns.

Local news outlets like AlphaNews described him as an “enforcer” who helped turn out Somali voters in Minneapolis. He oversaw door-to-door operations, rallied volunteers, and posted frequent photos on Facebook with Omar at campaign events. In one 2018 post, he wrote under a selfie with her, “With the boss, making history.”

In August 2025, federal prosecutors secured a guilty plea from Hashi on a wire fraud charge. He admitted to running Advance Youth Athletic Development, which presented itself as a charity feeding 5,000 children daily.

Prosecutors say the group was fake and that Hashi stole roughly $3.2 million by using phony attendance sheets and invoices. U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger called it “a ghost operation” during sentencing. Hashi now faces a sentence that could reach 20 years in prison. Records show he was present at multiple Omar events, including gatherings at Safari.

Omar quickly tried to separate herself from him. Her office said, “Guhaad was a volunteer, not an official staff member, and we condemn all fraud.”

Her critics were not satisfied. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the House Oversight Committee, has argued that Hashi was much more than a casual supporter and describes him as Omar’s “get-out-the-vote muscle.”

Comer is also leading an investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s role in the broader scandal and has subpoenaed Department of Human Services records. He claims state officials deleted data to hide what he calls a “Somali network.”

Gov. Walz’s aides respond that rushed and relaxed rules during the height of COVID-19 made fraud easier and that the state acted under federal pressure to move quickly. Omar has echoed that defense, pointing to what she calls a lack of proper safeguards during the pandemic.

The U.S. Treasury Department, under Secretary Scott Bessent, is reviewing whether any money from the fraud scheme reached Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-aligned group in Somalia. During an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on December 7, Omar said she was “pretty confident it’s not true” and added that if it were, “the FBI failed.”

With 59 convictions already secured and more cases pending, White House officials have promised that “Americans will be shocked” once all details are out.

From “Not a Millionaire” to Possible $30 Million Net Worth

At the same time the welfare scandal has unfolded, Omar’s own finances have drawn fresh attention. In February 2025, when Business Insider asked about her wealth and raised rumors of possible insider dealing, Omar pushed back. “I’m a working mom with student loans. I’m not a millionaire, that’s categorically false,” she said.

Her 2023 financial disclosure appeared to support that claim. It showed an estimated net worth of about $51,000. Most of that came from her husband Tim Mynett’s new winery and a small venture business.

Her next filing, submitted in May 2025, looked very different. In that document, Omar reported assets between $6 million and $30 million. The Washington Free Beacon calculated that as an increase of roughly 3,500 percent.

The reported value of Mynett’s eStCru LLC winery jumped from $15,000–$50,000 up to $1 million–$5 million. His investment firm, Rose Lake Capital, went from having just $42 in its account to a listed value between $5 million and $25 million, while claiming to manage $60 billion in outside assets. Despite that, the disclosure showed no 2024 income from Rose Lake Capital, which raised more questions about how the asset values grew so sharply.

Conservative commentators have accused Omar of hypocrisy. Comer has slammed her on social media, pointing out that she often criticizes billionaires while her husband appears to have gained sudden wealth. Fox News has highlighted the contrast between her socialist rhetoric and her new status on paper as a potential multimillionaire.

Omar has dismissed the criticism as “right-wing disinformation” and urged people to read the full filings, where she says “debts outweigh assets.” She does not personally own a home or any public stocks, so her defenders argue that much of the reported wealth is tied up in private business valuations, not personal cash or property.

Her opponents suspect influence peddling and point to her Minnesota donor base. Some of those donors later appeared in federal indictments, although Omar returned $7,400 in contributions tied to charged individuals in 2022. Skeptics ask whether contacts in that circle may have helped Mynett’s ventures attract investors or gain deals.

Glahn, the conservative policy fellow, frames it as part of a broader pattern. He says, “The people around her made a lot of money from these programs. That is not an accident in my view.” Omar’s team responds that any growth in her husband’s businesses came from lawful investment and ordinary expansion, not political favors.

Somali Community Under Pressure, Omar on the Defensive

Minnesota’s Somali population, around 80,000 people, has felt the weight of the scandal. Many community members say they are being blamed for crimes they did not commit. Omar has stressed that point in multiple interviews.

On CNN with Jake Tapper on December 4, she said, “We’re taxpayers too, and we were harmed when corrupt people drained those programs.” She also said pandemic relief funds moved too quickly and that oversight was “missing” when it was most needed.

Former President Donald Trump seized on the scandal and used harsh language on his Truth Social platform, attacking Somali immigrants as “garbage.” Omar responded by calling his remarks a “disgusting obsession” and accusing him of targeting her community to stir anger among his base.

The fallout has gone beyond rhetoric. Reports of increased ICE enforcement actions and renewed talk of ending Temporary Protected Status for some Somali nationals have raised fears in immigrant neighborhoods. At the same time, House Republicans have pressed for Omar’s communications and financial records, arguing that her role and relationships deserve full scrutiny. She has described those moves as “racist scapegoating” that paints all Somali Americans as criminals.

Omar has long dominated her district politically and won 78 percent of the vote in her last election. Even so, local observers now say potential primary challengers see an opening. Some describe a sense that Omar has become “untouchable” and distant from the day-to-day struggles of the people who first helped her get elected.

The fraud scandal has become more than a criminal case. For many progressives, it poses a test for a figure who built a national brand on the story of a refugee who rose to power and promised to fight for the poor. That story, for some, now carries a cloud of doubt.

In Minneapolis, where winter sets in early and political talk rarely cools, residents wait to see what full transparency will reveal. Whether it clears Ilhan Omar’s name or deepens the suspicion around her, the outcome is likely to shape both her future and how her community is viewed for years to come.

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DOHA, QATAR – Donald Trump Jr. used a headline-grabbing speech at the Doha Forum on Sunday to issue a blunt warning about U.S. support for Ukraine, hinting that his father, President Donald J. Trump, may be ready to walk away from the conflict. Speaking to a packed crowd of diplomats, executives, and policymakers in Qatar, he kept it short but clear when asked if his father might cut Ukraine loose: “I think he may.”

The line hit hard and captured the growing frustration inside the Trump camp as its push for a negotiated end to Russia’s 2022 invasion runs into constant obstacles. For nearly a year, President Trump has led an aggressive peace push, promising to end the war far faster than what he calls the Biden-era “endless wars” that cost American money and lives.

From tense sessions in Alaska to quiet shuttle talks led by trusted allies like Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the Trump team has been promoting a 28-point peace plan built on what it sees as practical tradeoffs rather than ideal demands. Yet Thanksgiving targets have slipped by, and the talks have turned into a grind of partial steps, standoffs, and repeated delays.

Trump Jr.’s comments in Doha were more than casual family talk. They reflected the mood inside Trump’s circle, where early optimism about a fast deal has cooled. “What’s good about my father is you don’t know what he’s going to do,” he joked, echoing the unpredictable bargaining style that marked Trump’s first term. Behind the humor, though, was a blunt message: the United States will not act as an endless “idiot with the chequebook.”

A Son’s Harsh Attack on Zelensky and Ukraine’s Corruption

On stage with his business partner Omeed Malik of 1789 Capital, Trump Jr. quickly shifted the discussion from markets and investment to a fierce critique of Ukraine’s leadership. He described President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “borderline deity” for many on the American left, a polished media figure who moved from comedian to war hero. Then he tore into that image.

He argued that Ukraine was “a much more corrupt country than Russia,” pointing to pre-war U.S. assessments that put Kyiv near the top of global corruption rankings. Under Zelensky, he claimed, “the money trains have not stopped.” According to Trump Jr., billions in U.S. aid have been siphoned off by oligarchs and officials while regular Ukrainians, described by him as the “peasant class,” pay the price on the front line.

His comments draw on a wave of 2025 scandals that have battered Zelensky’s reputation at home and abroad. In November, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced “Operation Midas,” a major investigation into a scheme that allegedly stole $100 million from state nuclear company Energoatom through kickbacks and rigged contracts.

Prosecutors say contractors were forced to hand over 15 percent bribes to win deals, and investigators traced some of the laundered money to Zelensky’s close circle. One of the key names tied to the case is Tymur Mindich, a longtime business associate of Zelensky, who reportedly left Ukraine just hours before a raid on his luxury apartment in Kyiv.

The scandal triggered the resignations of two ministers, new sanctions, and the removal of Zelensky’s powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, often described in Kyiv as a “de facto vice president,” amid reports of possible links to the scheme.

Opponents like former President Petro Poroshenko have called the stolen funds “blood money,” accusing the leadership of looting while soldiers die at the front. Trump Jr. pushed that theme hard. “Do we really think all this was honestly earned in Ukraine?” he asked, highlighting how domestic anger in the United States now shapes foreign policy.

Polls show Ukraine is far from a top concern for most Americans, ranking well behind issues like fentanyl deaths and record numbers at the southern border. On the 2024 campaign trail, Trump Jr. says he heard more about drugs and crime than about Kyiv. In his words, only “three people” out of “hundreds of thousands” he met brought up Ukraine at all.

Trump’s team has leaned into that mood. The president himself has recently complained that Zelenskyy would not even “read the peace proposal,” an accusation that plays into the picture of a partner wasting U.S. efforts and money.

For Trump’s circle, this is not an abstract debate. They argue that corruption in Kyiv is one of the main reasons talks are stuck. Trump promised to end the war in “24 hours,” but Don Jr. accuses Zelensky of dragging things out to cling to power and keep the money flowing. According to Trump Jr., “the rich fled” at the start of the war, leaving those they view as the “peasant class” to fight and die while luxury cars with Ukrainian plates fill Monaco’s streets.

For conservatives who have long seen Ukraine as a costly “forever war” tied to Biden and his allies, the stream of corruption cases in Kyiv looks like confirmation of their worst fears.

Peace Talks Go Nowhere

Trump Jr.’s warning came as yet another round of diplomacy hit a wall. Just days before the Doha event, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spent more than five hours in the Kremlin with Vladimir Putin on December 2, reviewing an updated American peace plan point by point.

The session produced polite words but little substance. Putin called some elements “more or less acceptable” but rejected others and repeated his demand for firm recognition of Russian control over key areas like the full Donbas region, even by force if needed.

There was no real movement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov brushed off the lack of progress as part of a “normal working process,” while Putin used the moment to warn that Russia is “ready” for a wider conflict if Europe raises the stakes.

Soon after, the U.S. team flew to Miami for intense meetings with Ukrainian officials, including Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Chief of Staff Andriy Hnatov. Zelensky joined by phone, calling the discussions “constructive” but “not easy,” a hint at disagreements over security guarantees and hard territorial issues such as Zaporizhzhia. By Saturday, both American and Ukrainian officials admitted that any serious breakthrough would depend on Moscow showing a real interest in scaling back the war.

All this played out while Russian drones kept striking Kyiv, killing civilians and damaging infrastructure, even as negotiators traded drafts and edits.

These latest talks are part of a longer series of Trump-led efforts, including meetings in Geneva and quiet talks in Abu Dhabi. Each round has revolved around a 28-point draft plan that asks Ukraine to accept caps on its armed forces at 600,000 troops and formal neutrality outside NATO, among other concessions.

The White House calls the proposal a “living document,” open to revision, but the balance of power on the battlefield has shifted. Russia’s slow, grinding gains and enormous casualty numbers, which U.S. estimates put at 1,438,000 since 2022, have placed more pressure on Ukraine and made Putin less inclined to bend.

Trump has gone back and forth, from sending Ukraine Tomahawk missiles to scolding Zelensky for stalling. He now calls the conflict a “mess” and reminds listeners that “it takes two to tango,” his way of saying Washington will not carry the talks forever.

European Interference: A Major Obstacle to a Deal

Trump Jr. did not single out European leaders by name in Doha, but his message lined up closely with what many in Trump’s orbit say in private. They argue that Europe is making the talks harder, not easier.

According to the Trump team, officials in Brussels and London keep telling Zelensky not to settle unless he receives firm U.S. guarantees and stronger terms, which undercuts Washington’s attempts to move both sides toward a deal.

Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov has accused the European Union of “peace sabotage,” claiming EU officials raise expectations, push Kyiv to stay tough, and then blame Moscow when talks fail, a pattern he says goes back to 2014. Putin has added his own attacks, accusing Europe of lacking any real “peaceful agenda” and chasing the fantasy of a total Russian defeat while still leaning on American weapons and funding.

While U.S. envoys were in Moscow, EU foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss a separate effort to spend frozen Russian assets, promising €90 billion in support but running into resistance from Belgium over legal risks. French President Emmanuel Macron, German leader Friedrich Merz, and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer later gathered in London to review the U.S. ideas. Their public message was that any settlement must be “just and lasting,” language that in Washington is often read as code for blocking concessions that might end the war sooner but leave Russia with gains.

At the same time, NATO’s Marco Rubio skipped an important Brussels meeting, a clear signal of growing strain inside the alliance. European leaders have criticized Trump’s security approach as too “confrontational,” especially his attacks on the EU over migration and free speech issues.

For Trump’s advisors and allies, this is not a real partnership. They see it as elite posturing by a continent that has not matched U.S. spending. While the United States has poured around $175 billion into the conflict, it argues that Europe is still lagging.

Trump Jr. told the Doha audience that Americans have “no appetite” for endless blank checks that let EU politicians look tough while Washington pays most of the bill. Russian investment chief Kirill Dmitriev has echoed that view, saying U.S. officials now understand that Europe must “stop undermining the real peace process.”

Trump, who points to seven conflicts he claims to have settled or cooled during his first term, appears unwilling to let European leaders derail what he sees as his signature foreign policy project.

Stepping Back: A Hard Reset for American Priorities

Trump Jr.’s speech in Qatar was not framed as a surrender. Instead, he presented it as a call for accountability from Kyiv, Europe, and Washington alike. With public faith in Zelensky sliding and scandals like the reported $100 million Energoatom fraud exposing deep problems inside Ukraine’s wartime leadership, he argues that the U.S. cannot keep underwriting a system plagued by graft.

Ukrainians themselves have shown anger. Earlier this year, Zelensky faced intense protests after he tried to curb the powers of NABU, the same anti-corruption agency now handling Operation Midas. The backlash forced him to reverse course, and a member of parliament warned that unchecked theft during war risks “catastrophe” as Russia presses forward.

If President Trump decides to walk away, as his son suggests is possible, it will force a major shift. Europe would have to raise spending and take real responsibility, or accept a weaker Ukraine. Kyiv would have to clean house and prove that aid is spent on defense and reform, not luxury apartments and offshore accounts.

For many conservatives, that choice fits with what they see as Trump’s core message: focus on American safety and prosperity first, from the fentanyl crisis to the border, instead of funding a foreign leader who is treated at home like a “deity” but faces growing criticism in his own country.

The Doha Forum, hosted by Qatar, offered a symbolic backdrop. Qatar has gained a reputation as a mediator in conflicts like Gaza, and Trump Jr. praised what he called Doha’s “America First” style, in which it supports partners without constant public showboating. He contrasted that with what he sees as endless speeches and moral lectures from Brussels.

As 2025 nears its end, the choices ahead are sharpening. Peace in Ukraine will not come from slogans or moral posturing, he argued, but from hard bargains and honest talk. Trump’s team says it has gone to great lengths already, with eight calls between Trump and Putin and five major summits led by Steve Witkoff, on top of many side meetings.

From their point of view, those efforts keep running into two problems: stubborn corruption in Kyiv and what they call European arrogance. Trump Jr. framed his warning as both a political shot and a personal plea to his father. In his words, the United States should not let leaders like Zelensky burn through American goodwill and tax dollars without real change.

If Ukraine refuses to negotiate in good faith, he says, America will not beg. In his closing message, he argued that any real peace must start with hard truths. In Doha, he made clear that, in his view, those truths can no longer be ignored.

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