Weekly News Recap - May 16th 2025
Ukraine & Russia peace talks, India & Pakistan cease-fire holds, and a mysterious anti-Trump post. Here are the top stories you've missed this week:
In this week’s news recap:
First talks between Russia & Ukraine reach dead end
Cease-Fire between India & Pakistan
8647: Former FBI Director Comey posts controversial anti-Trump post
More: A 5% NATO spending goal, a book about Biden’s decline, and Supreme Court hears birthright citizenship case
First talks between Russia & Ukraine reach dead end
For a moment, it seemed like a high-stakes meeting between Ukraine’s & Russia’s leaders could happen, but Vladimir Putin decided not to fly to Istanbul for the scheduled peace talks. Ukrainian President Selensky and US President Donald Trump followed suit and decided to skip the talks as well, sending representatives instead.
The following peace talks in the capital of Turkey were over quickly, with Ukrainian officials accusing the Russian delegation of making “unacceptable demands”.
Still, it was the first direct peace talk between the two countries in years, and both agreed to swap 1,000 Prisoners of War. The EU has pledged to pass new sanctions against Russia, hoping to further damage Putin’s war machine.
Cease-Fire between India & Pakistan
India and Pakistan both agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10th, 2025, following a week of escalating military tensions sparked by a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Despite initial violations reported by both sides, the ceasefire has largely held.
The ceasefire has been extended until May 18th, with further talks planned to address outstanding issues. International leaders have welcomed the truce, viewing it as a critical step toward de-escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
“8647” Former FBI Director Comey posts controversial anti-Trump post
Former FBI director Comey posted a picture from the beach with an arrangement of Seashells showing the numbers 8647. The numbers are usually used to protest President Trump. Trump fired Comey in 2017 because the FBI director had investigated ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
While the number 8647 has been used by protestors before, they have sparked new controversy as Donald Trump Jr reposted Comey’s post, saying the former FBI director is calling for his father’s assassination.
The number 86 is sometimes used as a slang term to say “dismiss” or “remove”. In some instances, the term is used to replace the word “killing”. The number 47 stands for Trump, as he is the 47th President of the United States. Comey is now being investigated by the Trump administration.
Violence has played a role in past presidential campaigns surrounding Donald Trump, with assassination attempts and violent rhetoric. Trump’s supporters have used a similar number slogan to mock Joe Biden. Even Trump himself once reposted an image that showed Joe Biden in chains.
Other headlines:
Germany’s new Secretary of State considers 5% NATO spending goal
A New Book casts shade on Biden’s aids as it suggests Biden’s mental decline was clearly known to them
US Supreme Court Justices seemed troubled by Trump’s attempt to overthrow birthright citizenship