A "dictator" is now how President Donald Trump is referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a day after blaming the country for its ongoing war against Russia.

"Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn't be won, that never had to start," President Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social platform. "... On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is 'MISSING.' He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden 'like a fiddle.' A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left."

"Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the 'gravy train' going," President Trump added. "I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died."

RELATED STORY | US, Russian diplomats meet on future of Ukraine without involving Kyiv in talks

Several Republican Senators in Congress had mixed reactions to the president's comments, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska a relatively moderate member of the GOP refusing to stake a claim and saying she will look into it herself.

"I would like to see that [Trump's comments] in context because I would certainly never refer to President Zelenskyy as a dictator," Murkowski told Scripps News. "I will look at the direct quote but I certainly would not call President Zelenskyy a dictator."

When also asked about President Trump's accusation that Zelenskyy is seemingly responsible for starting the war, Murkowski said she disagreed and that "it was absolutely Russia at Putin's directive."

WATCH: Congressman Dan Goldman reacts to recent Trump administration moves, statements

Congressman Dan Goldman reacts to recent Trump administration moves, statements

Other Republican lawmakers agreed with Murkowski, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, with the latter, however, stating that Ukraine does need to hold elections despite the ongoing war.

RELATED STORY | Trump says he spoke with Putin about ending the war in Ukraine

"I wouldn't go that far," Hawley said in response to President Trump's "dictator" comments. "But they do need to have elections. I think the president's point that they suspended elections is not good. We had elections during the second World War Britain had elections. They should have an election."

Nonetheless, President Trump's comments come just a day after senior U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine without any representation from Kyiv present. Zelenskyy has insisted that he "will never accept" any peace deal that does not include Ukraine in the negotiations, and is demanding "real security guarantees" in order to come to the negotiating table with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We are thankful for all the support, unity between USA in USA around Ukraine support," Zelenskyy said earlier in the week. "... But there is no any leader in the world who can really make a deal with Putin without us about us."

RELATED STORY | Ukraine's Zelenskyy no longer counting on US support against Russia

The Trump administration disagrees with the notion that it is only negotiating with Russia and refusing to include Ukraine in talks. Brian Hughes, White House National Security Council spokesman, said President Trump was not necessarily blaming Ukraine for the start of the war, and that the Trump administration is "in touch with the Ukrainians" as well.

"You can't help facilitate peace if you ignore one side of the equation," Hughes told Scripps News. "So we're talking to the Ukrainians. We're engaging with our European partners, but we also started in Saudi Arabia a dialog with the Russians, to which is simply a next step in a process towards the President's commitment to finding a pathway to peace and stability."

Billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is the de facto leader of the newly established U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, is now weighing whether American taxpayers should get refund checks following extensive cuts in federal spending.

In a post on Musk's social media platform X, one user proposed that Musk and President Donald Trump should announce a $5,000 "DOGE Dividend" payment to taxpayers due to the recent "savings delivered by DOGE."

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"With DOGE reportedly achieving $1 billion in savings per day, President Trump has an opportunity to work with Congress to take DOGE one step further and deliver... a tax refund check to be sent after the expiration of DOGE in July 2026 funded exclusively with a portion of the total savings delivered by DOGE," James Fishback, CEO of Azoria investment firm, said in his request.

"DOGE is targeting $2 trillion in total savings. Take 20% of DOGE's total savings ($400 billion) and return it to the ~79 million U.S. households that will be net payers of federal income tax in CY [calendar year] 2025 as a tax-refund check called the 'DOGE Dividend'," Fishback added. "$400 billion in DOGE-driven savings *divided by* 79 million tax-paying households = $5,000 'DOGE Dividend' check per tax-paying household."

Musk replied to the request, stating, "Will check with the President."

The Trump administration created DOGE without congressional approval to reduce what it described as wasteful government spending, leading to the termination of thousands of federal employees across multiple agencies. The administration maintains Musk's efforts are making the government more efficient.

RELATED STORY | Thousands of IRS employees may soon lose their jobs as part of Trump's cuts

It remains to be seen whether DOGE at the directive of Musk has actually increased the productivity of the federal government. However, he claims the department's initiatives have saved billions of dollars in taxpayer money.

In the meantime, multiple legal actions have been taken against DOGE and the Trump administration, seeking to stop the layoffs of thousands of federal workers and to prevent Musk and his team from accessing the sensitive private data of millions of Americans all things a federal judge ruled against on Monday.

The NFL's New York Jets have announced they are moving on from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers after just two years with the franchise.

"Last week we met with Aaron and shared that our intention was to move in a different direction at quarterback," Jets head coach Aaron Glen and general manager Darren Mougey said Thursday in a joint statement. "It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures. We want to thank him for the leadership, passion, and dedication he brought to the organization and wish him success moving forward."

Rodgers, a four-time league MVP and no-doubt future Hall of Famer, was traded to the Jets in 2023 after spending 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. But he was never able to get things going.

RELATED STORY | Aaron Rodgers out for the season after injury in 1st game with NY Jets

Rodgers' inaugural season in New York was cut short during the team's very first game of the regular season when he suffered a season-ending ACL injury on the Jets' first offensive drive. Rodgers would sit out the remainder of the season and return the following year.

After a slow start, the Jets traded for Rodgers' long-time friend and Green Bay teammate, wide receiver Davante Adams. With two veteran stars leading the offense and a team of young talent built around them, the Jets again had hope. But Rodgers was never able to rebound, leading the team to a 5-12 record during the 2024-25 season. The Jets missed the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year.

Some speculate that the celebrity aspect of being a star quarterback in one of the biggest sports cities in the world may have played a part in Rodgers' performance. The quarterback also had no shortage of controversies during his time in New York.

RELATED STORY | Jimmy Kimmel fires back at Aaron Rodgers over Epstein allegations

During his almost weekly appearances on "The Pat McAfee Show," Rodgers commonly brought up controversial subjects like the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, alleged associates of convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and even a story about his psychedelic ayahuasca trip to Costa Rica all of which drew mixed reactions from the sports world and beyond.

But nonetheless, Rodgers stood his ground, defended his personal beliefs, and never backed down from his critics a trait Jets chairman Woody Johnson praised.

"I personally want to thank Aaron for his time at the New York Jets," Jets chairman Woody Johnson said in a statement. "His arrival in 2023 was met with unbridled excitement and I will forever be grateful that he chose to join us to continue his Hall of Fame career. From day one, he embodied all that it meant to be a New York Jet, embraced our fans, and immersed himself in our city. That is what I will remember most when I look back at his time here. He will always be welcome and I wish him only the best in whatever he chooses to do next."

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So what's next for Rodgers? Will the 41-year-old former Super Bowl Champion look to build on his extensive list of accolades with a new franchise? Or will he decide to hang up his cleats and begin the next chapter of his life?

One thing is for sure, and it's that his decision whenever it's announced will surely make headlines.

In what is seemingly an act of political payback, U.S. President Donald Trump says he is revoking former President Joe Biden's security clearances and putting an end to his daily intelligence briefings.

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"He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents," President Trump wrote Friday evening on his Truth Social platform.

He went on to cite a February 2024 report by special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating whether the former president willfully retained and shared classified documents during his time as a private citizen.

The report described the former president's memory as "hazy," "faulty," and "poor," noting that Biden had trouble recalling milestones from his own life all things the White House denied at the time.

RELATED STORY | Biden pushes back at special counsel's classified documents report

"The Hur Report revealed that Biden suffers from poor memory and, even in his prime, could not be trusted with sensitive information," President Trump stated. "I will always protect our National Security JOE, YOURE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! "

Biden did not immediately respond to President Trump's comments.

In January 2021, the incoming Biden administration revoked then-former President Trump's access to classified intelligence briefings following his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Buffalo Bills fans are paying it forward to a charity with ties to the Baltimore Ravens tight end who dropped a crucial, game-tying pass in the final moments of Sunday's NFL divisional playoff game that ultimately brought his team's season to an end.

In the wake of the heartbreaking 25-27 Baltimore loss, Bills fan Nicholas Howard set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Breakthrough T1D, a global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy non-profit supported by Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child.

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"As many of you know Ravens TE wasn't able to catch the the game tying 2 point conversion and upset Ravens fans," the fundraiser's summary reads. "On top of that the TE has been receiving death threats and nasty comments [after] his performance last night. We want Bills Mafia to donate to Marks charity for Juvenile diabetes."

As of Wednesday, the GoFundMe had already received nearly 3,000 donations totaling more than $80,000, far surpassing the fundraisers original goal of at least $5,000. That goal has since been increased to $90,000 but will likely increase even more as donations continue to pour in.

Some of the top donations include $200 from "Bills Mafia."

FROM THE ARCHIVES | Fans flood Buffalo charity with donations in support of Bills kicker

"Shout out to Bills Mafia for showing support to our guy Mark Andrews and donating to the @BreakthroughT1D

organization, which works towards curing and improving the lives of those dealing with Type 1 diabetes," the Baltimore Ravens said in a social media post.