U.S. and world news for Sept. 18

Iran prisoner release: Five Americans were freed from jail in Iran today and flown to Qatar’s capital city Dohar. The deal for the release of the Americans included the U.S. government agreeing to release five Iranians who have been held in prison in the U.S. as well as releasing about $6 billion in Iranian assets that have been frozen by the U.S government. Neither Iranian nor U.S. sources would disclose many details of the prisoner release, saying that the process still was underway.

Trump’s judgment: In a recorded interview played on NBC ‘s “Meet the Press” yesterday, Donald Trump again insisted that he won the 2020 Presidential Election. Trump said that his belief that he won is based on his own judgment. Trump said he wasn’t listening to his lawyers or advisors or relying on evidence when making the judgment that he won. Trump explained that he believes the only way for him to lose an election is if it is fraudulent.

Trump’s speech: Gaffes made by Donald Trump during a speech in Washington on Friday have caused some of his critics to question whether his age has affected his cognitive ability. At the Pray Vote Stand Summit, Trump said that President Biden was going to lead the U.S. into World War Two. World War Two, of course, ended in 1945 when Biden was only three years old. Trump also said that he won election to the presidency by running against Barack Obama when he actually ran against Hillary Clinton.

Hunter Biden sues: President Biden’s son Hunter today filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service alleging that two IRS agents illegally made his tax return information public. The lawsuit alleges that the two agents improperly disclosed Hunter Biden’s tax information in testimony before Congress and in interviews with the news media. The lawsuit alleges the agents have improperly tried to take advantage of protections provided to whistleblowers.

Zelenskyy’s warning: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in an interview on the CBS News program “60 Minutes” last night said that Ukraine is preventing the start of World War Three by preventing Russia President Vladimir Putin from succeeding in his war to capture all of Ukraine. Zelenskyy warned that if Putin is allowed to succeed in Ukraine, he’ll next invade the Balkan states and then Poland. Poland is a member of NATO and a Russian invasion there would require the NATO countries to fight alongside Poland. Zelenskyy is among the world leaders in New York for the U.N. General Assembly meeting.

Contract talks: The United Auto Workers and Ford and General Motors returned to the bargaining table for contract talks over the weekend. Talks between the UAW and Stellantis were expected today. About 13,000 of the UAW’s 146,000 members are on strike. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and White House senior adviser Gene Sperling were sent to Detroit to see if they could help craft contract settlements between the union and big three automakers.

Cover photo by Gage Skidmore / Flickr Creative Commons