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Debt Rattle February 20 2025

Feb 202025
 
 February 20, 2025  Posted by at 11:05 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  54 Responses »


Pablo Picasso Nude on a beach 1929

 

• Musk Says “Trump Is A Good Man” In Hannity Interview (ZH)
• The Supreme Court’s Golden Opportunity to Restore Trump’s Authority (O’Neil)
• Trump, Musk To Discuss Sending US Taxpayers $5,000 Checks Using DOGE Savings (ZH)
• Can We Really Cut Half of The Military Budget? You Bet! (Ron Paul)
• Trump Orders DOJ To Terminate All Remaining ‘Biden Era’ US Attorneys (NYP)
• Trump Brands Zelensky ‘Dictator Without Elections’ (RT)
• Zelensky Accuses Trump Of Repeating ‘Russian Disinformation’ (RT)
• Musk Blames Zelensky For Death Of Gonzalo Lira (RT)
• ‘Good Prospects’ with US, ‘Hysterics’ in EU and Ukraine: Putin (RT)
• US and Russia Move Closer – But Ukraine And The EU Stand In The Way (Ryumshin)
• Riyadh Meeting May Be ‘Beginning of the End of NATO’ (Sp.)
• Russia and US Will Have To ‘Clean Up’ After Biden – Lavrov (RT)
• EU’s Military-Industrial Complex Wants to Prolong Lucrative Ukraine Crisis (Sp.)
• The US Is Giving Its European Vassals What They’ve Been Asking For (Amar)
• DOGE Poised To Strike Defense Department With Mass Layoffs (ZH)
• Raskin Takes Premature Victory Lap Just Before a Slew of Court Losses (Turley)
• 19 State Attorneys General Signal Intent to Prosecute Fauci (PJM)
• Back To Par: Musk’s X Eyes Fresh Funding Round At $44 Billion (ZH)

 

 

 

 

Yes

Leavitt

Apple

Library

RFK

Germany

No AI

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Ever since Jan 20 I find it harder to keep the Debt Rattles limited to the 15 or so articles that I think are the ideal number. People need to be able to concentrate, and at 20 I find that’s already too hard. But it means I have to throw out ever more of what I read. A luxury problem that indicates things are changing for the better, and they do so rapidly.

I’ll open today with the interview Trump and Musk did wih Sean Hannity, because all three are in fine shape, and it gives a good impression of how much Trump and Musk appreciate each other. Completely different guys, who are also a whole generation apart, but they get along very well. I think what brought the entire dream team together is the realization that the country, and the world, were heading for an abyss. And that Trump realized that perhaps first of all, and was the only person fit to be the president who could turn the ship around.

Of course they also admired his fighting spirit, demonstrated not only when he was shot at and rose up, but perhaps even more through hour after hour after hour of lawfare sessions in courtrooms. Instead of retiring to Mar-a-Lago. Everyone he works with now has recognized that. Interview: highly recommended.

• Musk Says “Trump Is A Good Man” In Hannity Interview (ZH)

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk discussed waste, fraud, abuse, and more in a joint interview with Sean Hannity that aired on Feb. 18. The world’s wealthiest man and the president of the United States defended the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), now facing political opposition and numerous lawsuits as it slashes government spending – including negative publicity for firing and then seeking to rehire key nuclear weapons workers. Setting the scene for the entire discussion, Musk described going to a dinner party before the election and how the reaction of other guests to him mentioning Trump’s name was “like they got shot with a dart in the jugular that contained, like, methamphetamine and rabies.” “You can’t have a normal conversation,” Musk added, saying that people become “completely irrational” when Trump is discussed.

Musk also sought to make it clear he stands with Trump and vice versa. “I think President Trump is a good man,” the tech entrepreneur said. Trump reciprocated, saying he “couldn’t find anyone smarter” than Musk to assist his administration. Musk, best known for his work with SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and other tech firms, publicly backed Trump after an attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. But the tech titan’s support was apparently already in the cards. During the Feb. 18 joint interview, Musk said that he was “going to do it anyway.” The assassination attempt, which claimed the life of Corey Comperatore, simply accelerated Musk’s timeline. “I sped it up,” Musk said. The president said he “didn’t know that” about Musk’s endorsement. Musk went on to stump for the then-candidate. He also donated hundreds of millions to backing Trump.

Musk said his time with Trump deepened his appreciation of the president’s character—a point of contention for Trump’s critics, including some of the Republicans who contested him during the 2024 primary. “Not once have I seen him do something that was mean or cruel or wrong,” Musk said. The two men also talked about the publicity around their joint efforts, accusing the media of trying to fracture their relationship. As DOGE was taking shape after Election Day, some news outlets reported that Musk’s ascendance was elevating him to a quasi-presidential role, a line of argument advanced by some Democrats. Trump said Musk phoned him to say, “‘You know, they’re trying to drive us apart.’” “It’s just so obvious. They’re so bad at it. I used to think they were good at it. They’re actually bad at it, because if they were good at it, I’d never be president,” he added.

Musk also affirmed his commitment to advancing, and not usurping, the elected president. He pointed out that his T-shirt read, “Tech Support.” “I’m going to provide the president with technology support,” he said. “It’s a very important thing because the president will make these executive orders which are very sensible and good for the country, but then they don’t get implemented.” The interview also touched on potential conflicts of interest between Musk’s businesses and DOGE. Many of the entrepreneur’s firms have benefited from extensive government support, from subsidies for Tesla’s electric vehicles to Pentagon contracts with SpaceX. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a critic of DOGE and Musk, mentioned those possible conflicts in an interview with The Epoch Times earlier on Feb. 18, saying they “ought to deeply trouble progressives.”

Hannity asked Trump about how his administration would handle potential cuts to such areas. Trump said Musk would be kept away from them. Musk said he would steer clear of those minefields, too. “I’ll recuse myself,” he said. The wide-ranging interview repeatedly landed on the topic of DOGE’s employees, which include many engineers. The president said that Musk “attracts a young, very smart type of person—I call them high-IQ individuals.” “These guys are smart, and they love the country,” Trump added. Musk said DOGE’s software engineers “could be earning millions of dollars a year instead of earning a small fraction of that as federal employees.” Trump described the DOGErs as “very committed people.” One DOGE aide in the Treasury Department resigned after reporting revealed his history of controversial online posts. Vice President JD Vance and Trump supported his rehiring, after which Musk announced he would be reinstated.

The trio also discussed a plan to accelerate the rescue of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. Initially slated for an eight-day mission, the pair have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) since June due to mechanical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that would have taken them home. Trump, in January, said he asked SpaceX CEO Musk to expedite their return. NASA has since moved up a scheduled April return to March. Williams and Wilmore will come back to Earth after the SpaceX Crew-10 mission reaches the ISS. In the Feb. 18 broadcast, Trump said the two “got left in space,” blaming his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. Musk said the astronauts’ return “was postponed kind of to a ridiculous degree.” “We don’t want to be complacent, but we have brought astronauts back from the space station many times before, and always with success,” he said.

The pair also talked about just how much waste, fraud, and abuse they expect DOGE to identify. The president said DOGE was pinpointing “billions—and it will be hundreds of billions—of dollars worth of fraud.” He predicted Musk would identify $1 trillion in what Hannity called “waste, fraud, abuse, corruption,” adding that he believes that to be “a very small percentage” of that sort of suspect spending. Musk did not dispute the trillion-dollar figure. The technologist said that saving money for the American taxpayer “comes down to two things: competence and caring.” “It stands to reason that if you don’t have competence and you don’t have caring, you’re going to get a terrible deal,” he said. Trump said that government contracts are not whittled down by the kind of give-and-take common to private-sector negotiations. “Everybody expects to be cut,” he said.

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“It seems rather fitting that the test of whether Trump truly has presidential authority will come down to whether or not he can say, “You’re fired!”

• The Supreme Court’s Golden Opportunity to Restore Trump’s Authority (O’Neil)

Is Donald Trump a president in name only? The very idea seems absurd, but federal judges have issued injunction after injunction after injunction, blocking the president’s ability to exercise executive authority—the very authority the Constitution clearly vests in him. Trump has appealed one of these injunctions to the Supreme Court, urging the justices to uphold his authority to fire bureaucrats who work in the executive branch. When Trump fired Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel, on Feb. 7, Dellinger responded by filing a lawsuit. After issuing an “administrative stay” on Feb. 10, a federal judge issued a two-week temporary restraining order on Feb. 12, blocking Trump from firing Dellinger. A panel of judges on the Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C., Circuit upheld the restraining order.

Trump and key leaders in his administration appealed the case to the Supreme Court, allowing the justices an opportunity to vindicate the president—not only in this case but also as he faces a torrent of court orders blocking him from fulfilling his duties as president. As Sarah Harris, acting solicitor general, writes in the Supreme Court brief, “Until now, as far as we are aware, no court in American history has wielded an injunction to force the president to retain an agency head whom the president believes should not be entrusted with executive power and to prevent the president from relying on his preferred replacement.” The Office of Special Counsel aims to protect whistleblowers within the federal government. Congress established the office as an “independent agency,” but Harris argues that its functions fall under the executive purview of the president.

Harris cites Trump v. U.S. (2024), in which the Supreme Court held that presidents enjoy immunity from prosecution for fulfilling their essential duties. “Investigative and prosecutorial decision-making is ‘the special province of the executive branch,’” the court ruled. The Office of Special Counsel describes itself as an “investigative and prosecutorial agency.” Harris also cites the court’s ruling that “Congress cannot act on, and courts cannot examine, the president’s actions on subjects within his ‘conclusive and preclusive’ constitutional authority”—including “the president’s ‘unrestricted power of removal’ with respect to ‘executive officers of the United States whom [the president] has appointed.’” She also cites two cases in which the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional Congress’ attempts to insulate federal bureaucrats from the president’s ability to fire them: Selia Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2020) and Collins v. Yellen (2021).

“Enjoining the president and preventing him from exercising these powers thus inflicts the gravest of injuries on the executive branch and the separation of powers,” she argues. Critics argue that if the president can fire anyone in the executive branch, that will create a “spoils system” in which the entire federal bureaucracy is replaced after every election, and newly elected presidents can bring in their cronies in a way that “politicizes” the administrative state. This will rid America of its “expert” and “scientific” bureaucratic class, bringing about some vague societal doom, to hear the critics say it. This is hogwash. The administrative state is inherently political, and beneath the bureaucratic veneer of scientific objectivity lies a set of worldview assumptions that usually align with the political Left.

As my book, “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government,” reveals, left-wing pressure groups influenced the administrative state during the Biden administration, getting bureaucrats to write their preferred projects into the rules and regulations Americans must live by. President Trump is working overtime to excise woke ideology from the federal government for this very reason, and since the woke elites couldn’t stop him from winning the election, they’re trying to stop him in the courts. Unfortunately for this round of the Left’s lawfare campaign, the president’s authority over the executive branch is clearly established in the Constitution. The Supreme Court also ruled in Myers v. U.S. (1926) that presidents have the “unrestricted” power of “removing executive officers.” So, what do the federal judges give as an excuse for blocking Trump’s executive authority?

They often rely on the Supreme Court’s two exceptions to the president’s “general rule” of “unrestricted removal.” In Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935), the court ruled that Congress can provide protection to “a multimember body of experts, balanced along partisan lines, that performed legislative and judicial functions and was said not to exercise any executive power.” This narrow exception to the president’s authority does not apply to Dellinger. The Supreme Court also ruled that Congress could protect “certain inferior officers with narrowly defined duties” in the cases Morrison v. Olson (1988) and United States v. Perkins (1886). This also does not apply to the case at hand. If the Supreme Court acts on this case, it wouldn’t just have ramifications for Dellinger. Lower court judges have issued restraining orders or injunctions blocking Trump’s orders and actions in at least 15 different cases, with more orders coming by the day.

For example, judges have ordered the administration to halt its freeze on federal spending, to restore deleted websites, to refrain from giving the Department of Government Efficiency access to federal records, and even to engage in a granular change—to reverse its move to slash to 15% the funding available for overhead expenses in National Institutes of Health research grants. The Supreme Court should take up the Dellinger case because it provides an opportunity to bring activist judges to heel. If the president cannot fire members of the executive branch who make rules under his authority, what can he do? If a president cannot fulfill his promises to the American people, what does that say about the impact of voters in an election? If a court can force a president to re-hire someone in the executive branch, is he truly the president at all? It seems rather fitting that the test of whether Trump truly has presidential authority will come down to whether or not he can say, “You’re fired!”

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Strong! Here’s the money back that the Dems took from you.

• Trump, Musk To Discuss Sending US Taxpayers $5,000 Checks Using DOGE Savings (ZH)

Billionaire Elon Musk said on Feb. 18 that he will discuss with President Donald Trump a proposal to send U.S. taxpayers rebate checks representing a portion of the money saved by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk is spearheading the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the federal government and reduce wasteful spending. The DOGE leader took to his social media platform, X, to say he would check with Trump regarding the possibility of introducing a “DOGE Dividend.” The SpaceX and Tesla founder made the remarks in response to a suggestion from James Fishback, CEO of investment firm Azoria, that a “tax refund check” be sent out to Americans after DOGE completes its work in July 2026. The refund would be funded “exclusively with a portion of the total savings delivered by DOGE,” according to Fishback’s proposal.

As Katabella Roberts reports for The Epoch Times, DOGE aims to deliver $2 trillion in federal spending cuts during its 18-month lifespan. Fishback’s proposal calls for 20 percent of the $2 trillion in savings—approximately $400 billion—to be returned to 79 million tax-paying households via direct payments. That would amount to roughly $5,000 being returned to each of those 79 million households, according to Fishback. He said the rebate “compensates American taxpayers for the egregious misuse and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars that DOGE has uncovered,” and encourages them to report “instances of waste, fraud, and abuse” to DOGE, thereby increasing the total amount that DOGE saves. In addition, Fishback said the rebate would help “restore public trust between taxpayers and their government” and increase “tax morale.”

It would also incentivize labor force participation, the investor said, noting that the rebate would be available only to net payers of federal income tax in 2025. Musk responded to Fishback’s proposal, saying he “will check with the president.” The entrepreneur also responded to another post on X regarding the potential tax refund, writing: “Obviously, the President is the Commander-in-Chief, so this is entirely up to him.” DOGE said its cost-cutting efforts across several federal agencies had saved an estimated $55 billion as of Feb. 17. The savings came from a combination of fraud detection and deletion, contract and lease cancellations and renegotiations, asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes, and regulatory savings that have been implemented across federal agencies, according to DOGE’s official website.

DOGE stated that contract cancellations alone accounted for approximately 20 percent of the overall savings amassed since the department was established by Trump in January. The top 10 agencies with the highest total contract savings include the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), responsible for administering U.S. foreign aid and development assistance; the Department of Education; the Office of Personnel Management; the Department of Health and Human Services; and the Department of Agriculture, according to the DOGE website. Many Republicans have long seen many of the agencies currently targeted by DOGE as pushing liberal agendas that are detrimental to U.S. interests. However, the agencies account for just a small fraction of the overall federal budget, which is projected to reach $7 trillion this fiscal year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

For example, USAID disbursed about $72 billion in aid in fiscal year 2023, Reuters reported, citing government figures. That amounted to about 1 percent of total federal outlays, according to the news agency. Musk is also facing criticism from Democrats and other groups over his role with DOGE and possible conflicts of interest. The White House has previously said that the Space X and Tesla founder is a “special government employee” under the Trump administration and acts as an adviser only. While speaking to reporters alongside Trump in the Oval Office on Feb. 11, Musk defended his position as an unelected official while vowing to remain transparent with the American public. “You can’t have an autonomous federal bureaucracy,” Musk said. “You have to have one that’s responsive to the people.”

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“We will be richer, safer, and happier.”

• Can We Really Cut Half of The Military Budget? You Bet! (Ron Paul)

The wailing sound you heard last Thursday was the chorus of the Beltway warmongers shrieking in despair at President Trump’s suggestion that there was no reason for the United States to be spending one trillion dollars on “defense.” “…[O]ne of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia, and I want to say let’s cut our military budget in half. And we can do that, and I think we’ll be able to do that,” the President told reporters. With this statement, President Trump blew up one of the biggest myths of our time, particularly among Republicans, that spending more on the military is essential to keeping us safe. There is a vast and well-funded network of political and industrial interests that depend on maintaining that myth, from the weapons manufacturers to the mainstream media to the think tanks and beyond.

Why? Because most of what is called “defense spending” has little to do with defending this country and a lot to do with enriching the politically well-connected.Maintaining that global military empire has bankrupted the United States while making us less safe and less free. President Trump seems to understand this. But the military-industrial complex and its cheerleaders have for decades pushed the idea that we could not survive without continuously increasing their budgets. Thanks to the work of the “Department of Government Efficiency” we are learning that much of what has been sold as “essential spending” is nothing of the sort. Take USAID, for example. We were led to believe that this agency was feeding the poor while promoting the best kind of American values overseas.

Thanks to DOGE, we learned that the money was going to absurdities like funding transgender puppet shows in Peru. We are also learning that a great deal of USAID money was going to actually overthrow democratic governments overseas – as well as manipulate foreign media and promote censorship of “dissident” voices at home and abroad. Not only was USAID not helping countries overseas – it was actually harming them! Just as with USAID, when we are able to see just where that one trillion military budget is going Americans are going to fully realize that they have been lied to for decades. That is why we need a full audit of the Pentagon and full transparency of the results.

We also need a change in policy. Americans are beginning to understand the economic costs of maintaining a global military empire. US taxpayers are forced to cover more than half of the entire NATO budget while European countries rattle sabers at Russia and threaten war. If Europe feels so threatened by Russia, why don’t they cover the costs of their own defense? Why do poor Americans have to pay for the defense of rich Europeans? Haven’t we had enough of this? I very much hope that President Trump follows through with his plan to drastically reduce our bloated military budget. We can start by closing the hundreds of military bases overseas, bringing back our troops from foreign countries, and eliminating our massive commitments to NATO and other international organizations. We will be richer, safer, and happier.

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Sounds harsher than it maybe is: “..it is standard practice for US attorneys to resign after a new president takes office..”

• Trump Orders DOJ To Terminate All Remaining ‘Biden Era’ US Attorneys (NYP)

President Trump on Tuesday announced that he instructed the Justice Department to terminate all US attorneys appointed under the Biden administration – claiming the federal agency has been “politicized like never before.” Trump, 78, who has repeatedly argued former President Joe Biden “weaponized” the DOJ to bring federal charges against him, said his latest slew of firings will restore confidence in the justice system. “Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before,” the commander in chief wrote in a Truth Social post. “Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining “Biden Era” U.S. Attorneys. We must “clean house” IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!”

The announcement comes one week after the White House issued termination notices to multiple federal prosecutors appointed by the Biden Administration. While it is standard practice for US attorneys to resign after a new president takes office, current and former Justice Department lawyers noted it’s also customary for the incoming administration to request resignations instead of issuing hasty termination letters, Reuters reported. Just one month after Trump was sworn in as the 47th president, his administration fired dozens of federal prosecutors who were directly involved in the prosecution of more than 1,500 individuals who stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. At least 15 career officials were reportedly reassigned at the agency, including one who pushed for the FBI raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, to roles with less influence on the department’s major decisions.

The Justice Department also axed a number of officials involved in former special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of Trump. Smith, 55, brought two criminal cases against Trump over his alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election results and retain classified documents after his presidency. The classified documents case was dismissed by a federal judge in Florida last July, and the election interference case was dismissed by a Washington, DC, federal judge soon after Trump’s Election Day victory. Trump has long claimed that Smith’s efforts to prosecute him were a “witch hunt” and emblematic of the Biden administration’s “weaponization” of the Justice Department.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him by Smith, who resigned shortly before the president was sworn in. Trump has already tapped several new members to head the DOJ, including Judge Jason Reding, who the president nominated as the next US attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Nassau County Judge Joseph Nocella Jr. was chosen to lead the Eastern District of New York, in addition to Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton as the US attorney for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. Trump also nominated Edward Martin, who oversaw the dismissal of all pending Jan. 6 rioter cases, to serve as the US attorney in Washington, DC.

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“Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left..”

• Trump Brands Zelensky ‘Dictator Without Elections’ (RT)

US President Donald Trump has labeled Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky a “dictator without elections,” accusing him of mismanaging the conflict with Russia and misusing American financial aid. Tensions between Washington and Kiev have intensified following US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia this week. Posting on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump criticized Zelensky, stating that the Ukrainian leader had “talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won.” He further claimed that Zelensky “refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls.” “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump warned.

Trump’s assertions follow high-level talks between US and Russian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. The delegations discussed future Ukraine peace talks and a potential summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussions, which lasted 4.5 hours, did not include Ukrainian or other European representatives. The exclusion has drawn criticism from Kiev and its EU backers, with complaints that their interests are being sidelined in critical negotiations affecting regional security. In response to the US-Russia talks, Zelensky addressed the media, expressing surprise and concern over Kiev’s absence from the meeting. He emphasized the importance of Ukrainian participation in any peace negotiations, stating that decisions made without Ukraine could undermine the nation’s sovereignty and the prospects for a lasting peace.

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What irked him most is that Trump said he had a 4% approval rating. And he took the bait. Trump might as well have said that he was 4 feet tall, the reaction would have been the same.

• Zelensky Accuses Trump Of Repeating ‘Russian Disinformation’ (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim regarding his approval rating as Russian disinformation, saying that a majority of Ukrainians trust his leadership. During a press conference after a high-level meeting between American and Russian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Trump suggested that Zelensky’s approval rating in Ukraine is 4%. The Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KMIS) said on Wednesday, however, that in a survey in January, 57% of Ukrainians expressed trust in Zelensky, an increase from 54% the previous month. Zelensky referenced the Ukrainian pollster’s report as evidence against Trump’s skepticism about public support for him. He noted that Ukrainian officials “are aware of this disinformation and recognize that it is coming from Russia,” without providing specific sources. He stressed that “if anyone wants to replace me right now, it’s not going to happen.”

He also urged Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who is currently visiting Kiev, to “speak to the people and ask them if they trust their president, whether they trust [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. Let him ask them about Trump” and his remarks. In his comments, Trump pointed to the absence of elections in Ukraine due to Zelensky’s declaration of martial law. “I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval.” He characterized the situation in Ukraine as dire, saying it has been “blown to smithereens” and is nearly impossible to live in. Although Zelensky’s presidential term expired last year, he has not transferred authority to the parliament speaker, as mandated by the Ukrainian Constitution.

Zelensky has argued that holding an election under the current circumstances is both legally and technically infeasible, and that Ukrainians would oppose it amid the conflict with Russia. He also claimed that if an election were held, he would secure a second term. Recent opinion polls, however, suggest that he would lose to retired General Valery Zaluzhny in a runoff. Russian officials have expressed concern regarding Zelensky’s legitimacy, saying that any international treaties he signs could be challenged. Moscow has indicated a willingness to negotiate peace with Zelensky, yet remains skeptical of his ability to finalize any agreements.

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An American citizen.

• Musk Blames Zelensky For Death Of Gonzalo Lira (RT)

Billionaire Elon Musk, a major ally of US President Donald Trump, has blamed Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky for the death of an American national who criticized his government. Chilean-American filmmaker and blogger Gonzalo Lira died in a Ukrainian jail in January 2024, while awaiting trial for “systematically justifying the Russian aggression.” “Zelensky killed an American journalist!” Musk wrote on his social media platform X on Wednesday. “Zelensky cannot claim to represent the will of the people of Ukraine unless he restores freedom of the press and stops canceling elections!” he added.

Lira, who moved to Ukraine in 2010, was covering the conflict with Russia on YouTube. The Security Service of Ukraine arrested him in 2023 after he jumped bail and attempted to seek asylum in Hungary. Lira claimed that he was tortured in custody. While his family accused Kiev of being complicit in his death, the Ukrainian authorities denied any wrongdoing. Lira’s father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., suggested in December 2023 that the Biden administration gave “at least tacit approval of Gonzalo’s arrest.” Musk attacked Zelensky in the middle of a public feud between the Ukrainian leader and Trump, which erupted when multiple Ukrainian and EU officials criticized the US president for launching direct negotiations with Russia without their approval.

Trump branded Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and claimed that he was deeply unpopular at home. Zelensky, for his part, suggested that the US president was trafficking in Russian “disinformation.” Zelensky’s five-year presidential term expired in May 2024, and no new elections were called due to martial law. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said repeatedly that he no longer considers Zelensky a legitimate leader. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed recently that Moscow wants the issue of Zelensky’s legitimacy to be addressed during future peace talks.

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“Does anyone want to act as an intermediary between Russia and the US? [..] Moscow and Washington do not require mediation…”

• ‘Good Prospects’ with US, ‘Hysterics’ in EU and Ukraine: Putin (RT)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has shared his perspective on Tuesday’s high-level Russia-US talks held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Speaking to journalists in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Putin described the discussions as “the first step” toward normalizing relations between Moscow and Washington, and expressed hope that the process will pave the way for cooperation in various areas, including arms control, space exploration, and energy. Putin also criticized the reaction from the EU and Kiev, calling it inappropriate and entirely unwarranted. He emphasized that the primary goal of the Riyadh meeting was to initiate the restoration of US-Russia relations, adding that the two countries do not need any “intermediaries” to resolve their differences.

Putin said he had been briefed on the talks in Riyadh and assessed them positively. He identified several areas of potential mutual interest for Moscow and Washington, including cooperation in the Middle East – particularly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Syria – as well as economic collaboration, joint efforts in international energy markets, and space exploration. He also acknowledged that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine remains a key focus for both nations. The primary goal of Tuesday’s meeting was to “restore US-Russian relations,” Putin stated, when asked to comment on why the absence of Ukrainian and European delegations in Riyadh had sparked “panic” in Kiev and Brussels. “Does anyone want to act as an intermediary between Russia and the US? Such demands are excessive,” the president said, emphasizing that Moscow and Washington do not require mediation.

He stressed that rebuilding trust between Russia and the US is essential for addressing “a number of pressing issues, including resolving the Ukraine conflict.” “There is no reason for such a reaction to the US-Russia meeting,” Putin added, stating that “hysteria is inappropriate” in this situation. “Russia has never refused contact with EU nations or withdrawn from negotiations with Ukraine,” Putin stated. He recalled that it was Kiev that pulled out of the Istanbul talks in the spring of 2022 and later banned its officials from engaging in any dialogue with Moscow. The Russian president reiterated that Moscow is ready to return to the peace process at any time, but the decision ultimately lies with Kiev and Brussels. “I’ve said this 100 times: if they are willing, they are free to engage in such talks. We are ready to return to the negotiating table,” he emphasized.

Putin also noted that Kiev is not being excluded from any potential peace talks, adding that both Washington and Moscow expect Ukraine to join the process at some point. Putin said he would be “glad” to meet with US President Donald Trump, recalling their past working relationship, where they were able to discuss bilateral relations and key issues in a calm and professional manner. However, the Russian leader stressed that a simple “coffee hour” would not be enough to mend US-Russia relations under the current circumstances. He emphasized that both sides must thoroughly prepare for the meeting and work toward “mutually acceptable solutions” to the most pressing issues on their agendas. While Putin did not specify a potential date for the talks, he reiterated Russia’s willingness to hold such a meeting. “We are still open to such discussions, and I want this to happen,” he stated.

Putin

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Well, they try to.

• US and Russia Move Closer – But Ukraine And The EU Stand In The Way (Ryumshin)

On Tuesday, Riyadh hosted the first high-level meeting between Russian and American officials in several years. The meeting was the latest in a rapid series of diplomatic maneuvers set off by Donald Trump’s phone call to Vladimir Putin. It followed US Vice President J.D. Vance’s lashing of Western European leaders in Munich and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s economic ultimatum to Ukraine. With so much anticipation surrounding Riyadh, expectations were understandably high – perhaps too high. Some observers may be disappointed that Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov did not emerge from the talks to announce historic breakthroughs. Instead, both were notably cautious in their statements.

When asked about a potential Trump-Putin summit, Lavrov simply responded, “Not next week.” Meanwhile, Western media has already speculated that such a meeting will take place before the end of February. Does this mean the meeting in Riyadh was a failure? Not at all. Success was never meant to be measured by immediate results. Even before the talks began, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov made it clear: the goal in Riyadh was to “agree on how to start negotiations.” By that standard, the summit achieved its purpose. The most tangible outcomes of the meeting include:
• Restoration of diplomatic channels: Russia and the US agreed to begin the process of fully resuming embassy operations.
• Creation of a consultation mechanism: A structured dialogue to resolve bilateral “irritants” in the relationship.
• Initiation of Ukraine negotiation teams: Although talks on Ukraine did not advance significantly, the groundwork was laid for future discussions.
These are foundational steps. Without them, further dialogue would be impossible.

Perhaps even more significant than these tangible outcomes was the overall tone of the talks. For the first time in years, Russian and American officials sat across from each other not as ideological caricatures but as pragmatic dealmakers. The shift in atmosphere was so stark that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, reportedly said he “could not have imagined a better outcome.” That sentiment alone suggests real momentum for future negotiations. However, despite the positive tone, the Riyadh talks did not bring an end to the Ukraine conflict any closer. This was to be expected. Moscow and Washington went into the meeting focused on improving their own relations first. The issue of Ukraine, for now, remains secondary. Despite Trump’s rapid reshaping of the diplomatic landscape, the road to peace remains difficult.

For the past three years, the Western strategy was clear: negotiate an internal peace deal between Ukraine and its allies, then attempt to pressure Russia into accepting it. Trump has flipped this entirely – choosing instead to negotiate directly with Moscow while sidelining both Kiev and Brussels. Thus, what was once a strategy of “negotiating Ukraine with everyone but Russia” has now become “negotiating Ukraine with Russia but without the EU.” This shift suits both Trump and Putin. But it leaves two key players – Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and the EU leadership – furious. Zelensky has already rejected the legitimacy of any US-Russia agreements that exclude Kiev. Meanwhile, Western European officials are increasingly viewing Washington as a rival rather than an ally. This is a significant development. Even if Moscow and Washington reach an understanding, Ukraine, under EU and British influence, could refuse to comply and continue fighting.

Despite dwindling American aid, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) likely have enough resources to keep fighting for another six months. Beyond that, their ability to sustain the war depends on whether the EU and Britain can revive their military-industrial production – something that seems highly unlikely. Eventually, Western Europe will have no choice but to accept whatever settlement is reached. The assumption that peace will be brokered quickly hinges on one major factor: a personal meeting between Trump and Putin next month, where the framework for a ceasefire could be finalized. However, that remains a best-case scenario. For now, the biggest sticking point is how to structure the ceasefire. The US wants an immediate halt to hostilities, followed by elections in Ukraine. Given Russia’s military momentum, such an arrangement is unacceptable. There is no guarantee that Ukraine would not exploit the pause to regroup and continue fighting.

How Moscow and Washington will navigate this issue remains to be seen. But it is clear that the first steps toward peace have been taken – however long the road ahead may be. While optimism is warranted, patience will be necessary. The shift in US policy under Trump has changed the entire diplomatic equation, but reality is setting in: peace cannot be imposed overnight. Instead, it will be a long, step-by-step process. The first move has been made. Now, we wait to see what follows.

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What can Europe do for the US? Very little. It’s all one way.

• Riyadh Meeting May Be ‘Beginning of the End of NATO’ (Sp.)

Russian and US officials held high-level talks in the Saudi capital Tuesday, outlining each side’s position on bringing about a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine as the greatest security crisis in Europe since WWII nears its third anniversary. Sputnik reached out to a leading independent US international affairs observer for comment. “The approach that the Europeans want and Ukrainians want” for ending the Ukrainian proxy conflict through victory on the battlefield against Russia has “just proven not to work, and they don’t seem to be capable of defending themselves,” Michael Maloof says, noting that the meeting in Riyadh signals a tectonic shift in global geopolitics.

“I envision that this is going to be the beginning of the end of NATO, that this is going to mean that ultimately you’re going to see Europe maybe go into a series of defense alliances, regional alliances, rather than one cohesive entity of 32 countries,” the former DoD senior security policy analyst noted. “32 countries will never be able to arrive at a unanimous decision on anything, given the realities on the ground today. And we see that now. There is no cohesiveness in NATO nor in the EU,” the observer explained.

Tuesday’s meeting signals US recognition of several key facts, Maloof says:
• that Russia and the US, not Europe, much less the Zelensky regime, are the “strategic partners” critical to ending the Ukraine conflict.
• that the US “has basically decided” to try and “reestablish what are basically spheres of influence” rather than to continue to pursue global unipolarity.
• the US is no longer willing “to continuously back up Europe’s wars all the time…You see this as a result of Trump looking more into the Western Hemispheric region, focusing more on Greenland, Panama, Canada, as opposed to Europe.”
• Trump appears committed in principle to fixing a “broken” relationship with Moscow, and treating Russia as “strategic equals, not talking down to them as the Biden administration did.”

Trump, “a major economics guy,” also recognizes that the US cannot wage conflicts worldwide, and would rather resolve differences with adversaries “through economic competition and cooperation,” according to the observer.
Europe has already “cut off their nose to spite their face,” and simply doesn’t “have the ability” to continue the Ukraine proxy war even if it wanted to, Maloof says. “They cut off cheap gas and oil for their own industries, quality of living and production capabilities. They did this to themselves. The population of these countries is saying what have you done? And you see a distinction between what the elites and leadership want as opposed to the people themselves,” the observer emphasized.

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“..Marco Rubio also acknowledged that the West would need to address the sanctions imposed on Russia in order to reach a lasting solution..”

This as Europe talks about more sanctions.

• Russia and US Will Have To ‘Clean Up’ After Biden – Lavrov (RT)

Moscow and Washington need to “clean up the legacy” left by the former US President Joe Biden’s administration that ruined the ties between the two states, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Speaking at the Russian State Duma on Wednesday, having returned from talks with US diplomats in the Saudi capital on Tuesday, Lavrov described the meeting in Riyadh as a first step toward rebuilding relations between the countries. The bilateral negotiations were led by Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and aimed to lay the groundwork for ending the Ukraine conflict and normalizing ties between Russia and the US. “We have started to move away from the brink of the abyss to which the Biden administration had led us, but these are only the first steps,” Lavrov told lawmakers, commenting on the talks.

“For now, we need to ‘clean up’ the legacy of the Biden administration, which did everything to destroy… the foundation of a long-term partnership between our countries,” he added. According to the diplomat, “the movement towards normalizing relations in all areas is beginning.” “There is, at least, a declared readiness to start on this course. And to resolve not only the Ukraine crisis, but to create conditions for the restoration and expansion of partnership in trade, economic and geopolitical spheres,” Lavrov stated. He noted that Washington’s representatives expressed marked interest in removing “artificially created” obstacles to potential joint initiatives with Russia in many areas, including economic and foreign policy. Among other things, the sides agreed to restore embassy staffing and form high-level teams to begin work on the potential Ukraine peace settlement.

“We welcome this,” Lavrov said, noting that the countries could eventually return to the state of cooperation they had prior to the Ukraine conflict and the West’s sanctions war on Russia. “There will always be problems, but the main thing is to meet, listen and hear one another, make decisions that will be realistic with regard to the partners they concern,” he stated. Tuesday’s negotiations have been described as “truly monumental” in Washington. Following the talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also acknowledged that the West would need to address the sanctions imposed on Russia in order to reach a lasting solution to the conflict and to restore relations. Later on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump told journalists he felt “much more confident” about the prospects of a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine amid the budding rapprochement with Moscow.

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They will bankrupt the EU. It has no future in its present shape.

• EU’s Military-Industrial Complex Wants to Prolong Lucrative Ukraine Crisis (Sp.)

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger’s comments to media about Europe and Ukraine’s empty arms depots and complaining about Europe being ‘left at the kids’ table’ in peace talks represent those of Europe’s defense sector as a whole, says veteran political observer Mateusz Piskorski. “This is the alarmist statement of a representative of the European military-industrial complex, made in an attempt to convince the European leadership to increase spending on defense contracts,” Piskorski, a columnist for the popular alternative Polish newspaper Mysl Polska, explained. Papperger’s remarks also represent a broader “trend” of ideas being thrown around across Europe today on the need to increase defense spending amid shrinking US commitments, the observer believes.

In that sense, now is the perfect moment for the European MIC to try to “use current international events, changes in the geopolitical situation, for its own interests. It’s worth noting that at the moment that the Rheinmetall chief made his statements, the stock price of defense companies on European stock exchanges rose quite sharply, with Rheinmetall’s up 11%,” Piskorski said. “It’s difficult to say how this will all end, because when analyzing these processes, we must also take into account the potential and significance of the US MIC, which also has lobbyists in Europe, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe.” “So now, of course, with all these increases in defense spending, there will be rather tough competition, a struggle even, between different lobbying groups,” including within the EU, Piskorski summed up.

Speaking to the Financial Times Tuesday, Papperger stated that “the Europeans and the Ukrainians have nothing in their depots,” and claimed that “even if the war stops – if we think that we [will] have a very peaceful future…that’s wrong.” The Rheinmetall chief expects Germany’s next government to relax its strict budget debt rules to allow for a massive ramping up of defense spending, and is counting on his company earning between €30-40 billion ($31.3-$41.7 billion US) a year within the next five years, up from €5.7 billion ($5.9 billlion) in 2021. Bloomberg reported last week that a European defense buildup and commitment to “rebuild” Ukraine’s military would cost the region some $3.1 trillion over ten years.

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“The Russians are not coming. Indeed, it’s the other way around. As in that 1970s Hollywood horror movie where “the call comes from inside the house,” the sum of all fears for NATO-EU Europe is now emanating from Washington. How ironic.”

• The US Is Giving Its European Vassals What They’ve Been Asking For (Amar)

It’s the “end of an era” and Germany is “in disarray.” And not just Germany: “Pandemonium” rages in Europe; the continent is under “assault.” Its elites are “shaken, anxious, and sometimes aghast,” as an “ideological war” has been declared against their fiefdom, which is being “left in the dust.” A big “boom” has sounded, and a “ferocious reckoning” is underway. In short, it’s a “European nightmare.” The above are quotes from (in order of appearance), the Financial Times, The Telegraph, and The Economist (all three from Britain), Le Monde (France), Bloomberg (US), Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Bild (both Germany), and, finally, the (German) head of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Heusgen himself. Later, Heusgen, a beyond-middle-aged man and experienced bureaucrat, just cried, literally. For which he was applauded.

What happened? Have “the Russians” finally done what whole divisions of NATO-EU politicians, generals, admirals, think tankers, media talking heads and careerist intellectuals have been feverishly promising for years already? Are their tanks rolling down the Kudamm in Berlin and the Champs Elysees in Paris already? Not that Moscow has given any sound reason to believe it wants to do such things (who’d want to conquer a heap of economic misery, demographic malaise, and cultural pessimism, really?) But that has never mattered to European “elite” fantasies. No, it’s not that: The Russians are not coming. Indeed, it’s the other way around. As in that 1970s Hollywood horror movie where “the call comes from inside the house,” the sum of all fears for NATO-EU Europe is now emanating from Washington. How ironic.

For it’s not Russia but the all-new Trumpist US that is panicking its own subjects: The Americans are leaving. Or, at least, they have made it brutally clear that they are tired of babying their EU vassals, who need to get ready to stand on their own feet. What an idea! A bloc of roughly 450 million inhabitants and in possession of modern (if steadily declining) industries – defend itself? What’s next? Asking healthy adults to walk, breathe, and eat on their own? The timing, at least, of that overdue dose of tough love from Washington is not entirely fair, to be sure: The US, after all, has profited from its European colonies as well; and especially recently Washington’s policies have mightily deindustrialized, subverted, and generally crippled NATO-EU Europe. Very much with the help of the proxy war and puppet regime in Ukraine, the American empire has begun to devour its most loyal, submissive, self-abasing subjects – and now it’s asking the sorry remnants to stop being so clingy. It’s harsh, no doubt.

Yet geopolitics is not about fairness but power. And the comprador “elites” of NATO-EU Europe have only themselves to blame for letting the US treat their countries like dirt. Now things are escalating quickly: A genuine reset, maybe even a new détente between Russia and the US is a real possibility. That’s a very good, sensible thing for the world. But for the Euro-vassals, even this propitious turn of events comes with a very bitter taste: Washington has told them that they need not be in the room when serious powers talk. And Washington is right.

Being first systematically abused, fleeced, and then dropped – as in that very, very bad relationship every good friend would tell you to get the hell out of – would be awful enough. Yet things are even worse for a Europe that has made itself kickable as perhaps never before. Because Washington is not simply threatening to abandon it. The vassals should be so lucky! No, what Washington is really suggesting is a whole new and very raw deal: You, vassals, stay under our command and influence. In fact, we want even more of that. And in return we, your overlords, owe you nothing. Call it Mafia 2.0: all the extortion, none of the “protection.”

That was one but not the only message of the already famous speech that US Vice President J.D. Vance delivered at the Munich Security Conference. The speech, not long but packing a punch and well worth listening to in full, touched on various issues, including a terrorist attack in Munich that coincided with the conference, the authoritarian suppression of dissent with abortion in Britain, the recent canceling of elections in Romania, the upcoming vote in Germany, and, of course, migration. The silly hysteria around allegations of Russian meddling in Western politics and Greta Thunberg and Elon Musk also got a mention.

What kept these topics together was one simple but important idea: Vance reminded his listeners that genuine security – it was a security conference after all – is not only a matter of defense against outside threats but also requires domestic stability and consent inside countries. That, in turn, he argued, means that the NATO-EU vassals are running their fiefdoms all wrong. Vance admonished his listeners that they marginalize and suppress opinions and political choices which genuine democracies should, instead, accommodate.

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It is far from over.

• DOGE Poised To Strike Defense Department With Mass Layoffs (ZH)

After firing thousands of “probationary employees” at various federal departments, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has arrived at the largest of them all — the Department of Defense — and is expected to unleash a mass termination as early as this week. On Tuesday, DOGE staffers were reportedly at the Pentagon and being given lists of probationary employees in compliance with an end-of-business-day deadline. That term generally applies to any federal employee who’s in the first one or two years of their current position, regardless of whether they’ve held other roles before taking their current one. During the probationary period, employees generally can be fired without any privilege of appeal.

Though it’s not clear how many DOD employees are probationary, the Pentagon has about 950,000 civilian employees in all. Along with the lists of probationary employees, officials were also asked to identify any employees they wanted to spare, and provide a justification. However, according to the Washington Post’s sources, few exceptions are expected to be made. The mass termination may happen by the end of this week. Uniformed service members are exempt. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has embraced the coming cuts. “There are waste, redundancies and headcounts in headquarters that need to be addressed,” he said last week. “There’s just no doubt.”

Given the sheer scale of the DOD, and the enormous variety of roles, DOGE may take a little extra time to parse the layoff candidates. Last week, the DOGE probationary-employee axe accidentally hit hundreds of Department of Energy employees who work with nuclear warheads. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) raced to reverse the terminations. One sensitive function of the DOD is its enormous hospital and health care system. Suddenly terminating doctors, nurses and therapists would obviously be catastrophic. However, when firing probationary employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs — which runs its own vast medical system — DOGE tread very lightly: Only 1,000 of more than 43,000 probationary VA employees were cut.

Last week, President Trump said he’d like to pursue a summit with Chinese President Xii and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with a goal of agreeing to slash each country’s military budget in half. “We’re spending the money against each other, and we could spend that money for better purpose if we get along,” he said. “And I’ll tell you, I think that something like that will happen.” According to the New York Times, here are the approximate numbers of probationary employees already let go at several other federal departments:
Agriculture: 4,200
Interior: 2,300
Health and Human Services: 1,900
Energy: 1,000

The DOGE campaign against federal waste got a shot in the arm on Monday, when Obama-appointed US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan denied an emergency filing to block DOGE’s access to federal records and government layoffs – saying in a 10-page decision that the 14 states who brought the lawsuit have failed to meet the burden of proof to prove “imminent, irreparable harm.

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“..plaintiffs “have not shown a substantial likelihood that [DOGE] is not an agency.”

• Raskin Takes Premature Victory Lap Just Before a Slew of Court Losses (Turley)

On CBS’s Face the Nation, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md.) repeated the talking point of Democratic politicians and pundits that the courts are stopping President Donald Trump’s lawless actions taken after his inauguration. Raskin declared “we’re winning in court…we’re winning across the board.” The boast was dubious at best on Sunday given earlier losses, but became embarrassing on Monday and Tuesday as additional courts ruled in favor of the Trump Administration in major cases. For weeks, some of us have expressed confusion over the basis for some of the Democratic challenges and initial injunctions in court. President Trump clearly has the authority to designate federal officials to look at the books and track expenditures in the executive branch. After losing both houses and the majority vote, Democratic groups sought to use the courts to block such executive actions.

There was obvious forum shopping as these groups went to many of the same courts and judges for relief. However, even judges viewed as decidedly hostile to Trump like Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington ultimately balked at the demand for an injunction and allowed the access and actions to continue. On Monday, Judge Randolph Moss, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia delivered a blow to groups seeking to block the Department of Government Efficiency from gaining access to data from the Department of Education on student borrowers. Judge Moss found in his ruling that the University of California Student Association failed to show sufficient irreparable harm to receive such immediate relief. He, however, left the door open a crack: “The Court leaves for another day consideration of whether USCA’s has standing to sue and has stated a claim upon which relief may be granted. Those questions are less clear cut and are better answered on a more complete record.”

Judge Chutkan also refused to grant the plaintiffs’ request to issue a temporary restraining order of Doge, again citing the failure to demonstrate evidence of “irreparable harm.” There was a palpable sense of reluctance, even regret, in the opinion by Chutkan who noted that “Plaintiffs legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight.” This, of course ignores the “elected individual” in the body of the President who is allowed to delegate such responsibility to subordinates. Chutkin would have been reversed by the higher courts if she had issued the requested TRO as demanded by the coalition of 14 Democratic state attorneys general.

Even before Raskin’s boost, U.S. District Judge John Bates also rejected a request to block DOGE from accessing records of three government agencies, writing in his own opinion Friday that plaintiffs “have not shown a substantial likelihood that [DOGE] is not an agency.” Likewise, challengers thought that they had a victory in hand when U.S. District Court Judge George O’Toole enjoined the buyout offer by the Administration. Some of us criticized the injunction as lacking any cognizable basis given the clear authority of the President to make such an offer. Then, as many were citing the victory as proof of the Trump Administration’s unlawful actions, Judge O’Toole lifted the injunction on the buyout program, agreeing to allow the buyouts to go forward.

Then Judge Randolph Moss (D.D.C.) in Doe v. Office of Personnel Mgmt. rejected another challenge to testing by the Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”) of a new email system. The federal employees argued that the move violated federal law including privacy protections. The court, however, ruled that the “Plaintiffs have failed to carry their burden of demonstrating (1) that they likely have standing to bring this action, and (2) that they are likely to suffer irreparable injury in the absence of emergency relief.” These and other setbacks do not mean that new cases cannot be brought with new records and parties. However, it is a far cry from the claim of Democrats “winning across the board.”

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“..Fauci is going to be lawyered up to the hilt and any prosecution by a state AG of a federal bureaucrat of his standing would be unprecedented.”

• 19 State Attorneys General Signal Intent to Prosecute Fauci (PJM)

The venal little worm who posed as America’s Doctor over the past five years may have gotten an unprecedented pardon spanning a decade of potential criminality by the Biden regime on its way out. Still, he can’t slip the proverbial noose at the state level quite so easily. In perhaps a case of state law trumping federal law, nineteen state attorneys general recently penned a letter to the GOP leadership in Congress requesting cooperation in gathering evidence that might lead to a successful Fauci prosecution at that level of government, despite Biden’s generous federal pardon: A pardon by former President Biden does not extend to preclude state-level investigations or legal proceedings. As state Attorneys General, we possess the authority to address violations of state law or breaches of public trust. We are fully committed to investigating any malfeasance that may have occurred to the fullest extent of our authority and are prepared to collaborate with you in further efforts.

Via Outkick: Alan Wilson, the state Attorney General of South Carolina, along with 18 other AG’s, sent a letter to Congressional leadership laying out their intentions to hold Fauci to account at a state level, despite Biden’s protection. “We, the undersigned Attorneys General, write to commend your work to promote transparency and accountability in studying the response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” the letter starts. “As part of your continued efforts in holding malign actors accountable for their actions arising out of the Pandemic, if you believe that further findings or direct evidence that suggests there may have been any violation of state laws, please include us in any actions taken so that we may evaluate state-level courses of action. Although former President Biden attempted to shield potential bad actors—like Dr. Anthony Fauci—from accountability via preemptive pardons, we are confident that state laws may provide a means to hold all actors accountable for their misconduct.”

Several avenues for potential criminal state-level prosecutions present themselves. The first, and perhaps easiest, indictments may be for violations of state-level speech protections in the vein of the federal First Amendment, as Fauci was integral to the censorship regime surrounding COVID-19 origins and “vaccine” safety and efficacy. Then there’s Fauci’s direct involvement in bankrolling the creation of SARS-CoV-2 in the first place through the “nonprofit” EcoHealth Alliance, effectively a conspiracy to concoct a bioweapon, which all states have laws on the books prohibiting. Of course, Fauci is going to be lawyered up to the hilt and any prosecution by a state AG of a federal bureaucrat of his standing would be unprecedented. But, at the very least, it would put future bad actors on notice that they’ll be hounded to the ends of the earth if they ever dare repeat the Public Health™ crimes of the past five years.

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“Alwaleed responded: “I think the value is more than double the $44 billion valuation.”

• Back To Par: Musk’s X Eyes Fresh Funding Round At $44 Billion (ZH)

X’s financial outlook appears to be steadily improving as recent high-yield fund managers’ interest in the company’s debt soared. Adding to the momentum, Elon Musk announced earlier this month that the advertiser boycott has unraveled—a major development that could significantly boost the company’s revenue in the coming quarters. Now, Bloomberg reports that X is preparing to raise money from investors at a $44 billion valuation—the same as when Musk acquired the company in 2022. This would mark X’s first investment round since Musk took it private that year. Neither X nor Musk has confirmed the report’s legitimacy. The investment round would mark a significant turnaround for X, which has been battered by collapsing ad revenue after NGOs and corporate media waged war on the ‘free speech’ platform. X’s recovery represents the emergence of new media that will dominate the conversation through President Trump’s second term, hence why investor demand is returning.

Bloomberg noted that late last year, Fidelity Investments marked down its X stake by more than 70% from the 2022 sale price. However, in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a major X investor, stated: “We never devalued it [X]. Some entities did devalue it by 30, 40, even 50%. But now, after the election, with President Trump and the strong alliance between Musk and Trump, we’ve seen the market revalue X dramatically—at least to its par value of $44 billion.” Carlson asked the Saudi investor: “What do you think X’s actual value?” Alwaleed responded: “I think the value is more than double the $44 billion valuation.”

Meanwhile, xAI is reportedly raising $10 billion in a new funding round, which would value the startup at around $75 billion. On Monday evening, XAI released the Grok 3 chatbot, which Musk views as the “smartest AI on Earth.” In fact, the chatbot might be… The xAI team revealed that Grok3 outperformed Alphabet’s Google Gemini, DeepSeek’s V3 model, Anthropic’s Claude, and OpenAI’s GPT-4o across math, science, and coding benchmarks. Readers should listen to Carlson and Alwaleed’s conversation. The X video should be started around the 11:30-minute mark to understand why Alwaleed sees X’s value more than doubled from par value.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

Father and son

 

 

Age

 

 

Dog train

 

 

Thank you

 

 

Duck dog

 

 

Cats

 

 

Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle February 19 2025

Feb 192025
 
 February 19, 2025  Posted by at 11:01 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  49 Responses »


Banksy Monkey Parliament 2009

 

• Trump Blasts Critics Of His Ukraine Peace Initiative (ZH)
• ‘Successful’ US-Russia Talks Conclude After 4+ Hours, No Ukraine Or EU (ZH)
• Polling Shows Trump And DOGE Have Public Backing Despite Critics (Whedon)
• Judge Rejects Request to Block DOGE From Accessing Government Data (ET)
• Judge Declines to Block DOGE’s Access to Student Financial Aid Data (ET)
• DOGE Finds $4.7 Trillion In Virtually Untraceable Treasury Payments (ZH)
• Trump Replaces Social Security Administration Head Amid DOGE Scrutiny (ET)
• 60 Million More Active Social Security Numbers than US Has Population (PCR)
• 20M in Social Security Database Over Age 100 – Listed But Get No Benefits (NYP)
• Zelensky Abruptly Cancels Planned Saudi Visit (ZH)
• Putin Ready To Talk To Zelensky – Kremlin (RT)
• EU ‘At Kid’s Table’ In Ukraine Talks – German Weapons Giant (RT)
• Zelensky Was A Draft Dodger – Poroshenko (RT)
• EU To Uphold Russia Sanctions Regardless Of US – Commissioner (RT)
• EU Mulling New Plan For Ukraine Military Aid (RT)
• Europe’s ‘Paper Army’ Can’t Ensure Security Without the US (Sp.)
• EU Suffers From “Foot In Mouth” Once Again Over Ukraine War (Jay)
• RFK Jr. Calls For New Age Of ‘Radical Transparency’ At HHS (NYP)
• Musk’s xAI Unveils “State Of The Art” Grok 3 AI Bot (ZH)

 

 

 

 

Ushakov

‘If Democrats ever had a clever thought, it died alone and afraid.’

‘Controlled by people who majored in online activism with a minor in puberty blockers.’

AI

Karp

NASA DOGE

Sachs

 

 

 

 

In the past three years, the world as presented to us by US and EU legacy media, has been black and white. Vladimir Putin played the bogeyman, Vladimir Zelensky the brave savior of mankind. Trump has shattered that artificial narrative in a matter of weeks. Because he doesn’t want to be held responsible for all the suffering it causes. This is everyone’s new reality now. The EU wants to “save the narrative”, but they will fail.

• Trump Blasts Critics Of His Ukraine Peace Initiative (ZH)

President Trump in an afternoon press Q&A from Mar-a-Lago went off on those attacking his Ukraine peace initiative, which saw Secretary of State Rubio and national security advisor Walz lead a delegation in 4+ hours of talks with FM Lavrov and the Russians in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia earlier in the day. “I want to see peace. Look, you know why I want it? Because I don’t want all these people killed anymore. I’m looking at people that are being killed — and they’re Russian and Ukrainian people, but they’re people,” Trump emphasized. His tone on Zelensky was decidedly negative, and he defended his administration’s stance on holding Kiev to new elections, saying this is necessary if the Ukrainians want a seat at the table. Watch:

On a similar theme, at one point he was asked what his message is to Ukrainians who feel betrayed by his administration, again as the US pursues negotiations with Russia while sidelining both Zelensky and EU officials. Trump responded bluntly: “I hear they’re upset about not having a seat. Well, they’ve had a seat for three years.” Trump was further asked about how he would prevent Russia from installing a puppet government in Ukraine. He remarked that none of this is about personalities, but about getting the job done, saying he likes Zelensky “personally” but that’s not what this is all about. “You have leadership now that’s allowed a war to go on that should’ve never ever happened, even without the United States,” Trump said, underscoring that the conflict and slaughter started under Biden.

“Look we had a president who was grossly incompetent, he had no idea what he was doing – he said some very stupid things, like going in for portions,” Trump continued. “This is something that would have never happened. And I used to discuss it with Putin. President Putin and I used to talk about Ukraine – it was the apple of his eye… I used to tell him ‘don’t go in’ – and he understand that, he understood it fully… I want to see if I can save maybe millions of lives.” You might “end up in World War 3,” Trump warned, if the conflict keeps escalating and with no efforts to make peace. Importantly, Trump also asked where the billions upon billions given to Ukraine went. “We gave them I think $350 BILLION… where is all the money that’s been given? Where is it going? I don’t see any accounting!”

“…so I want to see peace… I don’t want to see all these people killed anymore.” He noted that Europe has “only given a small percentage of that” – even though this most directly impacts the security of Europe. “I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given them almost all of the land and no people would have been killed and no cities would have been demolished… President Biden in all fairness doesn’t have a clue”.

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“We have agreed that a mechanism for a settlement of the Ukraine conflict will be formed in the near future, and ambassadors will be appointed ASAP to lead these efforts.”

• ‘Successful’ US-Russia Talks Conclude After 4+ Hours, No Ukraine Or EU (ZH)

The day of a high-level and much anticipated US-Russia meeting toward achieving the end of the war in Ukraine was held in Saudi Arabia, hailed by Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, as “successful” after about four-hours-and-a-half hours of talks. However, Ukraine’s President Zelensky was sidelined as were the European allies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov led the Russian delegation meeting US officials, including Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Both sides have said they are looking forward to the meeting paving a way for a near-future bilateral summit between Presidents Trump and Putin. Secretary Rubio issued a statement in the wake of the meeting, which most interestingly included an agreement for election to be held in Ukraine, which Zelensky certainly isn’t going to like (and probably won’t agree to), given also he just recently argued that martial law prevents this.

According to what was agreed to based on Rubio’s readout:
• Two sides agree to broadly to pursue three goals: allowing back staffing at their embassies in Washington and Moscow and to establish respective high-level teams to support Ukraine peace talks.
• And three: Explore closer restored relations and economic cooperation between the US and Russia
• Rubio stressed that any agreement must be “acceptable” to US, Russia, Ukraine and Europe.
• The plan has three stages: a ceasefire, elections in Ukraine and signing a final agreement, according to Fox reporter Jacqui Heinrich on X
• Lavrov has said: We have agreed that a mechanism for a settlement of the Ukraine conflict will be formed in the near future, and ambassadors will be appointed ASAP to lead these efforts.
Inside the room…

Pushing back against critics, Rubio emphasized that Ukraine has not been sidelined, though Zelensky nor any Kiev representative was invited to the talks in Riyadh. “He’s the only leader in the world that could have started this process here today,” he said. The State Department readout said Tuesday’s meeting puts the two sides “on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable, and acceptable to all sides.” More details via Bloomberg: They also agreed to “address irritants” in US-Russia relations to restore the work of their diplomatic missions, and to “lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest” once the war ends, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said they discussed a summit between Trump and Putin but it was unlikely to take place next week. “It’s hard to say yet that we’re getting closer, but there was a conversation,” Ushakov said of the US and Russian positions after the meeting, according to the state-run Tass news agency. Ushakov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov represented the Kremlin at the talks that included White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan was also present. Trump is determined to “move very quickly” on securing a permanent settlement in Ukraine, Waltz said in a briefing by the US side. Rubio said he was convinced Russia’s willing to engage “in a serious process” on Ukraine, while Witkoff called the meeting a “very, very solid session.”

Complaining about lack of EU representation, Ursula von der Leyen has claimed Europe has contributed more “financially and militarily” to Ukraine than anyone else. Zelensky, who is currently visiting Ankara, said his country seeks “security guarantees from US, EU, Turkey” against Russia. It seems he may actually acquiesce to the US taking the option of NATO membership off the table permanently – as this was never a realistic path in the first place. Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko has emphasized that in reality the EU has canceled itself, and that’s why it’s not a trustworthy partner to negotiate peace, or be in the room. He pointed to the EU’s repeatedly stated desire to “inflict a strategic defeat on Russia,” stressing that “this rules out any role for the EU and European countries in the upcoming negotiations to resolve the conflict in and around Ukraine.”

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Despite the entire anti-Musk/Trump campaign.

• Polling Shows Trump And DOGE Have Public Backing Despite Critics (Whedon)

Elon Musk is bringing receipts to substantiate his claims of large-scale fraud in the American government, undermining claims from detractors as he rides a wave of popular support for President Donald Trump and a government overhaul. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Elon Musk has attracted its fair share of critics, though the agenda of dramatically downsizing government itself appears to have overshadowed the negative press and public suspicion of Musk. Over the first month of the Trump presidency, DOGE has torn through federal agencies seeking instances of fraud, waste, abuse and other non-necessary expenditures hoping to dramatically reduce the scope of the federal government. The department has yet to post a comprehensive list of savings, but its website currently promises “receipts coming over the weekend.”

So far, however, the department has already shown hard documentation of apparent fraud and waste via its X account. Thus far, the agency has largely taken aim at executive branch agencies and has yet to post any workforce data on Congress or the Judiciary. But the executive branch agencies make up a substantive part of the federal workforce and payroll, accounting for more than 2.2 million employees and an annual expenditure of just over $211 billion. Over the weekend, the department published its initial reports outlining the scope of federal agency expenditures and regulations, estimating that 18.5 federal regulations existed for each law Congress approved. Speaking on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast on Monday, Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, highlighted that Musk had managed to undercover more information on wasteful spending than Congress because of flaws in the process of oversight hearings.

“So the thing that we’re hearing is Elon Musk is doing forensic accounting investigation into these programs. These programs can’t defend themselves from computer programs that will burrow into the financial transactions,” he said. “If Congress asked for a hearing, you know what? You and I both know. What happens is the bureaucrats show up with redacted information that is essentially not informational and or they don’t tell us the full story.” “And so we can ask for hearing after hearing, but when you have forensic accounting resources, and you go in and you find where these checks are going, where this money’s going, you can actually track these things down, gather the proof, and prove to the American people that their money is being wasted,” he contended.

The total amount of money DOGE has saved through slashing programs and payroll remains unclear as of press time, though reports are expected in the near future. A cursory glance at the agency’s X account, however, shows the figure to be well in the billions, with more than $1 billion alone coming from eliminated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. After initially tackling flak from legacy media over his claims of fraud at his initial press conference without providing paper evidence, Musk later posted screenshots of the Social Security database to substantiate his assertions that 150-year-olds were receiving Social Security. “According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE! Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security,” he posted.

One user, in response, highlighted that the total number of eligible recipients in the list neared 400 million, despite the U.S. having a population of roughly 60 million fewer people. “Yes, there are FAR more ‘eligible’ Social Security numbers than there are citizens in the USA. This might be the biggest fraud in history,” Musk replied. Easily the nation’s most prominent entitlement program, Social Security alone accounts for a sizeable portion of the nation’s budget and lawmakers estimate the weekly losses to be in staggering amounts. Notably, an Office of the Inspector General report from 2023 that the New York Post highlighted on Monday previously found 18.9 million numbers registered to persons born in 1920 or earlier, but noted that most were not currently receiving payments.

[..] CNN reported Monday that DOGE employee Gavin Kliger will soon secure access to taxpayer data at the IRS through its Integrated Data Retrieval System. “It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it. DOGE will continue to shine a light on the fraud they uncover as the American people deserve to know what their government has been spending their hard earned tax dollars on,” White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told the outlet. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Monday took aim at Musk for “rummaging through your personal sh*t” in response to DOGE’s access to IRS data. “Bruh, if I wanted to rummage through random personal shit, I could have done that at PAYPAL. Hello??? Having tens of millions of people marked in Social Security as “ALIVE” when they are definitely dead is a HUGE problem,” Musk retorted. “Obviously. Some of these people would have been alive before America existed as a country. Think about that for a second …”

Leftists in media, both traditional and social — particularly activist celebrities — have taken to attacking him for everything from his personal life to attempts to suppress the stock of Tesla. Those findings come as the public appears supportive of the Trump administration, thus far, with 55% of registered voters expressing approval in the latest Napolitan News Survey. A further 43% disapproved of the administration. Notably, voter priorities appear to be with Trump’s keynote campaign promises on the economy and immigration. Thirty-one percent said the economy was the most important issue while 22% chose immigration. The remainder were largely divided among other issues. An earlier CBS News survey, moreover, found Trump with a 53% approval rating, while 70% expressed the belief that he was keeping his campaign promises.

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The judges are waking up to the end of lawfare. Even U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

• Judge Rejects Request to Block DOGE From Accessing Government Data (ET)

A federal judge on Feb. 18 turned down a request from a group of state attorneys general to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing data at seven government agencies, finding the states had not met the bar for relief. “The court is aware that DOGE’s unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion for Plaintiffs and many of their agencies and residents,” U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in a 10-page decision. “But the ‘possibility’ that defendants may take actions that irreparably harm plaintiffs ‘is not enough.’” New Mexico and other states had asked Chutkan to block DOGE and Elon Musk, a special government employee, from accessing data at the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Commerce.

They also requested that the judge block Musk, DOGE, and people acting in concert with them from terminating workers within those agencies or placing them on leave. The states said that Musk “is exercising unprecedented executive authority” in violation of the U.S. Constitution, “directing the agencies’ actions in ways that exceed even the authority of those agencies’ Senate confirmed leaders.” “Evidence suggests that he has, and continues to, cut billions of dollars from agency budgets, fired agency personnel, and, in his words, ‘delete[d]’ entire agencies,” they said in the motion. The states expressed concern that their residents’ data is at risk due to DOGE’s access to the data. Government officials said in response that Musk is not a DOGE employee and does not have decision-making authority. “Mr. Musk can only advise the President and communicate the President’s directives,” one told the court in a filing.

A party seeking a temporary restraining order must show they are likely to succeed on the merits in the case and would suffer irreparable harm absent relief, among other requirements. Chutkan said the states have not met the harm standard, highlighting statements entered by the plaintiffs that say if Musk and DOGE take certain actions, then the states will suffer harm. She said the states have put forth a serious claim that Musk’s moves violate the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, which requires Senate confirmation of top Executive Branch officials. However, she said that she was unable to act because she was not aware of any temporary restraining orders being based on an Appointments Clause violation.

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“..the plaintiffs had not shown sufficient irreparable harm to warrant emergency injunctive relief. “Because the Court concludes that UCSA has failed to clear that essential hurdle, the Court’s analysis also ends there..”

• Judge Declines to Block DOGE’s Access to Student Financial Aid Data (ET)

A federal judge declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the Department of Education’s student financial aid data on Feb. 17. The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought by the University of California Students Association (USCA) against the Education Department and its acting secretary, Denise Carter. The suit alleged that DOGE, in seeking to access the Education Department’s records, will have access to the students’ personal information, including social security numbers, as well as detailed financial data of their parents. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the plaintiffs had not shown sufficient irreparable harm to warrant emergency injunctive relief. “Because the Court concludes that UCSA has failed to clear that essential hurdle, the Court’s analysis also ends there,” the judge wrote.

“The Court leaves for another day consideration of whether USCA’s has standing to sue and has stated a claim upon which relief may be granted. Those questions are less clear cut and are better answered on a more complete record.” The USCA suit alleged that DOGE’s actions in accessing the department’s records would violate federal regulations, including the Privacy Act of 1974, which prohibits the department from sharing this data with a third party. “Plaintiff UCSA’s members are among the 42 million federal student loan borrowers who have provided sensitive personal information to [the Education Department] in order to obtain a federal student loan,” the plaintiffs’ complaint stated. “These are people who trusted [the department] with their sensitive personal information” when filing for student loans and grants, the complaint stated.

One UCSA student, remaining anonymous because of her family’s immigration status, submitted a supplemental declaration saying that DOGE accessing her records had given her anxiety and was causing her to reconsider her application for graduate school. The department responded that the lawsuit is without merit, and raises “separation of powers concerns by impermissibly intruding into the President’s superintendence of the Department of Education.” “There is no violation of the Privacy Act when employees of an agency, like the six individuals at issue here, access agency systems to perform their job duties,” the response stated. A declaration by the education department’s chief information officer Thomas Flagg says that the department “routinely shares information with other Executive departments and agencies as part of other, non-DOGE-related initiatives, which [he does] not understand to be at issue in the litigation for which I submit this declaration.”

Moss drilled into both sides of the case in a hearing on Feb. 14, seeking to understand if DOGE employees who had been assigned temporarily to work at the department could be considered employees of that agency. Moss highlighted what he saw as a “unique lack of transparency” in DOGE’s work. “We don’t know who these folks are or what they are doing,” he said at the hearing. The judge asked the plaintiffs if it was ever appropriate for government employees of an agency to conduct an audit. Attorneys for the plaintiffs responded that it “depends on the nature of the audit.” Likewise, the judge queried lawyers for the government about the broad scope of DOGE’s data acquisition. “What would happen if the political director of the White House obtained the tax records of every Democrat candidate?” he asked.

The judge was also concerned that the student’s data was being fed into an AI portal for processing and sought clarification on the actual number of DOGE employees assigned to audit the Education Department. Attorneys for the government estimated that number at six individuals. The plaintiffs alleged there were as many as 37. On Feb. 17, DOGE employee Adam Ramada submitted a declaration to the court testifying that he was aware of only six “who have been granted access to Department information technology and data systems or who have otherwise received any Department information protected by the Privacy Act or section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code.” Ramada also said that all employees, except one, had completed security and ethics training; the remaining employee is set to finish the training soon.

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“.. the TAS (Treasury Access Symbol) field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible..”

• DOGE Finds $4.7 Trillion In Virtually Untraceable Treasury Payments (ZH)

The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Monday revealed its finding that $4.7 trillion in disbursements by the US Treasury are “almost impossible” to trace, thanks to a rampant disregard for the basic accounting practice of using of tracking codes when dishing out money. Mind you, it’s not as if such a federal tracking system wasn’t already in place — it simply went casually unused for all sorts of payouts adding up to an almost unfathomable $4.7 trillion. Without Treasury Access Symbol (TAS) identification codes associated with those payouts, there’s little hope in figuring out where all that money went. “In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible,” DOGE announced via its X account. Thanks to DOGE, those “optional” days are over.

“As of Saturday, this is now a required field, increasing insight into where money is actually going,” DOGE added. Musk celebrated the move. “Major improvement in Treasury payment integrity going live!” he tweeted. “This was a combined effort of DOGE, USTreasury and FederalReserve. Nice work by all.” DOGE’s scrutiny of various government agencies is eliciting high-pitched shrieks from nearly every leftist in America, from establishment politicians who don’t want the curtain that hides their hijinks and grifting torn down, to your liberal sister-in-law who thinks the government has an endless supply of money and that it spends it all virtuously.

Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed back on portrayals of DOGE employees as reckless rogues. “These are highly trained professionals,” he told Bloomberg. “This is not some roving band going around doing things. This is methodical and it is going to yield big savings.” In the wake of the latest revelation that makes normal people glad that DOGE teams are scouring the federal government, Democrats desperately tried to find a way to make it sound bad that DOGE exposed trillions in untraceable payouts and promptly instituted tighter accounting discipline. Here’s Wisconsin Rep Mark Pocan’s lame attempt:

Meanwhile, leftists have also been foaming at the mouth over news that DOGE staffers are looking into the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) books, as if they were going to start rerouting funds to Tesla. Considering Social Security is careening toward mandatory benefit cuts as soon as 2033, everyone should welcome a team of financial professionals making sure the system isn’t being drained by improper payments. Of course, that appears to be exactly what’s been happening. On Sunday night, Musk said DOGE might be on the trail of “the biggest fraud in history,” as SSA data appears to show that 20.789 million Americans over the age of 100 are collecting Social Security retirement benefits. That includes 12 million who are purportedly over 120 years old.

Bent on derailing DOGE, Democrats have sued to prevent the organization from accessing federal data associated with the Office of Personnel Management, and the Health and Human Services, Education, Energy, Transportation, Labor and Commerce departments. On Monday, the federal judge handling the request for a restraining order expressed skepticism over Democrats’ challenge, noting that their “evidence” was largely media speculation about potential harms springing from DOGE’s activities: “The courts can’t act based on media reports. We can’t do that.” A ruling is expected Tuesday. Here’s looking forward to DOGE proceeding to uncover a relentless string of scandals for months and months to come.

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“The agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner..”

• Trump Replaces Social Security Administration Head Amid DOGE Scrutiny (ET)

President Donald Trump has replaced the head of the Social Security Administration (SSA), the White House said on Feb. 18. “The agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields told The Epoch Times in an email. “President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long.” The acting commissioner has not been identified. A webpage for the commissioner on the SSA website was recently removed. It previously held a biography for Michelle King, who was named acting commissioner in January. The White House declined to say whether King resigned or was fired.

Trump nominated Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano as SSA commissioner in December 2024. Fields said the White House expects Bisignano to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate in the coming weeks. “I am honored to have this once in a lifetime opportunity to serve my country,” Bisignano said previously. “I thank President-elect Trump and, if confirmed, look forward to applying my experience to transform our social security system.” Elon Musk said on Feb. 17 on social media platform X that the Department of Government Efficiency had found millions of people older than 120 listed in the agency’s database as eligible for Social Security. The oldest living person in the world is 116, according to Guinness World Records.

The SSA’s inspector general said in 2023 that it found that 18.9 million people aged 100 or older were still listed in the database despite the U.S. Census estimating that just 86,000 individuals in that age range live in the United States. “Taking action to include death information for the millions of numberholders omitted from the [database] would enhance Government-wide improper payment prevention and detection,” the watchdog said at the time. The inspector general made recommendations to improve the system, but the agency disagreed with the recommendations. People eligible for Social Security include children, spouses, and retired workers. More than 70 million people received benefits from SSA programs in 2022, according to the agency.

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“I still have my first Social Security card from 1957 needed for my first job in a Columbus, Georgia, cotton mill at $1.00 per hour. My take-home pay for a 40 hour week, 7am – 3pm, was $33.00. My Social Security Card says in large red letters, “NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES.”

• 60 Million More Active Social Security Numbers than US Has Population (PCR)

Dear Readers, If you are puzzled why Democrats and the US Civil Service are begging judges to prevent the Trump administration from having access to official US government data, the Social Security data alone explains it. The US population according to the CensusBureau is 334 million, but according to current Social Security records, there are 398 million people with active Social Security numbers. In other words, 64 million more people have US Social Security numbers than exist.According to the Social Security Administration’s official data, there are two active Social Security accounts of people who are older than the United States. According to the Social Security Administration, there are active Social Security numbers for 3.6 million Americans between the ages of 110 and 119 years of age; 3.4 million between the ages of 120-129 years of age; 3.9 million between the ages of 130-139; 3.5 million between the ages of 140-149, and to pass by these absurd active Social Security numbers, we have the Social Security Administration attesting to the fact that there are 1,039 active Social Security numbers for people aged 220-229 years old.

Who is receiving these benefit checks? This is what the corrupt judiciary is keeping secret by blocking DOGE, claiming it is a violation of privacy. It must be the privacy of dead people or zombies. [..] Trump and Musk are trying to restore the integrity of the US government and to stop the theft of government revenues and the intrusiveness of government into our lives. Over the course of my life government has become intrusive in ways that were impossible when I was young. For example, I still have my first Social Security card from 1957 needed for my first job in a Columbus, Georgia, cotton mill at $1.00 per hour. My take-home pay for a 40 hour week, 7am – 3pm, was $33.00. My Social Security Card says in large red letters, “NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES.”

In America today you cannot do anything without using your Social Security card or number for identification. Your Social Security number, not your name, has become your identity, an identity that the digital revolution makes it easy for criminals to steal. Did you read in the whore media about this extraordinary fact that Social Security accounts exceed the population? Of course not. The official narrative is that Trump is going to balance the budget by ending Social Security payments. This is more fake news from the whore media that told us Trump was a Russian agent. Instead of cutting Social Security payments, Trump wants to stop the fraud.

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The main takeaway is what an incredible mess the system is.

• 20M in Social Security Database Over Age 100 – Listed But Get No Benefits (NYP)

Tesla and X CEO-turned-special government employee Elon Musk claimed to have uncovered “the biggest fraud in history” when he stumbled across more than 20 million people listed in the Social Security database as over 100 years old. “According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!” Musk posted on X late Sunday, showing a chart of ages ranging from zero to 369 years old. “Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security,” he joked, adding that “there are FAR more ‘eligible’ social security [sic] numbers than there are citizens in the USA. This might be the biggest fraud in history.” However, Musk’s bombshell has long been known by the Social Security Administration (SSA) watchdog, which released an audit in July 2023 showing that 18.9 million people listed as 100 years or older — but not dead — were in the database.

Only 86,000 people living in the US at the time were actually centenarians, according to the Census Bureau. The same inspector general’s office found in a March 2015 audit that 6.5 million people with Social Security numbers but no death information were over 112 years old — despite just 35 people on the planet having reached that ripe old age. In both audits, the inspectors general concluded that “almost none” were actually cashing Social Security checks — despite the glaring accounting errors identifying people born in 1886 and 1893 as still living, in two extreme cases. Roughly 18.4 million uncovered in the 2023 audit had not received benefits or reported income for 50 years, meaning they were likely dead. “We believe it likely SSA did not receive or record most of the 18.9 million individuals’ death information primarily because the individuals died decades ago — before the use of electronic death reporting,” the report states.

Around 44,000 were actually receiving benefits, with 13 of those older than 112. The oldest living man in the world — Salustiano Sanchez-Blazquez, a 112-year-old self-taught musician, coal miner and gin rummy aficionado from western New York — had died months after the first audit began. The audits, however, did reveal that around 531 million unique Social Security numbers are in circulation — and that “thousands” may be in use to commit identity fraud. The 2015 audit showed about $3.1 billion in earnings reported by employers or self-employed individuals who were not the actual Social Security number holder. Alex Nowrasteh, Cato Institute vice president for economic and social policy studies, replied to Musk’s tweet by noting that a lot of Social Security numbers for people older than age 100 were “illegal immigrants paying in, not fraudulent recipients taking out.”

“By all means, clean up SSA and mark those people as deceased. But the cost of doing so is less revenue going into Social Security,” Nowrasteh said. “Maybe that’s fine, SS should be shut down anyway, but that is a downside.” Nowrasteh explained to The Post in a Monday phone interview that migrants were “stealing identities of people who are deceased but not marked in the Social Security system.” Many make use of a “thriving” black market for both identity theft and identity loans — the latter of which can be obtained with just an ID and Social Security number — to be able to work in the US.

Nowrasteh and other observers believe that Musk was pulling from a Social Security list known as “Numident,” which includes every number handed out since the benefits program started in 1936. “Some people have more than one number, occasionally because they’re committing fraud, but more usually because they’ve had fraud committed against them and they were issued a new clean number,” a former SSA employee told journalist Jesse Singal. “[A]lso you have people who received a Social Security number and then left the US, like temporary immigrant workers,” the employee added. “But there’s a long term recognized problem with SSA’s databases not marking as dead people who have died.”

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“..Marco Rubio after the Riyadh meeting issued a statement revealing an agreement for election to be held in Ukraine, which Zelensky certainly isn’t going to like (and probably won’t agree to)..”

• Zelensky Abruptly Cancels Planned Saudi Visit (ZH)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Tuesday he is cancelling his scheduled state visit to Saudi Arabia following the conclusion of US-Russia talks there. He’s been on a Middle East diplomatic tour to gain support for his country now three years in to the Russia-Ukraine war, which took him to the UAE, Turkey, and Wednesday he was supposed to be in Saudi Arabia to meet with the kingdom’s leadership. The Saudi trip had been planned before it was known that the US-Russia talks would take place. “Zelensky CANCELLING trip to Saudi Arabia following US/Russia talks. Zelensky will now return to Kyiv from Ankara, Turkey,” Fox News has reported. He now says he plans to visit in March. Zelensky is clearly trying to lash out at Washington. Without doubt this is to signal his anger about being cut out of talks toward ending the Ukraine war.

The Kremlin hailed Tuesday’s four-and-half hour meeting in Riyadh, with Rubio leading the US side and Lavrov leading the Moscow delegation, as “successful”. European officials were also noticeably absent from the meeting, which was hosted and mediated by the Saudi government. Zelensky had issued a prior warning while in the UAE: “Ukraine will not accept. Ukraine knew nothing about this. And Ukraine regards any negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine as having no results,” he had said. “Ukraine will not take part in the negotiations. Ukraine did not know they were planned. And the visit to the region was planned long before the US decided to meet Russia there,” he continued.

The fact that a high-level peace meeting was taking place without Zelensky or any Ukrainian representation, at the very moment he was in the region, is being felt as adding insult to injury from the Trump administration. Top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov has explained the need for Zelensky’s absence from talks as follows: “I don’t know what they [Kiev officals] could do at the negotiating table. If their aim is to cunningly extract a deceptive truce while secretly preparing for continued war—true to their habits and nature—then why invite them at all?” according to TASS.

The US and Russian sides have vowed to continue the peace negotiations going, hopefully leading to a face-to-face meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the Riyadh meeting issued a statement revealing an agreement for election to be held in Ukraine, which Zelensky certainly isn’t going to like (and probably won’t agree to), given also he just recently argued that martial law prevents this. But Putin has said negotiations with Ukraine remain a non-starter so long as Zelensky refuses to hold elections. The Russian leader has said this makes him ‘illegitimate’ and thus he can’t legally sign any peace terms.

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““Ukraine, in particular, has prohibited its involvement in peace talks. The Europeans have championed the continuation of war at any cost. The previous administration in Washington also supported waging it to the last Ukrainian,” Peskov stated..”

• Putin Ready To Talk To Zelensky – Kremlin (RT)

Russia remains committed to a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and is ready to hold direct talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, despite having doubts about the latter’s legitimacy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Zelensky’s presidential term lapsed last year, prompting Russia to question his authority to sign international treaties on behalf of Ukraine. Nevertheless, Peskov emphasized that Putin is open to dialogue with Zelensky if it serves the goal of achieving peace. “Putin has repeatedly expressed his readiness to negotiate with Zelensky,” Peskov told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday. On the same day, senior US and Russian officials convened in Saudi Arabia to explore ways to repair bilateral relations, which have been significantly strained by the Ukraine conflict.

The potential thaw was initiated by US President Donald Trump, who has acknowledged Moscow’s stance that NATO’s expansion in Europe is a major factor in the hostilities and has signaled a desire to swiftly resolve the crisis. Peskov underscored that Putin has consistently sought to fulfill Russia’s security objectives through diplomatic means, saying that other parties have not pursued the same approach. “Ukraine, in particular, has prohibited its involvement in peace talks. The Europeans have championed the continuation of war at any cost. The previous administration in Washington also supported waging it to the last Ukrainian,” Peskov stated.

Zelensky has preemptively dismissed any agreements reached between Washington and Moscow regarding Ukraine without Kiev’s input. This shift in US policy has created a rift between Washington and several European NATO allies, who have pledged unwavering support for Kiev. It has also intensified fissures within the EU, as dissenting countries like Hungary and Slovakia have endorsed the new US approach. On Monday, Moscow’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, reiterated Russia’s critical view of the EU’s and UK’s roles in the Ukraine conflict, accusing them of harboring “a manic desire to defeat Russia on the battlefield.” He argued that their stubbornness makes them “incapable of negotiation,” and that they are undesired participants in any future settlement.

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“The US is negotiating with Russia and no European is at the table – it has become very clear that the Europeans are the kids..”

• EU ‘At Kid’s Table’ In Ukraine Talks – German Weapons Giant (RT)

The EU should blame itself for being excluded from US-initiated Ukraine peace efforts, Armin Papperger, CEO of German arms giant Rheinmetall, one of the key Western firms supplying Kiev with military equipment, has said. In an interview with the Finacial Times published late on Monday, the executive indicated that the bloc’s under-investment in defense led the US to stop seeing it as an equal partner. Papperger’s remarks come amid growing outrage in the EU over its exclusion from the recent US-Russia rapprochement. Following a phone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin last week, US President Donald Trump declared an “immediate” start to negotiations on Ukraine, drawing criticism from EU states for failing to consult them.

The first round of bilateral Russia-US negotiations kicked off in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday. Led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the talks are expected to focus on restoring bilateral relations, preparing for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement with Kiev and laying the groundwork for a direct meeting between Trump and Putin. The EU’s anger was intensified after Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, signaled that the bloc’s leaders may not be invited to take part in future peace talks. “If parents have dinner, the kids have to sit at another table… The US is negotiating with Russia and no European is at the table – it has become very clear that the Europeans are the kids,” Papperger told the news outlet.

The executive cited the bloc’s reluctance to boost defense spending within the NATO military bloc. “If you don’t invest, if you’re not strong, they handle you like kids,” he stated. NATO and the US have repeatedly demanded sharp increases in defense spending from the bloc’s European members to as high as 5% of GDP, while Trump has long bemoaned bearing the brunt of costs. Many EU states have demanded to be included in the Ukraine peace process over the past few days, with the Weimar+ group, which includes France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and the UK, declaring that “Europe must be part of any negotiations” as they would affect the security of the entire continent. French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called an emergency summit of European leaders for talks on Ukraine, purportedly to counterbalance Russia-US peace efforts.

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“The former president replied that his son will “act differently than Zelensky, who was a draft dodger four times, running away from summonses.”

• Zelensky Was A Draft Dodger – Poroshenko (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky evaded conscription on four separate occasions, former President Pyotr Poroshenko has claimed in an interview with the Ukrainska Pravda published on Monday. In 2022, amid the escalating conflict with Russia, Zelensky enacted martial law and initiated a comprehensive mobilization effort. Despite this, Kiev has suffered from a manpower shortage, prompting the authorities to lower the draft age from 27 to 25 and significantly tighten the mobilization rules. In the Ukrainska Pravda interview, Poroshenko was asked if his son Mikhail, who will soon turn 25, intends to serve, given that all men in Ukraine of that age are subject to mandatory mobilization. The former president replied that his son will “act differently than Zelensky, who was a draft dodger four times, running away from summonses.”

During the Ukrainian presidential election in 2019, the Defense Ministry reported that Zelensky, who was running for office that year, was sent summonses to the military enlistment office four times from 2014 to 2015, but failed to show up. The 47-year old has no record of military service despite being registered since 2008 and being deemed fit for service. The rivalry between Poroshenko and Zelensky has heated up in recent months, as the former president has suggested that a new election could be held later this year. Last week, Zelensky imposed sanctions on Poroshenko, accusing him of high treason and assisting a terrorist organization. Poroshenko has vehemently denied the accusations and has accused the Ukrainian leader of repressing his political opponents.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s mobilization efforts have continued to face challenges, including public resistance and numerous instances of draft evasion. Reports indicate that a large number of conscription-age men have left or tried to leave the country to avoid service, while recruitment offices have been plagued with corruption scandals. The efforts come in the wake of significant personnel losses, with Moscow recently claiming that Ukraine has lost around 50,000 servicemen every month during the past half year. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Kiev of throwing its people under the bus by deciding to “fight to the last Ukrainian.”

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They present it as a security issue.

• EU To Uphold Russia Sanctions Regardless Of US – Commissioner (RT)

The EU has no plans to lift sanctions against Russia even if the US decides to do so, and is working on the next raft of measures, EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has said. The bloc has proposed a 16th round of sanctions on Russia to be imposed next week for the third anniversary of the start of the Russian military operation against Ukraine on February 24. Along with the US, the EU has slapped numerous rounds of sanctions on Russia since 2022 in a bid to isolate the country, cutting it off from the Western financial system and freezing its foreign reserves. Asked if the EU would lift its sanctions on Russia if the US eases its restrictions in exchange for a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, Dombrovskis stated that Brussels would pursue an independent sanctions policy.

“It’s very clear with the moves of the current Trump administration that the EU will have to take issues related to the EU’s security more in its own hands. It also concerns the sanctions policy as you know the work continues on preparing the 16th package,” the commissioner said. Last month, the EU extended its existing sanctions against Russia until the end of July. The restrictions already target a broad range of sectors and include trade embargoes, travel bans, and individual sanctions against Russian businessmen and public officials. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in an interview with Franceinfo on Tuesday that the EU’s upcoming batch of measures will primarily target Russia’s energy sector.Barrot claimed the new package aims to “force [Russian President] Vladimir Putin to sit down at the negotiating table,” adding that the EU will continue to “raise the cost of the war” for Moscow.

The sanctions will also target countries that facilitate bypassing the restrictions, the minister said. Earlier this year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban renewed calls on the EU to lift its sanctions on Russia in order to align the bloc’s policies with the new US government. Budapest has long criticized Brussels’ approach to the Ukraine conflict as being incapable of ending hostilities and damaging to the bloc’s member states. Last week, Orban predicted that Russia will be “reintegrated” into the world economy and the European energy system once the Ukraine conflict ends. Moscow has condemned Western sanctions as illegal, repeatedly arguing that they have failed to destabilize Russia’s economy or isolate it from the global financial system.

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This is why the AfD should win on Feb 23.

• EU Mulling New Plan For Ukraine Military Aid (RT)

EU lawmakers are set to discuss the creation of a new fund aimed at raising money for more military aid to Ukraine, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported on Monday. The initiative would reportedly be funded in part by proceeds generated from frozen Russian assets. The report comes amid concerns in Brussels that US President Donald Trump will begin cutting financial and military support to Ukraine. The Trump administration has demanded that Kiev reimburse the US for aid provided since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Discussion of the new EU initiative is reportedly scheduled for Tuesday. The main goal of the potential fund is to address Ukraine’s most urgent military needs, including artillery ammunition, air defense systems and long-range missiles, according to a document obtained by PAP.

Broader support for Ukraine’s defense sector, including training and equipment, as well as joint EU-Ukraine industrial initiatives, are reportedly included in the plan. The news agency noted that funding for the initiative is expected to come from voluntary contributions by EU member states, proportional to their national income, as well as profits from frozen Russian assets, estimated to generate up to €900 million ($940 million) this year. Since 2022, Washington and Brussels have frozen an estimated $300 billion in Russian central bank reserves along with billions in private assets. Western officials have proposed redirecting some of the funds to Ukraine, but legal concerns have slowed such efforts. Proceeds from the assets are already being used to back a $50 billion loan for Ukraine from the G7.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that Western nations’ support for Kiev makes them direct participants in the conflict. Moscow has also condemned the asset freeze as “theft,” arguing that accessing the funds would be illegal and set a troubling precedent. The new EU funding mechanism has to obtain full bloc-wide support before being implemented, PAP noted. It noted, however, that participation could be voluntary to avoid a deadlock similar to the bloc’s standoff with Hungary, which blocked funding for Ukraine at various stages of the conflict.

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But they can talk a lot.

• Europe’s ‘Paper Army’ Can’t Ensure Security Without the US (Sp.)

Europe has relied on US defense and funding for nearly 70 years and is incapable of handling this burden alone, Mikael Valtersson, a former Swedish Armed Forces and Air Defense officer, tells Sputnik, commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron’s urgent security meeting. “Europe would have to spend 10 % for a couple of decades to reach the same level of defense that they have with US protection,” Valtersson says. He argues that Europe’s fears of a US military withdrawal from the continent are well-founded, as the Trump administration is expected to prioritize China and its own regional interests. “For the Trump administration, Europe is seen as just a burden,” he adds.

While European leaders applauded Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for a united European army, the continent’s military remains fragmented and lacks its own nuclear deterrent, Valtersson notes “Europe would want to create some kind of European NATO, but the countries are very split in their position, both towards Russia and the US,” he says, predicting that rising Euroskeptic parties will further widen internal divisions through regional elections.

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“There is a pattern to corruption within the EU elite. It always rewards its own people with absurdly well-paid jobs when no one else takes them seriously.”

• EU Suffers From “Foot In Mouth” Once Again Over Ukraine War (Jay)

The European Union has a problem. It so badly needs to project itself around the world and also to its own citizens as a major player on the world stage, with a solid ‘foreign policy’ and the means to act upon it, whereas in reality the superpowers of the world – U.S., Russia, China – don’t take it seriously. Leading up to the peace summit in Saudi Arabia which caretaker President of Ukraine Zelensky was not invited to, senior EU officials began to panic. They quickly set up their own meeting to show their own people and the EU fraternity that they are still relevant but it’s not really convincing anyone. At moments like this, the worry for EU folks is that humble people in Europe will realize that all the international foreign policy posturing is based on a piece of paper with some ideas, or dreams, written on it.

The very fact that Trump is able to set up peace talks with Putin and bypass the EU altogether shows how ineffective it is. It’s easy to spend EU taxpayers’ money, harder to develop policies to enact, especially when member states don’t have the confidence in Brussels to carry out its global aspirations. It was as though there was a scramble for EU senior figures, ladies, to outbid one another for the most stupid things to say about Ukraine. A failed Ukraine would weaken both Europe and the U.S.? Really? Then, not to be outdone in the “sounding like an idiot” stakes, Annalena Baerbock added to the mix how it would be impossible for a peace deal to go ahead with “us” (the Germans); but the best one surely has to go to Kaja Kallas, the EU’s so-called foreign policy chief who said that no Russian civilians were being killed in the Ukraine. The level of rank stupidity if not ignorance is quite astounding.

Kallas can’t be that stupid and that misinformed, right? Many will ask how does such a top EU official even arrive at such a conclusion when she has the resources to understand the statistics and other such data of the war? Perhaps she simply chooses to close her eyes and ignore the hundreds of children killed by shelling in the Donbas and Donetsk regions – both in recent war but also before in 2014. Or for that matter the civilians slaughtered like animals by Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk. And that’s without even tackling Russian civilians killed or maimed by the drone attacks within Russia. Unfortunately, these kind of statements only make the EU look even more stupid and ineffective with the major powers in the world. The total detachment from reality doesn’t help anyone strive for peace and prosperity, but this is not the objective of this elitist cabal in Brussels. They place their own highly paid jobs and lifestyle first and protecting one another.

Typically, the post of the “EU’s top diplomat” as it is often called is always given to a numpty. It’s as though member states and the EU circle had agreed beforehand that the main criteria for the job is that it must go to someone who is incapable of actually doing anything, someone can be guaranteed to not achieve anything on the world stage but simply able to talk. The thinking behind this is that EU member states are divided over how the EU could move forward with a bold, shiny foreign policy, so prefer that Brussels actually doesn’t do anything except talk the talk. And nothing else. And even this, they don’t want to have too much impact as this would create further problems. So, the best type to install into such a job is an idiot, someone who has failed in politics, isn’t very good at public speaking and who would be very grateful for the position, but who can also be guaranteed not to actually achieve anything.

Previous EU diplomatic chiefs all fitted this criteria, but the most stupid of all was Catherine Ashton who was such an underperforming junior minister under Blair that she had to be sent to Brussels. Poor Catherine was so inept at her job that she became a laughing stock even among her own people who still dine out on the hilarious anecdote of her visiting a foreign country and managing to get lost within one of its ministries. Someone had to be sent to get her out of the building as she struggled with the lifts and the various buttons.

Kallas isn’t much better. She comes from a corrupt political dynasty in Estonia whereby her father was PM before her, while he too was given a cosy job in Brussels as an EU commissioner. There is a pattern to corruption within the EU elite. It always rewards its own people with absurdly well-paid jobs when no one else takes them seriously. Kallas had to resign as PM in her own country after it became clear to the Estonians that she was just a tad useless. Even a poll showed that 70 percent of Estonians didn’t have the confidence in her to govern. Where do utterly useless EU politicians go after that? Brussels of course!

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“I’m going to keep asking questions but hold my preconceived answers lightly. I’m willing to be wrong..”

• RFK Jr. Calls For New Age Of ‘Radical Transparency’ At HHS (NYP)

During his first address to staff as Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called for a new era of “radical transparency” at the department while pursuing his “main mission” to “reverse the chronic disease epidemic in America.” Acknowledging some of the lingering concerns about him, Kennedy, 71, pleaded with staff at the Department of HHS to “let go” of their preconceived thoughts about him, while warning that “those who are unwilling to embrace” transparency and openness “can retire.” “I’m not going to come in here and impose my belief over any of yours,” Kennedy said. “My goal as secretary here at HHS will be to create a culture of competency, of ethics, of openness, of transparency, of caring, and of pride so that individuals who share these ideals can flourish and thrive.

“We will make our data and our policy process so transparent that people won’t even have to file a FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] request.” Kennedy had faced a bruising confirmation process before ultimately clearing the Senate and being confirmed as HHS secretary last week. Senators had grilled him over his past vaccine skepticism and other health-related theories he flirted with in the past. During his address, the Kennedy scion reiterated his intention of departing from certain orthodoxies in health care while seeking to combat the dramatic spike in chronic ailments. “Some of the possible factors we will investigate were formerly taboo or insufficiently scrutinized,” Kennedy said before giving examples: “The childhood vaccine schedule, electromagnetic radiation, glyphosate, other pesticides, ultra-processed foods, artificial food additives, SSRI and other psychiatric drugs, PFAs, PFOAs, microplastics.”

“Nothing is going to be off limits,” Kennedy declared. “Whatever belief or suspicion I have expressed in the past I’m willing to subject them all to the scrutiny of unbiased science.” This had been a key point of consternation during his Senate confirmation when lawmakers seemed uneasy about Kennedy’s past views on vaccines. “I’m going to keep asking questions but hold my preconceived answers lightly. I’m willing to be wrong,” he added. President Trump, who forged an alliance with Kennedy last August, signed an executive order last week to establish a “Make America Healthy Again Commission” to probe the rise in chronic ailments. Kennedy vowed to “convene representatives from all viewpoints” to participate in that investigation.

He called for the agency to ensure scientists are “protocols that we all agree on in advance and not alter the outcomes of the studies” and to not let “political impediments” or “preconceptions” spoil critical research. The HHS secretary further pledged to “shut the revolving door” between the health industry and the government. Kennedy also said he’d work to “remove conflicts of interest from the committees and research partners whenever possible” or to “balance them.” “This is how the agencies under the HHS umbrella will recover their reputations as unimpeachable sources of scientific information to guide policy making, medical professionals, the public, and the whole world,” Kennedy stressed. HSS oversees a constellation of federal health agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and more.

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“We’re continually improving the models every day, and literally within 24 hours, you’ll see improvements.”

• Musk’s xAI Unveils “State Of The Art” Grok 3 AI Bot (ZH)

On Monday night, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, unveiled its latest model, Grok3, with the billionaire touting it as the “smartest AI on Earth,” and in an AI evaluation, achieved a record-breaking score, outperforming models from OpenAI and China’s DeepSeek. Remember, Musk is simultaneously juggling DOGE and several ventures, including autonomous vehicles, space exploration, neurotechnology, robotics, tunneling, and his social media platform, X. Musk explained the mission of Grok: “The mission of xAI and Grok is to understand the universe. We want to answer the biggest questions: Where are the aliens? What’s the meaning of life? How does the universe end? To do that, we must rigorously pursue truth.”

The xAI team revealed that Grok3 outperformed Alphabet’s Google Gemini, DeepSeek’s V3 model, Anthropic’s Claude, and OpenAI’s GPT-4o across math, science, and coding benchmarks. Musk noted that Grok3 has “more than 10 times” the computing power of its predecessor and completed pre-training earlier this year. The LLM blind test by LMArena found Grok3 achieved a record milestone of 1400 score. “And it’s still climbing. So we have to keep updating it. It’s 1400 and climbing,” Musk said. Musk said, “We’re continually improving the models every day, and literally within 24 hours, you’ll see improvements.” “The new chatbot appears to put Grok ahead of OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT and ramps up an increasingly bitter rivalry between the two companies,” Bloomberg noted. Just last week, Musk offered to purchase OpenAI’s nonprofit arm for $97.4 billion. However, the offer was quickly rejected by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Andrej Karpathy, former Director of AI at Tesla, wrote a lengthy post on X about his experience with early access to Grok3. [..] Karpathy concluded that Grok 3, with its thinking capabilities, is around the state-of-the-art level, slightly outperforming models like DeepSeek-R1 and Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking, considering xAI started from scratch about a year ago – an unprecedented achievement.

XAI has a “colossus supercomputer” powered by a cluster of 100,000 advanced Nvidia GPUs for AI training in Memphis, Tennessee.

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Sex

 

 

Stork

 

 

Polar

 

 

Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle February 18 2025

Feb 182025
 
 February 18, 2025  Posted by at 11:25 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,  56 Responses »


René Magritte The muscles of the sky 1927

 

• “This Might Be The Biggest Fraud In History” (ZH)
• Musk’s DOGE Seeking Access To IRS Taxpayer Data (RT)
• DOGE Is Right To Defang the CFPB (RCW)
• The Genius of the DOGE Exposures (AmG)
• US, Russia Hold Peace Talks In Saudi Arabia Without Ukraine (ZH)
• US-Russia Meeting In Riyadh Will ‘Have No Results’ – Zelensky (RT)
• Ukraine Has No Bargaining Power in US-Russia Peace Talks (Sp.)
• Macron’s Ukraine Summit A Gathering of ‘Warmongers’ – Hungary FM (RT)
• Munich Conference ‘A Nightmare’ – Organizer (RT)
• US Imposing ‘Colonial’ Resource Deal On Ukraine (RT)
• Indian Strategy Puts Trump In Front of Putin (Helmer)
• Kiev Regime Attacks Chernobyl To Sabotage Peace Talks (SCF)
• J.D. Vance Delivers a Historic Defense of Free Speech (Turley)
• Vance Blasts ‘Orwellian’ German Laws (RT)
• Krakatoa Blows (James Howard Kunstler)
• The European Welfare State Is Collapsing (Lacalle)

 

 

 

 

TDS
https://twitter.com/i/status/1891677532056949195

Leavitt

Nerd army

Courts
https://twitter.com/i/status/1891244904191287350

Watters

Miller

poop

Nebenzia
https://twitter.com/i/status/1891586940870291605

 

 

 

 

334 million or 394 million.

• “This Might Be The Biggest Fraud In History” (ZH)

Elon Musk was expected to remain offline Sunday night into Monday morning as his xAI team prepared for the highly anticipated debut of “Grok 3,” scheduled for release Monday evening at 8 p.m. EST. However, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with streamlining the federal bureaucracy, returned very excited to his social media platform around midnight, unveiling what “might be the biggest fraud in history.” Musk posted a spreadsheet of Social Security Administration data showing “numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!” The data shows that 20.789 million Americans are collecting social security benefits over the age of 100. Drilling down into the age buckets, benefits are still being paid out to folks over 140!

One X user pointed out that 2023 data showed the US population at around 334.9 million. However, Musk’s data (likely from DOGE’s ‘Big Balls’ analyst) shows 394 million names in the Social Security Administration database. Musk responded: “Yes, there are FAR more “eligible” social security numbers than there are citizens in the USA. This might be the biggest fraud in history.” “Maybe we pause payments to everyone 120+ until they can authenticate they’re among the living, to start,” Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) wrote on X in response to Musk’s post. Collins is far too conservative. Lawmakers should freeze payments over the age bucket of 100 until a clear determination can be made where taxpayer funds are disappearing in this possible money pit that smells like fraud. “If DOGE’s numbers are right, $522B—1/3 of ALL spending on Social Security each year—is fraudulent,” X user Robert Sterling said.

At a DOGE press conference last week in the White House, Musk said: “If money is spent badly. If your taxpayer dollars are not spent in a sensible and frugal manner, then that’s not okay. Your tax dollars need to be spent wisely on the things that matter to the people,” Musk said. “It’s just common sense. It’s not Draconian or radical. I think it’s really just saying let’s look at each of the expenditures and say, is this actually in the best interest of the people, and if it is, it’s approved, if it’s not, we should think about it,” he added. “There’s crazy things, like, just a cursory examination of Social Security and we’ve got people in there that are about 150 years old,” Musk said. “Now, do you know anyone that’s 150? I don’t. OK. They should be on the Guinness Book of World Records, they’re missing out.”

“So, you know, that’s the case where, like, I think they’re probably dead is my guess, or they should be very famous. One of the two,” he added. It now appears DOGE’s Big Balls has been heard at work using AI to uncover possible fraud in federal entitlements. So far, we have not verified the data Musk shared on X, but confirmation could be just ahead.

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Protest! Protest!

• Musk’s DOGE Seeking Access To IRS Taxpayer Data (RT)

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is seeking access to a highly secured Internal Revenue Service (IRS) system that stores the personal tax records of millions of Americans, according to media reports. The examination of the IRS system, first reported by the Washington Post on Sunday, represents the latest move by Musk-led DOGE to overhaul US government agencies in a bid to eliminate wasteful state spending. The IRS systems house private financial data for taxpayers, including tax returns, Social Security numbers, addresses, banking details, and employment information. The Integrated Data Retrieval System, used by IRS employees, enables the review of tax information, issuance of notices, and updating of taxpayer records.

DOGE software engineer Gavin Kliger already worked at IRS headquarters on Thursday, the outlet reported, citing people familiar with the matter. He is set to serve as a senior adviser to the acting commissioner, though the tax agency is still finalizing the details of his role. According to the report, Kliger is expected to have broad access to IRS systems. However, as of Sunday, he had not yet gained access to sensitive tax agency data. “Waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long. It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields told The Post. DOGE remains committed to exposing fraud, ensuring that Americans are informed about how their “hard-earned” tax dollars are being spent by the government, he said.

Last week, Musk also alleged that federal workers were defrauding taxpayers. “We do find it rather odd that there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars, but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth while they are in that position,” Musk told reporters while in the Oval Office with US President Donald Trump. “We’re just curious as to where it came from.” The request has raised concerns within the government and among privacy experts, who warn that granting Musk access to Americans’ private taxpayer data could pose substantial risks.

The IRS is set to lay off thousands of probationary employees in the coming days, aligning with the Trump administration’s broader initiative to cut federal spending. The action is part of a series of workforce reductions ordered by Trump after he launched a campaign aimed at streamlining government operations. His administration has implemented measures such as a hiring freeze, offering buyouts to federal employees, and mandating agencies to collaborate with DOGE to identify and eliminate inefficiencies.

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is not what it seems.

• DOGE Is Right To Defang the CFPB (RCW)

With a big tech-powered magnifying glass on federal websites, spending contracts, and government payment systems, Elon Musk’s band of DOGE system admins have been turning Washington inside out in their hunt for waste, fraud, and abuse. One of the most prized agencies on the chopping block is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, heralded by progressives as an indispensable force for helping consumers wronged by financial institutions, but derided by fintech investors and conservatives as little more than a government “shakedown agency.” Consumers will be better off without the CFPB breathing down the neck of American companies. Since the inauguration of President Trump, the CFPB’s temporary leadership put an immediate halt on all work, also informing the Federal Reserve, which directly funds the agency, that it would no longer seek new funding.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the intellectual force behind the agency’s founding, has been apoplectic. She’s argued that Trump is “firing the financial cop on the beat that makes sure your family doesn’t get scammed.” The origin of the CFPB goes back to the rubble of the 2008 financial crisis when legislators saw this proposed agency as a viable response to the populist backlash engulfing Washington and Wall Street. Instead of penalizing wrongdoers, Congress funded bank bailouts and launched a “watchdog” group. The 2010 Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act mandated new standards for lending, restricted capital that could be tapped for bank loans, and created the CFPB to police consumer finance. All functions performed by the five former federal banking supervisory agencies were rolled into the CFPB, granting it sole jurisdiction over non-depository firms and financial institutions with over $10 billion in assets.

This empowered the agency to issue regulatory guidance, demand information from financial institutions, and launch civil actions in federal court. Supporters of the CFPB point to an impressive record of close to $20 billion in consumer relief, as well as an additional $5 billion in civil penalties. Without the CFPB, fraudsters and scams would metastasize and consumer injustice would run wild, so they say. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. As a regulatory agency with civil litigation authority, the CFPB is emboldened to file high-dollar lawsuits against financial firms. An estimate of the CFPB’s database of enforcement actions reveals that roughly 85% of all cases are settled out of court before a final ruling. Companies often choose to settle, but this shouldn’t be mistaken for an admission of guilt. In a litigious society such as the United States where companies are routinely targeted in frivolous lawsuits, the court of public opinion matters just as much as the court of law.

Firms prefer settling cases over having their name dragged through the mud for months on end in the media, something tort lawyers call a “nuisance settlement.” These expected costs are baked into large firms’ financial projections and are sometimes factored into pricing their goods and services for consumers. The CFPB is more akin to a state-backed tort law firm that can tap the nation’s central bank for resources while exploiting its do-gooder reputation for easy PR victories. Rather than smart regulatory guidance to oversee a new generation of consumer finance firms, CFPB has relied on quick settlements out of court to squash innovative upstarts. While CFPB enforcement has been successful in penalizing banks and lenders for how loans are structured or advertised, it does not take much imagination to see how this has impacted the investing climate for new competitors. Since CFPB’s founding, there are now 35% fewer financial institutions remaining for consumers to choose from, down from 15,000 to just roughly 9,000 today.

While there is high consumer demand for fintech, payment apps, and account offerings, including Bitcoin and cryptocurrency banks, CFPB’s chilling actions have slowed that innovation, leading to the recent calls for the agency to be gutted. And they’re right. Most of CFPB’s functions are mirrored at the FTC on everything but finance. Regional Federal Reserve banks are also responsible for bank oversight and regulation, not to mention state banking regulators. Existing regulators have the reach, experience, and know-how to police would-be fraudsters and outright deceptive practices among banks. Why not let them? For consumers who want next-level services and financial products, there is no question that CFPB’s litigious approach has impacted their ability to access credit and financial services. There must be a better way to regulate our financial institutions and protect consumers than a tort law firm with government authority. Congress could fold elements of the CFPB into the FTC, OCC, or even FDIC, and bad actors will still be policed. Consumers deserve to be protected, and they will be, but they also deserve a regulatory structure that rewards innovation and brings financial products to market that they can choose between. The CFPB is due for defanging.

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“My advice to President Trump and Mr. Musk is: Keep highlighting the absurd spending. The American people will have your back.”

• The Genius of the DOGE Exposures (AmG)

The American people have rightly been appalled at the outrageous expenditures Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been exposing at USAID, which not only demonstrates the striking wastefulness of our government but also an ingenious public relations strategy by the Trump administration. When Americans learn that their tax dollars are going to fund egregious projects around the world, it lays a foundation for the public relations framework needed by the Trump administration to bring American public opinion along on the necessary journey of restructuring the government. It makes people’s blood boil. And it sets the tone for the effectiveness, and need for, the entire Trump efficiency program, even though the spending in absolute monetary terms on these insane USAID projects is fairly minor compared to the overall $6.9 trillion federal budget.

Let’s consider some of the USAID expenditures recently revealed:
$70,000 for the production of a “DEI musical” in Ireland
$47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia
$2,000,000 for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala
$32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru
Hundreds of millions to support “irrigation canals, farming equipment, and even fertilizer used to support the unprecedented poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan,” benefiting the Taliban
$40,000,000 to fund research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which gifted the world with the COVID virus

The creators of Monty Python could not have made this stuff up, although they came close in their “It’s every man’s right to have babies if he wants them!” sketch. It still makes me laugh. But that’s why Donald Trump and Elon Musk are highlighting these absurd expenditures. They are so ridiculous that they almost defy belief, and they serve to supercharge American anger and righteous indignation. Trump recognizes, as Ronald Reagan did, the importance of galvanizing American public opinion as an integral part of carrying out his agenda. By inflaming the public, he puts pressure on the craven Congress to go along with his efforts to enact sweeping changes that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve.

No doubt when Musk sets his genius young elves to work applying their AI algorithms on the Department of Health and Human Services and the Defense Department’s budget data, they will find waste so massive that it dwarfs that of USAID’s $40 billion annual outlay. But it’s a bit harder for the public to grasp the wastefulness of the government paying many times the price that it should be paying for anti-aircraft missiles, say, or ineffective vaccines. From a public relations standpoint, it’s much easier to see the lunacy of the US taxpayer shelling out $2.5 million for an electric vehicle project in Vietnam or $1.5 million to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbian workplaces.

We live in amazing times, led by an extraordinary team being assembled in the White House. Who would have imagined just a few years ago that a Kennedy family member would (likely) be holding a cabinet position as the head of HHS in a Republican administration? Ot that a prominent Democratic congresswoman and former Democratic presidential candidate would (likely) be the next Director of National Intelligence in that same Republican administration? Or that long-time liberal Democrat-voting, richest man in the world, Elon Musk, would be leading the effort of that administration to completely transform the government of the United States into a lean, mean, efficiently operating machine?

It all came about because of the vision and incredible tenacity of one individual—another former Democrat named Donald Trump, who survived a baptism of legal fire—and actual gunfire—by his political opponents to regain the presidency after all the “smart people” in Washington had written him off politically. More to the point, however, Trump’s career as a builder and, more importantly for the present discussion, as an unparalleled master of branding and public relations, has made him ideally suited to take on the gargantuan task at hand: bringing to heel an out-of-control government bureaucracy that will surely lead to this country’s destruction if not reined in.

Trump’s highly successful television show, The Apprentice, ran for a remarkable 15 years and caused the phrase, “You’re fired!”, to gain such familiarity that it stood beside such catchphrases as “Got milk?” and “Where’s the beef?” among the iconic popular expressions seared into Americans’ collective consciousness. And what more fitting expression to address a massively bloated and overpopulated federal bureaucracy desperately in need of draconian personnel cuts?

No one wishes ill on American citizens in government service, but there comes a point where the American body politic needs to make hard choices if the United States is to continue as a viable concern. And I don’t recall Democrats being nearly so exercised when Bill Clinton let 377,000 federal employees go after he assumed the presidency, using a buy-out program not so dissimilar to that offered by President Trump, which Democrats are inveighing against. Oh, how quickly Democrats forget. Remember when Clinton said, in his 1996 State of the Union speech, that “the era of big government is over”? Those were the days when Democrats still possessed a semblance of sanity.

The federal budget deficit in 2025 will be $1.8 trillion on outlays of $6.7 trillion, according to Congressional Budget Office data. And these deficits are cumulative. Every year that mountain of debt grows and currently stands at over $36 trillion. That is unsustainable. Approximately 13 percent of our federal budget just goes toward servicing our debt, with $2.6 billion per day on interest payments alone. When a single federal government employee, the recently resigned head of the Tennessee Valley Authority, has a total federal government compensation package of $10.5 million per year, then Houston, we have a problem. My advice to President Trump and Mr. Musk is: Keep highlighting the absurd spending. The American people will have your back.

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Already started today.

• US, Russia Hold Peace Talks In Saudi Arabia Without Ukraine (ZH)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned on X that “Europe’s security is at a turning point.” She continued in the statement she wrote while arriving in Paris for “crucial talks” with European counterparts on the Russia-Ukraine war, “Yes, it is about Ukraine – but it is also about us.” “We need an urgency mindset. We need a surge in defense,” she wrote. “And we need both of them now.” The words come immediately on the heels of von der Leyen telling the Munich Security Conference, “I will propose to activate the escape clause for defense investments. This will allow member states to substantially increase their defense expenditure.” Europe is also deeply concerned that it is getting cut out of peace talks toward a negotiated settlement to end the Ukraine war. They are worried President Zelensky himself is getting sidelined, after last week’s 90-minute Trump call with Putin.

Several media outlets reported on Sunday that initial talks will be held in Saudi Arabia, expected to kick off Tuesday, between Russian and American diplomats. Both sides have confirmed the talks: Moscow has confirmed that Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Putin, will take part in talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Washington has also confirmed the meeting, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff will attend. Lavrov says Russia is not considering territorial concessions to be given to Ukraine at the planned negotiations to end the war. It appears final details ahead of the high-level talks were hammered out in a Saturday phone call between Secretary of State Rubio and top Russian diplomat and security official Sergey Lavrov.

“The Secretary re-affirmed President Trump’s commitment to finding an end to the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, they discussed the opportunity to potentially work together on a number of other bilateral issues,” a readout of that call indicated. Crucially, Ukrainian officials have revealed were not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia. Zelensky reiterated in a Sunday interview that he will “never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine” if Ukrainian officials aren’t at the table. As for a potential decision or concession amid the looming deal-making to end the war, European officials are saying President Trump will likely approve the withdrawal of US forces from Baltic states and possibly further to the West, in order to ease Russian fears of Washington encroachment, according to reporting in Al Jazeera.

As for the imminent US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia: Kyiv ‘knew nothing’ about US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and won’t recognize their outcome if Ukraine is not part of them – Zelensky. Ukraine’s Kyiv Post is reporting the same: Ukraine was not informed about the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, will not participate in them, and will not recognize any agreements reached, — Zelensky Strangely, President Zelensky is actually currently in the Gulf region, visiting UAE, and he’s next traveling to Saudi Arabia—and yet he’s not going to be part of the the US-Russia talks. His office is stressing that his state visit to Saudi Arabia has nothing to do with the US talks, as it was planned in advance: Days before Svyrydenko’s announcement, Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that he intends to pay official visits to Saudia Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, but has no plans to meet with any Russian or U.S. delegations in these countries.

“I will not meet with Russians, but then I will not meet with Americans there,” he said. That’s awkward, to say the least… Still, the Ukrainian leader has said these talks will “yield no results” without Ukraine’s direct representation and input. Many of his European backers agree, and have been urging Washington include Kiev in the negotiations. European leaders are meeting in Paris Monday, at President Macron’s invitation, for an urgent meeting assessing the Ukraine war and Europe’s defense readiness and security.

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From “Zelensky ‘refuses to recognize’” the talks, to “Zelensky demands Israel-style guarantees..”, to this, it all amounts to nothing. He’s done.

• US-Russia Meeting In Riyadh Will ‘Have No Results’ – Zelensky (RT)

Kiev will not take part in the US-Russia negotiations in Riyadh and considers them meaningless, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has said. Teams led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet on Tuesday in what will be the first high-level talks between the two countries over Ukraine since 2022. “Ukraine will not participate,” Zelensky told reporters on Monday, adding that Kiev “didn’t know anything” about the upcoming talks. “Ukraine views any negotiations about Ukraine that are being held without Ukraine as having no results,” he said. “We will not recognize such agreements.” Zelensky insisted that his own visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday has “no connection” to the meeting between US and Russian negotiators the same day. “The visit to the region was planned long before the US decided to meet Russia there,” he said, as quoted by Politico.

Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, confirmed on Monday that the negotiations with Americans will not involve third parties. Speaking to journalists on the tarmac in Riyadh, he said the talks aim to lay the groundwork for ending the Ukraine conflict and serve as a step toward “real normalization” of relations with the US. While the administration of former US President Joe Biden maintained unconditional military and financial support for Kiev, President Donald Trump has rejected his predecessor’s campaign to “isolate” Russia on the global stage and promised to end the conflict as soon as possible through a lasting ceasefire. Ukrainian and EU officials have said they were blindsided by Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12. They also criticized Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for ruling out NATO membership for Kiev and refusing to commit to the restoration of Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last week, Hegseth said the Pentagon will not commit troops as part of any security guarantees offered to Kiev. He added that if peacekeepers are deployed to Ukraine, they will not be protected by NATO’s collective defense mechanism. Moscow has insisted that a peace settlement must address the “root causes” of the conflict, including Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that Zelensky, instead of “empty words,” must demonstrate willingness to hold good-faith negotiations. Putin reiterated last month that he does not consider Zelensky legitimate because his five-year presidential term expired in May 2024 and no new elections have been called due to martial law.

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None. Anyone feel sorry?

• Ukraine Has No Bargaining Power in US-Russia Peace Talks (Sp.)

Volodymyr Zelensky insists he won’t accept a US-Russia deal on Ukraine without Kiev’s input. But does his opinion matter?

• Ukraine today is a devastated country, deserted by much of its people and critically dependent on foreign aid.
• Over 6.1 million Ukrainian refugees had been registered in Europe by mid-2024, according to UN estimates. One can only guess how many Ukrainians opted not to register their refugee status out of fear of being deported and press-ganged into armed service.
• With the Ukrainian economy on its last legs, Kiev has received over $30 billion in US budget aid just to pay salaries to state employees.
• Foreign companies like Vanguard and BlackRock swept in to profit from this crisis, buying assets in Ukraine at bedrock prices. Much of Ukraine’s agricultural land is now Ukrainian in name only.
• Large proportions of Ukraine’s most valuable assets, such as natural resource deposits and industrial facilities, were located in the territories that chose to join Russia rather than submit to the rule of neo-Nazis in Kiev.
• Ukraine has been saddled with an enormous external debt due to all the credit it has been receiving from abroad. Now, Kiev faces the prospect of losing half of its natural resources to the US as repayment for the financing that turned out to be a loan.
• Foreign black market transplantologists have been operating in Ukraine for months now, harvesting organs from injured Ukrainian soldiers.
• US biowarfare experts treat Ukraine as their own playground where they can conduct dangerous research without the risk of a containment breach endangering American lives.
• US and British intelligence agencies took charge of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) since 2014, making it subservient to the West.
• And although no one has said anything about deciding Ukraine’s fate without Kiev’s input, the question remains: how much does Zelensky’s opinion matter in this context?

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Nobody cares about Europe.

• Macron’s Ukraine Summit A Gathering of ‘Warmongers’ – Hungary FM (RT)

The European leaders that answered French President Emmanuel Macon’s call for an ‘emergency summit’ to discuss how to respond to being sidelined by US President Donald Trump are “warmongers,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has warned. Moscow and Washington have announced the beginning of bilateral talks on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia ahead of a possible summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Riyadh. Macron called EU leaders for an emergency summit on the Ukraine conflict in Paris on Monday after Washington made it clear that the bloc would not be at the table when the US and Russia discuss peace. Speaking at a press conference in Kazakhstan on Monday Szijjarto said “We trust that the American-Russian negotiations will be successful, and we hope that this will lead to peace in Ukraine as soon as possible… However, we must also see that in Europe, those who do not want peace are organizing,” he added.

“Those who have been constantly adding fuel to the fire for the past three years are gathering in Paris today,” Szijjarto said, branding the participants “war-mongering countries that have followed a misguided strategy.” Since Trump’s reelection, his administration has signaled a shift in US foreign policy, focusing on minimizing American involvement in any potential armistice achieved in Ukraine. Washington is also aiming to shift the financial and logistical burden of supporting Kiev to its European allies, while demanding that the continent’s NATO members contribute more to collective defense. The US has circulated a document to gauge the willingness of its European allies to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, among other points, according to Reuters.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stressed that he is ready to send British soldiers to provide security guarantees for Kiev, in the event of a ceasefire. Similarly, Macron has repeatedly brought up the possibility of putting Western boots on the ground, both as peacekeepers and combatants. Last year, the French leader suggested that sending troops was a possibility that could “legitimately” arise if Russian forces broke through the Ukrainian front line, and Kiev asked for help. Moscow has stressed that any Western forces deployed to Ukraine without a UN mandate would be considered as enemy combatants and legitimate targets.

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“..on Sunday, Heusgen became emotional, having to cut himself short. He was addressing the mounting pressures on the “rules-based order,” urging EU politicians to uphold it despite a visible rift with the US.”

• Munich Conference ‘A Nightmare’ – Organizer (RT)

Christoph Heusgen, chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), has described the results of last week’s gathering as a “nightmare” for Washington’s European allies. He claimed that the US under President Donald Trump “lives on another planet,” referencing comments made by American Vice President J.D. Vance at the Germany-hosted event. Vance criticized EU nations for increasingly mirroring the USSR in their suppression of dissent and the detachment of elites from voters. He cautioned that if the trend continues, the US could withdraw its support for its European allies.

During an interview with ZDF on Sunday — his final day as MSC chairman — Heusgen noted that, at the very least, Europeans now have clarity about the Trump administration’s stance. He added that while some Republican senators expressed commitment to “trans-Atlantic unity” in contrast to Vance, they were also cautious in their public statements. EU officials reaffirmed their pledges to support Kiev at the MSC, while Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky called for a united European army, asserting that Ukraine could play a significant role in such an initiative. Heusgen advised Europeans to “do what Zelensky says” and stand together. However, skepticism remains among certain EU member states, such as Poland, regarding the concept of a transnational military force to serve as a European counterpart to NATO.

The Trump administration has signaled no intention of involving either NATO or the US in any future security arrangements in Ukraine following a potential ceasefire with Russia. Additionally, Washington has expressed interest in recouping expenditures related to the Ukraine conflict through privileged access to mineral resources under Kiev’s control. Zelensky has previously advocated various forms of security for Ukraine that even his staunchest supporters deem exceedingly ambitious — from full NATO membership to deploying a 200,000-strong foreign military contingent, the mass placement of Western missiles, and even a Ukrainian nuclear capability. As he concluded his closing remarks at the MSC on Sunday, Heusgen became emotional, having to cut himself short. He was addressing the mounting pressures on the “rules-based order,” urging EU politicians to uphold it despite a visible rift with the US.

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“..an unnamed official from an unidentified country told AP that “it’s a colonial agreement, and Zelensky cannot sign it.”

• US Imposing ‘Colonial’ Resource Deal On Ukraine (RT)

The US is trying to steamroll Kiev into a lopsided resource deal that evokes memories of the West’s colonial past, several media outlets have reported, citing officials familiar with the matter. Last fall, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky suggested that his country could agree to allow its Western backers to participate in the joint exploitation of vast deposits of rare earth minerals, including lithium, titanium, and graphite. The administration of US President Donald Trump apparently took up Zelensky on his offer, reportedly suggesting to Kiev that the US be granted 50% ownership of the country’s rare earth minerals and that American troops be deployed to defend them. However, Zelensky is said to have “politely declined” to sign a document granting the US control of half of Ukraine’s mineral reserves, seeking a “better deal” and arguing that the agreement did not provide any US security guarantees.

Commenting on the back-and-forth between Washington and Kiev, an unnamed official from an unidentified country told AP that “it’s a colonial agreement, and Zelensky cannot sign it.” Echoing this assessment, two unnamed officials told Bloomberg that Washington “was trying to ram through a one-sided deal” regarding Ukraine’s resources. One agency source compared the US attitude to Belgium’s colonial policy in Africa in the 19th century, when King Leopold II controlled the Congo as his personal fiefdom. An unnamed senior Ukrainian adviser cited by the Washington Post noted that he was “taken aback by the scale” of what the Trump administration demanded, also recalling the history of European colonialism in Africa. He warned that the deal “could also lead to the right to develop Ukraine’s resources being signed away for decades with no guarantees that investors would actually develop them.”

Despite this, Ukrainian officials are working on a counterproposal that would provide Washington with access to the country’s resources while also bolstering US security guarantees for Ukraine, according to Washington Post sources. In this vein, one senior Ukrainian official reportedly joked that Kiev would consider “almost anything” to maintain US support, including shipping Ukrainian eggs to America. Michael Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, has defended the concept of a resource deal, arguing that the US “deserve[s] to have some type of payback for the billions they have invested in this war.” He suggested that Zelensky would be “very wise” to sign such an agreement. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that the US was simply taking advantage of the Ukrainian leadership’s desire to “sell the country by auction.” “What Trump told Zelensky doesn’t even resemble a deal. It’s more like a command ‘fetch!’ – which the Kiev regime has been well trained to obey.”

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The Quad.

• Indian Strategy Puts Trump In Front of Putin (Helmer)

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, is the first of President Vladimir Putin’s strategic allies to leave him to make whatever exit from the Ukraine war he can negotiate with President Donald Trump. Modi did this by saying as little as he could about Russia last week in Washington while preparing his own military, energy supply, sea lane and land route agreements with the US; altogether, according to Indian sources in Moscow, they enlarge India’s role in the escalating US war against China across the globe, and diminish Russia’s role significantly. “I have been in constant contact with both Russia and Ukraine. I have also visited both countries,” Modi said beside Trump at the White House on February 13.

“And many people are mistaken and they feel that India is neutral. I would like to clarify: India is not neutral. We have taken a side, and we have taken the side of peace…Ultimately, you have to come to the negotiating table, and India has constantly made efforts that there are talks that take place where both parties are present. It is only then that we will find a solution. The efforts being made by President Trump — I support them, I welcome them, and I would like that President Trump is successful as soon as possible so that the world is on the path to peace once again.”

This isn’t a statement of India’s support for Russia, according to Russian sources. It is not even India’s acknowledgement of the wars which the US and its allies are waging against Russia simultaneously on its western and eastern, northern and southern fronts. It’s India’s declaration that it aims to be on the US side in the multi-front war India is waging against China from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. It is also a proclamation by Modi against the Arab, Iranian and Muslim resistance to the US and Israel on the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf.

“The prime minister and I,” said Trump, “reaffirmed that strong cooperation among the United States, India, Australia, and Japan [the Quad], and it’s crucial really to maintaining peace and prosperity, tranquillity even, in the Indo-Pacific.”“We will work together to enhance peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” Modi replied, “The Quad will play a special role in this. During the Quad summit scheduled to be held in India this year, we will expand cooperation in new areas with our partner countries.”

A veteran Indian source in Moscow explains: “Indians are very pleased with the anti-China stand of the US. The last two years of relations with Russians have been bruising for Indians and a lot of top oil and gas managers are exasperated with the Russians. They would do anything to stop doing business with the Russians – this is not because of the sanctions, it is the Russians themselves! [From Modi’s visit to Washington] there is the general take that we cannot be throwing our lot with Russians because they are so unreliable now and are junior to the Chinese. Putin might have brokered the Ladakh moment, but all in all Indians prefer to deal with the US now. For now we know that the Americans call the shots.” Russia has been relegated. In Delhi now, Quad is major league; the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS are minor league.

“One thing that I deeply appreciate, and I learn from President Trump, is that he keeps the national interest supreme,” Modi said in his Oval Office remarks. “Like him, I also keep the national interest of India at the top of everything else.” The Indian media have interpreted this as more than compensating for the American put-downs Modi registered. “The President did not turn up to greet [Modi] when he arrived at the White House; Trump snubbed him by doubling down on reciprocal tariffs…Elon Musk insulted him by bringing his children to a business meeting… In the age of trivialisation through social media tattle and trolling, all of this is of little consequence… The broad consensus among more seasoned analysts and experts is that PM Modi disarmed a rampant US President…and advanced bilateral ties…The visit was actually a tour de force measured in terms of impact and outcomes.”

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“Once again, the neo-Nazi regime is simply doing everything possible to prevent the war from ending.”

• Kiev Regime Attacks Chernobyl To Sabotage Peace Talks (SCF)

In recent days, an incident involving a drone attack on the Chernobyl nuclear plant has generated controversy and debate. According to Ukrainian authorities, a Russian drone allegedly struck the facility, damaging the structure around the reactor. Ukraine’s illegitimate president, Vladimir Zelensky, was quick to blame Russia, stating that the situation reflected a Russian assault on Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure. However, Russian authorities, including Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, denied these claims, labeling them as yet another provocation by Kiev. More than that, even some Ukrainians question the regime’s official narrative.

Peskov categorically rejected the idea that Russia had attacked any nuclear facility, especially Chernobyl, stating that such claims were unfounded. He argued that any accusation of Russia attacking nuclear power plants was fabricated, asserting that Russia would never target such sensitive locations due to the risks involved. He suggested that the attack was, in fact, an attempt at manipulation and disinformation orchestrated by the Ukrainian government. The Kremlin spokesperson also pointed out that there were interests in Kiev aiming to sabotage any negotiation efforts, indicating that certain factions within the Ukrainian regime would take any actions to prevent the progress of peace talks.

The Ukrainian narrative surrounding the attack is not new. Kiev authorities often accuse Russia of attacking civilian targets like nuclear power plants and energy centers, supposedly attempting to provoke accidents. This happens particularly intensely in the Zaporozhye region, where the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located. As part of Russian reintegrated territory, the area is consistently attacked by Kiev. I have personally visited the Zaporozhye plant and witnessed with my own eyes the wreckage of Western missiles and drones used by neo-Nazi troops against Russian nuclear infrastructure. However, Kiev enjoys vital support from the Western media in spreading false information, making their own provocations appear to the world like “Russian actions.” In this regard, the current claim that Russia is responsible for the attack on Chernobyl does not seem to be an exception but rather another episode of cooperation between Ukrainian state terrorism and Western information warfare.

However, it is not only Russian authorities who contest the Ukrainian accusations. Some members of the Ukrainian parliament have also questioned the government’s official version. Exiled lawmaker Artyom Dmytruk, for example, suggested that the attack could have been a coordinated operation by Kiev’s own authorities. He raised the question of who was in command of the attack and whether Zelensky or his close allies, such as chief of staff Andrey Yermak, were responsible. This stance reflects a growing atmosphere of distrust within Ukrainian politics and the informational war surrounding the conflict.

In practice, the real Russian strategic interest in attacking Chernobyl remains unclear. Since the beginning, Moscow has spared critical areas from military action. It does not seem rational or strategic for Russia, at a time when it holds significant military advantages and territorial gains, to launch such attacks now. On the other hand, Ukraine has launched such incursions since 2022, always trying to place the blame on the enemy side.

The current moment, when negotiations are finally becoming a possibility, seems to be the perfect timing for Ukrainian actions in Chernobyl. While attacks on other nuclear facilities, such as in Zaporozhye, are frequent, only Chernobyl has the power to mobilize hearts and minds globally, being a symbol of the radioactive tragedy that occurred during the Cold War. With the support of the mainstream media, which immediately blamed Russia, Kiev is trying to use the Chernobyl’s nuclear symbol to sabotage the diplomatic process.

There is nothing new in the Chernobyl case. Once again, the neo-Nazi regime is simply doing everything possible to prevent the war from ending. The question remains whether Western public opinion will continue to believe in the mainstream media and the Ukrainian lies.

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“If you are running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you. Nor, for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people that elected me and elected President Trump.”

• J.D. Vance Delivers a Historic Defense of Free Speech (Turley)

In “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” J.D. Vance wrote, “I don’t believe in transformative moments, as transformation is harder than a moment.” Despite that profound point, on Feb. 14, Vance found that transformative moment. Speaking to European leaders at the Munich Security Conference, he shocked his audience by confronting them over their attacks on free speech in the West. For the free speech community, it was truly Churchillian — no less than the famous Iron Curtain speech in which Churchill dared the West to confront the existential dangers of communism. Roughly 80 years after Churchill’s speech, Vance called our allies to account not for the growing threat from countries like Russia or China, but from themselves.

To a clearly shocked audience, Vance declared that he was not worried about “external actors” but “the threat from within the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.” Vance then pulled back the curtain on the censorship and anti-free-speech policies of the European Union and close allies ranging from the United Kingdom to Sweden. He also chastised one of the most vehemently anti-free speech figures in Europe, Thierry Breton, who led the EU efforts to control speech with draconian measures under the infamous Digital Services Act. Vance called out the hypocrisy of these nations asking for greater and greater military assistance “in the name of our shared democratic values” even as they eviscerate free speech, the very right that once defined Western Civilization. The point was crushing.

Before we further commit to the defense of Europe, he argued, we should agree on what we are defending. These European nations are erasing the very distinctions between us and our adversaries. In my recent book, I discussed many of the examples cited by the vice president. One of the most telling came from Canada last year, when the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau temporarily blocked the citizenship of Russian dissident Maria Kartasheva. The reason was that she had a conviction (after a trial in absentia) in Russia for condemning the Ukrainian war. The Canadian government declared that Kartasheva’s conviction in Russia aligns with a Criminal Code offense relating to false information in Canada.

In other words, her use of free speech could be prosecuted in Canada under its abusive Section 372(1) of the Criminal Code, punishing speech deemed to be “convey[ing] false information with the intent to alarm or injure anyone.” Vance ran through just a fraction of the parade of horribles, from Britain arresting people for silent prayers near abortion clinics to Sweden prosecuting a religious protester who burned a Koran, with Judge Göran Lundahl insisting that freedom of expression does not constitute a “free pass to do or say anything.” Apparently, it does not include acts once called blasphemy or insulting religion. Vance also mocked the underlying premise for speech crackdowns to combat “disinformation,” pointing out that these measures constitute a far greater threat to citizens in the West than any external threat.

He had the courage to say what has long been verboten on the restriction of speech to combat foreign influence: “if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.” In perhaps the greatest single declaration uttered by an American leader since John F. Kennedy in Germany declared “Ich bin ein Berliner,” he added: “If you are running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you. Nor, for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people that elected me and elected President Trump.” The reaction of the European diplomats was one of astonishment. Few even offered the usual polite applause. Instead, rows of smug leaders looked straight ahead with the same level of disgust as if Vance were the second coming of the Visogoths threatening the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace.

In a single speech, Vance shattered the hypocrisy of our allies’ calling for a defense of the West while abandoning Western values. They did not like it, and many in the American press joined in dismissing his address. He was called a “wrecking ball” for bringing up the anti-free speech movement that has swept over Europe. One German official declared “This is all so insane and worrying.” This is a diplomat from a nation that shredded free speech for decades, to the point of arresting people over their ringtones. Of course, our own anti-free speech voices were in attendance, too. Politico quoted one “former House Democratic staffer” who bravely attacked Vance anonymously: “I was aghast … He was blaming the victim. What the f— was that? I had my mouth open in a room full of people with their mouth open. That was bad.” No, it was not bad. It was glorious.

After Elon Musk purchased Twitter with the pledge to dismantle the company’s censorship system, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton turned to the EU, calling on it to use its Digital Service Act to force the censorship of her fellow American citizens. That did not leave many people agape. But Vance’s defense of free speech is considered a breathtaking outrage. In “Hillbilly Elergy,” Vance explained his lack of faith in transformative moments. “I’ve seen far too many people awash in a genuine desire to change, only to lose their mettle when they realized just how difficult change actually is,” he wrote. And there is no “genuine desire to change” in Europe. The appetite for censorship is now insatiable, and free speech is in a free fall.

In the midst of this crackdown, Vance spoke with a quintessentially American voice. It was clear, honest and unafraid. There was no pretense or evasion. It was a speech about who we are as a nation and the values that still define us — and no longer define our allies. They saw him as a virtual hillbilly, an American hayseed who does not understand transnational values. For the rest of us, it was a true elegy — part lament and part liberating.

Bravo, Mr. Vice President, Bravo.

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Europe needs its own Trump.

• Vance Blasts ‘Orwellian’ German Laws (RT)

The criminalization of free speech in the EU could put a “strain” on relations between Washington and its allies there, US Vice President J.D. Vance said on Monday, calling on Western nations on both sides of the Atlantic to “reject” such policies. “This is Orwellian,” the vice president wrote in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). He was referring to an interview with three German state prosecutors released by the US broadcaster CBS on Sunday. Focused on Germany’s efforts to fight offensive content on the internet, the interview included the prosecutors saying that insulting anyone in public or online is a crime in their country. The interview was recorded against the background of a series of coordinated raids recently launched by German police against some 50 individuals suspected of spreading hate speech online.

People found guilty of such crimes in the federal republic could face fines or even jail time in the event of repeat offenses, according to the prosecutors. “They don’t think it was illegal. And they say, ‘No, that’s my free speech’,” one of the prosecutors, Dr. Matthaus Fink, told CBS. “And we say, ‘No, you have free speech as well, but it also has its limits’.” The courts can also order the confiscation of their electronic devices, the prosecutors said. People are usually “shocked” when it happens, another prosecutor, Frank-Michael Laue, said. “It’s a kind of punishment if you lose your smartphone. It’s even worse than the fine you have to pay.”

The German Criminal Code states that anyone who “attacks the human dignity of others by insulting, maliciously disparaging or slandering” them in a way that is “likely to disturb the public peace” can face up to five years behind bars. The legislation is primarily aimed against insults linked to one’s race, nationality, religion or ethnic background but is not limited to these. According to CBS, the German laws specifically prohibit the spread of malicious gossip, violent threats and fake quotes online. Reposting false information is punished as well, the broadcaster said, citing the prosecutors.

Vance responded to the interview by saying that “insulting someone is not a crime, and criminalizing speech is going to put real strain on European-US relationships.” He then called on “everyone in Europe and the US” to “reject this lunacy.” The statement came just days after the vice president sharply criticized Washington’s EU allies for abandoning their core values, including free speech, as well as fearing their own voters and failing to uphold democratic principles at the Munich Security Conference. His words were lauded by President Donald Trump, who called Vance’s speech “brilliant.” “In Europe they’re losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech,” Trump said on Friday.

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“Reality distortion is no longer working so well with Mr. Trump in the White House.”

• Krakatoa Blows (James Howard Kunstler)

You’ve got to wonder who at CBS-News thinks it’s a good idea to quadruple down on mendacious grandstanding when the network faces a $20-billion lawsuit from Donald Trump — for assisting Kamala Harris’s campaign (aka election interference) — while the FCC under new Commissioner Brendan Carr questions the network’s license to operate on the grounds of “news distortion” and violation of the broadcast news fairness doctrine.

So, on Sunday night February 16, CBS’s flagship news show, 60-Minutes, pitched a doubleheader of knowingly faked-up feature pieces intended to scramble American minds to benefit the Party of Chaos and its manager, the US Intel Blob. The first piece was a sob-story on how sad and unjust DOGE’s deconstruction of the USAID money-laundering operation is. Yeah, boo-hoo. They interviewed several part-timers and consultants pretending to be long-term employees of the outfit. Complete horse-shit, and they knew it. What really matters is that a whole lot of bureaucrat grifters (and politicians) won’t get paid anymore. . . and the Blob won’t be able to soften-up faraway nations for plunder with its color revolutions and other hijinks.

The second piece was a ringing endorsement of Germany’s current censorship campaign, arresting ordinary citizens for mean tweets. Their camera crew followed the German Gedankenpolizei entering apartments and seizing cell phones. The viewing audience was asked to shed tears for German Green Party politician, Renate Künast, who got dissed on “X” (“misogynist comments” and insults) — the same week that an Islamic immigrant maniac drove a car into a Munich crowd on-purpose, injuring 39 people, including two dead (one, a child). No mention of that incident on 60-Minutes, or, more generally, that illegal immigration is the big taboo subject behind all the censorship.

CBS actually preceded that gaslighting job with a bit of Sunday morning constructed Orwellian fake syllogistic idiocy by Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan, who said that free speech caused the Holocaust against the Jews. Her reasoning: free speech allowed the Nazis to gain power, therefore. . . Auschwitz . . . therefore, free speech is bad. Guest, Sec’y of State Marco Rubio, told her that he could not associate himself with her thesis. In fact, once in power, the Nazis totally controlled speech and news and did not permit other political parties to even exist. All of this, you understand, is just deliberate Gramscian distortion-and-perversion of language — black is white, up is down — to defeat any attempt at coherent public debate today.

The conclusion you might draw from all this is that CBS is terrified of free speech, and is trying desperately to hide the Blob’s long-running criminal racketeering activity — which they have aided and abetted for years and deserve to lose their license over, plus pay billions in penalties, and go out of business — a rather existential predicament.

Reality distortion is no longer working so well with Mr. Trump in the White House. Here is what’s behind the USAID brouhaha and why it matters. By 2016, the Blob had become a fullblown, independent, parasitical organism on US governance. It had several purposes: 1) to keep itself in perpetual power by paying off its voting blocs of “the poor and marginalized,” 2) to pay its corps of bureaucrat managers (of the “poor and marginalized”) handsome salaries to win their everlasting allegiance, and 3) to pay-off elected officials to keep voting the money flows for all that. All this created a massive class of Democratic Party activists dedicated to overthrowing the republic so as to usher-in their social equity nirvana. And all that was sheer hubris. More recently, nemesis arrived on the scene and all this institutional Blob power had to be diverted to a massive ass-covering operation, now in full, florid failure. And, worst of all for the Blobists, evidence of actual crime is accruing at a frightful, fast pace.

With the confirmation of Kash Patel later this week, Mr. Trump’s agency team will be complete. What follows will be a Krakatoa of revelation, drastically altering the climate of US politics for years to come. You should learn exactly how many FBI and CIA agents were moiling and roiling in the J-6 mob. You’ll find out what the J-6 DNC pipe bomb caper was all about. You’ll find out why RussiaGate was never properly investigated or adjudicated. . . how the Adam Schiff / Alexander Vindman / Eric Ciaramella impeachment op worked. . . how the Clinton Foundation made a zillion dollars . . . where all the money went that got poured into Ukraine. . . and much much more.

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“..a political class that would rather see high inflation and a weaker currency than reduce its grip on the economy.”

• The European Welfare State Is Collapsing (Lacalle)

Politicians in Europe are using the JD Vance and Trump external enemy excuse to disguise the existential problem of a system that is crumbling. The statist nightmare built around what politicians call “welfare state” has proven to be a subterfuge to multiply bureaucracy and create a dependent subclass. The welfare state was never sustainable but was created as an affordable luxury that rich economies could finance with strong economic growth and a solid productive sector. However, European governments overlooked the necessity of fostering economic growth and productivity to finance the welfare state. Furthermore, as left-wing populism permeated all segments of the European political landscape, politicians started to include more and more so-called “rights,” which became entitlement costs and subsidies, in a trend that led Europe to forget to create wealth and focus entirely on extractive and confiscatory policies.

We have seen a gradual destruction of the productive sector, asphyxiated by constantly raising taxes and bureaucratic and regulatory limitations, while government budgets expanded without control. The economy of the European Union operates on an inverted economic model. It puts entitlement spending as its pillar, instead of seeing that the welfare state is, at best, a consequence of wealth creation, not a cause. Without a thriving private sector, there is no welfare. Politicians should understand that you cannot provide citizens with social programs if the productive economy is weakened by political design. In the latest Eurostat estimates, the ratio of social insurance pension entitlements to GDP was between 200% and 400% in European economies. Unfunded financial commitments are so large they will only be paid in a massively weakened currency if the current economic policies continue.

France is the prime example of this “upside down” approach to the economy. Putting entitlement spending at the forefront of economic policies has led to decades of stagnation, high debt and deficit, and social discontent. Taxpayers are tired, and recipients of entitlements are relegated to a dependent subclass. The trick is the following: Government spending soars, and everything spent is justified under the banner of “social spending”. Deficit and debt rise, so the government increases taxes to balance the budget. If the economy grows, spending grows faster, and if the economy enters recession, the government spends even more to “protect” citizens. Thus, taxes rise even faster.

The constant process of expropriation of productive wealth becomes a burden on growth, investment, and productivity. Furthermore, more taxes generate lower incremental revenues and a demotivated business and workforce community that finds it impossible to thrive alongside the burden of bureaucracy and taxation. Macron says that Europe is “underleveraged.”. The statement is incorrect, of course, but it is even less believable when we look at all the unfunded commitments.

Europe needs to abandon the current high taxes and bureaucracy and cut unnecessary spending so the pension and healthcare systems remain viable. This means slashing budgets and eliminating political spending. However, no political party wants to do it because thousands of their members depend on government jobs. The situation is so desperate that European nations cannot even increase the much-needed defense budget despite acknowledging the urgency of improving investment in security.

Europe’s welfare state became the welfare of the state at the expense of its businesses and taxpayers. The European Union has human capital, great businesspeople, and entrepreneurs. However, it is being destroyed from the inside by a political class that would rather see high inflation and a weaker currency than reduce its grip on the economy.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

Spike

 

 

Job cuts

 

 

Redfield

 

 

RFK
https://twitter.com/i/status/1891667385406587344

 

 

Pebble

 

 

Ray

 

 

O’Leary

 

 

Sopranos

 

 

Henry

 

 

Turtle

 

 

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Debt Rattle February 17 2025

Feb 172025
 
 February 17, 2025  Posted by at 10:00 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,  53 Responses »


Vincent van Gogh Agostina Segatori Sitting in the Café du Tambourin 1887

 

• Trump Says Russia Isn’t A Threat To NATO (RT)
• Trump Wants Ukraine Ceasefire By Easter (RT)
• Europe & Zelensky Throw Tantrum After US Sidelines Them From Russia Talks (ZH)
• Zelensky Is In A Very Bad Position – Tara Reade (RT)
• Trump Envoy Sets Timeline For Ukraine Peace Plan (RT)
• Trump’s Envoy Signals Possible Ukraine Concessions (RT)
• Ukraine c – Kremlin (RT)
• Russian Duma Speaker Predicts ‘Serious Changes’ For EU, Its Institutions (TASS)
• AfD Candidate For German Chancellor Seeks End To Russia Sanctions (TASS)
• Vance Meets Leader Of ‘Firewalled’ German AfD Party Backed By Musk (RT)
• Germany Is Self-Imploding (Victor Davis Hanson)
• From Rockefeller to Musk: How CEOs and Presidents Shape America (Bluey)
• House GOP Drafting Impeachment Articles Against Judges Blocking DOGE (ZH)
• Judge Declines to Halt Trump’s Firing of Inspectors General (ET)
• Trump Makes First Supreme Court Appeal In Test of Power To Fire Officials (BBC)
• Democrats and Unions Launch an Existential Fight Over Buyouts (Turley)
• Rand Paul Supports Fort Knox Physical Audit (ZH)

 

 

 

 

RFK NATO

Kudlow

Speaker

DOGE

Mearsheimer

1993-2025

 

 

 

 

The big word is out.

• Trump Says Russia Isn’t A Threat To NATO (RT)

US President Donald Trump has dismissed Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants a temporary pause in the conflict with Kiev to regroup and launch a full-scale war against NATO. Moscow has repeatedly ruled out any short-term truce, insisting on a permanent, legally binding agreement that addresses the root causes of the Ukraine conflict. However, Zelensky has insisted that he knows “for sure” that Putin wants a brief pause to “prepare, train, take off some sanctions” before launching an attack not only on Ukraine but also on NATO states. “It can happen in summer, maybe in the beginning, maybe in the end of summer. I don’t know when he prepares it, but it will happen,” Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press on Saturday.

Trump, however, has brushed aside Zelensky’s warning, telling reporters on Sunday that he does not agree with the Ukrainian leader’s assessment at all. “No, I don’t agree. Not even a little bit,” Trump said, adding that he believes what Putin truly wants for his country is to “stop fighting.” “They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve done it before… They have a big, powerful machine. They defeated Hitler and they defeated Napoleon,” Trump added. “But I think he would like to stop fighting.” Trump also said he expects to meet Putin in person “very soon,” following their “long and hard” phone conversation last week, which was their first known direct interaction since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. He also called Zelensky to “inform” him of the discussion, during which the Ukrainian leader allegedly reaffirmed that Kiev is also prepared to seek a resolution to the conflict.

Russia will need to take Ukraine’s lack of independence into account in any future negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday, recalling the failed 2014-2015 Minsk agreements. Trump’s special envoy, Keith Kellogg, also pointed to the collapse of the two prior arrangements, stating, “We are not gonna go down that path.” NATO has long described Russia as a direct threat in order to justify the bloc’s existence after the fall of the Soviet Union, and Western officials have repeatedly claimed that if Moscow wins the Ukraine conflict, it could attack other European countries.

Putin has dismissed the idea of a Russian attack on NATO as “nonsense,” telling US journalist Tucker Carlson last February that the bloc’s leaders are trying to scare their people with an imaginary threat, but that “smart people understand perfectly well that this is a fake.” Moscow has consistently opposed Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, citing the bloc’s eastward expansion as a threat to national security and describing it as a key factor behind the ongoing conflict with Kiev. Zelensky claimed at the Munich Security Conference that “right now the most influential member of NATO seems to be Putin because he seems able to block NATO decisions.” Trump has indicated that Washington will not support Kiev’s accession as part of a potential peace deal with Moscow, while his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, described Ukraine’s NATO ambitions as “unrealistic.”

Read more …

False flag time?

• Trump Wants Ukraine Ceasefire By Easter (RT)

The administration of US President Donald Trump is pushing for a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict by April 20, Bloomberg wrote on Sunday, citing anonymous sources. A US peace plan could be forthcoming within weeks or even days, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. ”The Trump administration has told European officials that it wants to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine by Easter,” Bloomberg said, citing sources briefed on the talks. According to the outlet, some European officials felt the pace of the negotiations was ambitious and possibly unrealistic. Talks are reportedly set to kick off with a meeting of Russian and US representatives in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

Europe will not be given a place in the negotiations, Kellogg told top European diplomats on Saturday. Despite this, UK and EU officials fear the US expects them to shoulder the burden of Ukraine’s post-war security, Financial Times wrote on Thursday. The envoy justified the exclusion of Europe, citing the legacy of the Minsk-2 agreement between Ukraine and now Russian Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in 2015. Germany and France stood as guarantors to the failed accord, which then German chancellor Angela Merkel later admitted was just meant to buy Kiev time to strengthen itself. “When you looked at Minsk-2, there was a lot of people at the table that really had no ability to execute some type of peace process, and it failed miserably. So we are not gonna go down that path,” Kellogg said.

Moscow has similarly underscored that it will not accept a temporary freeze of hostilities, like the Minsk accords, and insists on a permanent solution that addresses the fundamental causes of the conflict. Just days prior, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump held a phone conversation in the first such interaction since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. The two leaders could meet in Saudi Arabia by the end of this month, Newsweek wrote on Sunday, citing reports. Putin has previously stressed that Moscow has never shied away from peace talks, but emphasized that they have to be based on terms previously agreed in Istanbul in 2022, modified for the territorial “realities on the ground.” Russia has demanded that Ukraine embrace neutrality, demilitarize, denazify and remain free of nuclear weapons, among other points.

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I’m [from] a school of realism,” Kellogg said, regarding Europe having a seat at the table during negotiations. “I think that’s not going to happen.”

• Europe & Zelensky Throw Tantrum After US Sidelines Them From Russia Talks (ZH)

Europe will not be included in peace talks for Ukraine, President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy said on Feb. 15 after sending a questionnaire to European capitals asking what they could offer in security guarantees for Kyiv. As The Epoch Times’ Jacob Burg reports, on Sunday, France said it will host a summit of European leaders on Monday to discuss the Russia–Ukraine war and European security after retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, didn’t include Europe in negotiations over Ukraine’s future following years of war with Russia. France President Emmanuel Macron “will convene the main European countries to discuss European security,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter radio. Barrot described the meeting as a working session and emphasized it should not be “overdramatized.” The office of the French presidency has not yet announced the meeting.

Macron has invited at least Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Denmark, representing the Baltic and Scandinavian countries, the European Union leadership, and the NATO secretary general, according to six European diplomats. They said the purpose of the meeting is to discuss what immediate help can be given to Ukraine and the role Europe can play in providing both security guarantees to Kyiv and Europe at large. Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin last week before consulting European or Ukrainian leaders, saying peace talks had begun. The Trump administration is pushing European allies in NATO to take a primary role in security guarantees for the region as the United States prioritizes border security and counters Chinese political and military influence.

At a global security conference in Munich, Kellogg said the United States would act as an intermediary in talks between Ukraine and Russia. “I’m [from] a school of realism,” Kellogg said, regarding Europe having a seat at the table during negotiations. “I think that’s not going to happen.” In trying to reassure Europeans, Kellogg said it doesn’t mean “their interests are not considered, used, or developed.” Some European leaders pushed back on being sidelined for talks. “There’s no way in which we can have discussions or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine’s future or European security structure, without Europeans,” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb told reporters in Munich. “But this means that Europe needs to get its act together. Europe needs to talk less and do more.”

The questionnaire Kellogg sent to Europeans “will force Europeans to think,” Stubb said. Kaja Kallas, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, was more explicit stating that “if somebody agrees something and I mean, everybody else says ‘okay fine!’ you have agreed, but we will not follow this!” She added that EU’s position is “our importance” trumps any peace! NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged Europeans to get involved.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1891086302222618790

“And to my European friends, I would say, get into the debate, not by complaining that you might, yes or no, be at the table, but by coming up with concrete proposals, ideas, ramp up [defense] spending,” he said. Kellogg said that territorial concessions from Russia and targeting its oil revenues could be included in the talks over ending the war between it and Ukraine. “Russia is really a petro-state,” he said, adding that the West needs to do more in adequately enforcing sanctions against Russia. U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days for continued peace talks, according to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). After meeting with Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Feb. 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his nation was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and that Kyiv would consult with strategic partners before engaging with Russia.

“This is the war in Ukraine against us, and it is our human losses,” President Zelensky told Meet The Press this morning. “We are thankful for all the support, unity in the USA around Ukraine support, bipartisan unity, bipartisan support,” adding that “we are thankful for all of this, but there is no leader in the world who can really make a deal with Putin without us, about us.” “I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine. Never,” he exclaimed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and White House Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, McCaul said. The talks are meant to arrange a meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky to “finally bring peace and end this conflict,” he said.

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“Zelensky is probably trying to figure out an exit route, among other things..” [..] “I think he wouldn’t be elected, obviously.”

• Zelensky Is In A Very Bad Position – Tara Reade (RT)

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is far from being in a winning position at the moment, RT contributor Tara Reade has said. The former aide to Joe Biden specified that Washington is no longer fighting a proxy war against Russia via Kiev, making the Ukrainian leader useless to both the EU and the US. The comment comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Wednesday, the first known contact between the heads of state of the two nations since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. “Zelensky is probably trying to figure out an exit route, among other things,” Reade said, adding that running for president again was not an option for the former comedian. “I think he wouldn’t be elected, obviously.”

The Ukrainian leader’s presidential term expired in May 2024, but he has refused to hold elections, citing martial law. Trump has also acknowledged that Kiev will eventually have to hold elections and noted that Zelensky might not serve another term, saying his domestic poll numbers “aren’t particularly great, to put it mildly.” “He’s basically sacrificed a generation of men for what? To give rare earth minerals to the US? To give 22% of the lands to Russia?” Reade said, emphasizing that Zelensky was “in a very bad position.” The comment refers to recent statements made by Trump, who demanded the “equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths” from Kiev in exchange for what the president estimated to be “more than $300 billion” Washington had provided in aid since the escalation of the conflict with Moscow.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented Trump’s proposal to Zelensky during their meeting in Kiev earlier this week. According to multiple media reports, the deal outlines that Washington would receive a 50% stake in Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as compensation for the American aid. On Saturday, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the negotiations, that Ukraine had rejected the bid, citing the lack of security guarantees. According to Ukraine’s Institute of Geology, the country’s deposits include lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, erbium and yttrium. However, Zelensky recently admitted that a large chunk of Ukraine’s mineral-rich territories, some 20%, is currently under Russian control.

NBC reported on Saturday, citing unnamed officials, that the White House could send troops to guard Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. The deployment of military forces could reportedly come after Russia and Ukraine reached a deal to end the ongoing conflict. Reade said the reported troop deployment is unlikely. “There’s a will for there to be a different relationship with Russia.” She highlighted that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said definitively “that there would be no US troops in Ukraine” and “US involvement in providing money and weapons was going to end.”

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“..I’m not talking six months, I’m talking days and weeks..”

• Trump Envoy Sets Timeline For Ukraine Peace Plan (RT)

A US peace plan for Moscow and Kiev could come within days or weeks, President Donald Trump’s special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. In January, the WSJ reported that Trump had tasked Kellogg with outlining a settlement to the Ukraine conflict within 100 days. At the same time, the US president warned of new sanctions if Moscow refused an unspecified plan, but emphasized that he was “not looking to hurt Russia.” “You got to give us a bit of breathing space and time, but when I say that, I’m not talking six months, I’m talking days and weeks,” Kellogg projected as cited by CNBC, adding that he was “on Trump time.” “He’ll ask you to do this job today and he’ll want to know tomorrow why it isn’t solved,” Kellogg emphasized.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with his US counterpart, marking their first known high-level direct contact between Moscow and Washington since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. According to the Kremlin, the US leader expressed support for the swift cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution, while Putin mentioned the necessity of addressing the root causes of the conflict, but that a long-term settlement could be achieved through negotiations. Following the conversation, Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social that Washington and Moscow were immediately beginning discussions to resolve the conflict. Trump also said that American and Russian officials might meet during the conference in Munich, adding that Ukraine was also invited to participate. However, no such meeting was reported by the conference organizers or news outlets.

Read more …

Russia’s been very clear.

• Trump’s Envoy Signals Possible Ukraine Concessions (RT)

Territorial concessions may be part of future peace talks between Moscow and Kiev, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy on Russia and Ukraine has suggested. Speaking on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, Keith Kellogg emphasized that while some things are off the table, compromise could play a role in the negotiations.“Some of [the concessions] are unrealistic to expect where you’d want to go to, but it’s territorial. It could be the engagement of refusing to use force, renouncement of the use of force into the future,” Kellogg said. He added that both Russia and Ukraine might have to make concessions during talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously indicated that Moscow would be open to an immediate ceasefire and peace talks if Ukraine withdrew its troops from the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions, which formally joined Russia following referendums in 2022.

However, in August 2024, Putin dismissed negotiations, citing the Ukrainian military presence in Russia’s Kursk Region. Kellogg also mentioned the necessity of “breaking alliances” between Russia and North Korea, Iran, and China, which he claims have strengthened over the past four years. Earlier this week, Putin spoke by phone with Trump, marking the first known high-level direct contact between Moscow and Washington since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

According to the Kremlin, Trump expressed support for the swift cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution, while Putin mentioned a need to address the root causes of the conflict, agreeing that a long-term settlement could be achieved through negotiations. Following the conversation, the US President wrote on his platform Truth Social that Washington and Moscow were immediately beginning discussions to end the fighting. Russia has yet to confirm any details, but according to multiple media reports, a US delegation – likely composed of national security officials – will travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days for talks with their counterparts from Moscow. Trump also said that American and Russian officials might meet during the conference in Munich, adding that Ukraine was also invited to participate. However, no such meeting was reported by the conference organizers or news outlets.

Kellogg

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“That country cannot really answer for its words..”

• Ukraine Lacks Sovereignty – Kremlin (RT)

Russia will need to take Ukraine’s lack of independence into account in any future negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Given that in the past, Kiev backtracked on its promises at the behest of other countries, Moscow will need to consider this lack of autonomy in any upcoming talks, Peskov said in an interview published by Russia 1 TV journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday. “That country cannot really answer for its words,” the spokesman said. “Each time it is necessary to make a certain adjustment when negotiating with them, for their deficit of sovereignty and the deficit of trust in them. Which will not go anywhere,” Peskov added.

The Kremlin spokesman cited the ill-fated 2014-2015 Minsk Agreements and the failed negotiations Moscow and Kiev held in Istanbul in 2022, soon after the full-blown escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The Minsk ceasefire, which was ostensibly intended to freeze the conflict between Kiev and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, was in fact only “an attempt to give Ukraine time” to build strength, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted to Die Zeit in 2022. “Ukraine would have been whole,” if the Minsk agreements had been followed, “and there would have been no civil war, and Russian people in the Donbass would have had no desire to separate from Ukraine,” Peskov claimed. Similarly, Moscow and Kiev had already agreed on several points during the initial peace talks in Istanbul in 2022, the spokesman added.

“The [papers] were ready, they were ready to be signed. Then another side said, no, you can’t. And they were thrown out,” he said. According to Ukrainian MP David Arakhamia, who was Kiev’s chief negotiator at the talks, then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson came in person to demand that nothing be signed and that Ukraine continue fighting. Moscow has ruled out any temporary solution akin to the Minsk agreements, insisting on a permanent, legally binding solution that addresses the core causes of the conflict. Any such settlement would need to be based on the points previously agreed upon in Istanbul, adjusted for the territorial “realities on the ground,” Russia has stated.

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“Democratic procedures in many EU countries have become window dressing. They have long been forgotten..”

• Russian Duma Speaker Predicts ‘Serious Changes’ For EU, Its Institutions (TASS)

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the Munich Security Conference suggested that the EU and its international institutions are in for serious changes. “Analyzing what happened in Munich, we can say with certainty: There are serious changes in store for the EU and its international institutions, including parliamentary ones,” he wrote on Telegram. “They will be difficult and painful.” According to Volodin, US Vice President JD Vance gave an accurate assessment of the situation in European countries at the conference. “He was not supported. Conference participants were not ready to hear the truth about themselves,” the lawmaker said.

The Duma speaker also said the institution of democracy in the EU was in a poor state. “Democratic procedures in many EU countries have become window dressing. They have long been forgotten and ignored in pan-European structures,” he said. “Therefore, the healthy forces that want to meet the public demand for the renewal of power will wage an uphill battle. They will face all kinds of hurdles meant to prevent them from going through the election procedure. Just like it happened in Romania during the presidential campaign. Or in France and Germany, when undesirable political parties won. But change is inevitable,” Volodin said.

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“..the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine, which are now “being used against Russia for the first time since the Second World War,” shows that the German government has completely forgotten history.”

• AfD Candidate For German Chancellor Seeks End To Russia Sanctions (TASS)

Alice Weidel, a candidate for German chancellor from the Alternative for Germany, accused the government of stoking tensions with Russia over the recent three years with such moves as supplying arms to Ukraine, according to Bild. “What has the German government been doing with regard to Russia for the last three years? We have been intensifying the escalation spiral. We have opposed Russia verbally, financially and even with arms deliveries,” she said in an interview with the newspaper. According to the politician, the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine, which are now “being used against Russia for the first time since the Second World War,” shows that the German government has completely forgotten history.

Weidel also called for talks on the settlement of the Ukraine conflict to start swiftly and urged an end to the sanctions policy, which is crippling German economy. Germany is the second-largest arms supplier to Ukraine after the US. According to German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, Germany has provided 44 billion euros in various assistance to Ukraine since the start of the conflict. In the 2025 budget proposal, the country allocated 4 billion euros for the support, half the amount it spent this year. However, the Bundestag has yet to greenlight the budget proposal.

Read more …

For Scholz et el, that’s like meeting with the devil..

• Vance Meets Leader Of ‘Firewalled’ German AfD Party Backed By Musk (RT)

US Vice President J.D. Vance met with Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany’s ‘firewalled’ Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, on Friday. Vance was in the country to attend the annual Munich Security Conference. Their meeting reportedly lasted about half an hour and focused on the Ukraine conflict, German domestic policies, and freedom of speech, including the so-called ‘Brandmauer’, or “firewall against the right.” The term refers to a stance embraced by mainstream German parties that aims to prevent the right-wing powers from joining ruling coalitions in the country. News of the meeting came after Vance slammed European politicians for “fearing” their own voters by refusing to engage with right-wing parties in a speech on Friday. While he did not mention the AfD directly, he said European governments should drop “firewalls” and “embrace” public opinion or lose the right to be called democratic.

Vance referred to the recent endorsement of Weidel for German chancellor by Elon Musk, a close ally to US President Donald Trump, whose online presence at an AfD rally in Halle last month resulted in accusations of election interference from the German government. The vice president dismissed the allegations, painting Musk’s endorsement as an example of free speech, a core democratic value. He chided the European establishment for criticizing Musk, and said he feared free speech was “in retreat” across the continent.

The AfD denies being far-right, insisting that it promotes the interests of the German people with its anti-immigration stance. It has, however, been put under surveillance for suspected extremism by German intelligence. Despite the allegations, public support for the party has been growing, and it is currently polling in second place ahead of the German parliamentary election on February 23, with 21% of the public saying they support it. Weidel did not comment on her meeting with Vance, but praised his remarks in Munich in a post on X, saying they were “excellent” and applauding his comment regarding firewalls.

According to Reuters, citing Vance’s office, he met with leaders of all of Germany’s major political parties while in Munich, including Friedrich Merz, the head of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is currently leading in the polls. After meeting with Vance, Merz said in a post on X that he and the vice president “reaffirmed the special importance of transatlantic relations.” However, he later described Vance’s speech in Munich as “little short of interference.” Other German politicians have also criticized Vance for his remarks targeting their policies, with incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz posting on X that “the extreme right should be out of political decision-making processes” in Germany and stating that Vance had no right to give the country advice on the issue.

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“..we’re here 80 years after the rejection of the Morgenthau Plan and the German people, or the German leadership, have essentially updated it and inflicted it on themselves willingly..”

• Germany Is Self-Imploding (Victor Davis Hanson)

Hi, I’m Victor Davis Hanson, today I’d like to talk about the crisis facing Europe, specifically its self-implosion across the spectrum—energy, population, fertility, defense. Germany, for example, has been systematically shutting down its nuclear plants and, for a while, its natural gas electrical generation plants. It’s relying, believe it or not, more on oil and coal. But the net result of all of this deliberate turn to wind and solar, at the expense of fossil fuels and nuclear, is that it costs about four times more to use electricity in Germany than it does on average throughout the United States. That’s not the only problem. Germany is deindustrializing. And by that I mean it’s losing about 200,000 jobs in its auto industry due to these high energy prices and regulations. Its green mandates, especially electric vehicle mandates, have revolutionized the car industry, in the sense that they’re not selling abroad as they did in the past.

In addition to that, Germany’s disarmed. They only have about 125 attack aircraft. They have very few armored vehicles. Their active military is only about 180,000 soldiers. They have 84 million people in the country. The fertility rate is getting very close to 1.4. I know we have problems here in the United States at 1.6, but 1.4. And they don’t have borders. They have had a million to 2 million illegal aliens just prance into Germany, especially during the last years of the Merkel chancellorship. In terms of percentage of foreign-born, Germany has more foreign-born than does the United States, which doesn’t have a border in the south, at least until Donald Trump comes in. Twenty percent of the German population is foreign-born. Why am I mentioning all of this?

Because Germany represents the powerhouse, traditionally, of the European economy, and even culture, and it’s starting to implode. The euro, the benchmark of European financial health, is about, right now as I speak at the end of December, one dollar to one euro, and sometimes even less for the euro. That’s very strange because when I used to run a travel company to go to Europe—I remember in 2008, the euro was 1.6, almost 1.7 per the dollar. So what’s happening is that Germany is, I guess we would call it, undertaking a slow-motion suicide. But here’s the irony. In September 1944, at the height of World War II, the secretary of the treasury under the Roosevelt administration, Henry Morgenthau, had a plan for postwar Germany when it was defeated.

He didn’t want another war—the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, World War I, World War II. He said, “Enough.” So what did he do? He submitted a plan that was going to deindustrialize Germany, depopulate Germany, change its borders. It was almost as if he was trying to turn it into something like Tacitus’ description of first-century A.D. Germany, as a pastoral, agrarian society. In fact, he explicitly said that. When Joseph Goebbels heard about this, he said, “Oh my God, this is a gift. We’re losing the war. We’ll tell all of the German people they want us to be permanently pastoral. We’ll starve to death. And even if they don’t like the Nazis, as we’ve destroyed the country, you’re losing more, they’ll fight.”

Thankfully, George Marshall, chief of staff of the Army; ex-President Herbert Hoover; and others went to the Roosevelt administration and said, “If you institute this plan, they’re going to fight to the death. And we have bombed Germany. So when we get into Germany, you’ll see that it’s almost depopulated now.”The net result was they canceled the Morgenthau Plan that would have permanently made Germany depopulated, disarmed, deindustrialized. What’s my point in bringing up this historical example? We the victors of World War II thought imposing a plan of deliberate deindustrialization, depopulization, disarmament, open borders, destroyed borders would be too Carthaginian, and so we backed off. And now we’re here 80 years after the rejection of the Morgenthau Plan and the German people, or the German leadership, have essentially updated it and inflicted it on themselves willingly, not by coercion. That’s a tragic irony and it’s something we should all take a very close look at.

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Trump has a much more acute sense of presidential time and how limited it is and how you need to use it quickly or you don’t maximize its value..”

• From Rockefeller to Musk: How CEOs and Presidents Shape America (Bluey)

One of America’s most successful businessmen is closely collaborating with the country’s commander-in-chief—with huge consequences for our government and economy. Elon Musk and President Donald Trump are the latest dynamic duo to showcase the role between private-sector CEO and America’s elected president. But they’re hardly alone in history. Presidential historian and former senior White House aide Tevi Troy writes about the complex relationships between corporate leaders and U.S. presidents in his latest book, “The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry.” Troy spoke with The Daily Signal about the historical examples he’s studied and more recent events.

Less than a month into Trump’s second term, Troy already sees notable differences from Trump’s first term. He said Trump’s previous presidential experience is clearly shaping his leadership style and use of executive time. “It really is a remarkable opening to a presidency and shows the contrast between someone who goes into the presidency not sure what they’re to do, which included Trump’s first term, but also Bill Clinton at the beginning of his administration, and then someone who comes in with experience who says, ‘I know exactly what I’m going to do and I’m going to do it,’” said Troy, who is a senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute. The presidential historian and author addressed the shifting dynamics between corporate America and the presidency, particularly with tech leaders like Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, and others who had front-row seats at Trump’s inauguration.

Troy explained that while these recent CEO moves toward Trump could be viewed as political opportunism, there’s more to the story. “The other side is how hostile the Biden administration was to these entities. Joe Biden even said, ‘I don’t like Mark Zuckerberg,’” Troy said. “Elon Musk had a whole bunch of regulatory actions targeting his companies.” Trump, meanwhile, appears to recognize that these corporate leaders—and their outsized role with artificial intelligence—will have far-reaching implications for American competitiveness. “We need to encourage AI so that America is the leader in AI going forward,” Troy said, suggesting that America’s free-market system provides an advantage over competitors like China, whose AI development is “handcuffed by the censorship of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Troy’s book, “The Power and the Money,” examines the relationships between 18 different CEOs and multiple presidents, offering insights into how these dynamics have shaped American policy and business over the past 150 years. For corporate leaders navigating today’s political landscape, Troy offered this advice: “CEOs need to increase their level of engagement in Washington, but decrease their level of partisanship. And that will allow them to be more influential over the course of multiple administrations.” As for Trump’s next four years, Troy has already observed a more strategic approach to staffing and time management in his second term. “Trump has a much more acute sense of presidential time and how limited it is and how you need to use it quickly or you don’t maximize its value,” Troy explained.

Troy praised Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for maintaining discipline within the White House. “The chief of staff role is hugely important. Susie Wiles … really brooked no nonsense during the campaign. You didn’t hear a lot of leaks. You didn’t hear a lot of infighting,” he said, contrasting this with Trump’s first term when he had four different chiefs of staff in four years. This might be most visible in Trump’s selection of staff, creating more cohesion at the White House and allowing him to move swiftly to implement his agenda.“The staff seem to be much more loyal to him. The first time there were a lot of people with a lot of different ideological perspectives,” Troy said, referencing his previous book “Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump.”

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“They can’t do that, especially when they have a serious record of Democrat activism and being hardcore against President Trump..”

• House GOP Drafting Impeachment Articles Against Judges Blocking DOGE (ZH)

House Republicans are drafting articles of impeachment against Democrat judges that have blocked various actions by the Trump administration, including those who have halted efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to The Hill: “Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) said he is drafting articles of impeachment against Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York, who in a ruling last weekend temporarily restricted Musk and DOGE aides from accessing a Treasury Department payment system. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) is working on an impeachment resolution against Rhode Island District Judge John McConnell Jr. over his ruling halting the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding.

And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), chair of the House Oversight Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, pledged in a hearing this week while referencing Engelmayer that “We will hold this judge and others who try to stop the will of the people and their elected leaders accountable.” “Our case for impeaching Judge Engelmayer is basically that he’s an activist judge trying to stop the Trump administration from, you know, executing their, you know, Article 2 powers to make sure that the laws are faithfully executed,” Crane told former Rep. Matt Gaetz earlier this week. Greene, meanwhile, said that she would support Engelmayer’s impeachment – arguing that judges can’t simply take power away from Cabinet secretaries.

“They can’t do that, especially when they have a serious record of Democrat activism and being hardcore against President Trump,” said Greene, adding “So, yeah, judges like that, they definitely should be impeached.” On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump’s basic executive authority.” Engelmayer initially blocked everyone at the Treasury Department – including Secretary Scott Bessent, from accessing the agency’s database, however another judge overseeing the case later said that the order would not apply to Bessent. Rep. Clyde announced that he was working on impeachment articles, saying in a post on X that Judge McConnell Jr. is “a partisan activist weaponizing our judicial system to stop President Trump’s funding freeze on woke and wasteful government spending.”

It would take near-unanimous support from House Republicans to impeach one of the judges assuming no Democrats support the measure, while Democrat support would definitely be required to clear the 2/3 threshold to convict in the Senate. So basically, this is going nowhere. “Up till last Congress, the Speaker of the House had never been fired before,” said Crane. “I’m not a wait-and-see kind of guy — look around, hope somebody’s going to do something. I’m going to take action. And like I said, If this isn’t how we get to the, you know, the place that we need to be, I’m fine with that. But I’m not going to sit around and just, you know, watch these individuals stop President Trump from doing exactly what he told the American people he was going to do.”

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“..she chastised him for making everybody rush to a TRO when the matter could have been handled with a five-minute call with the Department of Justice..”

• Judge Declines to Halt Trump’s Firing of Inspectors General (ET)

A federal judge on Feb. 14 rejected an emergency bid by eight inspectors general fired by the Trump administration to have their jobs restored. District Judge of the District of Columbia Ana Reyes forced the attorney for the inspectors general to drop the request for a temporary restraining order during a virtual hearing, opting instead for an expedited schedule to hear their request for a preliminary injunction. Reyes expressed frustration that the plaintiff’s counsel, Seth Waxman, filed suit on Feb. 12 for the order requesting emergency same-day relief, which would have included backpay 21 days after the firings occurred, stating that her court’s staff was already overwhelmed with scores of other temporary restraining order requests. Demanding only yes or no answers, the judge asked several questions of Waxman.

He confirmed to her that the eight inspectors general were fired on Jan. 24 without Congress first being given a 30-day notice or “substantial rationale” for the termination and that they were able to retrieve all of their personal belongings. These former inspectors general were employed by the Defense, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, State, Education, Agriculture, and Labor departments and the Small Business Administration. The judge pointed out to Waxman that there was nothing stopping Trump from issuing that 30-day termination notice to Congress five minutes after a TRO (temporary restraining order) went through, this time with a written reason for their termination. Addressing the written complaint arguing the plaintiffs faced reputational damage, Reyes proposed that a 30-day return to the office with a written reason why they were unfit for their jobs could actually cause even more reputational harm than what was already given. All the public knows is that they were fired without cause, she said. There was no harm to their reputation because no cause, say of incompetence, was given, and such a termination could be seen as preferable.

She also criticized Waxman for referencing what he called a similar case in his written complaint, pointing out that the government employee who was fired in that instance was operating independently of the White House while his clients worked for agencies that took direction from the presidency. Reyes declined to even humor the merits of the temporary restraining order during the virtual hearing, which lasted less than 13 minutes, forcing the plaintiffs to drop it. When Waxman transitioned to an expedited briefing schedule, she chastised him for making everybody rush to a TRO when the matter could have been handled with a five-minute call with the Department of Justice. The defense counsel representing the heads of the various departments employing those inspectors general remained silent and opted not to weigh in on the matter.

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“..the agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the agency’s current needs..”

• Trump Makes First Supreme Court Appeal In Test of Power To Fire Officials (BBC)

President Donald Trump’s attempts to shrink the federal bureaucracy are heading to the Supreme Court, according to US media.He has filed an emergency appeal to the country’s highest court to rule on whether he can fire the leader of an independent whistleblowing agency. Hampton Dellinger, head of the US Office of Special Counsel, sued the Trump administration after he was fired by email this month. Trump has also sacked more than a dozen inspectors general at various federal agencies along with the jobs of thousands of employees across the US government. Mr Dellinger, who was nominated by Joe Biden, the former president, argues that his removal broke a law that protects leaders of independent agencies from being fired by the president, “except in cases of neglect of duty, malfeasance or inefficiency”.

A federal judge in Washington DC issued a temporary order on Wednesday allowing Mr Dellinger to hold on to his position while the case is being considered. On Saturday, a divided US Court of Appeals in the nation’s capital rejected the Trump administration’s request to overrule the lower court. That has led to the justice department filing an emergency appeal to the conservative-dominated Supreme Court. It is the first case the president has taken to the justices since he took office last month. “This court should not allow lower courts to seize executive power by dictating to the president how long he must continue employing an agency head against his will,” Sarah M Harris, acting solicitor general, wrote in the filing provided by the Department of Justice to the Washington Post.

“Until now, as far as we are aware, no court in American history has wielded an injunction to force the president to retain an agency head,” the acting solicitor general wrote, according to the Associated Press news agency. The Republican president’s orders on immigration, transgender issues and government spending have also become bogged down in dozens of lawsuits in the lower courts. Those cases may ultimately wind up at the Supreme Court, too. Trump’s efforts to reduce and reshape the 2.3 million-strong civilian federal workforce continued over the weekend.Workers in various health agencies who are still within their probation periods received letters on Saturday evening informing them they would be terminated, sources told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

“Unfortunately, the agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the agency’s current needs, and your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment at the agency,” read the letters. At least 9,500 workers at the departments of Health and Human Services, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Interior and Agriculture have been fired by Trump, according to a tally from Reuters news agency. Another 75,000 workers have taken a buyout offered to get them to leave voluntarily, according to the White House. The cost-cutting initiative has been led by department of government efficiency, or Doge, a task force led by Elon Musk.

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“..Musk is “taking away everything we have.” That is precisely what Americans asked for in reelecting Donald Trump…”

• Democrats and Unions Launch an Existential Fight Over Buyouts (Turley)

Thomas Paine once remarked, “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” With the approaching 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, much has clearly changed. President Donald Trump’s move to reduce government is now portrayed as evil in its own right. Elon Musk’s move to draw down various agencies was presented as a virtual return to the state of nature. Democratic members staged protests in front of various agencies to declare “war” and to accuse Trump of “destroying the government” by shrinking it. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D., Md.) Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Ma, declared “Every time you hear DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, you just remember it is the department of government evil.”

Americans say Trump is keeping his promises
The coordinated efforts of Democratic leaders and the mainstream media have once again not resonated with the public. Trump, according to polls, is now at higher popularity levels than during his first term. And a strong majority of Americans say Trump is keeping his promises, including in his efforts to reduce government spending and waste. Those efforts include a generous buyout offer for federal employees. The Trump administration offered federal workers the chance to stay home for months while receiving full pay if they would agree to resign from government employment.It was an extremely clever move. The best way to shrink the government is to get people to leave voluntarily. But Trump and Musk also have warned that layoffs will follow if not enough federal workers accepted the buyout.

It is a type of self-deportation from government service. And it worked, with about 75,000 federal workers accepting Trump’s offer before the deal ended Wednesday. It worked so well, in fact, that Democrats rushed to stop the voluntary exodus by falsely suggesting that it was a scam. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., warned employees that Trump would “stiff you,” even though the offer comes with the authority of the federal government. His colleague, Mark Warner (D, Va.) added ominously for workers to “Think twice. Has this individual in his business world ever fulfilled his contracts or obligations to any workers in the past?” At the same time, unions (looking at a major reduction of force) have filed with Democratic groups to stop these employees from taking the offer. They found a favorable court with U.S. District Court Judge George O’Toole who enjoined the program.

However, after citywide celebrations over the injunction, the court then lifted the injunction on the buyout program, agreeing to allow the buyouts to go forward. Unions representing federal workers and liberal legal organizations are likely to now appeal O’Toole’s decision. The unions, which are facing a major reduction in dues-paying members, have a disturbing conflict of interest in trying to deny federal workers the benefits of an offer they chose to accept. The legal challenges to the buyout have relied on a plethora of arguments asserting that a president cannot allow employees to stay home and receive pay pending their departure from federal employment. Those arguments cited the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from spending beyond the money appropriated by Congress.

President has the authority to manage the executive branch
The counterargument is that money used for the buyouts was allocated to pay employees whose service normally continues year after year. Under Article II of the Constitution, the president is given ample discretion in running the executive branch, including the work status of federal employees. Congress clearly has a role in controlling use of the federal purse. For example, Congress can determine whether to allocate money to build certain Navy vessels. However, once the ships are built, it is the president who decides where to send them and who will serve on the crew. The commander in chief also can expand or shrink the size of the crew. Trump was well within his authority in offering to change employees’ duties while they look for new positions, and the employees had every right to agree to eight months of paid leave in exchange for their resignation from government service.

The opposition from Democrats and labor unions is the ultimate form of paternalism. In the name of protecting employees, opponents fought to prevent workers from accepting offers they believe are best for themselves and their families. Federal employees are entitled to protections in their employment. But they’re not entitled to permanent employment. Congress is entitled to appropriate money for specific purposes. But it is not entitled to manage the executive branch. Trump is very willing to fight on this hill. He holds a strong constitutional position and an even stronger political position.

For those who proclaimed themselves as defenders of democracy throughout last year’s election cycle, this is what democracy looks like. Voters made clear that they want changes in the size and the focus of government. Those voters are unlikely to be convinced by the warning of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that Musk is “taking away everything we have.” That is precisely what Americans asked for in reelecting Donald Trump.

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Bigger mystery than Kennedy’s murder.

• Rand Paul Supports Fort Knox Physical Audit (ZH)

One of the biggest questions over the past 50 years is whether the gold at Fort Knox, Kentucky is really there, or if it’s been plundered. What we do know is that the last ‘audit’ of America’s gold stash was conducted on Sept. 23, 1974, when the US Treasury opened just one of its 15 vaults at Fort Knox so politicians and reporters could swarm the site for a two-hour photo-op with roughly 6% of the alleged amount held. Adding to the complete farce, none of the bars being passed around for the cameras were matched to a serial number, assayed or tested for purity, or even verified as US holdings – as foreign countries have previously stored their gold at Fort Knox as well.

Since then there has been no independent verification of the roughly 4,580 metric tons supposedly held by the Treasury outside of bullshit annual ‘vault seal checks’ that don’t actually analyze the gold (oh, and they’ve ‘lost’ seven of those) – various efforts have been raised to audit Fort Knox – most recently in 2021, when Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) introduced (now-dead) legislation to audit America’s gold holdings with a full assay, inventory, and audit of all US gold – which would include a full account of gold transactions undertaken by the US government.

In 2010, former Libertarian Rep. Ron Paul called for an independent audit of Fort Knox. “It’d be nice for the American people to know whether or not the gold is there,” Paul said at the time.

With Elon Musk’s team at DOGE – including a gent who goes by the name “Big Balls” – investigating government-wide waste, fraud and abuse, we thought it might be helpful to point them towards Fort Knox… The suggestion immediately went viral on X, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) indicating he’s on board – replying to Musk with “Let’s do it.” Musk and team need to get to the bottom of just how deep the rot goes…

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Arab jews

 

 

Toys
https://twitter.com/i/status/1891110279649366275

 

 

Grok

 

 

Hello

 

 

Thai cat
https://twitter.com/i/status/1890863657350783065

 

 

Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle February 16 2025

Feb 162025
 
 February 16, 2025  Posted by at 11:30 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,  52 Responses »


Edgar Degas L’absinthe (In a café) 1875-76

 

• Trump Sends Defense Stocks Crashing (RT)
• Trump Establishes Make America Healthy Again Commission (ET)
• DOGE Workers ‘Energetic and Dug In’ Despite Threats: Source (ET)
• Who Will Rule? An Elected President or an Unaccountable Judiciary? (PCR)
• Vance Only Said What Americans Really Think (Lukyanov)
• Medvedev Applauds Vance’s ‘Humiliating Rebuke’ Of Europe (RT)
• Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban On “Chemical And Surgical Mutilation” Of Children (ZH)
• Ukraine Not Invited To Russia-US Talks – Zelensky (RT)
• No Place For Europe In Ukraine Talks – Trump Envoy (RT) /td>
• European Pro-War Elites Seek To Derail Ukraine Peace – Hungarian FM (RT)
• Zelensky Begged Trump To Meet In Person, Also Defends Canceled Elections (ZH)
• Zelensky Refused To Sign Rare Earths Deal With US (RT)
• Trump Determined to Undo Damage to US-Russian Relations (Sp.)
• Prisoner Swap Builds Confidence Between US, Russia – Trump Envoy Witkoff (TASS)
• Europe Would Go Broke Trying to Keep Ukraine Afloat if US Dropped Support (Sp.)
• Certain EU countries Think of Annexing Ukrainian Lands – Medvedchuk (TASS)
• EU Nations Secretly Discussing Ukraine Troop Deployment – AP (RT)
• ‘It Doesn’t Harm Us’: Russian Scientist Busts Myths About Microplastics (RT)

 

 

 

 

Irony

MTG

Musk

JD Greenwald

Tucker Orban

Woke

Sachs

 

 

 

 

Leading up to the Pentagon audit.

• Trump Sends Defense Stocks Crashing (RT)

US defense stocks took a sharp dive this week after President Donald Trump announced that he could slash military spending in half. The announcement came amid a wider cost-saving push by his administration. Companies which saw share prices fall this week include aerospace manufacturers Lockheed Martin (-4.86%) and Northrop Grumman (-6.58%) as well as General Dynamics (-5.30%), according to Friday’s trading data. Speaking at a White House press conference on Thursday, Trump said he planned to discuss a potential reduction in defense budgets with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “At some point, when things settle down, I’m going to meet with China and I’m going to meet with Russia… and I’m going to say there’s no reason for us to be spending almost $1 trillion on the military… and I want to say let’s cut our military budget in half,” Trump said.

Defense firms have enjoyed increased demand for weapons and military equipment since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Lockheed Martin, the primary producer of the F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missile systems used in Ukraine, posted a 21% year-on-year increase in revenues in 2023. The new US administration has so far sent mixed messages on military spending. Trump has tasked Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency with cutting federal costs, including at the Pentagon. The president has also pushed for a quick resolution of the Ukraine conflict, announcing imminent talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The current $1 trillion in annual US military spending accounts for about 3.4% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said during his confirmation hearings at the US Senate in January that he wouldn’t want to spend less than 3% of GDP on defense.

Russia has criticized the US arms sector for fueling global instability. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed in September that soaring profits prompt defense firms to provoke new armed conflicts. Meanwhile, claims have resurfaced in recent months about NATO weapons and ammunition being put on sale on the dark web. Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson alleged earlier this month that the Ukrainian military was selling American weapons systems on the black market, including to drug cartels. In January 2024, a US Department of Defense Office of Inspector General report revealed that the Pentagon was unable to fully account for over $1 billion worth of military aid to Kiev. In 2023, CNN reported that criminals and arms traffickers in Ukraine had stolen some Western-provided weapons and equipment intended for troops.

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“And I’ve told you before, I genuinely believe that you are a pivotal historical figure, and you are going to transform this country.”

• Trump Establishes Make America Healthy Again Commission (ET)

Hours after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gained Senate confirmation as secretary of Health and Human Services, President Donald Trump signed a new executive order establishing the President’s Commission to Make America Healthy Again. Trump made the announcement on Feb. 13 in the Oval Office, where Kennedy was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Kennedy will serve as chair of the task force, which will investigate the “root causes of America’s escalating health crisis,” including childhood chronic diseases, according to a White House fact sheet. Within 100 days, an assessment of the childhood chronic disease crisis will be released, the executive order said. The investigation will target the “over-utilization of medication” and also highlight the impact of food ingredients and chemicals along with “certain other exposures.”

The impact of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antipsychotic drugs, mood stabilizers stimulants, and weight-loss drugs will also be studied. According to the executive order, the commission will look into contributing causes to childhood chronic diseases like “the American diet, absorption of toxic material, medical treatments, lifestyle, environmental factors, government policies, food production techniques, electromagnetic radiation, and corporate influence or cronyism.” Federally funded health research should “avoid conflicts of interest” by transparency and open-source data, a White House fact sheet said. The commission will demonstrate “gold-standard research on why Americans are getting sick in all health-related research funded by the federal government,” the fact sheet said.

Upon completion of the research, a strategic report based on the assessment will be released, according to the executive order. “The commission shall not reconvene, following submission of the strategy, until an updated mission is submitted to the president through the executive director,” the executive order reads. Kennedy ran for president as a Democrat and then as an independent before leaving the race in August 2024 and backing then-former President Donald Trump. After ending his White House bid, Kennedy established the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement and vowed to end the nation’s chronic disease epidemic. HHS manages 13 agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health.

In the Oval Office, Kennedy thanked Trump before a pool of reporters. “I have prayed each morning for the past two decades for God to put me in a position to solve the childhood chronic disease epidemic, and now, thanks to you Mr. President, we will make this promise a reality,” Kennedy said. Addressing Trump, Kennedy added: “And I’ve told you before, I genuinely believe that you are a pivotal historical figure, and you are going to transform this country.” The commission will include Trump’s Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Vince Haley, Office of Management and Budget lead Russel Vought, and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who was also confirmed on Feb. 13. Department heads from the EPA, Veterans Affairs, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and several economic advisers will also compose the task force as will the commissioner, and CDC and NIH directors.

Before Kennedy was sworn in, Trump said Kennedy is “absolutely committed to getting dangerous chemicals out of our environment and out of our food supply, and getting the American people the facts and the answers that we deserve after years in which our public health system has squandered the trust of our citizens.”

Seed oils

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They’re working with/for Musk, and loving it.

• DOGE Workers ‘Energetic and Dug In’ Despite Threats: Source (ET)

After reporters revealed the names of multiple Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees, threats have proliferated against them and the department’s head, Elon Musk. Sources familiar with DOGE staff described a mood of resilience among those working to fulfill President Donald Trump’s pledge for government reform. “The young DOGE engineers seemed surprised and initially unprepared to be personally targeted by so much animus,” one source familiar with DOGE’s operations, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were unauthorized to speak to the media, told The Epoch Times. “But they are energetic and dug in.” Even as DOGE faces criticism from many congressional Democrats and is beset by lawsuits seeking to restrict its access to government data, its early results—including billions in cuts identified to The Epoch Times by the White House—may just be the tip of the iceberg.

DOGE aims to deliver $2 trillion in federal spending cuts during its 18-month lifespan. It ends in 2026 on the 250th anniversary of July 4th, 1776. A source familiar with DOGE said it was “still in the sorting stage.” As DOGE seeks to overcome hurdles, billions could be just the beginning. The Epoch Times has reviewed numerous posts on the social media platform Bluesky that are aimed at DOGE and its reported staff members. Many disseminated personally identifiable information, including names, ages, and home addresses. A source told The Epoch Times that federal law enforcement was dispatched to protect family members of DOGE employees after their names were leaked. As of publication time, the Department of Homeland Security had not confirmed that with The Epoch Times. On Bluesky, an anonymous user called DOGE workers “Nazi scum,” adding, “The only good nazi is a dead nazi.” The post listed the reported names of several DOGE workers.

A Bluesky user whose name matched that of an employee at Boston University’s business school posted a “Wanted” graphic with DOGE employees’ names, faces, and the words “Dead or Alive.” A statement from the university described the post as one from “an employee on his personal social media account,” adding, “the views expressed do not reflect the values of Questrom School of Business.” Members of Congress, including DOGE oversight leaders, voiced shock and anger at the threats.“That’s horrible,” Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), co-chair of the House DOGE Caucus, told The Epoch Times. “I haven’t really seen the severity of it, but that’s horrible.”On the other side of the aisle, a spokesperson for DOGE critic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) told The Epoch Times that she “strongly opposes political violence toward anyone, for any reason, in all forms.”

[..] A spokesperson for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said the congressman “condemns threats against DOGE employees.” Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), who is also concerned about DOGE’s impact, told The Epoch Times, “I unequivocally condemn violence of any kind.” Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), who oversees the House DOGE Caucus’s defense and veterans’ affairs portfolio, told The Epoch Times that “if those people broke the law by doxxing these folks and doing that and threatening them, they should be thrown into prison.” “I don’t mean jail. I don’t mean a fine,” he added. ”People that are doing these death threats need to go to prison, or it’s not going to stop.”

Under the Privacy Act, agency officials or others who disclose the personally identifiable information of federal employees could be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined up to $5,000. Threats on social media may also cross the line into threatening interstate communications, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. Ed Martin, the new U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, wrote in an open letter to Musk and DOGE recruiter Steve Davis that those “discovered to have broken the law or even acted simply unethically” against DOGE would be pursued “to the end of the Earth” in the name of accountability.

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“Something must be done about judicial overreach or the renewal of America is a lost cause.”

• Who Will Rule? An Elected President or an Unaccountable Judiciary? (PCR)

The Democrats are using the judiciary to cover up their corrupt operations and theft of taxpayers’ money. If you will notice, the slew of judges countermanding Trump’s executive orders are themselves issuing executive orders, and they are doing so with no reference to law. Instead, they are ruling that Trump’s executive orders are harming someone, including illegal immigrant-invaders who are not US citizens. This is outrageous. Harm is a subjective standard. Moreover, the judges are overlooking the harm that their rulings do. What can Trump do? Like Andrew Jackson, he could ignore the judges. He could order the federal marshall’s, who report to the president and not to the judiciary, to cease delivering the judges’ edicts and to stop providing any service to the judges other than life protection.

The rulings by these judges are so egregious that they demonstrate both that some judges are in on the grift and the danger to Democrats from having their corruption revealed is so great that it has to be prevented by having the judiciary dictate to the executive. We have judges blocking Trump’s order against birthright citizenship which prevents illegals from gaining US citizenship by illegally entering the US in order to give birth. Such births are known as “anchor babies” as they result in citizenship for the entire family. Hows corrupt does a judge have to be to claim that the Constitution provides nefarious ways for foreigners to acquire US citizenship? We have judges ordering Trump to reinstate federal funding for private NGOs working to undermine foreign governments and to spread sexual perversion and anti-white woke propaganda.

Judges ordering the continuation of these harmful activities are arguing that it is harmful to prevent harm. Moreover, many and probably most of these NGOs are grift money-laundering operations dumping taxpayers’ money into the hands of Democrats and their children via NGO salaries and grants. Judges are even ordering Trump to continue financing private DEI and gender operation websites. Judges do not have executive powers. They can interpret existing law and the Constitution, but not on the basis of some subjective factor as their personal notion of harm or their determination to cover up corruption. I predicted that Trump’s attempt to restore America would be tied down in lawsuits aided and abetted by a corrupt judiciary. Something must be done about judicial overreach or the renewal of America is a lost cause.

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“The EU has a vested interest in escalating tensions to a level where even a reluctant US administration cannot stand aside.”

• Vance Only Said What Americans Really Think (Lukyanov)

US Vice President J.D. Vance’s landmark speech at the Munich Security Conference on Friday has been attributed to various factors. Some say it was an act of revenge. For years, Western European leaders have denounced Donald Trump and his supporters, never considering that they might one day have to answer for their words. Now, the response has arrived, and the EU is left bewildered, asking: “Why us?” But beyond personal grievances, there is a deeper ideological divergence at play. In many ways, Vance’s critique of the Europeans echoed the same accusations that the settlers of the New World leveled at the Old Continent centuries ago: tyranny, hypocrisy, and parasitism. The rejection of European political traditions laid the ideological foundation for the American state three hundred years ago.

Now that dispute over what constitutes real democracy has evolved from an internal American debate into a transatlantic one – and its outcome will shape the future. Yet the most crucial element of Vance’s speech goes beyond personalities or ideological rifts. It reflects a fundamental shift in global politics. The key question today is whether the Cold War should finally end within the framework of the 20th century or whether it should continue indefinitely. Western Europe insists on the latter – not because of any grand strategy, but because it has failed to integrate its former adversaries peacefully. The US, on the other hand, appears ready to move on. This shift is not a product of Trump, nor even of Vance, but rather of America’s evolving priorities. The pivot away from Europe began under George W. Bush and has continued under every president since. Trump merely said out loud what his predecessors preferred to leave unsaid.

For Western Europe, clinging to the ideological and geopolitical framework of the Cold War is about survival. Maintaining the old order allows the EU to sustain its centrality in global affairs and, more importantly, to preserve its own internal cohesion, which is already under strain. For the United States, however, letting go of Cold War-era structures offers a chance to focus on present and future challenges — China, the Pacific, North America, and the Arctic. Western Europe cannot prove itself indispensable in any of these areas, but it can serve as a costly distraction. This leads to an uncomfortable conclusion: The EU has a vested interest in escalating tensions to a level where even a reluctant US administration cannot stand aside. The real question now is whether the Old World is capable of pushing events in that direction.

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“..your democracy is weak, your elections are crap, your rules that violate normal human morality are crap..”

• Medvedev Applauds Vance’s ‘Humiliating Rebuke’ Of Europe (RT)

The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has hailed US Vice President J.D. Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference, calling it a rare moment of American honesty about Europe’s weaknesses and Vance himself “a brave guy.” In his speech on Friday, Vance touched on the migration crisis, security, freedom of speech, and apparent democratic backsliding on the continent. Medvedev said Vance “unexpectedly lit up” the conference, calling his remarks a harsh but truthful indictment of modern Europe.“Everyone expected to hear the usual partner-like curtseys to Europe and comments on Donald Trump’s words about the end of the Ukrainian conflict. But he went and harshly scolded the Europeans who have completely lost themselves in recent years: your democracy is weak, your elections are crap, your rules that violate normal human morality are crap,” Medvedev wrote.

He added that the Europeans would retaliate against him if he did not hold such a high post. “However, they will forgive him; they will begrudgingly accept the humiliating rebuke from their senior partner with resentment,” Medvedev concluded. Vance was particularly severe in his indictment of European democracy. He voiced concerns over the erosion of democratic values in Europe, drawing attention to the annulment of the presidential election in Romania. The first round in November saw right-wing anti-establishment candidate Calin Georgescu come out on top with 22.94%, beating liberal leftist and social democrat candidates. Romania’s top court cited intelligence documents alleging “irregularities” in his campaign performance in making their ruling, although the validity of that evidence has been questioned.

The US vice president also cautioned against rising censorship in the region, told European member-states to take greater responsibility for their own defense, and raised the alarm over mass migration. US President Donald Trump praised Vance’s speech as “brilliant.” However, some European officials were not so keen on the address. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas warned that it signaled growing transatlantic tension. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius meanwhile, blasted the remarks, calling them “not acceptable.” On the other hand, Russian Senator Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov described Vance’s statements as a “cold shower” for European Russophobes.

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More judge shopping?!

• Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban On “Chemical And Surgical Mutilation” Of Children (ZH)

A Biden-appointed Judge on Thursday blocked parts of two executive orders issued by President Trump banning or restricting various forms of ‘gender-affirming care’ – or as one of the executive orders is titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” US District Judge Brendan Hurson of Baltimore ruled that a group of transgender teens and LGBTQ organizations that sued were likely to prevail on all of their claims that the EOs are without authority and amount to illegal and unconstitutional discrimination. “Stopping care in the middle of receiving it, any care, really, casts doubt on whether in fact the goals are to protect the recipients of the care,” said Hurson. Under Hurson’s ruling, various federal agencies are now temporarily prohibited from withholding or conditioning funding based on whether a health care facility provides ‘gender-affirming’ care anywhere in the country.

In addition to the transgender teens, two organizations – PFLAG and GLMA – claimed that hospitals across the country have quickly moved to cancel appointments after Trump’s two executive orders, which the administration deemed a crackdown on “gender ideology.” The first order which Trump signed on day one states that “federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology,” while another signed on Jan. 28 directs agencies to ensure that any institution receiving federal funds does not provide gender-transition treatments for individuals up to the age of 19. “That order had immediate consequences,” ACLU lawyer Joshua Block said during Thursday’s hearing, The Hill reports. The DOJ contested the lawsuit, insisting that the case was premature and required additional guidance. Judge Hurson rejected those arguments, calling their position “disingenuous.”

“When there’s smoke coming out of your house, you don’t know what room it’s in, but you don’t wait to call 911 until you know the exact location of the fire,” said Hurson, adding “These plaintiffs have received phone calls stopping their care.” The ruling is the latest in a series of court orders across the country in recent days blocking Trump’s actions – including orders restricting birthright citizenship, and another which restricts transgender prison inmates from living in women’s facilities. Another Thursday lawsuit from a group of government employees sought to block Musk and DOGE from accessing sensitive data and removing federal employees until “Musk is properly appointed pursuant to the U.S. constitution.”

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“..there are also “no plans for representatives from other major European powers to join the talks..”

There are no “major European powers” left. That’s a thing of the past. Get used to it.

• Ukraine Not Invited To Russia-US Talks – Zelensky (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has confirmed that Kiev was not invited to the discussions between delegations from Washington and Moscow which are expected to take place in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Wednesday, marking their first known direct conversation since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. On Saturday, the countries’ top diplomats followed up with a call to discuss “preparations for a potential high-level Russian-American summit.” Moscow has yet to confirm any details, but according to multiple media reports, a US delegation – likely composed of national security advisers – will travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days for talks with their Russian counterparts.

“Maybe there is something at the table, but not on our table. I didn’t see any invitations, invoices, et cetera, for Ukraine to meet with some other…,” Zelensky told journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. “We don’t have any papers, any invitations,” he reiterated. “And it’s something strange for me to speak in this case, in this format, if before we don’t have any negotiations between us and our strategic partners.” The Ukrainian side was “neither invited to, nor informed about” the upcoming US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, Fox News reporter Nana Sajaia said earlier in the day, citing an unnamed senior official in Kiev. According to Politico, there are also “no plans for representatives from other major European powers to join the talks,” while Bloomberg reported that European officials had not even been notified.

Kiev and its Western backers, including the previous US administration, have long insisted that no discussions about Ukraine’s future should take place without its direct participation. Following his call with Putin on Wednesday, Trump phoned Zelensky “to inform him of the conversation” with the Russian leader. The Ukrainian leader allegedly told Trump that he, just “like President Putin, wants to make PEACE.” Addressing attendees at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Zelensky reiterated that he was “not going to meet with Russians.”

“I will meet with one Russian only – with Putin,” he stated, stressing that he would sit down with the Russian leader to “stop the war” only after Ukraine, the US, and the EU had devised a “common plan.” Last month, Putin stated that while it is “possible to negotiate with anyone,” Zelensky no longer has the legitimacy to override his own decree banning talks with the Russian president. The Ukrainian leader’s presidential term expired in May 2024, but he has refused to hold elections, citing martial law. The Kremlin has stressed that any potential peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev must be legally binding. Trump has also acknowledged that Kiev will eventually have to hold elections and noted that Zelensky might not serve another term, saying his domestic poll numbers “aren’t particularly great, to put it mildly.”

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“The European pro-war, liberal elite will try to do everything in its power to ensure that the peace agreement that ends the war in Ukraine is not reached..”

• No Place For Europe In Ukraine Talks – Trump Envoy (RT)

Europe may not be at the table when the US holds talks with Russia over Ukraine, US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. However, Kiev will undoubtedly be present, he added. Kellogg clarified that the interests of other concerned parties would be taken into account. “What we don’t want to do is get into a large group discussion,” he added, as quoted by CNBC. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump discussed possible Ukraine negotiations during a phone call on Wednesday. Following the conversation, the Trump said that American and Russian officials would meet in Munich on Friday, with Ukraine also invited to participate. However, no such meeting was announced by the conference or media outlets.

When asked if he could name the requirements for a credible security guarantee for Ukraine, Kellogg replied, “The answer right now is no,” noting that he was attending the Munich conference to gather insights from Ukraine and Europe. He opined that the US sometimes has a tendency to view issues solely from its own perspective. US Vice President J.D. Vance, who attended the event as well, also insisted on the start of direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. “It’s important for us to get together and start to have the conversations that are going to be necessary to bring this thing to a close,” he said.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said coming negotiations could mark a watershed in EU-US relations. “[The US] expects Europe to take the lead in securing any agreement that follows. These negotiations can be a turning point for our continent and transatlantic relations. A historic turning point that can go in very different directions.” However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has cautioned that some vested interests want to sabotage the peace process. “The European pro-war, liberal elite will try to do everything in its power to ensure that the peace agreement that ends the war in Ukraine is not reached, which is currently closer than ever,” the diplomat said.

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Desparately searching for relevance.

• European Pro-War Elites Seek To Derail Ukraine Peace – Hungarian FM (RT)

While the end of the Ukraine conflict has never been so close, European “pro-war” elites are seeking to sabotage the process, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has warned. Speaking to Hungarian broadcaster DTV on Friday, the top diplomat expressed cautious optimism regarding a solution to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Szijjarto welcomed recent discussions between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the fact that they had agreed to meet in person in the near future. “Now we can not only see the light at the end of the tunnel, but that it gets closer and shines brighter and brighter,” Szijjarto stated, adding that the prospect of peace is now more tangible than ever before.

However, Szijjarto cautioned that achieving peace would not be straightforward and anticipated resistance from European pro-war liberal elites. He believes these groups will make concerted efforts to prevent an agreement, but remains confident that strong US leadership can secure a deal with Russia, regardless of opposition from other leaders and bureaucrats. “The European pro-war, liberal elite will try to do everything in its power to ensure that the peace agreement that ends the war in Ukraine is not reached, which is currently closer than ever,” the top diplomat said.

Putin and Trump spoke for nearly 90 minutes by phone on Wednesday. The conversation is the first publicly known top-level contact between the US and Russian leadership since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. During the call, the two leaders invited each other to visit their respective countries and agreed to hold a meeting on neutral ground beforehand. According to Trump, that will likely take place in Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh has already warmed to the idea. “The Kingdom welcomes holding the summit in its territory and affirms its continued efforts to achieve lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine, which began since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis,” the Saudi government said on Friday.

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“Ukrainians don’t want, totally don’t want, because they are afraid, because otherwise we will lose the military loan, the war loan, our soldiers will come back home, and (Russian President) Putin will occupy all our territory.”

• Zelensky Begged Trump To Meet In Person, Also Defends Canceled Elections (ZH)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed more details of the content of his Wednesday call with US President Donald Trump, in Saturday remarks given before the Munich Security Conference. Zelensky disclosed that he repeatedly urged Trump to meet with him in person, and there was no assent from Trump on the matter. “I think I said first that we have to meet. But we understood each other because I didn’t say (anything) about it once,” the Ukrainian leader said. Zelensky as well as European leaders have expressed deep frustration that Trump chose to call Russia’s President Putin first, wherein they talked for 90-minutes, amid fears that Zelensky will be cut out from US-Moscow negotiations to end the war.

French President Emmanuel Macron has demanded that Zelensky be at the table, and that nothing can be decided regarding a future peace deal without consulting Ukraine. Also on Saturday, Zelensky said that his country can’t hold elections as martial law is still in effect, amid growing criticism that he’s extending martial law to stay in power, and establishing anti-democratic norms. His term expired in May 2024, but he asserted, “I’m focusing on the survival of our country, and I am doing it really all my term.” “I’m ready to speak about elections if you want,” he said, claiming that “Ukrainians don’t want, totally don’t want, because they are afraid, because otherwise we will lose the military loan, the war loan, our soldiers will come back home, and (Russian President) Putin will occupy all our territory.”

He argued that he has maintained the unity of the country amid the Russian invasion… “So it’s not about myself. It’s about the future of our country. The question is to survive to save Ukraine, our independence, our people, (and) our homes. And if somebody doesn’t like (it), they can choose another citizenship,” he said. He was also asked about the question of the US taking NATO membership off the table, somewhat shocking European allies this week. “If we are not in NATO, then as I said, NATO has to be in Ukraine. We will need an army comparable with soldiers of Russia; it’s 1.3 or 1.5 million soldiers,” he said.

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There’s even talk of sending US troops to protect the rare earths.

• Zelensky Refused To Sign Rare Earths Deal With US (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has declined to sign an agreement that would give the US access to his country’s rare earth minerals, Washington Post reporter Josh Rogin and Reuters have claimed. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump made it clear that he wanted Kiev to pay for the assistance it has received from Washington with its natural resources. According to the 2024 World Economic Forum report, Ukraine “holds immense potential as a major global supplier of critical raw materials” that could be “essential” for defense, the technology sector, and green energy. The nation boasts Europe’s largest titanium and lithium reserves, which are not classified as rare-earth elements. Kiev also has considerable beryllium, manganese, gallium, uranium, zirconium, graphite, apatite, fluorite, and nickel deposits.

In a post on X on Friday, the Washington Post’s Rogin claimed that “multiple lawmakers here in Munich told me the US Congressional delegation presented Zelensky with a piece of paper they wanted him to sign which would grant the US rights to 50% of Ukraine’s future mineral reserves. Zelensky politely declined to sign it.” Reuters also cited anonymous members of the Ukrainian delegation at the Munich Security Conference as saying essentially the same thing. The supposed meeting between the Ukrainian leader and a bipartisan group of US lawmakers reportedly lasted 90 minutes. According to the agency, Zelensky “felt he was being asked unreasonably to sign something he hadn’t had a chance to read,” with two of the sources describing the proposal as “one-sided.” Kiev still needs to work out “some details,” according to the report.

On Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Kiev, where he presented the draft to the Ukrainian leader. In an interview with Reuters last week, Zelensky said he would like to have a mutually beneficial partnership with the US as opposed to simply giving Ukraine’s natural resources away. Zelensky acknowledged however, that a large chunk of mineral-rich territories is currently under Russian control. According to Forbes, around $7 trillion worth of Ukraine’s total mineral wealth is located in what is now the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which joined Russia in 2022. Ukraine has “tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth [and] in terms of oil and gas,” President Trump told Fox News this week. He stated he had told the leadership in Kiev “that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare earths, and they’ve essentially agreed to do that.”

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“Trump’s statement today telling Volodymyr Zelensky he will start bilateral talks with Russia – without Ukraine – also demonstrates that he recognizes Zelensky as the chief obstacle to peace..”

• Trump Determined to Undo Damage to US-Russian Relations (Sp.)

The phone call between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump marks the formal beginning of peace negotiations between the US and Russia, EMP Task Force scholar and former US Department of Defense officer David Pyne tells Sputnik. Trump’s decision to appoint Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead negotiations with Russia, rather than his Special Envoy to Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg, underlines the importance Washington places on the talks, Pyne said.

That, “combined with his invitation for Putin to visit the US and acceptance of Putin’s invitation to visit Moscow, show that Trump is assigning the highest possible priority both to repairing all the damage Biden did to US-Russia relations [and] ending the war in Ukraine within the next few months,” stressed Pyne, a Republican Party activist. Trump’s statement today telling Volodymyr Zelensky he will start bilateral talks with Russia – without Ukraine – also demonstrates that he recognizes Zelensky as the chief obstacle to peace, the expert said.

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Smooth.

• Prisoner Swap Builds Confidence Between US, Russia – Trump Envoy Witkoff (TASS)

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff expects build-up of confidence between Washington and Moscow after Russian national Alexander Vinnik was released in exchange for US national Marc Fogel. “We had a really good back channel, and it turned out to be very, very credible and enormously helpful. And that led to, I think, a lot of trust building candidly between the Trump administration and President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin,” Witkoff said in an interview aired by the Fox News TV channel.

He also suggested that the exchange that just took place, will probably “pay some large dividends in the future,” including in settlement of the Ukraine conflict. Earlier, Witkoff visited Russia. He departed Russian airspace with Fogel, who had been serving a prison sentence in the country for drug smuggling. Witkoff was also among those representatives of Washington who Trump mentioned as negotiators with Moscow on the issue of the Ukrainian conflict settlement.

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“Trump has “driven a stake through the heart of EU solidarity by essentially withdrawing the United States from the conflict..”

• Europe Would Go Broke Trying to Keep Ukraine Afloat if US Dropped Support (Sp.)

It would cost NATO’s European allies an additional $3.1 trillion over ten years to fund Ukraine and expand their own defense capabilities if President Trump left the burden to them, US business media have calculated. Sputnik asked a leading Brussels-based observer of international affairs to comment. Europe simply “does not have the wherewithal to continue” the proxy war with Moscow, and would “be obliged to strike its own separate peace with Russia,” even if it tried to sustain the conflict for some time after a hypothetical withdrawal of US support, Dr. Gilbert Doctorow says. Trump has “driven a stake through the heart of EU solidarity by essentially withdrawing the United States from the conflict and leaving it to Europe to cope as best they can,” Doctorow explained.

“But they cannot cope. It is not just a matter of money. They do not have the military supplies needed by Ukraine to continue the fight. Absent US participation the situation is hopeless for Ukraine and everyone knows that,” the observer stressed. The new reality for Ukraine signals what Doctorow says is a much larger transformation of the US defense posture toward Europe, with Washington ready to continue extending its ‘nuclear umbrella’ to the region, while drawing down the commitment of conventional forces. “The further implication is that when the Europeans understand they cannot on their own stand up to the Russian armies, then they will on their own understand that they have to make some accommodation with the Russians on Europe-wide security,” Doctorow said.

Bloomberg Economics calculated Thursday that independent European support for Ukraine and buildup of their own militaries would cost an additional $3.1 trillion, including: $175 billion to build up Ukraine’s army, $30 billion for a 40,000-troop strong “peacekeeping force,” and $2.7 trillion in debt-financed defense spending by the five largest European NATO members on artillery stockpiles, air defenses and missiles, plus deployments on the NATO’s eastern frontiers.

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“..Medvedchuk stated that historical events show that Ukrainians have always been saved by Russians, which should happen naturally now.”

• Certain EU countries Think of Annexing Ukrainian Lands — Medvedchuk (TASS)

Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria are nourishing ideas of annexing certain Ukrainian lands, Viktor Medvedchuk, former leader of Ukraine’s banned “Opposition Platform – For Life” party, who now leads the “Another Ukraine” movement, said in an interview with TASS. “It is reliably known that certain countries of the European Union, such as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria, have long been nourishing ideas of annexing certain Ukrainian lands, which were artificially made part of modern Ukraine. Those countries’ politicians have repeatedly voiced and even strongly encouraged their governments to implement those ideas, which are historically valid and reasonable,” he said.

During the presidency of Pyotr Poroshenko (ex-Ukrainian president designated by Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service as a person involved in extremist or terrorist activities) and Vladimir Zelensky, cases of “glaring violation of constitutional rights, freedoms, guarantees regarding ethnic minorities of mentioned states” were allowed in the country, the politician noted. “The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is brazenly violated and ignored. And all of the attempts by the governments of those states to influence and protect their fellow citizens from the criminal policy of Kiev’s authorities came up dry,” he added.

“This is why the only reasonable way out of this situation is to implement the ideas of those countries’ politicians to shield the population and territories where representatives of ethnic minorities live. Today this way is relevant as never before and determined by historical justice and the interests of ordinary citizens, which have got under the weight of the Nazi regime of Zelensky and should be protected,” Medvedchuk stressed. “That said, it is natural and legitimate that Russia has every reason to get back historical Russian lands that it used to own for centuries, to take people under protection from Nazism and militarism, to save the Ukrainian people and ensure its future,” he concluded. Earlier, Medvedchuk stated that historical events show that Ukrainians have always been saved by Russians, which should happen naturally now.

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They have no troops to speak of.

• EU Nations Secretly Discussing Ukraine Troop Deployment – AP (RT)

A number of European Union member states have been discussing plans to send their military personnel to Ukraine once hostilities end, the Associated Press has claimed. Several senior EU officials, most notably French President Emmanuel Macron, have been floating such ideas since at least last February. In its article on Friday, the AP reported that the UK and France are “at the forefront of the effort.” The media outlet quoted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as stating on Thursday that “if there is peace then there needs to be some sort of security guarantee for Ukraine and the UK will play its part in that.” US President Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election galvanized such deliberations among European leaders, the publication alleged.

It further suggested that a group of leaders and ministers from the UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland as well as Ukraine, NATO and the EU held a meeting in Brussels in December, where they presumably discussed a potential Western troop deployment to the Eastern European country. The AP quoted Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur as noting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that “we are in a very early stage.” The official pointed out that much would depend on the situation along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) long front line as well as the number of troops Russia and Ukraine would keep in the area if and when any truce took hold, according to the article. Last month, Reuters quoted Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky as insisting that he expected European nations to send 200,000 troops to his country. “It’s a minimum, otherwise it’s nothing,” he remarked, according to the news agency.

Also in January, The Times, citing anonymous military and diplomatic sources, reported that Germany as well as the Baltic states and Poland opposed any potential deployment for various reasons, with the UK, France and the Nordic nations being in favor. Earlier this month, the New York Times quoted an unnamed senior European official as saying that the “continent doesn’t even have 200,000 troops to offer,” apparently referring to Zelensky’s reported demand in January. Speaking late last month, senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik warned that “any contingent entering the territory of Ukraine without the consent and permission of Russia is a military target, with quite understandable consequences.” In an interview with RIA Novosti on Monday, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, echoed his colleague’s statement, emphasizing that “peacekeepers cannot operate without a mandate from the UN Security Council.”

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“When any particle enters the human body, it is coated by biological fluids that include fragments of bacteria, proteins, etc. A ‘biocorona’, or coating made up of these fragments, forms around the particle, so it cannot affect the human organism.”

• ‘It Doesn’t Harm Us’: Russian Scientist Busts Myths About Microplastics (RT)

Microplastics are among the most widely discussed environmental topics today. The media often highlights the harmful effects of polymer nanoparticles on living organisms. However, as head of the Department of Polymer and Crystal Physics at Moscow State University, and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexei Khokhlov told RT, there is no scientific basis for these claims. Khokhlov argues that microplastic particles are no more hazardous to humans than tiny wood or concrete particles which exist in the environment in much greater quantities.

RT: In recent years, many scientific studies and media reports have been published about microplastics. What exactly are they made of? Khokhlov: Microplastics are defined as fragments of polymer materials smaller than 5 mm. These particles can break down into even smaller micron-sized pieces, and there are also polymer nanoparticles. We live in an era dominated by new materials. Just 100 years ago, the polymer industry was virtually nonexistent. The widespread use of plastics began in the 1950s, and today, approximately 400 million tons of various plastics are produced annually worldwide. The main types of polymers include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride. These materials are used to make plastic wrap, packaging, and so on. Essentially, we are surrounded by polymer materials; life today would be unimaginable without them.

RT: Is it true that microplastics are everywhere, even in our food and water? Khokhlov: The molecular structure of polymers consists of long chains of monomer units. Interestingly, we are made up of polymers ourselves, since proteins, DNA and RNA chains are molecules of such type. As for their presence in the environment, particles from all natural and man-made materials find their way into the environment. Nanoparticles of dust, sand, and natural polymers like cellulose can enter cells. Wood itself is essentially a composite material made from cellulose and lignin. Annually, around 2.5 billion tons of wood are produced globally, while plastics account for only 400 million tons. It’s a very small amount compared to natural polymers.

RT: How do microplastics affect living cells? Can particles penetrate cells and disrupt their function? Khokhlov: Any material will break down into smaller particles as a result of environmental exposure. All nanoparticles can enter the human bloodstream, not just microplastics. For instance, walls gradually disintegrate into dust and sand, which also make their way into the human body. There is no evidence that microplastic particles are particularly harmful. Humanity has coexisted with ordinary dust for millions of years, and it doesn’t harm us. When any particle enters the human body, it is coated by biological fluids that include fragments of bacteria, proteins, etc.

A ‘biocorona’, or coating made up of these fragments, forms around the particle, so it cannot affect the human organism. This process occurs with all particles, regardless of their composition — microplastics included. For the body, there is no difference between microplastics and dust. Currently, plastic makes up only 15% of the total volume of solid waste. This is relatively low, and the concentration of microplastics in the environment remains minimal. Laboratory studies claiming harmful effects are often conducted using extremely high concentrations of microplastics that do not reflect real-world scenarios.

RT: If the environmental impact isn’t significant, why do you think the media and public are so concerned about this issue? Khokhlov: Because the media needs sensational stories. The idea that wood particles can enter human cells isn’t shocking because wood is familiar to us and no one believes it could pose any risk. Synthetic polymers, however, evoke fear because they are unfamiliar and artificial. But there’s no evidence to suggest they act differently than other particles. For example, there has been a lot of talk about eliminating plastic bottles since microplastics can get into the water. However, further research has shown that most of the microplastics found in water primarily come from polyamides, which are synthetic fibers used in textiles. When these fabrics are washed, tiny particles make their way into wastewater and eventually into our waterways.

RT: Can we replace plastic containers with alternatives that won’t break down into microplastics, or ones that would be made up of particles that are safe for nature and humans? Khokhlov: There are always alternatives, but they tend to be much more expensive. And in many industries, such as healthcare, the alternative isn’t the same. For example, we can switch from single-use syringes and gloves to reusable options, but what will the consequences be?In regions where access to clean water is inconsistent and sanitation is poor, single-use items and plastic bottles serve as the only means to avoid poisoning and infectious diseases. However, it’s crucial to ensure that plastic packaging isn’t carelessly discarded outdoors but is properly disposed of.

Out of 400 million tons of plastic, 300 million end up in landfills or incinerators, meaning that 100 million tons aren’t disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner. This is a significant issue that warrants attention and action. Moreover, the primary sources of microplastics are not plastic utensils or packaging but washed [synthetic] clothes, worn automobile tires, urban dust, and even road markings and marine paint. This suggests that combating microplastics would require us to give up driving cars and using washing machines. But what would that lead to? People cannot forgo hygiene standards, and our current infrastructure and logistics cannot provide alternative solutions that would meet the needs of society.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

AOC
https://twitter.com/i/status/1890439128480633075

 

 

Joinery

 

 

Bday
https://twitter.com/i/status/1890725981557539086

 

 

Fren

 

 

Baby
https://twitter.com/i/status/1890494657995362379

 

 

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Debt Rattle February 15 2025

Feb 152025
 
 February 15, 2025  Posted by at 10:55 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,  49 Responses »


Rembrandt van Rijn Saint Paul in prison 1627

 

• JD Vance Gobsmacks NATO (Larry Johnson)
• Vance Slams EU Leaders For ‘Running In Fear’ Of Their Own Voters (RT)
• Scholz Calls For State Of Emergency In Germany (RT)
• Trump Ejects From Ukraine Joyride With EU Screaming In The Backseat (Marsden)
• How The US Made Western Europe Its Puppet (Bordachev)
• Zelensky Comments On Putin-Trump Call (RT)
• Only Zelensky Can Negotiate With Putin, Must Avoid ‘Capitulation’: Macron (ZH)
• Zelensky Demands 1.5 Million-Strong Army (RT)
• Retired Russian Colonel Claims Trump ‘Has Dirt’ On Zelensky (RMX)
• Moscow Responds To Chernobyl Strike Accusation (RT)
• Darkness Dying (Kunstler)
• 14 States Sue To Block DOGE From Uncovering Gov’t Abuses, Slashing Waste (ZH)
• Is DOGE Going to Kill the F-35? (Green)
• Treasury IG Launches Audit Of “Fraudulent Payments” Found By DOGE (ZH)
• Tom Homan Refers AOC to DOJ for Investigation (PJM)
• US Embassies Told To Reduce Staff (RT)
• Latest Claims of a Constitutional Crisis Won’t Lead to Happier Days (Turley)

 

 

 

 

IRS
https://twitter.com/i/status/1890131415683276875

JD

EU

Maddow
https://twitter.com/i/status/1890450334138384470

Blago

Greece

 

 

 

 

Attention shifts big time to Europe today. Partly because of JD Vance’s speech, partly because of the Munich Security Conference as a whole. Europe’s self destruction is here for everyone to see.

• JD Vance Gobsmacks NATO (Larry Johnson)

If Pete Hegseth’s Wednesday gut punch was not enough to rile up the European grifters, JD Vance jumped into the ring and did a body slam in a speech today at the opening of the Munich Security Conference. It lasted approximately 20 minutes and was met with mostly stony silence. The Eurocrats were not a happy lot. Vance made the following key points:
1) Internal Threats: Vance argued that the primary threat to Europe comes “from within,” not from external actors like Russia or China.
2) Free Speech: He accused European governments of censoring free speech and retreating from fundamental democratic values.
3) Immigration: Vance described immigration as the most “urgent” challenge facing European nations.
4) European Defense: He briefly mentioned that Europe must significantly enhance its own defense capabilities.
5) Ukraine Conflict: Vance touched on the Ukraine war, expressing hope for a “reasonable settlement” following President Trump’s announcement about initiating peace talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Vance made a point of chiding European hypocrisy on the issue of free speech: “Unfortunately, when I look at Europe today, it’s sometimes not so clear what happened to some of the Cold War’s winners,” he added, before rattling off a list of examples aimed at illustrating his point: European Union officials’ threats to shut down social media “the moment they spot what they’ve judged to be ‘hateful’ content,” Germany’s raids on people posting misogynistic speech online, Sweden’s jailing of an activist who burned the Quran in public, and “safe access zones” around abortion clinics established in the United Kingdom. For Europeans and others watching, Vance had a MAGA message: “In Washington, there is a new sheriff in town, and under [U.S. President] Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square,” he said, to scattered and hesitant applause—one of the few times he got any.”

Vance was especially tough on the Europeans for meddling in Romania’s election, which left the crowd steaming: “Several times in his speech, Vance singled out Romania, which late last year annulled its elections due to alleged Russian interference uncovered by Romania’s security services and is scheduled to hold them again. “You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections—we certainly do—you can condemn it on the world stage, even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with,” he said.” I think this was the first time in the history of NATO that the assembled poohbahs heard a speech like this. The reaction was comical, at least from my perspective as an American. Germany’s Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, did a good imitation of Claude Rains, who played the police inspector in Casablanca.

Pistorius fumed: “This democracy was just called into question by the U.S. Vice President, not just the German democracy but that of Europe as a whole’, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at the Munich Security Conference on Friday. ‘If I understand him correctly, he compares the condition of Europe with what prevails in some authoritarian regimes … this is not acceptable’, he added.” What is unacceptable Boris, is that you clowns pretend to be all about democracy while restricting speech and attacking political opponents. The Germans and the Brits have been especially egregious in punishing those with opposing political views. When it comes to being an authoritarian… if the shoe fits, wear it. Kudos to JD Vance for calling them out. Remember Joe Biden’s claims about NATO unity? Well, I guess they are united in their dislike of JD Vance and Donald Trump. Good luck in keeping this party going. The Europeans are miffed that they are not being included in the effort to negotiate with Putin.

Maria Zakharova, the elegant spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, provided a scathing explanation of why Russia does not consider the Europeans as valid interlocutors: “The Italian Foreign Minister, reacting to the phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, expressed the opinion that Europe should not play a “secondary role” in negotiations on Ukraine. There is no emoji to convey the full range of emotions, so I’ll have to use words. Let me remind you that it was precisely the leaders of EU countries—German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande—who not long ago openly admitted that they never actually intended to implement the Minsk agreements, despite previously assuring the world otherwise. Their official position now is that the Minsk agreements were merely an attempt to rearm Kyiv and “buy it time.”

In other words, they pretended to be working in good faith on the Ukrainian issue while actually engaging in a harmful charade. The problem is not just that they lied—everyone is used to that by now. The real issue is that they betrayed Europe’s interests, and this betrayal is one of the causes of the current tragedy. The Minsk agreements became part of international law through their approval by the UN Security Council. This means they were legally binding. Both Hollande and Merkel, as well as Italy’s leadership, knew this perfectly well then and understand it today. By violating international law—something they now openly admit—EU leaders became key accomplices in the catastrophe that unfolded in Ukraine. As a direct result of their actions, Europe now faces an armed conflict on its own continent.

Had the Minsk agreements been implemented, Ukraine would have been saved, and at the same time, the current dire situation of EU citizens—whose well-being has significantly declined due to their leaders’ misguided, and at times outright criminal, decisions—would have been alleviated. Looking even deeper, this was not only a personal betrayal by these leaders but also a reflection of the complete loss of independence in conducting a “sovereign” foreign policy. The European Union, as an integration bloc, and nearly all of its member states have become an extension of NATO, obediently following Washington’s directives. In this regard, the situation surrounding the sabotage and “investigations” of the Nord Streams is more than revealing.

Further confirming this is the vague comment from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about whether Putin’s phone call with Trump constitutes a “betrayal of Ukraine” by the West or not. Both the question and the answer are meaningless. Let me repeat: The West betrayed Ukraine when it obstructed its democratic transition and independence, interfered in its internal affairs, pitted Ukrainians against Russians, incited Slavs against Slavs, then initiated an unconstitutional coup, lied about implementing the Minsk agreements, and ultimately provoked a bloodbath in the region.“

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“..if American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.”

• Vance Slams EU Leaders For ‘Running In Fear’ Of Their Own Voters (RT)

US Vice President J.D. Vance has criticized European leaders for fearing their own voters and failing to uphold democratic values, citing the recent annulment of Romania’s presidential election. Addressing the Munich Security Conference on Friday, he said that Europe’s greatest threat comes from within, condemning what he called the suppression of free speech. Vance cited the cancelled Romanian presidential elections, saying that they were annulled “on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors.” He questioned the notion that democracy could be undermined with digital advertising from a foreign country, saying that if you believe that, then your democracy “was not very strong to begin with.”

He further urged European Union leaders to “embrace what your people tell you,” even when it is “surprising” and they do not agree. “If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor, for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump,” Vance stated. According to the US vice president, the “cavalier” statements from Brussels officials “sounding delighted” about the cancelled presidential elections in Romania or expansive content moderation powers or other free speech restrictions in the US, Germany and Sweden were “shocking to American ears.” Vance also dismissed any criticism of Elon Musk’s alleged interference in European elections, stating “if American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.”

Musk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, sparked controversy in Germany by endorsing the AfD party in this month’s federal election, claiming that “the entire fate of Europe” depends on its outcome. In response, the German government accused the billionaire of election interference, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz asserting that freedom of speech does not extend to promoting “extreme-right positions.” Vance’s criticism comes as Romania is facing political turmoil following its Constitutional Court’s decision in December to annul the presidential election following the shock November win of independent candidate Calin Georgescu.

The court has cited intelligence documents alleging ‘irregularities’ in Georgescu’s campaign performance. The 62-year-old, who promoted his bid for office largely via TikTok, also faced allegations that he was being funded by foreign actors, presumably Russia. None of the claims, however, were backed by any solid evidence, while the preliminary findings of an investigation into the election scandal found the culprit behind the campaign “irregularities” was the pro-Western National Liberal Party (PNL). Moscow has dismissed the accusations as “absolutely groundless.”

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“..the government cannot take on debts worth more than 0.35% of the country’s annual GDP..”

• Scholz Calls For State Of Emergency In Germany (RT)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on the country’s parliament to declare a state of emergency over the Ukraine conflict. The head of government said he wants the constitutional ‘debt brake’ mechanism relaxed in order to ensure continued support for Kiev. Enshrined in the German constitution, the limit dictates that the government cannot take on debts worth more than 0.35% of the country’s annual GDP. Temporary exceptions are allowed “in the event of natural disasters or exceptional emergency situations that are beyond the control of the state,” as long as the Bundestag supports the move. This, for instance, was done during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, Scholz said that the “Bundestag should adopt a resolution as soon as possible, whereby the war in Ukraine and its grave consequences for Germany’s and Europe’s security are classified as an emergency situation.” He explained that this would ensure that aid for Ukraine, “which is more important today than ever, no longer comes at the expense of the other duties that our state has to fulfil towards its own citizens.” The chancellor added that US President Donald Trump is right to demand that European NATO member states shell out more for their defense, stressing that military-related spending “must grow considerably more.” Scholz dismissed the idea that the necessary funds could be obtained from the existing budget.

Speaking on the debt brake, the chancellor suggested permanently exempting defense spending from the limit. Scholz welcomed President Trump’s phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, stressing at the same time that the principle “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine and nothing about Europe without Europe” should be respected. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, between January 2022 and October 2024, Germany provided Ukraine with €11 billion ($11.5 billion) worth of assistance, emerging as its second-largest backer after the US. Meanwhile, amid the decoupling from relatively inexpensive Russian energy and several other factors, the German economy contracted for a second straight year in 2024 for the first time in more than two decades, according to a report released last month by the country’s federal statistics office Destatis.

Among the sectors bearing the brunt of the downturn is the country’s automotive industry. Commenting on Scholz’s remark, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested that by highlighting his staunchly pro-Ukrainian stance, the German chancellor had struck a pose in stark contrast to US President Donald Trump’s position. Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, opined that the German chancellor is hoping to thus score political points at home ahead of the February 23 snap general election, with his party projected to lose to its Christian Democratic Union rivals.

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“The agreement is actually being made right in front of your face and ours, for once..”

• Trump Ejects From Ukraine Joyride With EU Screaming In The Backseat (Marsden)

The European Union was never in the driver’s seat on the Ukraine conflict. And now that same toddler sitting in the back with the plastic Fisher-Price steering wheel is throwing the kind of full-blown crimson-faced meltdown that makes adults chuckle. How many times was the EU told, including by its own citizens with sledgehammer subtlety at the ballot box, to stop kissing Uncle Sam’s butt and start covering its own? Instead, its leaders cribbed America’s talking points, completely oblivious as they indulged in economic seppuku. The EU’s entire economy-wrecking “strategy” over Ukraine was based on the fantasy that they were America’s little bro, not being used as naive pawns in a grand game that would knock them right off the chessboard.

If Washington had picked peace over profit from the start, the closest thing that the Euroclowns would have seen to a military confrontation with Russia in Ukraine would have been playing Sergeant Savoir-Faire back home, armed with a map of the nearest coffee shops and a five-course lunch. And now the previously unthinkable has happened. The jig is up on Biden’s ridiculous scam of vowing to do “whatever it takes” for Ukraine to beat Russia on the battlefield – mainly by dumping cash into US weapons which miraculously get lost en route to the frontlines after the cheque clears. Nice racket. Too bad it’s getting people killed – something Trump’s made it clear he’s not exactly a fan of. Looks like he’s finally asked himself if there’s a way for the US to keep feasting on cash without a body count in Ukraine. Spoiler alert: he found a way, apparently. Several, in fact.

Cutting to the chase through all this messy death and destruction stuff, Trump just wants to wrap up the fighting and have Ukraine hand over its resources to cover US spending — most of which has already gone straight into the pockets of American weapons industries. And can he keep the weapon sales flowing, even without active conflict? Absolutely. Just tell NATO countries to cough up some cash for the sake of “preventive defense,” like he’s been doing relentlessly. A solid 90% of EU-bought weapons are already American, according to last year’s EU competitiveness report. And that’s not changing anytime soon – unless the EU’s itching for a tariff-spanking.

A group of European foreign ministers have issued a statement insisting that Ukraine and the EU must be at the table for any peace talks. Yeah, they’re at the table alright – the bib-wearing kiddie table, along with Ukraine. And while they’re busy twisting balloon animals and tossing around buzzwords like ‘enhancing support for Ukraine,’ totally immersed in their ‘choose your own adventure’ game where they’re obviously ‘winning,’ it turns out that Russia and the US – Putin and Trump – did something totally wild. They picked up a phone. Probably even a landline, like something out of a history book. All while the EU was bravely ‘sticking it to Putin’ by flaming him on social media while wiping croissant crumbs off their keyboard between sips of overpriced lattes.

In the wake of that call, Trump announced the start of immediate negotiations for peace. And now the EU is acting like it’s just been dumped by Uncle Sam, who’s committing the added insult of hanging around with the guy on whom they’ve been obsessively hating. “If there is agreement made behind our backs it will simply not work because you need for any kind of deal, any kind of agreement, you need Europeans to implement this deal. You need the Ukrainians to implement this deal,” said the bloc’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas. The agreement is actually being made right in front of your face and ours, for once – unlike the back-room shenanigans between bloc officials and the Biden administration, which ultimately lured the EU economy straight off a cliff with EU “leaders” serving as willing lemmings, sanctioning their own Russian supplies of virtually everything critical to their economy.

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“Each has surrendered strategic autonomy to Washington. Each now dutifully executes even the most irrational dictates from across the Atlantic..”

• How The US Made Western Europe Its Puppet (Bordachev)

The biggest obstacles to a rational European foreign policy are American pressure, the internal crisis of Western European elites, and the continent’s neo-colonial economic model. Western Europe’s current antagonism toward Russia is not a natural state of affairs—it is a function of relentless US coercion. If this external pressure weakens, a shift in rhetoric and policy could come swiftly, transforming the political landscape of the continent. Regardless of how long the conflict in Ukraine continues, Russia cannot ignore its relations with its immediate Western neighbors. While Moscow has expanded its global partnerships, Europe remains a geographic and historical constant. The region’s role in world affairs, however, is changing fundamentally, with its influence declining under American dominance.

For much of the 20th century, Western Europe’s relationship with the US dictated its political and economic trajectory. Now, that relationship is not only defining its external stance but also its domestic political dynamics. How this dynamic evolves will determine whether the region can contribute positively to Eurasian stability or continue serving as a source of instability.

At the heart of the US-European relationship is the question of security. Washington’s objectives in Europe have always been twofold: preventing the rise of an independent European military power and using the continent as a staging ground for confrontation with Moscow. The so-called American “security umbrella” is a myth perpetuated for propaganda purposes. In reality, what exists is a US protectorate, reluctantly accepted but actively sustained by certain European elites. This arrangement has only accelerated the continent’s decline. Nowhere is this decline more visible than in Western Europe’s three most powerful states—Britain, Germany, and France. Each has suffered a slow erosion of its global standing. Each has surrendered strategic autonomy to Washington. Each now dutifully executes even the most irrational dictates from across the Atlantic, receiving nothing in return that enhances either national security or economic strength.

Even economically, the cost of Western Europe’s subservience is becoming unbearable. The loss of access to cheap Russian energy has crippled its industry, while economic dependence on the US has yielded no meaningful benefits. Western Europe is neither more prosperous nor more secure as a result of its adherence to Washington’s agenda. If anything, it has lost its ability to act in its own interests. The notion that Western Europe relies on American protection from a serious military adversary is fundamentally flawed. If the region truly faced an existential threat, the only plausible adversary would be Russia. Yet, Russia and the US are locked in a relationship of strategic where both possess the ability to inflict unacceptable damage on each other.

The idea that Washington would risk its own survival to defend European states from Russia is laughable. Even those who have sacrificed much of their sovereignty—such as Germany, Britain, and Italy, which host US nuclear weapons—have no real guarantee of American intervention. Their servility has bought them nothing but subjugation. This reality is well understood in European capitals, though few admit it openly. Instead, Western European leaders continue to act in ways that serve American rather than national interests. Washington views Europe as little more than a base for operations against Russia—its primary value being its geographic location. The US will never sacrifice its own security for the sake of its European vassals.

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Trump and Putin have no use for Zelensky. Anymore than for Brussels or Paris.

“..it was “not pleasant” that Putin was contacted first..”

“..Moscow cannot sign a deal with Zelensky, arguing that he no longer has legitimacy as the country’s leader..”

• Zelensky Comments On Putin-Trump Call (RT)

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has spoken out against US President Donald Trump’s recent phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, telling reporters on Thursday that it was “not pleasant” that Kiev was not contacted first. On Wednesday, Trump and Putin held their first call since the US president returned to office, discussing possible steps toward negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict. In a statement on Thursday the Kremlin described the 90-minute conversation as “constructive,” with both leaders agreeing to meet soon in a third country. Following his call with Putin, Trump contacted Vladimir Zelensky, after which he announced that Kiev is prepared to seek an end to the conflict with Russia.

Commenting on the Putin-Trump phone call in a conversation with reporters on Thursday, Zelensky insisted that Kiev must be included in any negotiations. “We will not accept any bilateral negotiations about Ukraine without us,” he stressed. He described his own conversation with Trump as a “really good discussion of almost an hour” but reiterated that it was “not pleasant” that Putin was contacted first. “Calls are calls, I understand everything, but meetings are a priority for us. Ukraine-America, and only after such meetings, after developing a plan to stop Putin, I believe it is fair to talk to the Russians,” Zelensky said. During his presidential campaign Trump repeatedly promised to swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Since entering office last month, the Republican has taken a starkly different approach to his predecessor Joe Biden.

Trump has criticized US assistance to Kiev and has insisted that Moscow must be part of the conversation to end the hostilities, suggesting that the US could use sanctions and the withholding of US support as leverage. The US president claims he understands Russia’s concerns about Ukraine joining NATO and has stated that Kiev would not become part of the bloc under any settlement. Russia has repeatedly said that it remains open to negotiations but has insisted that key issues, such as Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, must be resolved. At the same time, Putin has also said that Moscow cannot sign a deal with Zelensky, arguing that he no longer has legitimacy as the country’s leader. Trump has also acknowledged that Kiev would have to eventually hold elections and noted that Zelensky might not see another term as his domestic poll numbers “aren’t particularly great, to put it mildly.”

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Putin won’t negotiate with Zelensky, because he’s not a legitimate president. Macron knows this. The goal: keep the war going.

• Only Zelensky Can Negotiate With Putin, Must Avoid ‘Capitulation’: Macron (ZH)

French President Emmanuel Macron just ahead of the start of Friday’s Munich Security Conference, which will run through the weekend, declared that only Ukraine’s President Zelensky can negotiate with Putin. It was a shot across the bow warning against Trump’s peace plan, the contours of which are beginning to show, with the French leader saying it could amount to “capitulation” if Russia isn’t forced to make any serious concessions. Macron warned in a fresh interview with the Financial Times that a “peace that is a capitulation” would be “bad news for everyone” – including the United Sates and that fundamentally it must be the Ukrainians driving the talks. Yet the reality is that Ukraine is not in the driver’s seat on the battlefield, where the conflict is being decided. And the outcome of talks is going to reflect this lack of true military leverage.

Macron continued, “The only question at this stage is whether President Putin is genuinely, sustainably and credibly willing to agree to a ceasefire on this basis. After that, it’s up to the Ukrainians to negotiate with Russia.” Thus Macron did make clear that he’s open to this “window of opportunity” for a negotiated solution which Trump is jump-starting. He said that “everyone has to play their role.” There are aspects of Trump’s emerging plan that Macron appears to have welcomed, per the FT: “Nonetheless, the French president endorsed the Trump administration’s position that it was Europe’s responsibility to ensure Ukraine’s security, saying it stemmed from a generational and bipartisan shift in America’s foreign policy priorities away from Europe and towards Asia.

US unilateralism did not start with Trump’s return to power, Macron added, noting that he “did not receive a call” in advance from the Biden administration about its “Aukus” nuclear submarine deal with Australia and the UK or about its withdrawal from Afghanistan. “What Trump is saying to Europe is that it is up to you to carry the burden. And I say, it is up to us to take it on,” Macron said.” Trump policy toward Europe and ending the Ukraine war is now widely being referred to as ‘electroshock’ in various publications after the Macron interview: “The message is clear – an ‘electroshock’, as French President Emmanuel Macron called it: European countries will have to step up defense spending if they intend to protect themselves from Russian aggression.”

Other European leaders have displayed outright anger over what they say is going over Zelensky’s head and showing willingness to deal directly with Putin. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday blasted the potential for peace talks that would cut out Zelensky or the Europeans. “A sham peace — over the heads of Ukrainians and Europeans — would gain nothing,” Baerbock said at the start of the security conference. “A sham peace would not bring lasting security, neither for the people in Ukraine nor for us in Europe or the United States,” she added, according to Reuters.

Read more …

The EU couldn’t even get 200,000 peacekeepers together.

• Zelensky Demands 1.5 Million-Strong Army (RT)

Vladimir Zelensky has issued a new demand to Ukraine’s western backers, after the US said Kiev’s goal of NATO membership is “unrealistic.” Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Zelensky stated that Kiev needed an army of some 1.5 million soldiers. If Ukraine is not a member of the US-led military bloc, then it must build its defense capabilities together with Western Europe, Zelensky warned. He went on to claim that NATO membership remained the best and “cheapest” option for Ukraine’s security. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week described Kiev’s hopes of NATO membership as “unrealistic,” a stance that was later reaffirmed by US President Donald Trump.

Zelensky insisted however “Until we are part of NATO, we need an army capable of protecting the country. This means NATO-standard weaponry and a sufficient number of trained Ukrainian troops. Based on calculations with our military leadership, that means an army of 1.5 million soldiers,” Zelensky said. Russia has maintained that Ukraine’s aspirations to join the US-led military bloc are one of the conflict’s root causes. On Thursday, Trump blamed the hostilities on his predecessor Joe Biden’s support for Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. The US President held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, stating afterwards that Moscow and Washington would start immediate negotiations to end the fighting. In January, Zelensky proposed deploying at least 200,000 European soldiers as peacekeepers in Ukraine to enforce any potential peace agreement with Russia.

In a recent interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman, Zelensky said Ukraine had 980,000 military personnel in service. Maintaining a 1.5 million-strong army would require a 50% increase in funding, Zelensky said, questioning who would finance it and how.The Trump administration recently froze all foreign US aid, including for Ukraine, amid a government-wide spending review. Many EU and NATO members have failed to meet the bloc’s current defense spending target of 2% of GDP. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, western countries have provided over $82 billion in aid to Ukraine per year, according to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. A Friday press release by the think tank claims that the EU has given Kiev nearly $64 billion in military aid, while the US has provided some $66 billion.

Read more …

Got the money? Got the money?

• Retired Russian Colonel Claims Trump ‘Has Dirt’ On Zelensky (RMX)

Retired Russian Armed Forces Intelligence Colonel Anatoly Matviychuk has come out swinging in the lead-up to the Munich Security Conference, saying the U.S. has compromising information on Zelensky that will force him to compromise, namely, that he has possibly embezzled large amounts of money from the funds sent to Ukraine for its defense against Russia. In an interview with MK, the retired colonel said that President Trump “has long had a grudge against Zelensky,” since the head of the Kyiv regime supported his persecution and passed on compromising information about him to the previous U.S. administration under Biden. “Today, Trump is skillfully dealing with everyone who once spoke out against him,” Matviychuk noted. “Among them are Zelensky and Yermak. I am sure that Trump has more than enough dirt on them.”

These may have to do with the embezzlement of money. “It is not surprising that it has now become clear that about 100 billion dollars have sunk into oblivion,” the intelligence officer noted. “I believe that in fact the U.S. knows very well where these billions ended up…” Matviychuk claims the money ended up in Zelensky’s Spanish, Italian and British real estate. However, he also went after Zelensky’s wife. “In addition, the million-dollar expenses of the First Lady of Ukraine, Elena Zelenskaya, in European boutiques have been well calculated,” the expert added. Matviychuk added that Zelensky has also opened himself up to accusations of prolonging the conflict and numerous war crimes. This is not the first time someone has claimed Zelensky has enriched himself from U.S. taxpayer money sent for his country’s defense against Russia.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project found that Zelenskyy and his partners owned a network of offshore companies dating back to 2012 in the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus and Belize. The documents also revealed that before Zelenskyy became president in 2019, he gave his stake in an offshore company to a business partner but made an arrangement that the offshore company would continue paying dividends to a company Zelenskyy’s wife owned, the reporting project said. In response, USA Today offered up its own “fact check,” stating: “The Pandora Papers – secret records obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists – highlight information about Zelenskyy’s overseas dealings. However, the papers don’t reveal the exact amount Zelenskyy or his wife have in overseas accounts. Sullivan said none of the assets claimed in the social media post were in the papers.”

USA Today also cites a 2022 Forbes piece that estimated Zelensky’s real estate portfolio at some $4 million after reports that he purchased his parents an $8 million mansion — although USA Today said the claims about an $8 million mansion were false. Nor did the magazine find any proof to back up claims that Zelensky owned three private jets or five luxury yachts. The original Instagram post targeted by USA Today reportedly stating that Zelenky owned “a 35 million dollar home in Florida and has $1.2 billion in an overseas bank account” is no longer available. Despite no hard evidence of embezzlement, allegations have continued non-stop, with many saying that now that Donald Trump is in office, a real audit will uncover the truth.

Tucker Carlson headlined a recent episode of his podcast by claiming “Ukrainian military is selling American weapons systems on the black market, including to drug cartels on the (American) border.” His guest U.S. Col. Daniel Davis said that Zelensky had even recently made a point of denying such allegations, and “the media just reports what he says.” The colonel then added that this has been “an open secret for almost the duration of (the war).”

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How to properly define “false flag” once and for all…

• Moscow Responds To Chernobyl Strike Accusation (RT)

The Russian military does not target nuclear infrastructure, including what remains on the site of the destroyed Chernobyl power plant, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had alleged earlier in the day that a Russian drone had attacked the containment structure built over what remains of the Soviet power facility which was devastated in a 1986 disaster. Zelensky reported “significant damage” in the incident. Peskov stated that any claims that Russia is targeting nuclear facilities are false by default. He said he has no verified information about the situation, but assumed that most likely it was “the latest provocation, a frame up” orchestrated by Kiev. He added: “This is what they love doing.”

The Chernobyl protective dome, also known as the New Safe Confinement, was built in the 2010s to protect the remains of the destroyed reactor 4 unit from the elements and prevent the escape of contaminated material into the environment. The project cost a reported €2.1 billion ($2.2 bn) in international funding. The alleged drone incident came days after the administration of US President Donald Trump ruled out Ukraine’s accession to NATO or restoration of control over all of its claimed territories as part of a potential peace deal with Russia. Zelensky had previously called both goals essential for Ukraine’s interests. Russian officials have warned that Kiev could resort to extreme measures, including false flag operations meant to frame Moscow, in an attempt to derail Washington’s peace efforts and ensure the continued flow of Western aid to Kiev.

Chernobyl
https://twitter.com/i/status/1890321938628665388

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“The nature of the NGO scams is to have a cause that sounds philanthropic, like ‘Save the Orphans of Sadville’ and then they pocket the money and zero actual orphans are helped.” — Elon Musk

• Darkness Dying (Kunstler)

The exorcism of the USA just keeps revving up. You can tell by the number of revolutions-per-minute Elizabeth Warren’s head spins while she spews pea soup at the cameras. Who knew what a demon-infested slough USA Management Central was? And yes, I would like some insight as to how humble civil servants like Liz Warren accrue a $12-million fortune . . . and $30-million for Samantha Power (ex-USAID-chief) . . . and more than a $150-million for Nancy Pelosi. Could it be as simple as just good stock-picking? (Is that how they spend their time?) You have reason to suspect that what goes on in Washington DC is the greatest racketeering operation ever run on God’s green earth. “A threat to our democracy!” the Party of Chaos spouted incessantly during the election campaign in re: Donald J. Trump.

“Democracy Dies in Darkness,” The Washington Post still declares on its name-plate. Yet, who exactly kept the lights off the past four years? Who scrambled the brains of the nation’s management and thinking classes? Who made mental illness aspirational? You begin to detect that by “our democracy” they actually meant “our everlasting grift.” And it didn’t die darkness — it thrived, grew, and spread in the moist bureaucratic darkness like the Devil’s own slime mold. And now it is being revealed, to the astonished disgust of slightly more than half the nation that was not on-the-take. Turn over a log in the woods and you have the metaphor for “our democracy.” Countless hundred-footed things slither around under it, their feeding interrupted . . .

[..] This colossal worm-farm lies exposed now with its slithering denizens drying up under the DOGE sunlamp. The response by the political left’s clown troop fronting for all these scams is the most pathetic performative cluster-B psychodrama ever enacted on the streets of our nation’s capital: Schumer, Maxine Waters, Ayana Pressley, Liz Warren, and every other mewling loser in Wokedom singing that old union ditty Which Side Are You On for the cameras — as if they were reenacting the 1907 Monongah Mining Disaster. They are crying— as the old saying goes — all the way to the bank. The histrionics of the past three weeks are only the beginning, you understand, since USAID was just a mole-hill beside the mountain range of past turpitudes yet coming into view as Mr. Trump’s generals deploy in the battle-space.

Yesterday — mirable dictu! — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was sworn-in for Health and Human Services, to oversee the empire of fraud that public health became during the rogue reign of Tony Fauci and his cohorts. The flip-side of MAHA is Make Medicine Truthful Again. Everything about health-care in America slouches in disrepute and ignominy, from the doctors hostage to their private equity taskmasters to the faked drug trials at FDA to the deliberate data mismanagement at CDC to the grant-and-kickback game at NIH and NIAID, to the hellscape of medical insurance fraud, to the revolving door between pharma and government —RFK faces one of the most onerous tasks of filth-clearing since Hercules shoveled out the Augean stables. And then there’s the giant hairball of poisoned American food.

The solitary figure who remains absent on the playing field is Kash Patel, and you can tell by the delaying tactics employed by the Party of Chaos that they (and their blob allies) dread the coming day that he gets confirmed to lead the FBI. That’s when the combined forces of avalanche, tsunami, earthquake, and fire send forth an exterminating spewage of long-suppressed information about the 1960s assassinations, RussiaGate, the Epstein matter, the Ukraine money-laundry, and any number of other unresolved treasonous scandals.

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Lawfare 2.0.

• 14 States Sue To Block DOGE From Uncovering Gov’t Abuses, Slashing Waste (ZH)

We are now firmly in the lawfare stage of the second Trump presidency, with Democrats filing a flurry of lawsuits to hinder the new administration’s agenda until a strong ruling from the Supreme Court eventually sets precedent. In the latest legal move, a group of 14 states have sued Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, alleging that the authority granted to the billionaire and his team at DOGE is unconstitutional. The states, including Arizona, Michigan and Rhode Island, have taken aim at efforts to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce, including dismantling entire agencies, as well as their access to sensitive data. “The founders of this country would be outraged that, 250 years after our nation overthrew a king, the people of this country—many of whom have fought and died to protect our freedoms—are now subject to the whims of a single unelected billionaire,” said Arizona AG Kris Mayes in a statement reported by NBC News.

The lawsuit argues that Trump violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution by creating DOGE – an unofficial government agency, without congressional approval, and for granting Musk “sweeping power” without the advice or consent of the Senate through a confirmation hearing. “President Trump has delegated virtually unchecked authority to Mr. Musk without proper legal authorization from Congress and without meaningful supervision of his activities,” reads the complaint. “As a result, he has transformed a minor position that was formerly responsible for managing government websites into a designated agent of chaos without limitation and in violation of the separation of powers.” The states seek a court order blocking Musk from making changes to government funding, canceling contracts, making personnel decisions, and more.

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the lawsuit is nothing more than a “continuation of the weaponization of justice against President Trump,” adding “The White House will continue to fight these battles in court, and we expect to be vindicated.” Another Thursday lawsuit from a group of government employees sought to block Musk and DOGE from accessing sensitive data and removing federal employees until “Musk is properly appointed pursuant to the U.S. constitution.” That lawsuit came on the heels of NY Attorney General Letitia James and 18 other attorneys general suing the Trump administration to block DOGE from accessing personal data housed in the Treasury department, calling it “unconstitutional.” A federal judge temporarily granted that request, ruling that the states “will face irreparable harm in the absence of injuctive relief.” Meanwhile, 22 state attorneys general were separately granted a request to halt an effort by the Trump administration to make large cuts to federal research agencies.

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Someone likes the F-35… Doesn’t mention the price tag..

• Is DOGE Going to Kill the F-35? (Green)

Lockheed-Martin’s F-35 Lightning II stealth multirole fighter is one of those development boondoggles that we’ve become all too familiar with, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Elon Musk’s DOGE boys are looking at perhaps canceling it. The Spectator’s Teresa Mull wrote Wednesday that while in Hegseth’s view,“’efficiency’ does not equate to funding cuts (he wants DoD spending to increase), one quick and easy way to curb waste right out the gate would be to abandon the F-35 fighter jet, fire every senior person involved in its commission and put in place systems to ensure that such horrors never happen again.” Seriously, the development of the jet was that bad. Although I’m certain that the entire program needs the green eyeshade treatment from DOGE, I don’t think that Mull made the case that the F-35 is a “totally flawed” “monster” that the Air Force, Marines, and Navy should “cease using.”

It’s a short article and even shorter on specifics. One specific detail left out is that, despite the jet’s unspecified “871 unresolved deficiencies,” the F-35 is the safest jet to fly in our arsenal. “The Air Force’s F-15 Eagle has a lifetime Class A accident rate of 2.36 per 100,000 hours of flight, with a spike early in the Eagle’s flying career and a relatively low accident rate 10-30 years after reaching operational status,” while the Air Force jet the F-35 is meant to replace, the F-16, “has a lifetime Class A rate of 3.45 per 100,000 hours.” The F-35’s accident rate is 1.5 crashes per 100,000 flight hours. That’s the lowest for a new jet, ever. It’s such an overpriced, useless hunk of jet that [checks notes] countries like Belgium, Japan, and South Korea that weren’t even in on the development contractor dollars can’t seem to buy enough of them. That’s one helluva endorsement.

Pilots seem to love it. The F-35’s god’s-eye view of the battlespace and its ability to share that data with many other platforms in the air, on land, or sea increases the lethality of everyone fighting alongside it. That’s a unique capability, and it would be missed. And Another Thing: While my wife is a former employee of Lockheed-Martin, she didn’t work anywhere near the F-35 program. I own no shares in the company. But I’m more than willing to be proven wrong here because I believe in two things. The first is that America needs the best jets and that our pilots deserve the best jets. If the F-35 isn’t the best, then we need to start working on the F-36 or whatever, pronto. The second is that American taxpayers deserve something better than the screwing-over we typically get from the Pentagon and its contractor buddies — and that our entire arsenal needs a second, third, and fourth look.

At the very least, DOGE should take a high-powered loup to the F-35’s maintenance costs. While production costs have come down nicely — a fully modern Air Force F-35A (without the fancy VTOL or carrier requirements of the Marines’ F-35B and the Navy’s F-35C) is $82.5 million. The latest version of the F-16 — an impressive upgrade but still based on a 1970s airframe — is about $65 million. Not exactly a bargain, but it’s certainly in line with its greater capabilities. Still, maintenance costs are too high, and readiness is too low. Maybe the mere threat of DOGE will convince Lockheed to offer a serious discount on those maintenance costs.

If Hegseth and the DOGE boys do decide to kill the program, my advice would be to kill it slowly. Milblogger (and retired Navy officer) CDR Salamander devised a rule about procurement that goes something like this: don’t stop building the Current Thing until the New Thing is ready to go. Indecisiveness and development delays with big-ticket items like the NGAD stealth fighter and the navy’s Ford-class aircraft carriers have left us dangerously dependent on aging platforms like the F-22 and the Nimitz-class carriers that, frankly, we built too few of. So, if the F-35 needs to die, then make its replacement a high-priority/high-speed job. In the meantime, keep making F-35s, perhaps at a lower rate of production, until that replacement is ready to fight.

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Lawfare lives!

• Treasury IG Launches Audit Of “Fraudulent Payments” Found By DOGE (ZH)

The US Treasury’s Department of Inspector General is launching an investigation into “alleged fraudulent payments” found by Elon Musk’s DOGE team, and will analyze the past two years of transactions within the government’s payment system. The IG will also review the security controls to the system after Democratic senators freaked out over the access provided by Trump to Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. According to a Friday letter by Treasury Deputy IG Loren J. Sciurba, the audit will take approximately six months. “We expect to begin our fieldwork immediately,” Sciurba wrote. “Given the breadth of this effort, the audit will likely not be completed until August; however, we recognize the danger that improper access or inadequate controls can pose to the integrity of sensitive payment systems. As such, if critical issues come to light before that time, we will issue interim updates and reports.”

Musk claims to have found massive waste, fraud and abuse – and has launched an official government website for DOGE that will track how large the US government is, and how much DOGE has saved. The site (which still needs a little ‘fine tuning’) also has an ‘unconstitutionality index,’ which compares the number of rules passed by Congress in 2024 vs. the number of agency rules created out of thin air. According to the report, the audit comes after Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Ron Wyden (OR) pushed for an inquiry at the US Treasury. On Wednesday, Warren, Wyden, and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent raising the alarm over DOGE (and not what they’ve found, of course).

“Your lack of candor about these events is deeply troubling given the threats to the economy and the public from DOGE’s meddling, and you need to provide a clear, complete, and public accounting of who accessed the systems, what they were doing, and why they were doing it,” wrote the lawmakers. Several lawsuits have also been filed by labor unions and advocacy groups against DOGE’s potential unauthorized access to sensitive Treasury payment systems, while five former treasury secretaries (who ostensibly oversaw massive fraud), have similarly sounded the alarm over what they say are risks associated with DOGE accessing sensitive Treasury Department payment systems. Of course, if the following is true, DOGE may be 100% within its right to access these systems after actually having been established by the Obama administration.

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“‘MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw.’

• Tom Homan Refers AOC to DOJ for Investigation (PJM)

President Donald Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, accused New York Democrat Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of impeding U.S. immigration law enforcement efforts after she was caught advising illegal aliens on how to avoid deportation. Homan told Fox News, “Impediment is impediment in my opinion,” when asked if her actions were “crossing the line” and noted that he was “working with the Department of Justice to find out.” According to 8 US Code 1324 1/A/iv: “Any person who— encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law; or engages in any conspiracy to commit any of the preceding acts, or aids or abets the commission of any of the preceding acts, shall be punished.”

AOC hosted the “Know Your Rights With ICE” webinar live on her Facebook page on Feb. 12, which provided illegals in her NY congressional district with information on how to handle Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent search requests at their homes or workplaces. She told illegals viewing the webinar, “When one of these things [raids] comes to your backyard, you can resist, and when that happens over millions of people, is that you generate enough friction that they cannot go as fast as they want to go,” so it slows down ICE raids. “Believe it or not, in America EVERYONE has rights,” Ocasio-Cortez later posted on her X account. Homan questioned whether AOC’s behavior constituted obstruction of immigration enforcement and asked the DOJ for clarification on whether her acts could be considered unlawful interference.

“I sent a letter today to the deputy attorney general. At what level is that impediment? Is that impediment? I’m not an attorney, I’m not a prosecutor. Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts? If so, what are we going to do about it?” asked Homan.The border czar further hinted, “Maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now.” “‘MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw.’ Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start,” AOC responded on X. The Trump administration has made enforcement of U.S. immigration law and the deportation of illegals a major priority. The White House has pledged to prosecute anyone who attempts to halt ongoing deportation operations against criminal aliens, including leakers in law enforcement and elected public officials.

Homan has also suggested that President Trump may pull out all Federal dollars from NYC to pressure the local authorities to comply with immigration law and finally end its sanctuary city status. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who recently saw charges dropped against him by the DOJ, told city officials not to hinder ICE agents from carrying out deportation raids. The DOJ has not commented on whether it would investigate AOC’s actions, but if they do proceed, prosecutors would need to establish that her webinar actively obstructed ICE operations rather than merely provided information to illegal alien residents living in her district.

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It’s government wide.

• US Embassies Told To Reduce Staff (RT)

The US State Department has directed embassies worldwide to prepare for staff reductions, ABC News and Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources. Some diplomatic missions have been instructed to consider reducing both US and locally employed staff by 10%, Reuters wrote, citing sources close to the matter. Senior embassy officials have reportedly been asked to compile comprehensive lists of all employees, including tenured, untenured, and temporary staff, sources familiar with the issue told ABC News. The reported directive was issued shortly before US President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations,” which mandates that State Department staff align with his administration’s foreign policy goals.

The order emphasizes the need for the US secretary of state to maintain an “exceptional workforce of patriots” In line with efforts to cut costs, the Trump administration is also considering eliminating several US consulates and diplomatic posts around the world, NBC News reported on Wednesday. Consulates in Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands are among those under review, the outlet said. Officials have reportedly been asked to assess the relevance of these facilities to Trump’s America First agenda, considering factors such as diplomatic necessity and potential additional government activities like military contacts and intelligence gathering. The moves are part of President Trump’s broader initiative to reshape the federal workforce. He has proposed a 10% reduction in government employees, in a move to streamline operations and reduce costs. The US administration has already initiated extensive layoffs of probationary workers, impacting nearly all who have not yet attained civil service protection.

Additionally, the administration has launched the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, in order to streamline federal operations with a target of trimming $2 trillion in expenditures from the federal budget. Musk has acknowledged that achieving this goal is a long shot, while suggesting that the drive might result in achieving $1 trillion in cuts.As part of its cost-cutting measures, DOGE has already implemented significant reductions, including the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), as well as imposing severe restrictions on National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants as part of a broader strategy to eliminate wasteful spending and increase government efficiency.

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“Democrats Jump the Shark..”

• Latest Claims of a Constitutional Crisis Won’t Lead to Happier Days (Turley)

Forty years ago, a radio personality coined the phrase “jump the shark” in reference to the episode of the sitcom “Happy Days” in which the character Fonzie (Henry Winkler) jumps over a live shark on water skis. The term is often applied to dying franchises that turn to sensational language or scenes to try to revive the fading interest of the public. More often, you jump the shark and land in utter obscurity. This week, the Democratic Party jumped the shark. For years, Dems and their allies pushed the absurd claim that democracy was about to die if Joe Biden or Kamala Harris was not elected president. The public wasn’t buying it. In 2024, Donald Trump won a majority of the voters as well as control of both houses of Congress. Rather than examine its messaging, Democrats decided to double down. After the election, politicians and pundits announced a new “constitutional crisis” surrounding the effort to downsize the federal government led by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Kris Mayes, the attorney general of Arizona, declared this week, “We are on the brink of a dictatorship, and America has never been in a more dangerous position than she is today.” The same media that carried the breathless accounts of the imminent death of democracy with the last election are now running “constitutional crisis” articles with many of the same “experts.” Despite Trump repeating that he “will abide by the courts” while appealing opposing decisions, NPR insisted that Trump’s circle has indicated it is “willing to ignore court orders and defy judicial authority.” During his first term, Trump repeatedly lost cases — as did his predecessor, Barack Obama, and successor, Biden — but he continued to comply with those rulings.

The fact is that we have the oldest and most stable constitutional system in history. It has repeatedly survived challenges from political to economic meltdowns that would have destroyed other systems. That Madisonian system relies on an independent judiciary, including Trump appointees who regularly ruled against the Trump administration, including on the Supreme Court. For many citizens, what is most striking is not Trump’s actions, but how Democrats are seeking to prevent the very reforms that a majority of voters supported. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) warned that this “is a really, really sad day in America. We are witnessing a constitutional crisis. We talked about Trump wanting to be a dictator on day one. And here we are. This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like when you gut the Constitution, and you install yourself as the sole power. That is how dictators are made.”

Actually, that is not how dictators are made but how democracies work. Trump ran on reducing the deficit and size of the government. The public is worried about a crisis — though it is not one of democracy but debt. In 2024, the $6.75 trillion budget exceeded our tax receipts of $4.9 trillion. The rest, $1.8 trillion, had to be borrowed. As a result, the national debt has ballooned and, if left on its current trajectory, would amount to 250% of gross domestic product within three decades. We are becoming a debtor nation where every citizen now shoulders a $106,000-per-capita burden to pay for our out-of-control spending.

Nevertheless, in the first DOGE subcommittee hearing in the House, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) insisted that he would “defend democracy,” which is “under attack” by DOGE and the effort to carry out Trump’s campaign pledges. What is truly in danger is the status quo. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) may have ironically had the most honest moment when he joined one of the daily protests and yelled how Musk’s government efficiency efforts are “taking away everything we have.” By declaring a constitutional crisis, these figures are using “rage rhetoric” that gives a license for extreme conduct and messaging. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has declared a “coup” is being carried out. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) insisted “God d—-it shut down the Senate! … WE ARE AT WAR!” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) called on citizens “to fight back” as Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) called for a fight in the streets and for citizens “to rise up.”

Not to be outdone in the rage-fest, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) yelled, “We are gonna be in your face, we are gonna be on your a–es, and we are going to make sure you understand what democracy looks like, and this ain’t it.” Biden was repeatedly found to have violated the Constitution, including with unilateral actions through executive orders. Courts called him out for it. None of these Democratic members declared a coup or collapse of democracy. Such court challenges are common and often these early initiatives shake out with new guarantees and judicial guidelines. The courts may oppose certain moves by Trump and DOGE, but these are decisions of process, not policy. Eventually the president will be able to pare government spending, which is what the Democrats are really upset about — not the invented “constitutional crisis.”

Judging from the polls, the public sees that. The Fonz saw it, even if he still does not get it. Just before the election, Winkler mocked Trump’s huge Madison Square Garden rally and told NBC, “That’s his life’s bread; his life’s blood is the sound of appreciation or adulation or whatever.” That “whatever” is called public support. It is a lesson that the Democrats may want to learn if they ever want to see happier days.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

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Debt Rattle February 12 2025

Feb 122025
 
 February 12, 2025  Posted by at 10:40 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  68 Responses »


Leonardo da Vinci (?) La Joconde nue or Monna Vanna 1515

 

• Stubbornness, Divine Providence and Donald Trump (Miele)
• Trump Orders Federal Agencies To Comply With Musk’s DOGE Cuts (RT)
• Democrat Senator Accuses Trump And Musk Of ‘Billionaire Takeover’ (RT)
• Judge Blocks Federal Government From Cutting Medical Research Funding (ET)
• US Tax Dollars Fuel Ukrainian Elites’ Lavish Lifestyles – Tucker Carlson (RT)
• DOGE Investigating Feds Whose Net Worths Have Exploded (ZH)
• Zelensky’s 100 Days Might End In Florida As Trump Prepares Ukraine Plan (Jay)
• Musk Reacts To Zelensky’s ‘Ukrainians Don’t Want Elections’ Claim (RT)
• Trump’s Envoy To Shift Ukraine Burden Onto Europe (RT)
• Trump To Send Treasury Secretary To Kiev (RT)
• Europe Told To Brace For Flood Of Ukrainian Soldiers With PTSD (RT)
• Kiev Mayor Predicts ‘Painful Compromise’ To End Ukraine Conflict (RT)
• Kiev Plotting Provocations To Drag NATO Into War – Moscow (RT)
• Trump Nominees, COVID Dissenters Launch Science Journal (JTN)
• “Get Violent and Fight”: Tennessee Minister Calls for Violence (Turley)
• Clinton Probe to Expose Gates, Soros and Epstein Links (Sp.)
• Russia Treated US ‘Very Nicely’ – Trump (RT)

 

 

 

 

DOGE 2024

MAGA minute

Leavitt

Gutfeld
https://twitter.com/i/status/1889115655565091300

FEMA


https://twitter.com/i/status/1889081920560189890

Jennings

AI

Rogan nice man
https://twitter.com/i/status/1889195160044486728

Kayleigh

Judge Nap/Mearsheimer

 

 

 

 

What would the world be like if Trump had won a 2nd consecutive term? No Butler murder attampt, no Elon, no RFK, no JD Vance…

• Stubbornness, Divine Providence and Donald Trump (Miele)

Donald Trump has always been a complex character, but to fully understand him now, one must begin with the assassination attempt at Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Listen to how Trump described that experience in his second inaugural address: “Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed to take my life. Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.” Even his harshest critics were hesitant to challenge Trump’s grandiose assertion because – at some level – they could put themselves in Trump’s shoes. And now, three months after the election and a mere three weeks after he was sworn in, the evidence is plain that Trump is a politician reborn, with a purpose renewed. If Making America Great Again started as an election slogan, it has been transformed into a divine mission.

Trump 2.0 is the Democrats’ worst nightmare. If he had won a second term in 2020, forcing him to govern with a Chuck Schumer-controlled Senate, he would have been virtually powerless. He would have limped through that second term with the usual bluster and name-calling, but without any new vision or agenda. His mandate would have been simple – keep the economy strong and don’t rock the boat too hard. Play golf whenever possible. There would have been no Elon Musk and no Department of Government Efficiency. There would have been no Bobby Kennedy Jr. or Make America Healthy Again. It is unlikely there would have even been a housecleaning at the FBI or CIA. Remember, there would not have been a raid at Mar-a-Lago, nor a “deranged” special counsel, nor a Jan. 6 riot in the U.S. Capitol. We would be living in an entirely different world, led for four years by an entirely different Trump on a glide path to retirement.

The 2024 election would have been a complete unknown. Republicans would have scrambled to find a worthy successor to Trump, but there would be no anointed one. Almost certainly not Mike Pence, but then who? Josh Hawley? Tom Cotton? Nikki Haley? Tim Scott? Not J.D. Vance, who would still be a mid-level literary author and never have been elected senator from Ohio. The Democrats would not have had to suffer through the embarrassment of a senescent President Joe Biden. They would have had a legitimate primary battle in 2024 between Govs. Newsom, Shapiro, Pritzker, and Hochul, and Sens. Klobuchar, Warren, Gillibrand, and maybe Sanders. Kamala Harris would have been an afterthought – or withdrawn before Iowa just as she did in 2020.

The likelihood of a Democratic victory after two consecutive Trump terms would have been high. MAGA itself might have fizzled out from attrition and eight years of mainstream media overkill. So it’s easy to theorize about the role of divine providence bringing us to this point, but one can’t discount the importance of Trump’s own character in asserting his will against the established order either. His ability to withstand the full court press of two impeachments, two special counsels, two assassination attempts, and multiple felony indictments and convictions to convince the American public to return him to the White House is nothing short of miraculous. If Trump was indeed “saved by God,” there must have been a reason – something that made Trump a perfect vessel for reshaping our times, even though not perfect himself. So what is it?

I’ve tried to think of analogs for Trump’s persona in life and literature and largely come up empty. As a politician, Trump is sui generis. You can scan the Bible for other examples of imperfect perfection such as King David and Cyrus the Great, but it’s best not to impute to a contemporary such as Trump the authority of the Old Testament. So where else do we turn? A few authors have noted the similarity of Trump to Napoleon Bonaparte, including for his ego, his exile, and his support from the common man. I myself have written twice about such a connection, including once in 2016 before he was elected and once in 2022 after he was banished to Mar-a-Lago. The columns stand the test of time, but there might be one avatar for The Donald drawn from literature that is even more appropriate.

I am thinking of the character known simply as the Mule in Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” trilogy. Book two of the science fiction series, “Foundation and Empire,” introduces the Mule as a character of such intense individuality that he has the power to break every expectation, exceed every limit, and avoid virtually every trap put in his way as he attempts to conquer the galaxy. As Asimov has another character explain, “He has no name other than that of the Mule, a name reportedly applied by himself to himself, and signifying, by popular explanation, his immense physical strength, and stubbornness of purpose.”

We need not worry about physical strength in our comparison, but “stubbornness of purpose” can be applied to Trump and to only a few others in U.S. history, including George Washington during his role as commander in chief of the Continental Army and Abraham Lincoln as commander in chief of the Union Army. Were it not for Trump’s extraordinary second term, his divine commission, we might never have even understood his stubbornness of purpose. Oh yes, he was considered mule-headed for his unwillingness to follow political conventions, but until his return from exile, he still tried to curry favor with the ruling class by trying to fit in with expectations rather than imposing his will through brute force.

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“..agencies may hire only one employee for every four who depart..”

• Trump Orders Federal Agencies To Comply With Musk’s DOGE Cuts (RT)

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order mandating US federal agencies to implement workforce reductions and efficiency measures outlined by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. Signed on February 11, 2025, the order directs agencies to limit hiring to essential positions and collaborate with DOGE to identify areas for significant staff cuts and potential agency eliminations. Appearing alongside Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Musk defended the initiative, stating that the American “people voted for major government reform, and that’s what they’re going to get.” “It’s not optional for us to reduce federal expenses – it’s essential. It’s essential for America to remain solvent as a country,” Musk said.

“We have this unelected, unconstitutional fourth branch of government – the bureaucracy – which, in many ways, currently holds more power than any elected representative,” he added. “It does not reflect the will of the people. So it’s something we’ve got to fix.” “And we’ve also got to address the deficit – a $2 trillion deficit. If we don’t do something about this, the country is going bankrupt. I mean, it’s astounding that the interest payments alone on the national debt exceed the Defense Department’s budget,” Musk noted.

Trump’s executive order establishes a hiring ratio in which agencies may hire only one employee for every four who depart, with exemptions for roles related to public safety, immigration enforcement, and law enforcement. Agency heads must develop data-driven plans, in consultation with DOGE team leads, to ensure new hires are allocated to high-need areas. The order also requires agency heads to submit reports within 30 days, evaluating whether their departments or sub-agencies could be eliminated or consolidated. It does not apply to military personnel, and agency heads may exempt “any position they deem necessary to meet national security, homeland security, or public safety responsibilities.” Critics have raised concerns about the potential impact of these measures on public services and the concentration of power within DOGE, with reporters pressing Musk on potential conflicts of interest.

Trump’s latest push for large-scale federal workforce reductions follows previous efforts by his administration to streamline government operations, including a foreign aid and hiring freezes. The Department of Government Efficiency has been granted expanded authority to oversee these reductions, aiming to identify and eliminate wasteful spending within the federal government.

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Musk is a Chinese puppet.

• Democrat Senator Accuses Trump And Musk Of ‘Billionaire Takeover’ (RT)

US President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk are seizing power in Washington “for corrupt purposes,” according to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. The lawmaker from Connecticut accused the president of punishing his enemies and rewarding his friends in what he called “the billionaire takeover of government.” Trump has repealed dozens of executive orders signed by his predecessor, Joe Biden, since returning to the Oval Office on January 20. Amid a broader push to cut government spending, the president has suspended all US foreign aid and halted numerous projects assigned to USAID, Washington’s main agency for administering funding to political projects abroad.

Trump also appointed Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, as a “special government employee” to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “This is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly, since Watergate,” Murphy said in an interview with ABC News aired on Sunday, accusing Trump of “attempting to seize control of power for corrupt purposes.” The lawmaker claimed that the president is planning to single-handedly address public financial issues in order “to reward his political friends” and “punish his political enemies,” branding the administration’s latest decisions, in particular disbanding USAID, an “evisceration of democracy.”

Murphy also said the agency was “a thorn in the side of the Chinese government,” claiming that Trump’s move to eliminate it will “make America much less safe around the world” but will benefit Beijing. The senator accused Musk, who has branded USAID a “criminal organization,” of pursuing his own ends by taking steps to shut down the agency. “Elon Musk has many major business interests at stake inside Beijing, and so making Beijing happy is going to accrue to the financial benefit of Elon Musk and many billionaires who outsource work to China,” the lawmaker stated. Last week, Trump accused USAID of funnelling billions of taxpayer dollars into media companies to promote positive media coverage of the Democrats. At the same time, Musk accused USAID of funding bioweapons research.

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Waiting for Jay Bhattacharya to be confirmed as NIH director.

• Judge Blocks Federal Government From Cutting Medical Research Funding (ET)

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley entered a temporary restraining order on Feb. 10 preventing the federal government from cutting medical research funding in 22 states in response to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts. The order is in place until further word from the court, Kelley said. Government lawyers were also ordered to, within 24 hours, and at biweekly intervals thereafter, confirm with the judge that they are regularly disbursing medical research funding in the states, which include Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon. California, New York, and Massachusetts receive the most funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The legal challenge targets the U.S. National Institutes of Health directive that imposes a lower cap on indirect research costs for institutions receiving government funding after a quarter of $35 billion in NIH research funds went to indirect costs in 2024.

The new cap was set in the Feb. 7 directive at 15 percent, which is largely in line with private funding limits, and down from what the NIH said was an average of 27 percent to 28 percent. “The United States should have the best medical research in the world. It is accordingly vital to ensure that as many funds as possible go towards direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overhead,” according to an NIH memorandum from the agency’s Office of the Director. Dr. Matthew Memoli is the acting NIH director while the Senate considers President Donald Trump’s nominee, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. In an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, attorneys general representing the states alleged that institutions, if the change were allowed to go through, would lead to “catastrophic financial consequences, which could result in layoffs and furloughs, research program closures, financial defaults, and disruptions to clinical trials, potentially jeopardizing people’s lives and health.”

The states also said the change violates a law that prohibits the NIH from changing the cap on indirect research costs. “Even were NIH to have the authority it claims, a demanding regulatory process would be required; but NIH took none of the steps mandated by that process. In addition, the agency did not consider the detrimental effect of its decision on ongoing research that NIH itself has determined is integral to public health,” the motion stated. “Nor did NIH address the considerable reliance interests that are impaired when thousands of existing grants, totaling billions of dollars, are changed unilaterally over a weekend.” The government has not issued a response to the motion. After granting the request for a restraining order, Kelley set a hearing on the matter for Feb. 21.

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“All the visitors are Ukrainian, and they’re rolling into Hermes, and dropping a million dollars in an afternoon. It’s all through Europe you see this.”

• US Tax Dollars Fuel Ukrainian Elites’ Lavish Lifestyles – Tucker Carlson (RT)

Ukrainian elites have enriched themselves from embezzling US taxpayer money sent to fund the conflict with Russia, American journalist Tucker Carlson has claimed. He recounted his observations of affluent visitors at an elite ski resort, during an interview with retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis on Monday. Carlson, a former Fox News host and a vocal opponent of US support for Ukraine, described his visit to a pricey resort in the Alps, where he discovered that “the whole town is Ukrainian.” “All the visitors are Ukrainian, and they’re rolling into Hermes, and dropping a million dollars in an afternoon. It’s all through Europe you see this. The richest people are the Ukrainians,” he said, adding that the money they’re throwing around “belongs to me and you and every other American taxpayer.”

Carlson went on to say that Ukrainian corruption not only squanders American resources but also endangers US citizens. He cited allegations of Ukrainian military personnel selling weapons on the black market, which have reportedly reached the Mexican drug cartels. He claimed to know this for a fact, but did not provide evidence. He also criticized US funding for the Ukrainian special services, saying they have orchestrated “terrorist attacks” within Russia.”Everyone who wants to know what’s going on knows,” Carlson said, accusing the media and officials from the administration of former President Joe Biden of covering up for Kiev. The contrast between the amount of assistance for Ukraine and the affluence of some Ukrainians in the EU has fostered resentment in countries such as Poland, which has welcomed nearly a million Ukrainian refugees since the conflict escalated in 2022.

In an interview last October, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poles are appalled by “the sight of young men from Ukraine, driving the best cars, spending weekends in five-star hotels.” Opinion polls suggest a shift in public sentiment against Ukrainians.In recent remarks, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky claimed that his country has received substantially less US aid than reported, saying the total is $76 billion, rather than $200 billion, which is often cited. He added that around 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in the conflict so far. Carlson highlighted both of these claims, calling them examples of blatant lies that the Western media reports uncritically.

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Normal in DC.

• DOGE Investigating Feds Whose Net Worths Have Exploded (ZH)

DOGE head Elon Musk said on Tuesday that DOGE is going to investigate federal employees whose net worths have exploded despite their comparatively low pay. The announcement – which came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to work with DOGE, follows a bombshell report that Samantha Power, former head of USAID, saw her net worth explode to $30 million despite an annual salary under $250,000. “We don’t know why. Where did it come from? I think the reality is that they’re getting wealthy at the taxpayer expense,” Musk said on Tuesday. Power, a former ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama, and was sworn in as head of USAID in May of 2021, reported a net worth between $6.7 million-$16.5 million in January of 2021 on a disclosure form. Her net worth is now estimated as high as $30 million, according to the website Biden’s Basement.

According to various reports, Power’s sources of income have varied over the years. After serving as UN Ambassador, she reportedly made $471,000 per year as a Harvard professor, and made $351,000 from speaking engagements with major firmst such as Nestle, Google and UBS, along with $1 million in book royalties. Most notably, however, was an $11.73 million gain in her investment holdings. If we had to venture a guess, DOGE’s access to information from the Treasury, USAID, and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), run through Palantir’s intelligence apparatus (including AI), will quickly unravel graft hidden through multiple layers of organizational fog.

Meanwhile, there’s the issue of lawmakers who have become unbelievably ‘lucky’ when it comes to growing their net worth via insider trading.

In July, a bipartisan group of senators including Josh Hawley (R-MO) came to an agreement on a renewed effort to ban members of Congress from trading stock. “Congress should not be here to make a buck,” Hawley said at the time. “There is no reason why members of Congress ought to be profiting off of the information that only they get.”

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“.. it is quite wrong of both Lammy and Zelensky who claim Putin doesn’t want to talk. This is coded talk which means simply “he’s not prepared to give us what we want”.

• Zelensky’s 100 Days Might End In Florida As Trump Prepares Ukraine Plan (Jay)

Are we witnessing the final days of caretaker President Zelensky? Two recent media events where he clearly stated, some would even say ‘begged’, for a deal with Donald Trump might indicate that he is now in panic mode. Zelensky’s recent offer to Trump for the U.S. to take Ukraine’s mineral reserves reveals a lot about the former comedian turned politician. In numerous speeches and various media events he has repeatedly talked about the Ukrainian people, Europe and the sanctity of democracy all being under threat when Russia wins the war. But now we can see all that was BS and that now, without Hollywood movie stars raising his profile of hundreds of media outlets pumping out the fake news to support him, we get to what really matters above all: mineral wealth.

The problem or dilemma Zelensky has is not unlike that of a dying old man who has millions in the bank. Does he hand over all his wealth to the best doctors to buy a few more years of life, based on their promises, or does he accept the end is near? His logic is not complicated. His chief focus is his own power and positon above all. But is a peace deal, with or without a mineral sweetner compatible with his presidential incumbency? Something, it would seem, has to give. What he is now doing is certainly panicking. There can be no other way to look at the recent media spots. With practically now all U.S. and UK media taking the line that the war is being lost now to Russia and further reports that Moscow could be planning a major push with one or two brigades, time is of the essence. He needs to think clearly.

Perhaps delusional western powers like the UK are preventing any lucid, realistic thinking, given that David Lammy, the British foreign secretary recently visited him and handed him a cheque for over 60 million USD and told him that Britain is prepared to replace the U.S. militarily. Yes, that’s 60, you read correctly. While it’s unclear what an army in defeat could do with this small change, given that U.S. experts are estimating that just for the Ukraine army to continue for one more year they would need between 50 and 100 BILLION dollars, the British should thank Zelensky for keeping a straight face at the farce. Zelensky’s problem is how to secure a peace deal and come out looking like a winner. Add to that almost mission impossible is his insistence on “western security” guaranties – read NATO membership – and you can see why things are not exactly moving forward very quickly.

Trump has announced a peace deal to be agreed in April. Like the 600-pound gorilla in the room, he is likely to make it happen, or at least a ceasefire of sorts, but will Zelensky still be president when it happens? Zelensky is rapidly realizing the trap and just how entangled he is in the centre of it. Give Trump a huge bribe? It might not cut it given that Trump must already be looking at who to replace Zelensky, who would probably offer more. Both Trump and Zelensky need to come out of it as victors and it was interesting how he used the word “victory” when explaining it to the Reuters journalists (do they actually ask questions or is it just their job to be his PR apparatus?). Yet the question of Putin being a victor has not been tackled, given that he’s already winning and holds all the cards. While it is true that the intensity of fighting is certainly the case on the Russian side, it is quite wrong of both Lammy and Zelensky who claim Putin doesn’t want to talk. This is coded talk which means simply “he’s not prepared to give us what we want”.

It’s unlikely Zelensky will be the broker to make the deal happen as we head towards Trump’s 100-day deadline and I predict, as I have been doing so for months, that both Putin and Trump will conclude that he needs to be removed for a deal to be made. NATO membership of Ukraine is a joke and cannot happen for any deal to be struck and it is telling that the West still clings to this fantasy, but explains why Zelensky is still harping on about it. At the time of writing Trump hinted to journalists that he was about to meet with Zelensky so we should estimate that this will be the ‘either piss or get off the pot’ moment where all diplomatic endearment will be put aside. Trump will tell him the plan and tell him there and then, you’re either with it or you’re out.

As easily as the Obama and Biden administrations ushered Zelensky and his predecessor into power, Trump will prove that he can counter the move. Watch very closely in the coming weeks for top aides of Zelensky to be fired, but who in reality have resigned. Trump’s specialty for years in NYC getting deals done was to threaten his competitors with seducing their wives. Many gave into this tactic. Almost certainly Trump’s people will be working on Zelensky’s entourage who might wipe him out financially with higher payoffs – if he chooses to stay. But will he stay?

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“..claimed that NATO is planning to oust Zelensky as it believes that he is one of the main obstacles to peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.”

• Musk Reacts To Zelensky’s ‘Ukrainians Don’t Want Elections’ Claim (RT)

Elon Musk has taken a jab at Vladimir Zelensky over his claim that Ukrainians are opposed to holding presidential elections while the conflict with Russia continues. Zelensky’s term officially expired in May 2024, but he has refused to hold presidential elections since, citing active martial law. While Kiev’s backers in the West continue to recognize Zelensky as Ukraine’s president, Russia deems him illegitimate, insisting that legal power in the country now lies with the parliament and its speaker. In an interview with ITV on Friday, Zelensky explained Kiev’s reluctance to hold the new vote by arguing that “during this war, our population is against elections, all people are against it.” He claimed that holding elections under such circumstances would undermine Ukraine’s defense posture, adding, “If we suspend martial law, we will lose the army.”

Musk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), offered a response full of irony, posting “Sure” on social media. In November, the billionaire mocked Zelensky’s claim that the “US cannot force us to ‘sit and listen’ at the negotiating table. We are an independent country.” “His sense of humor is amazing,” the tech entrepreneur wrote at the time. According to the Ukrainian outlet Telegraf, Zelensky has already decided to run in the potential next election, if it is held. While the report estimated that the Ukrainian leader – who has a trust rating of around 52% – has a reasonable chance of winning, the situation could drastically change if former top general Valery Zaluzhny, currently Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, enters the presidential race.

The Ukrainian outlet claimed that to suppress the candidacy of the popular general, Zelensky could press criminal charges against Zaluzhny, including a probe related to the fall of Kherson to Russian forces in 2022. According to RBK-Ukraine, Zelensky’s team is also hoping that military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov could counter Zaluzhny’s potential bid for the presidency. Meanwhile, the Trump administration appears to be pressuring Kiev to organize a new presidential election. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s top envoy for Ukraine, told Reuters earlier this month that Washington wants Kiev to hold the vote, potentially by the end of the year, especially if a ceasefire with Russia can be agreed upon in the coming months. “Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so. I think it is good for democracy,” he said. Earlier this month, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that NATO is planning to oust Zelensky as it believes that he is one of the main obstacles to peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.

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From Friday, at the Munich Security Conference, we’ll have Vance, Kellogg, Rubio … and Zelensky.

• Trump’s Envoy To Shift Ukraine Burden Onto Europe (RT)

Keith Kellogg, the US presidential envoy for the Ukraine conflict, will meet with European officials in the coming weeks to advance President Donald Trump’s objectives, according to Bloomberg and The Telegraph. The diplomatic campaign will reportedly kick off at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Friday, as the new US administration aims to recoup funds expended on the conflict in recent years. On Monday, the outlets cited insider sources outlining Kellogg’s plans to gather feedback from trans-Atlantic partners before finalizing a strategy for achieving a truce with Russia. He is interested in Europeans’ “willingness to take the lead on providing deterrent forces to ensure that any peace settlement holds,” a source reportedly told Bloomberg.

Kellogg is also expected to make it clear that the US has no intention of deploying troops to protect Ukraine and wants European NATO allies to increase their defense spending. The Telegraph claimed that Kellogg has reassured European officials of Trump’s commitment to maintaining some level of military assistance to Kiev. Concerns have been raised about the extent of Kellogg’s influence over Trump, after he reportedly said he was surprised by the president’s announcement of scheduled talks with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.

Trump aims to recoup money expended for support for Ukraine allocated under his predecessor, Joe Biden, by seeking rights to the country’s natural resources. In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, he said he had effectively secured $500 billion worth of rare-earth minerals as compensation, regardless of the outcome of negotiations with Russia. “They may make a deal, they may not make a deal, they may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday, but we’re gonna have all this money in there, and I say, I want it back.”

US Vice President J.D. Vance will lead the American delegation at the MSC, where he is expected to meet with Zelensky. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the conference is an opportunity for American officials to “lay out a broad path forward” on Ukraine. Zelensky has claimed that Trump can achieve “peace through strength” with continued military assistance. He has conceded that without US support, the Ukrainian army risks collapse. Russian officials have rejected the idea of freezing the conflict along the current front lines, insisting on a comprehensive resolution addressing the underlying causes of hostilities, which include NATO expansion in Europe and discriminatory policies against ethnic Russians in Ukraine.

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Got the money? Got the money?

• Trump To Send Treasury Secretary To Kiev (RT)

US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will be sending Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine. The trip, which could take place as soon as this week, will include discussions of a potential deal for rare-earth minerals in exchange for aid to Kiev, according to various media reports. Trump recently demanded that Kiev must ensure a return on “America’s $300 billion” in aid by providing the US with critical minerals. He told Fox News on Tuesday that it would be “stupid” to keep funding Ukraine without tangible benefits. Rare-earth metals, which are essential for producing the magnets that convert power into motion in electric vehicles, smartphones, missile systems, and other advanced electronics, have no viable substitutes, and their demand is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. Bessent will be the first cabinet-level official in Trump’s administration to visit Kiev.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said he is sending Bessent to meet Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, stating that the conflict between Moscow and Kiev “must and will end soon.” Trump further claimed that the US had spent “billions of dollars globally, with little to show.” Though Trump did not specify Bessent’s travel date, Bloomberg and Reuters report it will happen this week for preliminary negotiations. Zelensky has signaled openness to such a deal but acknowledged that nearly half of what Kiev claims as its rare earths are located in areas controlled by Russia. He said Kiev’s supporters must help push Russian forces out of the mineral-rich areas before any investment can take place.

Before the 2022 escalation of the Ukraine conflict, the country held Europe’s largest titanium and lithium reserves, critical for military and energy industries. Around $7 trillion of Ukraine’s total mineral wealth of around $14.8 trillion is in its former Donbass regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, according to Forbes. However, these two regions declared independence from Ukraine in 2014 after the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev and later voted to join Russia. Trump’s demand has sparked strong criticism, including from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who argued that it “would be very selfish” to use Ukraine’s resources to finance defense support.

The US leader has been calling for a swift resolution to the conflict, signaling potential peace talks between Moscow and Kiev. He has reportedly tasked his special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, with negotiating a settlement within 100 days. However, no concrete details of a plan have been disclosed. Moscow has expressed openness to talks but insists that any negotiations must be based on equal and mutually acceptable terms, reflecting the realities on the ground and Russia’s national interests. According to Bloomberg, Kellogg plans to present Trump with potential strategies to end the conflict in the coming weeks.

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Lovely.

• Europe Told To Brace For Flood Of Ukrainian Soldiers With PTSD (RT)

Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front could pose a threat to civilians across Europe due to untreated mental health issues, Polish military psychiatrist Radoslaw Tworus has warned. In an interview with Wirtualna Polska published on Sunday, Tworus, who heads the department of psychiatry, combat stress, and psychotraumatology at the Military Medical Institute in Warsaw, said trauma from the battlefield may lead to serious psychological problems, potentially endangering society. His warnings come amid growing concerns in the region that Ukrainian soldiers will emigrate en masse to neighboring countries after the conflict. “These extreme experiences related to stress, threats to life, witnessing injuries, destruction, hunger, and exhaustion will have great significance not only for Poland but for Europe. Because these people are in Europe,” Tworus stated.

“We have to prepare,” he added. Tworus emphasized that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is among the major concerns, but is only part of the issue. “If we are talking about the battlefield, we are talking about a very stressful environment… a person can face a number of different problems: adaptation issues, psychosis, depression, addictions. The spectrum of these disorders is very wide.” He warned that the most problematic cases involve individuals who are unaware of their mental health issues and therefore do not seek help. “There may be depression, but there may also be euphoria, agitation, and aggressive states. There are many of these symptoms,” Tworus said, noting that any problems related to sleeping, eating, nervousness, quick mental fatigue, exhaustion or euphoric states “require consultation.”

He cautioned that soldiers with unresolved mental health issues might project their struggles onto family members or even the countries hosting them, potentially leading to unpredictable consequences. Tworus’ comments follow a recent report by Personnel Service, a Polish recruitment company, which claimed that up to one million Ukrainians could emigrate to Poland after the conflict ends. Based on a poll conducted in December, the report indicated that one in four Ukrainian men and one in five Ukrainian women are considering leaving Ukraine post-conflict. The primary reasons cited were Ukraine’s economic difficulties and lack of security.

Poland initially saw the largest influx of Ukrainian asylum seekers in the EU following the escalation of the conflict with Russia, with the number peaking at 1.36 million in 2022. Across the EU, as of November 2024 approximately 4.2 million Ukrainians had been granted temporary protection status under a bloc-wide initiative. The program, which offers access to housing, education, and employment, was recently extended to March 2026, though it has faced opposition from some member states.

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“I am very much afraid that it could lead to riots or worse – to an internal standoff and a civil strife..”

• Kiev Mayor Predicts ‘Painful Compromise’ To End Ukraine Conflict (RT)

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine could end “in a month or two,” Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko claimed on Tuesday, warning that a potential peace deal could be “very painful to every Ukrainian.” US President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to seek a swift end to the hostilities. He has not revealed his peace plan, but it reportedly involves freezing the conflict along the current front line, establishing a demilitarized zone patrolled by European soldiers, and suspending Kiev’s bid to join NATO. Russia has said it remains open to negotiations but insists that any agreement must include “reliable, legally binding agreements eliminating the root causes of the conflict” instead of just freezing it.

“I am sure that it would be difficult to call it a positive result,” Klitschko said, commenting on the peace prospects at a forum in Kiev. “The so-called compromise could turn out to be very painful for every Ukrainian.” The mayor believes that the end of the conflict could lead to social tensions and political strife that would lead to a “war of extermination” inside the country. Kiev is unlikely to be able to keep its wartime army after the conflict ends, he stated, adding that around a third of the current armed forces personnel would have to be discharged and reintegrated into civilian life. The end of the conflict would also mean the start of an election contest, the mayor said, adding that this could also spiral out of control.

“I am very much afraid that it could lead to riots or worse – to an internal standoff and a civil strife,” Klitschko warned. Elections are “traditionally accompanied by mutual accusations,” the Kiev mayor stated, adding that it could become “a difficult challenge” for Ukraine. The politician said he is “sure” that Ukraine is not ready to face this scenario and needs to seek a solution. Last week, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky stated that the nation cannot hold any votes under the present circumstances because it would supposedly “lose” its army. He also claimed that the whole election narrative was supposedly only peddled by Moscow, which would be the only one to benefit from a vote in Ukraine.

Moscow has repeatedly questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy since his presidential term officially expired in May 2024. Russian President Valdimir Putin has said the parliament is the only legitimate governing body in Ukraine. According to Klitschko, “everyone is talking about elections” in Ukraine even as the hostilities continue. “Political electoral processes have already begun,” the Kiev mayor added. Klitschko, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, was one of the most prominent figures in the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev in 2014 and became the capital’s mayor the same year. He has long had strained relations with Zelensky. In 2023, he accused the Ukrainian leader of steering the nation towards authoritarianism. Last month, he also stated that Zelensky’s team was seeking to “usurp power” by undermining local authorities.

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“.. the Kiev regime will not only actively hinder peace settlement processes but is also prepared to extend hostilities far beyond Ukraine’s borders..”

• Kiev Plotting Provocations To Drag NATO Into War – Moscow (RT)

Ukrainian special services, with Western support, are preparing a series of high-profile provocations to implicate Moscow and draw NATO into a direct military confrontation, according to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). In a statement on Tuesday, the SVR claimed that Kiev plans to use Russian-made naval mines to orchestrate an explosion involving a foreign vessel in the Baltic Sea. The alleged goal is to blame Moscow and prompt NATO to restrict Russia’s access to the Baltic on the pretext of ensuring maritime security. NATO has been increasing its military activities along Eastern Europe’s borders in recent years, citing security concerns over Russia. Last month, it announced plans to expand its presence in the Baltic Sea, launching a new mission to safeguard undersea infrastructure following a series of disruptions and damage to cables between member states.

Russia, which perceives the Baltic Sea as a strategic area for its naval operations and energy exports, has vowed to do everything necessary to protect its interests. Last year, Nikolay Patrushev, the former head of the Russian Security Council who currently serves as an aide to President Vladimir Putin, warned that NATO is using its newest members, Sweden and Finland, to turn the Baltic into an “internal sea” under Western control.Moscow has stressed that it has no intention of attacking any NATO member states, but has criticized the military buildups on its border. It has also warned that direct confrontation between Russia and NATO could escalate into a nuclear conflict, adding that it will respond to any hostile moves.

In its statement, the SVR also alleged that Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), in collaboration with intelligence agencies from several European countries, is planning attacks on Russian “non-systemic opposition” figures and businessmen residing abroad. The plan reportedly involves recruiting perpetrators from Asian and Middle Eastern countries, offering up to $20,000 for participation, with instructions to blame the Russian intelligence services if apprehended. Russia has accused Ukraine of planning various provocations in order to blame Moscow. Ukraine has dismissed the claims as propaganda. In recent months, Russia’s security services have on numerous occasions arrested Ukrainian agents tasked with targeting prominent public figures. The SVR cited reports indicating that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his associates are willing to resort to provocations to preserve their positions.

“To this end, the Kiev regime will not only actively hinder peace settlement processes but is also prepared to extend hostilities far beyond Ukraine’s borders,” it said. Zelensky remains in office despite his term expiring last May. He has refused to step down and postponed elections, citing martial law, which was imposed in 2022 following the escalation of the conflict with Russia.In a separate report this month, the SVR claimed that NATO is exploring ways to remove Zelensky from power by undermining his credibility before potential elections next year. It claimed that some Western officials see him as a roadblock to peace talks with Moscow. Moscow has expressed willingness to engage in peace talks, though Putin has insisted that negotiating with the current Ukrainian leadership will not have any legal meaning.

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Jay Bhattacharya, Marty Makary and Martin Kulldorff. One step away from crucifixion just a few years ago. Times change.

• Trump Nominees, COVID Dissenters Launch Science Journal (JTN)

Before President Trump nominated them to lead the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration, Jay Bhattacharya and Marty Makary, respectively, laid the groundwork for an academic journal on public health that would stand athwart the squelching of scientific dissent and narrative policing endemic to academic publishing around COVID-19. Now awaiting confirmation, the Stanford and Johns Hopkins medical school professors are handing the reins of the Journal of the Academy of Public Health to their collaborators, including founding editor-in-chief and epidemiologist Martin Kulldorff, who endured social media censorship for his COVID views and firing from Harvard Med for his medical choices.

The house organ of the newly formed Academy of Public Health, JAPH stands apart from similar journals not only in its enthusiasm to challenge COVID-19 dogmas and bite the federal hand that feeds researchers, as evident in its first crop of articles Jan. 30, but in its business model, peer-review process and transparency practices. APH is an international nonprofit organized under the RealClearFoundation, a sibling to RealClearPolitics and itself a donor-financed 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which announced the journal Wednesday and called Bhattacharya and Kulldorff its cofounders. While at least one author must be an APH member, received papers are published immediately and reviewers are each paid a $500 honorarium and publicly credited, and reviews are published alongside the papers – unusual practices in academic publishing.

JAPH will even publish “external article reviews” of influential papers published in journals without the “same philosophy of open peer-review and scientific discourse” – an unsolicited, public layer of peer review – and invite the authors to respond. More common: Its open-access model makes JAPH free to read, while authors pay $2,000 to publish research, “literature syntheses” and history articles and $500 for unreviewed “perspectives,” though the honorarium for reviewers may be applied to their own publications. Each APH member gets one free research, synthesis and history article, and an annual free perspective, while authors without research grants or institutional funds can also apply for waived publication fees on a case-by-case basis.

Kulldorff elaborated on the problems in science journals, which in “some ways” are now “hampering rather than enhancing open scientific discourse,” and called JAPH a “proof of concept” for proposed solutions in his opening perspective Jan. 30. Beneficiaries of the new model include funding agencies, which are “not allowed to see the reviews they paid for” but “will get an external evaluation of the research they fund” through JAPH’s model, he said. Other first-issue articles include a study that found no “significant” differences in COVID case rates or “incidence rate ratios” between neighboring K-12 school districts when one had a mask mandate or when neither had one, and Kulldorff and Bhattacharya’s analysis of the “fundamental design flaws in the Covid vaccine trials” contrasted with polio vaccine trials.

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“..When Elon Musk forces his way into the United States Treasury, and threatens to steal your personal information and your social security check..”

• “Get Violent and Fight”: Tennessee Minister Calls for Violence (Turley)

Clearly, Dr. Steve Caudle of Greater Second Missionary Baptist Church in Chattanooga is not the “turn-the-other-cheek” type of minister. Caudle called upon his flock to choose violence in responding to the policy changes in progress in Washington with the new Administration. It is a further escalation of the rage rhetoric from Democratic politicians and pundits. In a sermon live streamed to YouTube on Sunday, Caudle denounced Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for threatening to “steal” Americans’ information and money, and said that a violent “conflict” will be coming:

“In this nation, I’m worried that we are on the verge of bloodshed. This is an attempt to take us back to a day that we do not want to go, and we will not go. Therefore, there will be conflict. I pray that the peace of God will win out and overcome the madness that is attempting to take over this nation.” “And I will say to you, beloved: no one likes violence, but sometimes violence is necessary. When Elon Musk forces his way into the United States Treasury, and threatens to steal your personal information and your social security check, there is a possibility of violence. Sometimes the devil will act so ugly, that there is no other choice but to get violent and fight!”

Invoking Matthew 11:12, he added: “… Why not talk this way? Because Jesus did… Jesus said in this key verse… ‘The kingdom of Heaven suffers — what — violence. And the who — the violent — take it by force. The kingdom of God is a warzone, it is a battlefield. You did know this, right?”

There is a normalization of such violent rhetoric with mainstream figures. The result can be a sense of license for some willing to turn to violent forms of expression, particularly when given the patina of moral justification. As I have previously written, rage rhetoric has long been a part of our political process. However, when religious figures rationalize violent action, we cross a dangerous Rubicon in the use of such rhetoric.

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“Hundreds of billions in grants could be returned to US and foreign governments if fraud is proven..”

• Clinton Probe to Expose Gates, Soros and Epstein Links (Sp.)

The fall of the House of Clinton would trigger a domino effect, upending globalist entities like Bilderberg, billionaires such as Bill Gates & George Soros, and their bought politicians worldwide, says Wall Street analyst Charles Ortel. Ortel calls CF the largest unprosecuted fraud. If true, its trustees, executives and donors – both US and foreign – could face IRS and legal probes at home and abroad. Hundreds of billions in grants could be returned to US and foreign governments if fraud is proven, according to the analyst.

Australia, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, the UK, Ukraine and others funded CF, public records show. The largest known donor is UNITAID (WHO), which has sent hundreds of millions more than CF has reported to the IRS since 2006. Other suspicious donors: DFID, AusAID, NORAD and aid agencies from Canada, Ireland and Sweden, Ortel says. Private foundations also funded Clinton frauds. The Gates Foundation has donated since 2005 – while convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein collaborated with Bill Clinton. George Soros is another key donor.

Harvard, Yale and Columbia University gave credibility to Clinton charity frauds, Ortel says. Legacy media & publishers boosted Clinton Global Initiative events, ignoring that none were legally registered charities. A full probe into CF and its offshoots is needed ASAP, Ortel says. A 2018 hearing revealed CF owes $2.5 billion to the US government for acting as a foreign agent instead of a nonprofit. But the scandal exceeds $2.5 billion – Bill Clinton used the charity as a front, with no honest accounting for AIDS, climate, or Haiti’s missing $10 billion, Ortel concludes.

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“..marijuana and hashish oil [..] ..carefully concealed in his personal belongings..”

• Russia Treated US ‘Very Nicely’ – Trump (RT)

President Donald Trump has said that Moscow agreed to release Marc Fogel, a former US embassy employee sentenced to 14 years in prison on drug trafficking charges, without asking “much” in return. Moscow has not yet commented on the development, but US officials have praised the move as a “show of good faith” after US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff’s private jet departed Russia with Fogel on board on Tuesday. “We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war and millions of people can stop being killed,” Trump told journalists at the White House later in the day.

Asked whether Washington had given Moscow “anything in return,” Trump paused briefly before responding: “Not much. No, they were very nice.” Fogel, a teacher at an Anglo-American school in Moscow, had previously worked at the US embassy in Russia. He lost his diplomatic immunity in May 2021. In August of the same year, he was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow after authorities found marijuana and hashish oil in his possession. He was later sentenced to 14 years in prison after Russian officials accused him of attempting to establish a drug trafficking route, alleging that the banned substances were carefully concealed in his personal belongings.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

Aluminum
https://twitter.com/i/status/1889332373222797385

 

 

Koala

 

 

Yelp

 

 

Welcome
https://twitter.com/i/status/1888946524182528022

 

 

Chauvet (read the whole thread)

 

 

Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle February 11 2025

Feb 112025
 
 February 11, 2025  Posted by at 10:41 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  50 Responses »


Robert Rauschenberg Buffalo II 1964

 

• Trump Orders 25 Percent Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum (ET)
• Trump: DOGE To Analyze Pentagon Spending After 7th Failed Audit (ZH)
• Trump Admin Urges Judge to Dissolve Order Blocking DOGE From Treasury (ET)
• The Making of Elon Musk: How the Left Makes Monsters of Us All (Turley)
• Sen. Mike Lee Floats Ron Paul For Fed Chairman, Musk Says ‘Amazing’ Idea (JTN)
• DOGE: FEMA Sent $59 Million Last Week To Luxury NYC Hotels For Illegals (ZH)
• Canada ‘Not Viable’ Without US Support – Trump (RT)
• The Fallout of Trump’s USAID Freeze (Ryumshin)
• Trump Wants Ukraine To Pay Back $500 Billion (RT)
• Ukraine Sells US Weapons To Mexican Drug Cartels – Tucker Carlson (RT)
• Danger of Deep Worldwide Recession in 2025 – Ed Dowd (USAW)
• Warfare on Lawfare (Kunstler)
• EU’s von der Leyen Calls For Alternative To NATO (RT)
• EU’s Right Calls For New ‘Reconquista’ Against ‘Islamist Advance’ (RT)
• Trump’s Gaza Plan ‘Futile’ – Erdogan (RT)
• Trump Threatens To ‘Let Hell Break Out’ In Gaza (RT)
• Musk And Altman Throw Punches Over Control Of OpenAI (ZH)
• Deepseek Compared To ChatGPT On The Ukraine War – Who Is Winning? (Helmer)

 

 

 

 

80/20

Andreessen

Trump Bret Baier

X

Musk AfD

 

 

 

 

“Steel and aluminum tariffs 2.0 will ensure that American producers can compete on a level playing field..”

• Trump Orders 25 Percent Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum (ET)

President Donald Trump on Feb. 10 imposed 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he flew from Florida to New Orleans on Feb. 9 to attend the Super Bowl, Trump said he would announce a 25-percent levy on “any steel coming into the United States. Aluminum, too.” The president also said he would announce “reciprocal tariffs” soon. Under this plan, the United States would implement import duties on goods and services when another country imposes tariffs on U.S. products. “If they are charging us 130 percent, and we’re charging them nothing, it’s not going to stay that way,” Trump said. “If they charge us, we charge them.” The tariffs are set to take effect on March 4. Canada and Mexico are two of the largest aluminum and steel trading partners of the United States.

Although the president claimed that the U.S. trade deficit with Canada was $200 billion, the gap was $63.33 billion last year, according to Census Bureau data. A March 2023 study by the International Trade Commission found that the first Trump administration’s use of Section 232—tariffs imposed on imports considered vital for national security—raised steel and aluminum prices. However, the effect on economic growth and employment was minimal. Repealing Section 232 would ultimately lead to the creation of more than 4,000 jobs and a long-run gross domestic product growth of 0.02 percent, or $3.5 billion, according to Alex Durante, senior economist at the Tax Foundation. “Because tariffs are taxes on imports and raise the cost of production, we estimate that repealing the Section 232 tariffs would strengthen the U.S. economy and create jobs,” Durante said in a 2024 paper.

In a separate pre-taped interview with Fox News released on Feb. 9, Trump said he had not seen enough action from Canada and Mexico to avoid tariffs after agreeing to a 30-day pause. “No, it’s not good enough,” Trump told host Bret Baier. “Something has to happen. It’s not sustainable. And I’m changing it.” Last week, the president agreed to a 30-day extension on his initiative to apply a 25-percent levy on all goods from Canada and Mexico. Canadian oil, natural gas, and electricity imports would be taxed at a rate of 10 percent. Senior Canadian officials, including François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science, and industry, pledged to “stand up for Canada,” its workers, and its industries. Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized Trump on social media platform X, writing that he is “shifting goalposts” and inciting “constant chaos.”

François Legault, premier of Quebec, a major aluminum supplier, said on X that it is critical to “begin to renegotiate” Canada’s free trade agreement with the United States “as soon as possible.” “Quebec exports 2.9 million tons of aluminum to them, or 60 percent of their needs. Do they prefer to get supplies from China?” he wrote. “We must put an end to this uncertainty.” Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said the tariffs are a “direct attack” on Canadian workers and the country’s economy. “These tariffs don’t protect jobs—they kill them. Canada cannot sit idly by while our workers are treated as bargaining chips in Trump’s trade war,” Bruske said. “Our government must respond with strong, immediate action to defend Canadian industries and the workers who keep them running.”

As part of his 2018 Section 232 national security tariff extensions to shield aluminum and steel makers, the president signed trade proclamations that increased tariffs on these products without exemptions or exclusions. Trump reinstated a 25-percent tariff on millions of steel imports that had previously entered the United States duty-free under exemptions, quota arrangements, and other exclusions. He also raised the levy tariff rate on aluminum imports to 25 percent from the previous 10 percent in 2018. “This is a big deal—making America rich again,” Trump told reporters. The latest tariffs are a response to policies that the Trump administration said have permitted various countries—namely Brazil, Canada, China, Russia, and Mexico—to “manipulate trade.” “Steel and aluminum tariffs 2.0 will ensure that American producers can compete on a level playing field,” a White House official said in a call with reporters.

Read more …

Bring on the lawsuits.

• Trump: DOGE To Analyze Pentagon Spending After 7th Failed Audit (ZH)

President Donald Trump has directed Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to audit the Pentagon, after the Defense Department failed its seventh audit in a row. During an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier set to air before the Super Bowl, Trump said he was directing DOGE to investigate both the Department of Education and the Pentagon. “We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse,” Trump said.

On Friday, Trump said during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that he was directing DOGE to investigate “Pentgon, education, just about everything,” adding that he thinks Musk will find “a lot” of waste, fraud and abuse. “Sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad, but I don’t think proportionally you’ll see anything like we just saw,” Trump said, referring to USAID – where the new administration has placed 97% of the staff on leave. Last week, Trump said that billions of dollars have been stolen by USAID. Reviewing the Pentagon will be no small task for an agency which sees roughly $800 billion flow through it, and has never managed to pass its own financial audits with the exception of the Marine Corps. The Pentagon employs nearly 3.3 million service members and civilians.

Musk, who has been appointed as a “special government employee,” is one of Trump’s key advisers, who has set a goal for DOGE to cut up to $2 trillion in federal expenses by July 2026. Last week, DOGE claimed that it had managed to save over $1 billion by slashing contracts related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), through halting “the hiring of people into unnecessary positions, the deletion of DEI, and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations,” as The Burning Platform noted on Sunday.

On Saturday, Musk said that DOGE and the US Treasury Department have agreed to new anti-fraud measures aimed at preventing tens of billions of dollars in fraudulent government entitlement payments each year, including the following:
– Require that all outgoing government payments have a payment categorization code, which is necessary in order to pass financial audits. This is frequently left blank, making audits almost impossible.
– All payments must also include a rationale for the payment in the comment field, which is currently left blank. Importantly, we are not yet applying ANY judgment to this rationale, but simply requiring that SOME attempt be made to explain the payment more than NOTHING!
– The DO-NOT-PAY list of entities known to be fraudulent or people who are dead or are probable fronts for terrorist organizations or do not match Congressional appropriations must actually be implemented and not ignored. Also, it can currently take up to a year to get on this list, which is far too long. This list should be updated at least weekly, if not daily.

The above super obvious and necessary changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not anyone from @DOGE. It is ridiculous that these changes didn’t exist already! Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number. If accurate, this is extremely suspicious. When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently defended DOGE’s actions at Treasury – telling Bloomberg in an interview with Bloomberg that the DOGE team is made up of highly trained professionals and “not some roving band running around doing things,” possibly in reference to claims by critics that DOGE has embraced and is applying the adage “move fast and break things,” which is part of the Silicon Valley start-up culture of being innovative, nimble, and disruptive.

Read more …

Bizarro world.

• Trump Admin Urges Judge to Dissolve Order Blocking DOGE From Treasury (ET)

The Trump administration on Feb. 9 urged a federal judge to rescind an order that blocks Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) personnel and some other government workers from accessing U.S. Department of Treasury records. The order from U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer bars access to the payment records for all personnel apart from civil servants “with a need for access to perform their job duties.” “On its face, the Order could be read to cover all political leadership within Treasury—including even Secretary Bessent,” government lawyers said in an emergency motion to the court, referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “This is a remarkable intrusion on the Executive Branch that is in direct conflict with Article II of the Constitution, and the unitary structure it provides.” Article II grants the president the power to appoint the heads of executive agencies and to seek their opinions on any subject relating to their duties.

“Basic democratic accountability requires that every executive agency’s work be supervised by politically accountable leadership, who ultimately answer to the President,” the government lawyers said on Sunday. “A federal court, consistent with the separation of powers, cannot insulate any portion of that work from the specter of political accountability. No court can issue an injunction that directly severs the clear line of supervision Article II requires. Because the Order on its face draws an impermissible and anti-constitutional distinction, it should be dissolved immediately.” If the order is not dissolved, the court should clarify or modify the order to make clear it does not cover top Treasury officials, according to the motion, and if the court is unwilling to grant relief, it should stay the order pending the outcome of an appeal.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas, who is overseeing the case, after receiving the motion ordered the parties to meet and confer regarding the motion “to determine if the parties can reach agreement on a stipulation that either resolves or narrows the issues presented in the Motion.” If the parties cannot reach an agreement, the plaintiffs are ordered to file a reply by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, with a response to the reply due from government lawyers six hours later. The case was brought by New York and 18 other states against President Donald Trump and Bessent. The states said that the government giving access to payment records to DOGE, which is headed by Elon Musk, posed cybersecurity risks and imperiled the privacy of state residents whose financial information and other personal data were stored in the files. The states asked for an order blocking the access and received the order early Saturday.

Pam Bondi

Long list of crap

Read more …

“They have made monsters of everyone who challenges the confines of their known world.”

• The Making of Elon Musk: How the Left Makes Monsters of Us All (Turley)

Across the Internet, politicians and pundits are in a monstrous mood. The same people who spent the last year declaring the imminent death of democracy if Donald Trump were elected are now insisting that the real threat is the “monster” he has unleashed upon the federal bureaucracy. It is the thing of legend, a Beltway monster that you told your children about around campfires late at night: An outsider who comes to town and lays waste to government waste, firing thousands and slashing budgets. Part Frankenstein, part Bigfoot, that creature never had a name, but would be beholden to no one and uninterested in the status quo. The monster now has a name, and it is Elon Musk. Democratic politicians are now claiming that reducing government is equivalent to destroying government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) yelled dramatically to an outdoor crowd this week that Musk’s government efficiency efforts are “taking away everything we have.”

For decades, both Democratic and Republican presidents have run on reducing government and making it more efficient. But everyone knew that such campaign pledges would be quickly discarded after each election. What is so terrifying this time is that Musk means it. We know that because he has done it before. When Musk bought Twitter with the promise of dismantling its censorship system and culture, he started by firing virtually everyone. Critics immediately declared that he was a fool and did not understand how to run a social media company. Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich said that Musk’s firings meant the death of Twitter and triumphantly declared, “You break it, you own it.” It did not exactly work out that way. Musk fired as much as 90 percent of his staff and the company survived. Liberals only grew more determined, seeking even to boycott his other companies and bar Space X from needed national security missions.

As liberal media and pundits raged, Musk stayed firm and survived. Now Amazon has increased advertising on X, which is now the sixth most popular social media site. It has reportedly hit 500 million subscribers and a reported 40-plus percent profit margin. It is set to make billions with a greatly reduced overhead due to the firings. Musk’s model has been watched — and to some degree replicated — by other companies. The only way to change a culture is sometimes to change the people. Take the U.S. Agency for International Development, where Musk led an effort to freeze operations at the agency and move it to within the State Department. Notably, they are not shutting down the agency, and Trump has said that he wants to continue foreign aid needed for core missions like clean water and disease prevention, for example.

There are good-faith reasons to be concerned that vital programs must not be abruptly ended. However, the complaint is that USAID is the ultimate example of a bloated agency with a high percentage of funding going to administrative costs over field operations. The State Department reportedly plans to reduce the USAID workforce from over 10,000 to less than 300. It is vintage Musk. It is easier to take the trauma upfront and then rehire the employees needed to fulfill the mission with a leaner workforce. That process is easier if you can get people to leave voluntarily. Part of it is performative like Musk showing up at Twitter with a sink — to let reality “sink in” for the thousands of employees. It appears to be working. Many employees are taking an offer to leave with a generous severance package. The idea is simple: If you throw a badger into a crowded car, people will get out. Musk is that badger.

As for Musk being a democracy-devouring Frankenstein, the rhetoric is again outstripping reality. The fact is that liberals rarely hunt monsters, they create their own monsters. The making of “Muskenstein” can be found in the cancel campaign launched against him as soon as he pledged to restore free speech on Twitter. An unprecedented alliance of government, corporations, media, and academia were arrayed against him. This same alliance has worked countless times to get corporations and CEOs to comply with its demands for censorship. But Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, was unbowed. Liberals correctly saw Musk’s defiance as an existential threat. For years, they had exercised virtual total control of social media, legacy media, and academia. Opposing views were denounced as dangerous disinformation.

The key to their system was that you maintain orthodoxy by coercing people into silence. During the COVID pandemic, scientists who challenged the enforced view of masks, COVID-19 origins, and other issues were banned or fired. Others remained silent as they watched colleagues exiled for expressing their opinions. Musk had to be destroyed, or others might start to believe that they could also defy the groupthink. The problem is that intolerance for opposing views creates thousands of renegades and outsiders. I was one of them. I was once associated with liberal academia, which frankly worked to my advantage in favorable media and academic opportunities. I then began to question the growing orthodoxy in academia over the loss of free speech and viewpoint diversity, including the purging of faculties of conservative and libertarian voices. I was quickly targeted for it.

But that campaign gave me an even greater understanding of the dangers of the anti-free speech movement from outside the system. On a much higher level, Musk seems to have felt the same liberating aspects of being declared persona non grata. They turned Musk into the very monster they feared. They are now doing the same thing with Mark Zuckerberg. After the head of Meta announced that he was going to end the robust censorship system on Facebook and other sites (as well as downsizing staff), the left went after him with the same unhinged hatred. Like Musk, Zuckerberg had been celebrated as an industry icon, but is now condemned as a grotesque abomination. Politicians such as Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) — who once threatened Zuckerberg not to restore free speech values like Musk — are now set against him. There is talk of boycotts as many liberals retreat into the safe space of BlueSky, a site that essentially protects liberals from opposing views.

BlueSky’s appeal is that it stays close to shore, where the waters are safe and shallow. The problem for many on the left is that more and more people want to venture beyond those navigational buoys. Like Musk, they want to consider new horizons and possibilities. In Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Hector Barbossa warns Captain Jack Sparrow, “You’re off the edge of the map, mate! Here there be monsters!” For liberals, we are now off the map where creatures of mythological shapes dwell. They found them exactly where they thought they would be. After all, they created them. They have made monsters of everyone who challenges the confines of their known world.

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Ron Paul is 89. Not his job.

• Sen. Mike Lee Floats Ron Paul For Fed Chairman, Musk Says ‘Amazing’ Idea (JTN)

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, floated former GOP Rep. Ron Paul for Federal Reserve chairman and billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the Department of Government Efficiency called the idea “amazing.” Musk initially wrote on X that it would be a “good idea” if DOGE allowed Paul to run a “Federal Reserve audit team.” Lee responded to that comment on X.”Raise your hand if you’d like to see @RonPaul as Federal Reserve chairman,” Lee wrote about Paul, 89, whose signature issue became calling for a full audit of the Federal Reserve . He was also a vocal opponent of the Iraq War before it began. The current chairman of the Federal Reserve if Jerome Powell. Paul’s son, Rand, is currently serving in the U.S. Senate representing Kentucky.

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“..a “clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds.”

• DOGE: FEMA Sent $59 Million Last Week To Luxury NYC Hotels For Illegals (ZH)

Elon Musk’s team of mid-20s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) disruptors has once again found wasteful spending—this time focusing on a $59 million payment sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to luxury hotels across New York City housing illegal aliens. “The DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants,” Musk wrote on X early Monday morning. Musk explained, “Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” adding, “That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!” Musk did not specify which luxury NYC hotels received FEMA funding for migrants last week but noted that a “clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds.”

However, a December report revealed that NYC politicians spent $220 million in a sweetheart deal with Pakistan to lease the prestigious Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan for illegal alien housing. The most alarming issue was that NYC paid a foreign government to house illegals. “So let me get this straight; places like North Carolina and Maui get a pittance because FEMA says they lack funds, so we have to send our Military there to do work that could be put into the local economies. Meanwhile FEMA blows its budget on housing illegal immigrants?” one X user wrote in response to Musk’s report. While illegals have lived ‘the American Dream’ on the taxpayers’ dime, residents across Western North Carolina have only now begun receiving FEMA assistance amid the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene. Many of these folks in North Carolina had limited to no FEMA assistance under the Biden-Harris regime. That all changed after President Trump entered the White House on January 20.

WNC

Read more …

Trudeau fully aligned with the US Dems, woke and all, and against Trump. Now Canada will pay the price.

• Canada ‘Not Viable’ Without US Support – Trump (RT)

Canada is “not viable” as a country without continued economic support and military protection from the US, President Donald Trump has claimed. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump doubled down on his idea of Canada joining the US as the 51st state, which Ottawa strongly opposes. The president argued that Canada does not “pay very much for military, and the reason they don’t pay much is they assume that we’re going to protect them… they don’t pay their share of military in NATO.” “The other thing is, we subsidize them to the tune of about $200 billion a year. If we stopped doing that, if we stopped allowing them to make cars through tariffs and other things – cars, trucks, etc., what they make – they’re not viable as a country,” he added.

According to Trump, becoming the 51st state of the US would be “the greatest thing [Canada] could ever do.” “It would be unbelievable. It would be a cherished state,” the president said, suggesting that the current border between the two countries is “artificial” and was drawn with a ruler. In a separate interview with Fox News, Trump confirmed that he is serious about incorporating Canada into the US. Asked to comment on reports that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned the country’s business leaders that Trump’s plans are a “real thing,” the president replied: “Yeah, it is.”

In early February, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and additional 10% on imports from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and drug trafficking. In response, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs of 25%, targeting a wide range of American-made goods. However, as the specter of a trade war loomed, Washington and Ottawa agreed to delay the implementation of the tariffs. On Sunday, Trump reiterated his stance on tit-for-tat tariffs and again teased plans for new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, which would again affect Canada and Mexico, without saying whether there would be exemptions.

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Let it die. Start something new.

• The Fallout of Trump’s USAID Freeze (Ryumshin)

If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, particularly X, you might have noticed a pattern. Media outlets, NGOs, and human rights groups with a liberal slant are posting about financial trouble. Some plead for public donations, while others announce layoffs and budget cuts. What’s causing this sudden turmoil? In many cases, it boils down to the suspension of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). For decades, this agency has been a lifeline for countless “grant seekers.” With the freeze in operations, many of these groups now find themselves at a breaking point. USAID is the largest source of official US financial aid abroad, with an annual budget running into the tens of billions of dollars. These funds fuel hundreds of projects worldwide.

While some initiatives address genuine concerns like poverty, hunger, and environmental protection, others have a more ambiguous purpose, such as “building civil society” or “developing democracy.” Often, these projects serve as vehicles for advancing US political interests, sometimes with covert ties to intelligence agencies. Between 2022 and 2024, USAID disbursed nearly $120 billion globally. The largest beneficiary was Ukraine, which received over $32 billion, funding everything from government operations to 90% of the country’s media outlets. Moldova was another major recipient, where USAID financed energy independence projects and media aligned with the government. Other countries in the post-Soviet space saw millions funneled into “democracy-building” efforts.

In 2024 alone, USAID poured over $40 million into Georgian civil society projects, $20 million into Armenia, and $11 million into Belarus. Even after officially ceasing operations in Russia in 2012, USAID quietly continued its activities, with $60 million earmarked for 11 programs in 2025-2026, including “Strengthening Local Governance in the North Caucasus” and “New Media” initiatives. In January 2025, everything changed. US President Donald Trump froze all foreign aid for 90 days. This was followed by a dramatic shake-up: USAID’s headquarters was raided by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) agents, and Elon Musk declared the agency was effectively “shut down.” For decades, USAID’s funding had been a critical support system for pro-Western and opposition structures in Russia and beyond.

Now, many of these organizations find themselves adrift, their stable funding having evaporated overnight. Yet celebrating this development as a triumph may be premature. The USAID freeze isn’t about dismantling the agency entirely. Rather, it’s a restructuring to wrest control from the Democrats, who previously used it to push left-liberal values globally. Trump’s goal is to transform USAID into a tool for his administration’s conservative agenda. As he bluntly put it: “[it has] been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out,” while Musk called it “a criminal organization” and said it was “time for it to die.” Under Trump’s plan, USAID will be integrated into the State Department, now headed by Marco Rubio.

Funding will not disappear – it will be redirected. Instead of backing progressive initiatives, grants will support projects that align with traditional values, patriotism, and the revived “American Dream.” The beneficiaries will shift from liberal activists to conservative organizations promoting these ideals. Geographically, funding priorities may also change, focusing more on Europe and Latin America. Regardless of these shifts, the primary mission of advancing the US interests will remain intact. The suspension of USAID has created chaos among the vast network of Russian organizations reliant on its funding. But they won’t go down without a fight. Some will perform ideological backflips, rebranding themselves as Trump-aligned supporters to secure new funding streams.

Others will pivot to European donors or private backers like disgraced 1990s oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. A few will downsize, trimming staff and budgets, but continue to operate independently. The hardest hit will be the smallest and most ideologically rigid groups, unable or unwilling to adapt. They will likely disappear altogether, but these are the exceptions.

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“..they may make a deal, they may not make a deal, they may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday, but we’re gonna have all this money in there..”

• Trump Wants Ukraine To Pay Back $500 Billion (RT)

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to secure a deal with Kiev to ensure Washington gets its money back by trading aid for Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals – regardless of whether “they may be Russian someday.” In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Trump claimed that “the United States is in for more than $300 billion, probably 350” in various forms of aid to Ukraine, adding that it would be “stupid” for Washington to continue bankrolling Kiev without receiving anything in return. “I want to have our money secured because we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars,” the US leader said. “They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things.”

“I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare earths, and they’ve essentially agreed to do that,” Trump stated. “So at least we don’t feel stupid. Otherwise, we’re stupid. I said to them, we have to get something.” “You know, they may make a deal, they may not make a deal, they may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday, but we’re gonna have all this money in there, and I say, I want it back,” he added. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky confirmed last week that he would be open to reaching an agreement over Kiev’s deposits of lithium, titanium, and other heavy metals. However, he insisted that Ukraine’s Western backers must first help push Russian forces out of mineral-rich territories before they can invest in rare-earth resources.

Before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the country had Europe’s largest reserves of titanium and lithium. While not classified as rare-earth elements, these materials are critical for military industries, batteries, and capacitors. The list of rare-earth metals that can be found in Ukraine also includes beryllium, manganese, gallium, uranium, zirconium, graphite, apatite, fluorite, and nickel. According to Forbes, around $7 trillion of Ukraine’s total mineral wealth is located in its former Donbass regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, which declared independence from Ukraine in 2014 following the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev. Most of these territories came under Russian control after Donetsk and Lugansk voted to join Russia in 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited the protection of people in Donbass as a key reason for launching the military operation in Ukraine. Resources in these territories are a major factor in NATO member states’ support for Kiev, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in October 2024. “Their discourse revolves around territory and resources that they require in America,” he said. “Our concern is not territories, but people.”

https://twitter.com/i/status/1889101793751413120

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Carlson knows this, but Trump does not?

• Ukraine Sells US Weapons To Mexican Drug Cartels – Tucker Carlson (RT)

A significant portion of the weapons Washington has provided to Kiev as military aid in its conflict with Russia is ending up in the hands of America’s “actual enemies,” including Mexican drug cartels, US journalist Tucker Carlson has claimed. As much as half of all weapons sent by the US to Ukraine end up on international black markets, the former Fox News host said on Monday during an interview with retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Daniel Davis. “The Ukrainian military is selling a huge percentage – up to half – of the arms that we send them. I know this for a fact,” Carlson claimed. However, he did not disclose his sources or provide specific evidence to support his statement.

Carlson argued that Washington is supplying Kiev with “hundreds of billions of dollars” worth of arms, a significant portion of which are being “stolen and sold to our actual enemies,” including “drug cartels on our border.” He also claimed that weapons from Ukraine could be easily purchased online, describing the situation as a “crime” and a “nightmare.” Since 2022, the US Congress has authorized approximately $175 billion in aid for Ukraine. However, a large portion of that funding has reportedly been allocated to American industries and other US government activities related to the conflict. In January, US President Donald Trump claimed that Washington had spent “$200 billion more than the EU” on aid to Kiev.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky later stated that Kiev had received just over $75 billion in military and other forms of assistance from Washington, adding that he has no idea where Trump’s estimate of $200 billion originated or where it could have vanished. Moscow has repeatedly warned that the unchecked supply of Western weapons to Ukraine has led to a large number of arms falling into the hands of organized criminal groups and extremists worldwide. Western media and officials have also acknowledged that weapons supplied to Kiev’s backers have ended up in criminal hands. In April 2022, Europol reported that its investigations indicated weapons were being trafficked out of Ukraine and into the EU to supply organized crime groups.

In October 2022, Finnish authorities stated that weapons originally sent to Kiev had surfaced in the country and were acquired by local criminals. At the time, similar reports emerged from Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. In June 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Western anti-tank weapons intended for Ukraine had been found on Israel’s border and were allegedly aimed at the Jewish state. In June 2024, Spanish media reported that criminal gangs in southern Spain had obtained modern military-grade weapons allegedly smuggled from Ukraine.

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Looking at his words, it seems he means a mini-recession. Because Trump.

• Danger of Deep Worldwide Recession in 2025 – Ed Dowd (USAW)

Former Wall Street money manager and financial analyst Ed Dowd of PhinanceTechnologies.com is back with a new report called “Danger of Deep Worldwide Recession in 2025.” The new report shows how a weak economy was propped up under the Biden Administration and how a crash, this year, is inevitable. Dowd says, “What we are going to have going forward is the reversal of deficit government spending, which was juicing the economy with illegals. Some of them got jobs, but a lot of them got benefits. They got housing accommodations. The NGO system was flush with money to facilitate this massive, purposeful logistical operation. People don’t understand that the net legal migration in the US is one million a year. That’s one million people a year.

The last four years, we brought in 10 million to 15 million people. That is a new economic variable, and it distorted the economy. It never got us into expansion territory, but it papered over a lot of the ills we were seeing. Trump’s policies are going to reverse that all out. . . . The velocity of money under Joe Biden really started to rise. . . . Illegal immigration is very inflationary. . . . In the fourth quarter, the velocity of money is already rolling over. The Trump effect began the moment he was elected. We’ve seen self-deportations. We have seen new tenant rents plunge, and that’s what has been holding up the housing market.”

How bad is the economy going to get? Dowd predicts, “We are seeing a recession in 2025. The rest of the globe is already starting to roll over. It’s going to be a worldwide recession. There is going to be a mini housing crisis. Housing has been stagnant for the better part of the year. There is no transaction volume, and nobody can afford homes. We are hitting the 18-year housing cycle. The last housing cycle was in 2007, and you add 18 years and you get 2025. . . . The economy for the middle-class is going down. . . . As time goes on, we are going to see GDP numbers go lower and lower and lower. . . . It’s kind of a perfect storm for the Trump Administration. There is no way to avoid the pain.”

When can we expect things to get better? Dowd says, “This is much like Ronald Reagan in his first term. He was elected with -2% real wages. This was the same phenomenon going into the 2024 Election. So, we are going to have a recession . . . Then, Trump gets his policies, and he has a very short window of opportunity to get all of his policies enacted. If he does, we will be booming on the other side of this.” Dowd still likes gold and thinks rates will begin going lower, which means locking in rates now will be a smart play for many. Dowd says, “Gold is good long term.” Dowd also thinks AI is over-bought and is in a bubble and points out, “There is no money on the other side,” of the AI boom. Dowd thinks AI tech will crash just like the internet bubble in early 2000. Dowd thinks, “AI prices are too expensive, and they will collapse at some point.”

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“The actual objective by the plaintiff in these cases (the Party of Chaos) is simply to delay any corrective action.”

• Warfare on Lawfare (Kunstler)

Speaking of metanarratives — and apart from the private vendettas on Planet Rap — a nice one is developing at center-stage of US political life: the Party of Chaos using federal judges to oppose the dismantling of their gigantic grift scaffold. In other words, more lawfare to obstruct any earnest effort to effectively reform the management of our country. So, last week, you get Judge Carl J. Nichols in the DC District arguing that the DOGE shutdown of USAID was unauthorized and potentially illegal, lacking congressional approval. Then, late Friday (when most citizens are checking out of the week’s struggles) Judge Paul Engelmayer out of the Southern District of New York blocked DOGE and other executive branch officials from accessing US Treasury records of expenditures.

The injunction, comically, prevents Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent from seeing what his agency doles out money for — that is, from managing anything his department does. The suit that prompted the ruling was brought by nineteen states’ Attorneys General led by NY AG Letitia James. So, you see how this works. You must also imagine that the White House was prepared for these lawfare shenanigans, though they haven’t shown their hand in response so far. This is a constitutional quarrel, of course, since it concerns who has authority between the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary over agency spending and, in particular, who gets to audit it. The actual objective by the plaintiff in these cases (the Party of Chaos) is simply to delay any corrective action.

The DOJ under Pam Bondi can designate the US Solicitor General to petition the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) for certiorari — to expedite the resolution of this constitutional issue as to whether Mr. Trump, as chief executive, and his bona fide appointees, can carry out executive functions. The arguments against that appear to be weak. It is the President’s duty to see that the laws are faithfully executed, meaning that the departments under him do their jobs correctly, which would give him inherent authority to audit and restructure agencies like USAID. Both judges Nichols and Engelmayer are arrogating executive and legislative functions on policy-making to themselves, triggering a separation-of-powers dispute that the SCOTUS must adjudicate promptly.

What matters most in these cases is that SCOTUS has an opportunity to put up new guardrails against the hijacking of the federal courts for the purpose of lawfare — that is, for political dirty-fighting under color-of-law. The law is slow-moving, arcane, and incomprehensible to most non-lawyer citizens and that is why the Party of Chaos has misused it so liberally. In any event, DOGE is moving ahead on many other fronts and the next battleground looks like the US Department of Education, an agency which, since its creation in 1979, has only presided over an epic degeneration in the academic performance of young people. The agency has grown since 1979 to 4,400 employees overseeing a $238-billion budget.

Otherwise, what it’s mainly accomplished is to enrich the various teachers’ unions and to raise the cost of college tuitions astronomically while degenerating the purpose and value of higher ed. The fifty states were arguably doing a better job on their own without any DOE on the scene. Meanwhile, it’s satisfying to see the security clearances revoked from Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, Mark Zaid, and Norm Eisen. The reason: among other crimes, they all dabbled in election interference. And “Joe Biden” lost his, too, on account of being too feeble-minded to be trusted with classified information. Who knows what other legal complications lie in waiting up ahead for that whole gang? Lawfare giveth and lawfare taketh away. Or FAFO.

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Yeah, let’s start a second army. Does she represent anything other than the arms industry?

• EU’s von der Leyen Calls For Alternative To NATO (RT)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for an alternative to NATO, arguing that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security. Her remarks come amid growing US demands for increased defense spending among members of the US-led military bloc, uncertainty over future support for Ukraine, and fears of a potential shift in Washington’s commitment to European security. “NATO remains the foundation of our defense. But it is evident that we need a pan-European defense,” von der Leyen said in a press briefing in Lithuania on Sunday. “Modern warfare requires a scale, technology, and coordination too big for any one nation to handle alone,” she added, asking for more funding, “both public and private.” The strategy for the future of European defense will be presented to EU leaders by mid-March, she said.

Before the Ukraine conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among the most vocal advocates for establishing an EU army. In 2019, Macron described NATO as “brain dead” and urged European leaders to pursue a policy of “strategic autonomy” from Washington, which has influenced security policy on the continent through NATO since the end of World War II. One of the suggestions was to create a “true, European army” to independently strengthen continental security. Though then-NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the move would “weaken the connection between North America and Europe,” Italy supported the idea. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has argued that the bloc cannot have a credible foreign policy without a joint military. However, the idea faced strong pushback in other European countries.

In 2024, then-top EU diplomat Josep Borrell suggested that while the bloc should aspire to boost the military capabilities of its members, this does not mean that it should create a common army. Several EU states, including Denmark and Poland, have also signaled that they want their security guaranteed within the existing NATO framework. Macron recently announced that France would double its military budget and urged other EU states to follow suit, citing the possibility of dwindling US interest in European security after Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Since February 2022, the US has provided over $65 billion in military aid to Ukraine. However, Trump has questioned this support, stating that Kiev has “had enough,” while advocating for a peace agreement with Russia.In 2022, after the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the EU significantly ramped up defense spending. Since then, Germany, France, and other EU states have pledged record increases in defense budgets.

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EU’s right organizes: “Make Europe Great Again.”

• EU’s Right Calls For New ‘Reconquista’ Against ‘Islamist Advance’ (RT)

Right-wing leaders from across Europe have called for a new “Reconquista” to defend the continent’s traditional values and cultural identity while criticizing the EU’s migration policies. On Saturday, the Patriots for Europe group, the third-largest political bloc in the EU parliament, gathered in Madrid for its first high-profile rally since the summer elections. Attendees included Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain’s conservative Vox party; Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally party; and other high-profile conservative and right-wing leaders. The event was held under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again,” an explicit nod to US President Donald Trump’s campaign motto. The conference centered on the theme of battling Islam, EU bureaucracy, globalism and left-wing “woke policies” and diversity.

The term “Reconquista” echoed throughout the event, with Abascal comparing today’s political struggles to the centuries-long campaign by Christian kingdoms to free the territory of modern Spain from Muslim rule in the Middle Ages. “We Spaniards are proud to be known for that extraordinary feat of our ancestors. We are ready to be that again,” Abascal noted. “We are ready to be that wall of Europe once again in the face of Islamist advance,” he said, vowing to fight against “global dictatorship,” including the one imposed from Brussels. The idea of Reconquista was also mentioned by Martin Helme, the leader of Estonia’s Conservative People’s Party. “For Europe to be great again, we need to have a new Reconquista,” he said while accusing globalist elites of trying to “damage our Christian civilization and replace it with their sick satanic utopia.”

Orban, a consistent opponent of the EU’s lenient approach to migration, also weighed in, suggesting that “the replacement of the population of Europe is not a conspiracy theory, it is pure practice.” The Hungarian leader also said that liberal ideology had suffered a major defeat due to Trump’s victory in the US. “The Trump tornado, has changed the world in just a couple of weeks. An era has ended,” he said. The sentiment was echoed by Le Pen, who also called for “renaissance of Europe” which she said could be achieved by establishing dialogue among different right-wing forces. Right-wing parties across the EU have grown in popularity over the past decade, with their electoral gains fueled by public discontent over rising immigration, especially from Africa and the Middle East, as well as economic instability.

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“In May, Erdogan severed trade ties with the Jewish state in response to the war, which he has consistently compared to the Holocaust.”

• Trump’s Gaza Plan ‘Futile’ – Erdogan (RT)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take control of Gaza, calling it a meaningless plan pushed by the “Zionist lobby.” Trump floated the idea of the US owning the Palestinian enclave last week at a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He reiterated his previous call to relocate the Palestinians outside Gaza, shifting the burden onto neighboring countries. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Erdogan expressed Ankara’s firm opposition to any plan that would forcibly expel the Palestinian population from their homeland. “The proposals put forward by the new American administration regarding Gaza with the pressure of the Zionist lobby have nothing worth considering or discussing,” Erdogan told a news conference at Istanbul Airport before flying to Malaysia. Trump’s plan proposes transforming Gaza into what he describes as “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Under the plan, displaced Palestinians would first relocate to Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab countries, with some eventually resettling in the newly developed area. Netanyahu has voiced support for the proposal, calling it the “first good idea” he has heard concerning the region’s future. Erdogan described the idea as “completely futile.” “No one has the power to remove the people of Gaza from their eternal homeland that has been around for thousands of years. Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem belong to the Palestinians,” he argued. Türkiye has been one of Israel’s most vocal critics throughout the Gaza conflict. In May, Erdogan severed trade ties with the Jewish state in response to the war, which he has consistently compared to the Holocaust. Trump’s initiative has been strongly opposed by key regional players, with Jordan, Egypt, the Arab League, and Hamas all rejecting it.

Global powers, including Germany, France, Brazil, Russia, and China, have also condemned the displacement proposal. Opponents of the plan argue that forced relocation would violate international law, with human rights groups calling it “ethnic cleansing.” Despite the criticism, Trump is reportedly pressing forward with diplomatic talks, seeking input from Arab leaders to refine his approach. Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News on Sunday that the US president is set to meet with key Arab leaders, including the king of Jordan, the president of Egypt, and potentially the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, to negotiate the relocation of Palestinians. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry earlier strongly rejected the proposal, arguing that Palestinians are the rightful owners of their land, not “intruders” or “immigrants” who can be expelled at the will of the “Israeli occupation.”

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Noon Saturday.

Hasn’t Gaza been hell already for months? Not enough?

• Trump Threatens To ‘Let Hell Break Out’ In Gaza (RT)

US President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to Hamas, demanding the release of all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza by midday Saturday, and warning that failure to comply would result in “all hell” breaking out. On Monday, Hamas threatened to halt the release of additional hostages, accusing Israel of violating the terms of the fragile ceasefire agreement by preventing displaced Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, restricting the delivery of humanitarian aid, and delaying negotiations for the second phase of the deal. In response, Israel alleged that Hamas’s actions constituted a complete breach of the agreement, under which the militant group pledged to initially release 33 hostages in several batches in exchange for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners held by Israeli authorities.

“I have instructed the IDF to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza,” Defense Minister Israel Katz stated. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said the future of the ceasefire would be “Israel’s decision.” “But as far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock – I think it’s an appropriate time – I would say cancel it, and all bets are off. Let hell break out,” Trump said. “We want them all back,” he added, insisting that the hostages should be released all at once, “not in dribs and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two.” Asked to clarify what punitive measures he envisions, Trump reiterated that “all hell is going to break out.”

“You’ll find out. And they’ll find out too. Hamas will find out what I mean. These are sick people,” he added. Last week, Trump floated the idea of the US taking control of the Palestinian enclave during a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He proposed transforming Gaza – left in ruins after 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas – into what he described as “the Riviera of the Middle East.” As part of the plan, he suggested relocating Palestinians to neighboring Arab countries while the area is redeveloped. On Monday, he threatened to withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they refused to take Palestinian refugees. The move would amount to “ethnic cleansing” and a “crime against humanity,” Bassem Naim, head of Hamas’s political branch, told RT in an exclusive interview on Friday.

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“..it is vital that the charity be fairly compensated for what its leadership is taking away from it: control over the most transformative technology of our time..”

Altman claims “Musk previously supported turning OpenAI into a for-profit but walked away because he couldn’t get control of it.”

• Musk And Altman Throw Punches Over Control Of OpenAI (ZH)

Elon Musk is leading a group of investors in a $97.4 billion offer to purchase the nonprofit that controls OpenAI – the makers of ChatGPT, – and which Musk was an original investor in. On Monday, Musk’s attorney Marc Toberoff said he submitted the bid to OpenAI’s board of directors in an unsolicited offer that could upend OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s plans to convert it into a for-profit company, as well as plans to spend up to $500 billion on AI infrastructure through the so-called ‘Stargate’ joint venture, WSJ reports. “It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” Musk said in a statement provided by Toberoff. “We will make sure that happens.” Altman and Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a charity. In 2019, after Musk left the company and Altman became chief executive, OpenAI created a for-profit subsidiary that has served as a vehicle for it to raise money from Microsoft and other investors. Altman is in the process of turning the subsidiary into a traditional company and spinning out the nonprofit, which would own equity in the new for-profit.

One of the thorniest questions in the conversion has been how the nonprofit will be valued. Musk’s bid sets a high bar and may mean that he, or whoever runs the nonprofit, would end up with a large and possibly controlling stake in the new OpenAI. The bid is being backed by xAI – Musk’s own artificial intelligence company, which could end up merging with OpenAI following a deal. Other investors in the potential deal include; Valor Equity Partners, Baron Capital, Atreides Management, Vy Capital and 8VC, a venture firm led by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale. And who else? Ari Emanuel – CEO of Hollywood company Endeavor (and the brother of Democrat operative Rahm Emanuel) – who was portrayed in Entourage. Altman responded to the offer with a “no thank you,” adding “but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” [..]

Musk has filed several legal complaints against OpenAI, accusing the company of betraying its original mission as a nonprofit by creating the for-profit arm, as well as colluding with Microsoft, its biggest investor, to dominate AI development. On Jan. 7, Toberoff sent a letter to the attorneys general in California, where OpenAI is based, and Delaware, where it is incorporated, asking that they open up bidding for the company to determine the fair market value of its charitable assets. Musk and other critics have said they believe OpenAI may undervalue the nonprofit when they spin it out. OpenAI has called Musk’s legal claims baseless and overreaching and said the nonprofit will receive full value in its ownership stake of the for-profit. The company released documents in December that it said showed Musk previously supported turning OpenAI into a for-profit but walked away because he couldn’t get control of it. -WSJ

What’s more, Toberoff says Musk and team is prepared to match or exceed any bids higher than their own. “If Sam Altman and the present OpenAI Inc. Board of Directors are intent on becoming a fully for-profit corporation, it is vital that the charity be fairly compensated for what its leadership is taking away from it: control over the most transformative technology of our time,” he said. The move to buy OpenAI comes weeks after Altman appeared next to newly inaugurated President Donald Trump and other business leaders to announce a plan called “Stargate,” which would invest up to $500 billion over the next four years in US data centers – a plan which Musk talked mad shit about, claiming that the project’s backers didn’t have the cash for, and calling Altman “a swindler.”

According to the report, OpenAI was already facing several hurdles on their path to converting from a charity to a for-profit company, with rival firm Meta Platforms sending a letter to California’s attorney general in December expressing opposition to the plan, and OpenAI remaining stuck in negotiations with Microsoft and other stakeholders over how much equity should be allocated to whom. The original plan was to complete the transition by later 2026, with a $6.6 billion funding round in October which valued the company at $157 billion. Separately, the company has been in talks to raise up to $40 billion in new funding at a $300 billion valuation in a round led by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, which would invest between $15 and $25 billion itself

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Dr Fu Manchu.

• Deepseek Compared To ChatGPT On The Ukraine War – Who Is Winning? (Helmer)

The last Chinese as clever, as profiteering, and as popular in the imagination of millions as DeepSeek was Dr Fu Manchu. “Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan,” wrote his creator Sax Rohmer, the alias of an Englishman: “invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resources of science past and present …Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the Yellow Peril incarnate in one man.” Appearing first in 1912, educated at several western universities, the “Chinese devil’s” plots were aimed at combating fascism, communism, and the British empire. His methods included honey-trap girls, poisons, germs, spiders, and unspeakable tortures. He was a caricature of western fear of the superiority of the Chinese race.

DeepSeek is his new name; the racism is the same. According to a US government-backed report issued a few days ago, DeepSeek is “highly biased as well as highly vulnerable to generate insecure code, toxic, harmful and CBRN [Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear] content.” Open AI, the US government-connected company which owns the competing ChatGPT, has declared the Chinese villain is a thief. “DeepSeek may [sic] have inappropriately distilled our models…We take aggressive, proactive countermeasures to protect our technology and will continue working closely with the US government to protect the most capable models being built here.” Last December the New York Times launched court action against Open AI, accusing it of the same plagiarism on which Open AI is now relying in its attack on DeepSeek. “Independent journalism is vital to our democracy,” the newspaper claimed.

“For more than 170 years, The Times has given the world deeply reported, expert, independent journalism… Defendants’ unlawful use of The Times’s work to create artificial intelligence products that compete with it threatens The Times’s ability to provide that service. Defendants’ generative artificial intelligence (“GenAI”) tools rely on large-language models (“LLMs”) that were built by copying and using millions of The Times’s copyrighted news articles, in-depth investigations, opinion pieces, reviews, how-to guides, and more…The law does not permit the kind of systematic and competitive infringement that Defendants have committed. This action seeks to hold them responsible for the billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages that they owe for the unlawful copying and use of The Times’s uniquely valuable works.”

This is the first time in US federal court history that the reproduction of government deception operations and propaganda by newspaper reporters has been subjected to a test, not of the espionage statute as in the Ellsberg and Assange cases, but of the copyright laws. A month later, the New York Times attacked DeepSeek, not for plagiarising the Times, but for reproducing Chinese government propaganda. “If you’re among the millions of people who have downloaded DeepSeek, the free new chatbot from China powered by artificial intelligence, know this: The answers it gives you will largely reflect the worldview of the Chinese Communist Party. Since the tool made its debut this month, rattling stock markets and more established tech giants like Nvidia, researchers testing its capabilities have found that the answers it gives not only spread Chinese propaganda but also parrot disinformation campaigns that China has used to undercut its critics around the world.”

This is no more than one press pot calling another media kettle black. But with billions of dollars at stake in the stock market capitalisation of the American and Chinese companies producing Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, this is also a battle of the propaganda operations of the US government in the wars it is currently waging. For a test of this warfighting, DeepSeek has been questioned on issues of the Russian war in the Ukraine and the US war against Russia. Its answers, which follow verbatim, reveal no evidence (repeat no evidence) of Chinese backing for the Russian side. Instead, surprise (repeat surprise) – there is evidence that DeepSeek is no more capable than Chat GPT of distinguishing between propaganda and truth. So long as DeepSeek trains on the English language and answers questions from the current English-language database and large language model, this is inevitable. Resisting English-language dominance in AI is now Kremlin strategy.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

RFK Monsanto

 

 

Elon Rogan Mars

 

 

Coast guy

 

 

Street art

 

 

Family

 

 

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Debt Rattle February 10 2025

Feb 102025
 
 February 10, 2025  Posted by at 8:11 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  56 Responses »


Jacopo Bassano The Miraculous Draught of Fishes 1545

 

• DOGE’s Targets (Burg)
• Musk Slams Ruling Blocking DOGE From Accessing Treasury Payment Systems (JTN)
• Musk Calls For Impeachment Of Judge Who Blocked DOGE Access At Treasury (ZH)
• Trump, Musk, and the Deep State: The Battle Over Transparency Begins (Kimball)
• Musk Says DOGE, Treasury Agree on New Anti-Fraud Measures (Ozimek)
• US Treasury Pays $100bn Annually To Unknown Recipients – Musk (RT)
• Musk Mocks Pro-Western ‘independent’ Media For Losing US Funding (RT)
• Trump’s USAID Purge Has Revealed US Scheming In Kiev, But Won’t Stop It (Amar)
• Designating Cartels as Terrorists Will Have Huge Consequences (Summers)
• Trump Stripping Security Clearances Of Numerous Antagonists (Devine)
• Trump Doubles CBS Harris Interview Lawsuit Damages to $20 Billion (ET)
• Freed Jan. 6 Prisoners Speak Out as They Begin to Rebuild Their Lives (Hisle)
• ‘Diversity Is Our Strength’ Dumbest Phrase In Military History – Hegseth (RT)
• Paris Backs Neo-Nazism in Ukraine – Moscow (RT)
• The EU’s Worst Enemies Are Its Own Russophobic Leaders (Marsden)

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1888619828258214032

Bureaucracy
https://twitter.com/i/status/1888290487028560099

Bessent

Alina

Rubio

 

 

 

 

“They’re doing it at my insistence. It would be a lot easier not to do it, but we have to take some of these things apart to find the corruption.”

• DOGE’s Targets (Burg)

Moving at breakneck speed as President Donald Trump shakes up the executive branch, Musk’s engineers and advisers have accessed information technology (IT) systems in several federal departments. Anonymously sourced reports, not yet independently verified by The Epoch Times, allege DOGE is probing several other agencies, and groups are filing lawsuits to bar Musk’s advisers from accessing those departments’ computer systems. DOGE’s actions, which Musk says are aimed at reducing government spending and waste, have spurred a backlash from some Democratic lawmakers who describe it as a breach of congressional oversight by an unelected “special government employee.” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) cited cybersecurity concerns if DOGE is connecting to federal databases with “their own unvetted commercial servers.”

This week, during a House Oversight Committee on “Reducing Waste in Government,” Rep. James Comer (R-K.Y.) defended Musk’s unprecedented role in the executive branch, saying “real innovation isn’t clean and tidy.” President Donald Trump defended DOGE’s access to federal data systems on Friday, adding that the Pentagon and the Department of Education are next. “We’re going to be looking at tremendous amounts of money … being spent on things that bear no relationship to anything and have no value,” Trump said. “I’m very proud of the job that this group of young people … [are] doing. They’re doing it at my insistence. It would be a lot easier not to do it, but we have to take some of these things apart to find the corruption.”

So far, the DOGE team has accessed IT systems at agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Energy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), while a coalition of labor unions has sued to block access at the U.S. Department of Labor. Additionally, students in California are suing the Department of Education, alleging that DOGE staffers are accessing confidential student data. The Epoch Times could not independently confirm other agencies—including the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Agency for International Development—where DOGE may have received access to internal systems or databases.The Treasury Department confirmed in a Feb. 4 letter to Congress that DOGE staff had been given “read-only” access to the agency’s nearly $6 trillion federal payments system.

According to the letter, Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause will work with the agency as a “special government employee” to review the Bureau of the Fiscal Service for operational efficiency and prevent abuse, fraud, and waste. The work will be done in conjunction with career Treasury officials.On Feb. 5, the Justice Department wrote in a court filing that it would, for now, restrict DOGE’s access to Treasury Department payment systems. DOGE was also granted access to systems and technology at CMS, the agency said on Feb. 5. CMS will be in direct collaboration with DOGE while two senior agency staffers will direct the effort. CMS, which is within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, oversees the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Medicare is a health insurance plan for older and disabled Americans, while Medicaid covers low-income enrollees.

While DOGE has said it wants to cut $2 trillion in government spending, the goal would likely be difficult to reach without reducing spending on health and social assistance programs. Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance subsidies made up 24 percent of the 2024 federal budget, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. However, Trump told reporters last week that there would be no impacts on Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security unless his administration finds waste or abuse. “The people won’t be affected,” Trump said, referring to recipients of those benefits.

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“How on Earth are we supposed to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money without looking at how money is spent?”

• Musk Slams Ruling Blocking DOGE From Accessing Treasury Payment Systems (JTN)

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk slammed an Obama-appointed federal judge for blocking his Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department payment systems for at least one week. “This ruling is absolutely insane! How on Earth are we supposed to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money without looking at how money is spent? That’s literally impossible! Something super shady is going [on] to protect scammers,” Musk wrote Saturday on X.

According to Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer’s order, access to payment records would be limited to “civil servants with a need for access to perform their job duties within the Bureau of Fiscal Services who have passed all background checks and security clearances and taken all information security training called for in federal statutes and Treasury Department regulations.”

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The Dems went “judge-shopping” and found one willing to block DOGE, and even the Treasury Secretary, from accessing Treasury files.

• Musk Calls For Impeachment Of Judge Who Blocked DOGE Access At Treasury (ZH)

Elon Musk has called for the impeachment of an Obama-appointed judge who barred DOGE and the Treasury Secretary from accessing payment systems at the US Treasury. On Friday night, Democrats went ‘judge shopping’ to ask that Musk’s team be stopped from accessing Treasury systems, knowing that instead of receiving a judge by random selection, the only available judge would be Paul Engelmayer – who held an ex-parte hearing without DOJ lawyers. Engelmayer did not cite any case law or precedent for his ruling, which many have criticized for vast overreach. The order prohibits special government employees, along with those from outside the Treasury department, and the Treasury secretary himself, from accessing the systems. On Saturday, Musk posted to X: “A corrupt judge protecting corruption,” adding “He needs to be impeached NOW.”

In an earlier post, Musk wrote “it’s time,” in response to the suggestion that activist judges should be impeached. Engelmayer’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit by 19 Democratic state attorneys general who panicked over DOGE investigating waste, fraud and abuse within the US government. “The Court’s firm assessment is that, for the reasons stated by the States, they will face irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief,” wrote Engelmayer in his decision. “That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking.”

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“..Engelmayer’s order came in response to a lawsuit filed on Friday by Letitia James..”

• Trump, Musk, and the Deep State: The Battle Over Transparency Begins (Kimball)

Tasked with the Herculean labor of unscrambling the byzantine Rube Goldberg device that is the 21st-century administrative state for furthering corruption, illegal payments, and partisan influence at home and abroad, DOGE commander Elon Musk and his laptop-and-algorithm-toting lieutenants have been patiently uncovering the pyramid of waste, fraud, and abuse that is the foundation of the United States government in its twenty-first-century incarnation. In a remarkable piece called “Override: Inside The Revolution Rewiring American Power,” a blogger known as EKO showed how it worked. Four young coders arrive at the Treasury Department in the wee hours of January 21. Within hours they have succeeded in tracing long-hidden payment directions. No committees. No approvals. No red tape. Just four coders with unprecedented access and algorithms ready to run.

“The beautiful thing about payment systems,” noted a transition official watching their screens, “is that they don’t lie. You can spin policy all day long, but money leaves a trail.” That trail led to staggering discoveries. Programs marked as independent revealed coordinated funding streams. Grants labeled as humanitarian aid showed curious detours through complex networks. Black budgets once shrouded in secrecy began to unravel under algorithmic scrutiny. The difference between Trump’s first term and his second (acknowledged) term can be explained in two words: velocity and preparedness. In 2017, Trump’s initiatives were hampered, blindsided, litigated, and smothered in red tape. This time the Leviathan’s usual expedients are impotent. “Their traditional defenses—slow-walking decisions, leaking damaging stories, stonewalling requests—proved useless against an opponent moving faster than their systems could react.

By the time they drafted their first memo objecting to this breach, three more systems had already been mapped.” And here’s the point: “Pull this thread,” a senior official warned, watching patterns emerge across DOGE’s screens, “and the whole sweater unravels.” He wasn’t wrong. But he misunderstood something crucial: That was exactly the point. The left gets it. And their heads are exploding. So far, their biggest gun was the creaky cannon Judge Robart wheeled out: the emergency injunction with immediate “nationwide effect.” The New York Times, a house organ for anti-Trump hysteria, has a long hand-wringing column about the latest wheeze. Paul A. Engelmayer, a U.S. District Judge appointed by Barrack Obama, just issued an “emergency order” to restrict Elon Musk’s and DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment and data system.

He also insisted that anyone who had access to those systems after January 20 “destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems.” Fun part: even Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury, is prohibited from looking into the corrupt structures of his own department. Engelmayer’s order came in response to a lawsuit filed on Friday by Letitia James, Attorney General of New York and professional scourge of all things Trump, along with 18 other Democratic state attorneys general. What was the charge? The stated predicate was that by authorizing the investigation, Trump had failed in his Constitutional duty to “faithfully execute the laws enacted by Congress.” The real predicate was that Musk’s beavers were uncovering the inner mechanism of the deep state and the resulting truths were unbearable.

“Humankind,” said T. S. Eliot, in “Burnt Norton,” “cannot bear very much reality.” Similarly, Bureaucrats cannot bear very much transparency. Like vampires, the sunlight is fatal to them. How will Trump respond? We do not know yet. I hope it will be at least partly as Andrew Jackson is said to have responded in his contretemps with Chief Justice John Marshall. In 1834, the Supreme Court determined that the Cherokee Indians owned Northern Georgia. Nevertheless, Andrew Jackson evicted the Indians, reputedly observing that Marshall “has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” Lincoln responded in a similar fashion to Chief Justice Roger Taney in 1861. In April of that year, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. This allowed military commanders to imprison suspected saboteurs without indictment.

Taney said (in “Ex Parte Merryman”) that Lincoln did not have the authority to do this. Lincoln basically ignored him, invoking the novel doctrine of “nonacquiesence.” As usual, Lincoln demonstrated his deep understanding of the issues involved. “Are all the laws but one to go unexecuted,” he asked Taney, “and the Government itself go to pieces lest that one be violated? Even in such a case, would not the official oath be broken if the Government should be overthrown when it was believed that disregarding the single law would tend to preserve it?” In my view, Trump’s actions to expose the partisan corruption of the administrative state are in response to an existential threat is as grave, if less bloody, than the Civil War. The permanent bureaucracy that rules us has for decades been erecting and fortifying a nearly impenetrable edifice from which to preserve its privileges and power, stifle criticism, and export its globalist agenda.

Donald Trump was elected to deconstruct that edifice. Elon Musk is one of his most potent aides in accomplishing that task. Of course, the left is hysterical. Their gravy train is being derailed before their eyes. The people who elected Trump are delighted. I suspect that the squeals and tantrums of the ruling party and its minions will amount to no more than theater. I further suspect that Trump will resort not only to “nonacquiesence” but also to non-payment. In 2022, New York received $383 billion in federal spending. There are many ways in which Trump could stanch the flow of federal dollars to obstreperous states. I think he should consider them all. I am also happy to see some official pushback. Rep. Darrell Issa, for example, just announced that he is “immediately introducing legislation next week to stop these rogue judges and allow Trump and DOGE to tell you where government is spending your money.” Good for him.

One final suggestion. If left-wing regime-party judges can issue emergency restraining orders with “immediate nationwide effect,” why couldn’t a politically mature district judge in, say, Alabama do the same, overturning the order issued by his left-wing colleague on an “immediate, nationwide basis?” I offer the idea free and for nothing.

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Want to oppose finding fraud?

• Musk Says DOGE, Treasury Agree on New Anti-Fraud Measures (Ozimek)

Elon Musk said Saturday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the U.S. Treasury Department have agreed on new anti-fraud measures aimed at preventing tens of billions of dollars in fraudulent government entitlement payments each year. In a Feb. 8 statement shared on social media, Musk described the scale of the problem as “utterly insane,” citing estimates that at least $50 billion annually is being lost due to improper payments, including funds going to individuals without Social Security Numbers or even temporary ID numbers. Musk, who leads DOGE and has been designated a “special government employee” by President Donald Trump, revealed in the post that Treasury officials estimated that $100 billion in annual entitlement payments may be going to individuals without verifiable identification.

In a discussion with Treasury personnel, Musk said he asked for an estimate of how much of that is “obvious and unequivocal” fraud, and the consensus was that at least half—$50 billion per year, or around $1 billion per week—is fraudulent. “This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately,” Musk wrote, adding that the DOGE team and Treasury have jointly agreed to a series of reforms. One of the most significant changes will be the requirement that all outgoing government payments include a payment categorization code. According to Musk, these codes are essential for financial audits, yet they are frequently left blank, making it nearly impossible to track where taxpayer dollars are going.

Under the new rules, every payment will also need to include a rationale in the comment field. Currently, many government payments lack any explanation, making it difficult to assess their legitimacy, Musk said. While he emphasized that no judgment will be applied to these rationales at this stage, requiring at least some justification for payments is expected to serve as a deterrent against waste and fraud. Another reform involves more effective implementation of Treasury’s Do-Not-Pay list, which is meant to prevent payments to fraudulent entities, deceased individuals, suspected terrorist fronts, and other entities or people who should not be paid by federal agencies. Musk said that this list has not been strictly enforced, with some payments still being made to flagged entities. He also pointed out that it can take up to a year for names to be added to the list, calling for weekly or even daily updates to prevent ongoing fraud.

Musk said that the above “super obvious and necessary” changes will be implemented by existing, long-time career Treasury employees; not anyone from the DOGE. His remarks in this regard align with Treasury Department Scott Bessent’s insistence that DOGE members have read-only access to Treasury data and that they have not been “tinkering” with sensitive payment systems at the department. The development comes as DOGE focuses its cost-cutting and efficiency-enhancing efforts at multiple federal agencies, including Treasury, as part of the Trump administration’s broader aim of reducing deficits and eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse from government.

Republicans have praised DOGE’s efforts to identify government waste, while Democrats have denounced the body’s actions as an abuse of power and its operations as skirting congressional oversight. There have been protests over DOGE by members of Congress, federal employee unions, and privacy advocates, along with a number of lawsuits targeting its activities. Recently, a judge blocked DOGE’s access to the personal financial data of millions of Americans at the Treasury Department. Bessent recently defended DOGE’s actions at Treasury. He said in an interview with Bloomberg that the DOGE team is made up of highly trained professionals and “not some roving band running around doing things,” possibly in reference to claims by critics that DOGE has embraced and is applying the adage “move fast and break things,” which is part of the Silicon Valley start-up culture of being innovative, nimble, and disruptive.

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Just one example of many.

• US Treasury Pays $100bn Annually To Unknown Recipients – Musk (RT)

Elon Musk, as head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has said that the US Treasury pays over $100 billion annually to individuals without Social Security Numbers (SSNs) or temporary ID numbers. Musk has urged immediate reforms to address potential fraud and inefficiencies in payment systems. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X has been appointed a “special government employee” to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under US President Donald Trump’s administration and is currently among Trump’s key advisers. Despite its name, the agency is not a permanent federal executive department, but a temporary body dedicated to reducing government spending. The tech billionaire has set a goal of reducing the federal deficit by at least $1 trillion, which would require daily cuts averaging $4 billion.

“Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number. If accurate, this is extremely suspicious,” Musk posted on X. According to Treasury officials, approximately half of these payments, equating to $50 billion per year, or $1 billion per week, could be fraudulent, Musk stated. He described it as “utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.” Musk said that in response, DOGE and the Treasury Department have agreed to implement measures to enhance transparency and accountability in government payments. These include requiring all outgoing payments to have a payment categorization code. Musk pointed out that this field is frequently left blank, making audits challenging. Additionally, all payments must include a rationale in the comment field, which is currently often omitted.

Musk noted that it can currently take up to a year to get on the “Do-Not-Pay” list. The list includes entities known to be fraudulent, deceased individuals, probable fronts for terrorist organizations, and recipients not matching Congressional appropriations. Musk has asked for updates at least weekly, if not daily. He emphasized that these changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not by anyone from DOGE. He expressed his astonishment that such obvious and necessary changes were not already in place. Last week DOGE announced that it had managed to save over $1 billion thanks to the elimination of contracts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The published index lists 30 federal bodies, stating that 104 contracts with a “ceiling value” of over $1.2 billion were eliminated.

In a post on X on Monday, Musk described DOGE as “the wood chipper for bureaucracy.” Musk’s team has also gained access to the federal payment system, courtesy of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, to oversee and curb government expenditures. This move has sparked concerns among some officials, who worry about potential conflicts of interest and the impact on sensitive taxpayer information. Lawyers with the US Justice Department have agreed to a proposed order that would temporarily restrict DOGE from accessing sensitive financial data at the Treasury Department.

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“‘Independent media’ lmao…”

• Musk Mocks Pro-Western ‘independent’ Media For Losing US Funding (RT)

Elon Musk has derided pro-Western Russian and Ukrainian media outlets over their degree of perceived “independence,” as the publications now find themselves under severe financial strain following US President Donald Trump’s clampdown on the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Shortly after his inauguration, Trump suspended most of US foreign aid pending a three-month review, which primarily affected USAID, Washington’s agency for funding political projects abroad. Trump has called for the agency to be shut down altogether, citing rampant corruption and overall inefficiency. On Sunday, Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and also a fierce critic of USAID, mocked a Washington Post article entitled “Independent media in Russia, Ukraine lose their funding with USAID freeze.”

“‘Independent media’ lmao,” he wrote on X, employing the acronym meaning “laughing my a** off.” The WaPo report highlighted the dire financial situation many pro-Western media in Ukraine and Russia found themselves in following Trump’s return to the White House. The article noted that the lack of funds affected Ukraine’s small regional outlets and investigative websites. Detector Media, a Ukrainian journalism watchdog, warned last week that “We risk losing the achievements of three decades of work and increasing threats to Ukraine’s statehood, democratic values, and pro-Western orientation.” Natalya Ligachova, head of Detector Media, estimated that “more than 50%” of media outlets are dependent on American assistance, at least to some extent.

Meanwhile, The Moscow Times, an Amsterdam-based English- and Russian-language newspaper, reported, citing sources, that up to 90 Russian organizations operating outside of the country – many of which have been accused of spreading falsehoods about Russia – have lost US funding. Many of them may be forced to cease operations altogether, the report said. The Moscow Times itself has been designated “undesirable” by the Russian government for “discrediting” Russia’s foreign and domestic policies.

Prior to the USAID clampdown, Russian officials repeatedly accused the US of waging an information war, including by using numerous foreign-funded liberal outlets against the country to justify the West’s “hybrid aggression.” Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Moscow took tough measures to curb the spread of falsehoods about the Russian military, imposing a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for violations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last September that despite the conflict in Ukraine, the media are still free to express their opinions, as stipulated by the Constitution. He stressed, however, that both domestic and foreign media are obliged to obey the country’s laws.

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“..when Ukraine’s current past-best-by-date leader Vladimir Zelensky actually did face and win an election in 2019, his single concrete – and sensible – promise was to seek peace through negotiations..”

• Trump’s USAID Purge Has Revealed US Scheming In Kiev, But Won’t Stop It (Amar)

First, we now learn that almost the entire Ukrainian media sphere – 90 percent of news organizations – depended on USAID funding. Indeed, Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent (the irony…), a staunchly info-warring publication, fears that losing access to the USAID trough “has caused harm to independent Ukrainian journalism on par with the COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of Russia’s full-scale war.” Hear, hear. More generally, a recent article in the Columbia Journalism Review is worrying that losing USAID money will threaten “independent” journalism worldwide. No wonder, as USAID itself has proudly claimed that the US government “is now the largest public donor to independent media development globally.”

But any talk of “independence” here is, just like Rudenko’s complaint, obvious Orwellian-grade propaganda: Journalism that literally depends for its very existence on funding from an organization serving as a front for the foreign interests of the single most powerful and aggressive country in the world may be anything, but it cannot be – by definition – independent. You may, if that’s your thing, politically sympathize with such journalism or argue that you feel it is still, on balance, useful, if you wish, but please cut out the absurdity. In practice, Ukraine is a perfect illustration of how such media dependency-across-borders can easily end in catastrophe: Anyone who knows Ukrainian well enough – as I do – can have a look for themselves.

What they will find is a Potemkin village of pseudo-diversity, at best, with very few and embattled exceptions. In reality, the Ukrainian public sphere has been massively manipulated by a monotonous diet of pseudo-”patriotic” messaging. The single most urgent question concerning Ukraine’s own national interests, however, has been systematically maligned and made taboo: namely, if serving as proxy war cannon fodder for the West has been worth it. The second manner in which USAID has promoted this devastating war was, if anything, even worse, in the sense of more drastic and hands-on: It’s now almost forgotten, but when Ukraine’s current past-best-by-date leader Vladimir Zelensky actually did face and win an election in 2019, his single concrete – and sensible – promise was to seek peace through negotiations.

Clearly, at the time, that promise was a major factor in his unprecedented landslide victory. Once in office, for a very short moment, it seemed as if Zelensky was trying to keep that promise. But then – years before the 2022 escalation – he made a 180-degree turn and emerged as an uncompromising and shortsighted nationalist and a tool of the US – if a very expensive and occasionally capricious one. It is likely that he will soon be discarded, as tools can be. But the damage he has already done to his country is enormous. Many observers have long been puzzled by early Zelensky’s terrible turn. Was it fear of the powerful and aggressive Ukrainian far-right? Was it a misconceived play for even more popularity? Was it money? Was it Western pressure? We still don’t know the whole story, but we do know one important new thing: a wave of “popular” resistance “from below” and by “civil society” against Zelensky’s initial attempts to look for peace was not genuine.

Instead, it had massive Western backing, including from USAID. In particular, the organization was one of the key sponsors of a “joint statement” which presented a concerted threat to Zelensky in 2019, that is, almost immediately after he assumed office. On the surface the product of 70 Ukrainian NGOs, this was, in reality, a massive affront to democracy and the rule of law: Its sole purpose was to unconstitutionally constrain the newly elected president with so-called “red lines” and, in particular, nullify what so many of his voters wanted, namely an honest search for peace. None of this means that Zelensky is innocent. On the contrary, it was his duty and, literally, his job to resist such shameless pressure tactics and their foreign backers and stand up for his voters and the country as a whole. His failure to do so is his and will remain so forever.

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Feels like a good idea.

• Designating Cartels as Terrorists Will Have Huge Consequences (Summers)

On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that started a process by which international organized crime cartels would be designated as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” or “Specially Designated Global Terrorists.” The designations would give the U.S. government power to go after the cartels’ finances, target those who supply them with weapons, and even carry out military strikes against cartel-owned facilities. With groups such as the Sinaloa cartel, MS-13 from El Salvador, and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua posing a serious threat to the United States, analysts say these new terrorist designations could have far-reaching consequences. The Trump administration has not gone into detail about how it plans to use the new powers, but on Jan. 31, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he would not rule out military strikes against the cartels.

On Feb. 3, following Trump’s tariffs threat, Canada announced it would invest $200 million and appoint a czar to investigate the fentanyl trade and would also designate the cartels as terrorist organizations. Ioan Grillo, a Mexico-based journalist and author of several books, including “El Narco, The Bloody Rise of Mexican Drug Cartels,” told The Epoch Times the terrorist designations would provide the U.S. government with more power to go after the cartels’ finances. He said it could also be used to target arms dealers in the United States who provide weapons for them. “You could go after people trafficking firearms to the cartels, you could arrest them for providing material to a foreign terrorist organization,” Grillo said.

Organized crime syndicates such as Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa cartel will be put in the same basket as al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other groups listed as designated foreign terrorist organizations on the State Department’s website. Francois Cavard, a human rights activist who has spent years investigating the drug trade in Central and South America, told The Epoch Times that changing the legal status of cartels such as Tren de Aragua from “being considered just another criminal organization” to being designated as terrorists was “huge.” Cavard said the gang—whose name translates as the “Train of Aragua” and which began as a group of corrupt workers on a failed railway project, which was funded by a huge loan from China—was heavily involved in human smuggling, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

Greta Nightingale, an attorney and partner at O’Melveny, a firm of Washington-based international lawyers, and chair of its national security group, said that being designated as a “foreign terrorist organization” and a “specially designated global terrorist” were based on different statutes but have essentially the same effect. She told The Epoch Times that the assets of the designee are frozen and that if they come within the control of U.S. persons (such as a U.S. bank) they cannot access them. Nightingale said Americans are also not allowed to engage in any dealings with such designees or engage with third parties if they will benefit the designated party. “If a U.S. company does business with a Mexican company that is tied to one of these cartels, they risk an enforcement action,” she said.

“If the company is owned or controlled by a cartel, then such business is clearly illegal. But if the ties are more attenuated then the legal exposure is less clear.” Nightingale said that “the safest approach is to stay away if you have information that suggests that there are ties between a cartel and a Mexican business, as you invite reputational harm and also may undermine the safety of your employees.” Cavard said the most significant effect of the designation is that cartels and gangs such as Tren de Aragua were no longer considered to just be after illegal financial profit but are considered “to also have power and control purposes … that represents a serious and extremely dangerous threat to the security of the country.”

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“..all of this work we’re doing now with getting [illegal aliens] out, finding murderers on the street. … all of this that we’re doing is because of him allowing people to come into our country.”

• Trump Stripping Security Clearances Of Numerous Antagonists (Devine)

President Trump has ordered security clearances stripped from a new hit list of antagonists. Just days after revoking Joe Biden’s access to classified information and secure federal buildings — “because I don’t trust him” — Trump said his new top target is ex-Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who orchestrated the “Dirty 51” letter from former intelligence officials on the eve of the 2020 election. The infamous missive falsely claimed that Hunter Biden’s laptop, the contents of which The Post revealed, was Russian disinformation. Blinken’s security clearances will be revoked, following the same presidential directive aimed at Biden and the 51 ex-spooks last week, Trump told The Post in an exclusive interview. “Bad guy. Take away his passes,” he said of Blinken. “This is to take away every right they have [revoking security clearances] including they can’t go into [federal] buildings.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg join the new group of eight Democrat foes Trump plans to punish by revoking any access to classified information and barring their entry to federal facilities. The president said they all will be given “exactly the same” punishment as Biden and the Dirty 51 as part of his administration’s vow to hold government officials accountable for actions he regards as election interference or the mishandling of classified information. Bragg prosecuted Trump last year in the so-called “hush money” case and James brought a civil fraud case against the president for supposedly exaggerating his wealth when applying for bank loans.

The move is regarded as more symbolic than consequential for the New York lawfare duo. But it could hamper them in carrying out their official duties by prohibiting them from entering courthouses, prisons, and law enforcement facilities in Foley Square in lower Manhattan, including the Thurgood Marshall and Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouses, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, and the Jacob Javits Federal Building which houses the FBI’s New York field office. They also will not be able to set foot in the US Attorney’s offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, in Manhattan and Brooklyn. “It’s more an insult and a slap in the face than a real deterrent,” said attorney Bob Costello, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who testified as a defense witness in Trump’s hush-money trial in Manhattan.

The other targets Trump disclosed to The Post include Biden’s former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who also was chief foreign policy adviser to Hillary Clinton during her failed 2016 presidential bid when he notoriously helped foment the Trump-Russia collusion hoax. Also in Trump’s sights are Biden’s Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who was involved in overseeing lawfare investigations against Trump and coordinating the DOJ response to the Jan. 6 riot. She also helped orchestrate the Russia hoax while working as an aide to President Obama.

Next in line are anti-Trumpers Andrew Weissman, the lead prosecutor in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russiagate investigation of Trump, who frequently maligns the former president in his role as an MNBC contributor; lawyer Mark Zaid, who represented Eric Ciaramella, the CIA analyst identified as the whistleblower in Trump’s impeachment in 2019 over a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; and Norm Eisen, special counsel to the Democrat-led House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment. Former Trump attorney Tim Parlatore says Trump’s action is largely symbolic and hard to enforce, especially on New York officials. But it will have a “major impact” on Zaid’s legal practice “because he fashions himself as a national security lawyer.” “He’s a whacky partisan guy [who] tweeted after Trump was inaugurated that it was time for a coup. He makes his money during Republican [presidencies] by going against the administration.”

Trump last week cut off Biden’s access to the daily intelligence briefings normally afforded former presidents, before stripping his security clearances, telling The Post he doesn’t “trust” his predecessor with such sensitive information. “I don’t trust him. He’s not worthy of trust … To safeguard national security,” He told the Post his administration had no plans to investigate his predecessor, while noting that Biden did not pardon himself when he pardoned his son Hunter and six other family members. “I wouldn’t do it specifically. If something comes up, he’s certainly prime time for investigation. … It’s not good what he did to our country. I mean, all of this work we’re doing now with getting [illegal aliens] out, finding murderers on the street. … all of this that we’re doing is because of him allowing people to come into our country.”

Read more …

“It is beyond dispute that Defendants wanted Harris to win the Election, and indeed political gain for Harris was certainly Defendants’ intent behind their tampering with the Interview..”

• Trump Doubles CBS Harris Interview Lawsuit Damages to $20 Billion (ET)

President Donald Trump has expanded his lawsuit against CBS, doubling the damages sought to $20 billion and adding CBS parent company Paramount Global as a defendant. The amended complaint, filed on Feb. 7 at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges news distortion, election interference, and financial harm caused by CBS’s handling of its “60 Minutes” interview with Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. “It is beyond dispute that Defendants wanted Harris to win the Election, and indeed political gain for Harris was certainly Defendants’ intent behind their tampering with the Interview,” the amended complaint reads. “But Defendants’ primary motivation was commercial and pecuniary gain.”

Trump’s legal team claims that CBS deceptively edited Harris’s responses to make her appear more articulate and composed, while also diverting viewership from Trump’s media platform, Truth Social, reducing ad revenue. The complaint asserts that CBS intentionally aired different portions of Harris’s remarks on “Face the Nation” and “60 Minutes,” misleading the public about her full statements. “Once Defendants finally released the unedited version of the Interview, it became apparent that they had engaged in gross broadcast distortion cover-up and manipulated not only Harris’s Reply about Prime Minister Netanyahu, but the Interview in its entirety,” the amended complaint reads. CBS has dismissed the claims and maintains its edits were standard journalistic practice.

“We are posting the same transcripts and videos of our interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that we provided to the FCC [Federal Communications Commission],” the network said in a Feb. 5 statement. “They show–consistent with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the public–that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful. CBS further stated that a longer portion of Harris’s response aired on Face the Nation while a shorter one aired on 60 Minutes for the sake of brevity. “As the full transcript shows, we edited the interview to ensure that as much of the vice president’s answers to 60 Minutes’ many questions were included in our original broadcast while fairly representing those answers,” the network stated. “60 Minutes’ hard-hitting questions of the vice president speak for themselves.”

The uncut transcript reveals that some of Harris’s answers were cut roughly in half and clarifies her full response to a question about the Israel–Hamas war, which Trump’s campaign claimed was awkwardly phrased and was unfairly edited to improve her image. The transcript also shows that Harris’s complete answer was a combination of the two aired clips. “Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region. And we’re not going to stop doing that. We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end,” Harris said, per the transcript.

Reacting to the transcript’s release, Trump wrote in a post on social media that it shows CBS had removed Harris’s “horrible election changing answers” and replaced them with better ones and that this was election interference and “election fraud at a level never seen before.” He also called for CBS to lose its broadcasting license.

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“..he justified that decision by pointing out that the convicted Jan. 6 defendants had already been locked up for years, often in “inhumane” conditions..”

• Freed Jan. 6 Prisoners Speak Out as They Begin to Rebuild Their Lives (Hisle)

Prosecutors acted with “unrelenting integrity,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said, as the Justice Department pursued cases against 1,583 people for events on Jan. 6, 2021—a date etched into the American psyche with unforgettable images of vandalism and violence at the U.S. Capitol. President Donald Trump, who had attracted a massive crowd to Washington that day amid a dispute over his 2020 election loss, decried these cases as “political persecutions.” He tossed out the prosecutions upon his return for a second presidential term on Jan. 20. Saying he was ending “a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years,” Trump commuted sentences for 14 serious Jan. 6 offenders and issued full pardons to all remaining defendants—1,569 people, based on federal data.

Trump showed mercy even to those convicted of assaulting officers—a controversial move. He previously stated that only peaceful, nonviolent offenders deserved consideration. But he justified that decision by pointing out that the convicted Jan. 6 defendants had already been locked up for years, often in “inhumane” conditions. They were targeted for political reasons and were punished more harshly than many people who committed worse offenses, including killings, he said. A half-dozen of the former Jan. 6 prisoners told The Epoch Times their side. The publication also reviewed Justice Department statements about each interviewee and dozens of other resources for this story. The interviewees, ranging from a 25-year-old entrepreneur to a 55-year-old former New York police officer, say much information has been suppressed and distorted.

They, like many Americans, continue to question why security in and around the Capitol was clearly insufficient on Jan. 6. They also suspect a government setup—and a coverup. Although officials have rejected such claims, a government watchdog’s recent report reignited questions over the actions of “confidential human sources.” Twenty-six of these informants were present on Jan. 6, the Inspector General’s report said. Four of the informants entered the Capitol; 13 others entered restricted areas on the grounds—without FBI permission. The FBI didn’t authorize the informants to encourage violence, either.

But the report left it unclear whether informants obeyed that order. The interviewed Jan. 6 defendants say many Americans still incorrectly believe that police officers were killed in the melee; 140 officers were hurt, none fatally, despite initial reports. It’s unclear how many civilians were injured, but Trump supporters were the only people who died that day. Police fatally shot Ashli Babbitt, 35, and beat Roseanne Boyland, 34, who was knocked unconscious in a stampede; her cause of death remains in dispute. Investigators cleared officers of wrongdoing in both cases.

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“All branches of the US military are facing some of the worst recruiting shortfalls in their history.”

• ‘Diversity Is Our Strength’ Dumbest Phrase In Military History – Hegseth (RT)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke out on Friday against diversity initiatives in the armed forces, blasting the phrase “diversity is our strength” as the “dumbest” in military history. Addressing Pentagon staff, he said his leadership would focus on unity and fairness while eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. “In this department, we will treat everyone equally,” Hegseth told the audience in the Pentagon auditorium. “We will treat everyone with fairness. We will treat everyone with respect, and we will judge you as an individual by your merit and by your commitment to the team and the mission.” Hegseth, a former Fox News host and US National Guard veteran, has moved to end DEI, arguing such programs are divisive. He has also halted identity month celebrations, such as Black History Month and Women’s History Month.

In his speech, he said such efforts “put one group ahead of another” and “erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.” Hegseth also talked about global security, saying recent events had damaged perceptions of American strength. He pointed to the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Ukraine conflict, and the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel as signs of instability. “Chaos happens when the perception of American strength is not complete,” he maintained. “And so we aim to reestablish that deterrence.” He pledged accountability for the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 when the US-backed government in Kabul collapsed faster than expected.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan, planned by President Donald Trump in his first term, followed a 20-year military campaign that cost billions of dollars and killed tens of thousands. Former President Joe Biden was roundly criticized for his handling of the pull out, in which 13 American service members were killed, and for leaving thousands of allied Afghans behind. “We are going to look back at what happened in Afghanistan and hold people accountable,” he said. “Not for retribution, but to understand what went wrong and why there was no accountability for it.” President Trump has pushed back on DEI within the federal government since assuming office on January 20. After being sworn in, he signed a series of orders rolling back protections for transgender individuals and terminating DEI initiatives.

Trump banned transgender people from serving in the US military in 2017. Biden repealed the ban shortly after taking office in 2021, only to have Trump reverse that in his second term. The Pentagon repealed its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 2011, allowing gay and lesbian troops to serve openly. Gender dysphoria, the clinical diagnosis for many transgender people, was still considered cause for involuntary discharge until 2016. All branches of the US military are facing some of the worst recruiting shortfalls in their history. Republican lawmakers have blamed the problem on the Pentagon’s prioritization of diversity over military readiness. A 2021 report commissioned by Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee found that the US Navy was focusing more on “wokeness” and diversity than winning wars.

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“Paris is officially supporting some kind of incredible and insane force of neo-Nazism, which has flourished in Ukraine,” Zakharova said..” “Moreover, the neo-Nazism in Ukraine has already turned into terrorism, it has mutated.”

• Paris Backs Neo-Nazism in Ukraine – Moscow (RT)

The French authorities have unquestionably supported the rise of neo-Nazism in Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. She emphasized that the Kiev regime has turned into an international terrorist cell with the connivance of its Western backers. Moscow has repeatedly accused the current Ukrainian government of embracing Nazi ideology, and listed the denazification of the country as one of the key objectives of its military operation, along with demilitarization and enforcing neutrality. “Paris is officially supporting some kind of incredible and insane force of neo-Nazism, which has flourished in Ukraine,” Zakharova said in an interview with RIA Novosti published on Sunday. “Moreover, the neo-Nazism in Ukraine has already turned into terrorism, it has mutated.”

The spokeswoman mentioned a series of atrocities allegedly conducted by Ukrainian soldiers in the village of Russkoye Porechnoye in the Russian region of Kursk, which are currently being probed by the country’s Investigative Committee, in the latest instance of what she branded “a fusion of Nazism and fascism with new technological capabilities and a terrorist nature.” Earlier this year, Russian investigators reported multiple incidents related to the village, located 10km north of Sudzha, which had been occupied by the Ukrainian army since last August. The officials charged that Ukrainian soldiers raped, tortured, and murdered local residents. Some of the allegations have been confirmed by Ukrainian soldiers captured during the liberation of the settlement.

“All these [war crimes] are being backed by Paris via supplies of weapons and money, via lending political support, via encouraging [Kiev], and of course via saying no word of condemnation,” Zakharova maintained. The spokeswoman concluded that officials in Paris prefer not to notice that killings of civilians and journalists “through the use of the weapons supplied to Ukraine by Western backers, including France, do not match with the ethics supported by the French authorities on the international scene.”

Earlier this week, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that the Ukrainian military had received the first batch of fourth generation Mirage 2000-5 aircraft that French President Emmanuel Macron promised to supply last year. Lecornu added that the jets would be operated by Ukrainian pilots who have undergone training in France. Commenting on the move, Russian lawmaker Leonid Ivlev said that the transfer of the fighter jets would inevitably lead to the involvement of France in a military conflict with Russia. Meanwhile, a representative of Russian defense conglomerate Rostec said the jets would be swiftly destroyed if Kiev uses them near the front line.

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“..an energy crisis that’s heavily contributed to voters across the bloc turning against establishment parties..”

• The EU’s Worst Enemies Are Its Own Russophobic Leaders (Marsden)

It’s a big day for the EU, says the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. All because three former Soviet states – Latvia, Lithuania, and her home country, Estonia, where she previously served as prime minister – have just swapped out their historically reliable Russian electricity entirely for a system regulated by the folks in Brussels, whose recent energy security strategies have included imploring citizens to dress in sweaters, like turtles, and to consider group showers. “Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will permanently disconnect from Russia’s power grid tomorrow,” Kallas wrote on social media on February 7th. ”Russia can no longer use energy as a tool of blackmail. This is a victory for freedom and European unity.”

Yeah, Western Europeans are united, alright. On the fact that the EU has triggered an energy crisis that’s heavily contributed to voters across the bloc turning against establishment parties in recent national elections. The skyrocketing cost of living, largely attributed to a lack of affordable energy, was even cited by the EU’s own Eurobarometer report last year as a motivating factor for 42% of Europeans in last summer’s EU parliamentary elections. Those elections saw the arrival in Brussels of “more MEPs on the far-right benches than before,” Le Monde wrote, characterizing the rise of anti-establishment populism, notably on the right.

While loudly shunning cheap Russian energy, the EU has nonetheless been importing record levels of it, in the form of LNG, at several times the price. Russian oil being shipped to the EU has surged by putting on a fake mustache and arriving on European shores from Türkiye, India, and China, with Foreign Policy magazine underscoring just last month that Europe “somehow still depends on Russian energy.” The end result is essentially a virtue tax that gets passed on to the consumer. All this to impress the EU’s girlfriend, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, whose country was raking in about a billion dollars a year just for him kicking his feet up and watching Russian gas flow across Ukraine to the EU. Easiest job in the world, right? With the added bonus of pocketing cash from Russia that it can’t spend on the battlefield, according to typical EU logic. But Ukraine and the EU colluded to even put an end to that, creating an even bigger financial sinkhole for themselves to fill. Brilliant.

The EU has also become heavily dependent on the US – now to the benefit of President Donald Trump’s agenda. Which hopefully Brussels loves, because it has already set itself up to finance it as a result of its overdependence on the US as a means of sticking it to Putin. Trump has made it clear that he views the EU’s lack of sufficient dependence on the US as some form of abuse – of the US. “I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way,” Trump wrote last December on social media. What a mess. How did it all go so wrong?

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RFK

 

 

Pachamamba

 

 

Levitation

 

 

Calm
https://twitter.com/i/status/1888621964908007723

 

 

Baby elephant

 

 

Bluebirds
https://twitter.com/i/status/1888527926645211398

 

 

Bubbles

 

 

Bull

 

 

MTL
https://twitter.com/i/status/1888327059942052276

 

 

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Debt Rattle February 9 2025

Feb 092025
 
 February 9, 2025  Posted by at 10:45 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,  70 Responses »


René Magritte Personal values 1952

 

• Trump Reveals He’s Spoken With Putin By Phone (Miranda Devine)
• DOGE To Audit Pentagon (RT)
• Judge Puts Brakes On Trump’s USAID Purge (RT)
• Judge Blocks DOGE’s Access to Sensitive Treasury Records (ET)
• Trump Alone Can Fix It (RCP)
• USAID Funded Massive ‘News’ Platform, ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’ (ZH)
• Now We Know Who was Running the Country for Joe Biden (Margolis)
• Trump Revokes Biden’s Security Clearances, Intel Briefings: “Poor Memory” (ZH)
• USAID or SorosAid? How US Tax Dollars Fund Chaos Worldwide (Sp.)
• How USAID and Its $50 Billion Budget Became a Target for Reform (ET)
• The Rise and Rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (ET)
• Trudeau Warns Trump’s Threat To Annex Canada Is ‘Real Thing’ (RT)
• Apple Ordered to Provide UK Gov’t Access to ALL User Data on the Cloud (HUSA)
• Russian News Finds Readers Despite Sanctions, USAID-Funded Competition – FT (RT)
• In Valdai, Confronting The “American Problem” In West Asia (Pepe Escobar)
• NATO Troops Unable To Move Quickly Across EU (RT)
• “Recycling” Makes Plastic Pollution Worse (McGlinchey)

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1887952783858393241
DOGE

Astroturf

Sen. John Kennedy

Maher
https://twitter.com/i/status/1888080063800705027

Bannon

SPower

McClain

 

 

 

 

“Every day people are dying. Young handsome soldiers are being killed. Young men, like my sons. On both sides. All over the battlefield.”

• Trump Reveals He’s Spoken With Putin By Phone (Miranda Devine)

President Trump has spoken to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the phone to try to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, he told The Post in an exclusive interview aboard Air Force One Friday. “I’d better not say,” said Trump when asked how many times the two leaders have spoken. But he believes Putin “does care” about the killing on the battlefield. In an exclusive interview with The Post aboard Air Force One Friday, President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone as he is trying to negotiate with him to end the Ukraine war. “He wants to see people stop dying,” said Trump. “All those dead people. Young, young, beautiful people. They’re like your kids, two million of them – and for no reason.”

The three-year-old war “never would have happened” if he had been president in 2022, Trump asserted. “I always had a good relationship with Putin,” he said, unlike his predecessor. “Biden was an embarrassment to our nation. A complete embarrassment.” Trump said he has a concrete plan to end the war. “I hope it’s fast. Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.” Addressing National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who joined him in his study aboard Air Force One Friday night, the president said: “Let’s get these meetings going. They want to meet. Every day people are dying. Young handsome soldiers are being killed. Young men, like my sons. On both sides. All over the battlefield.”

Vice President Vance will meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference next week. Trump has said he wants to strike a $500 million deal with Zelensky to access rare-earth minerals and gas in Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees in any potential peace settlement. On Iran, Trump told The Post: “I would like a deal done with Iran on non-nuclear. I would prefer that to bombing the hell out of it. . . . They don’t want to die. Nobody wants to die.” “If we made the deal, Israel wouldn’t bomb them.” But he would not reveal details of any potential negotiations with Iran: “In a way, I don’t like telling you what I’m going to tell them. You know, it’s not nice.” “I could tell what I have to tell them, and I hope they decide that they’re not going to do what they’re currently thinking of doing. And I think they’ll really be happy.” “I’d tell them I’d make a deal.” As for what he would offer Iran in return, he said, “I can’t say that because it’s too nasty. I won’t bomb them.”

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Fire and brimstone. We’re getting serious. It should result in an audit, which is long overdue. But that won’t come easy.

• DOGE To Audit Pentagon (RT)

Elon Musk, as head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been tasked with revising federal spending, and has set his sights on the Pentagon and the Department of Education, US President Donald Trump has confirmed. The newly authorized audits come in line with a broad push to slash public expenses. Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), has been appointed as a “special government employee” to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Trump’s administration, and is currently among the president’s key advisers. Despite its name, the agency is not a permanent federal executive department, but a temporary body dedicated to reducing government spending. Its primary goal is to cut up to $2 trillion in federal expenditures by July 2026.

Speaking at the press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday, Trump said that Musk will go through “just about everything” while reviewing the budgets of the departments. “I’ve instructed him to go check out education to check out the Pentagon, which is the military, and sadly you’ll find some things that are pretty bad, but I don’t think proportionately, you’re going to see anything like we just saw,” Trump said, highlighting that the DOGE would find “a lot,” taking into account how “bad” it was “with what we just went.” Earlier this week, Trump stated that billions of dollars have been stolen by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), highlighting that the lion’s share of the funds were used to pay for positive media coverage of Democrats.

Trump’s administration is currently focused on shutting down the agency, which operates as Washington’s primary means for funding political issues abroad. On the first day of his presidency, Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on almost all foreign aid. The president has also pushed against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government since assuming office on January 20. After being sworn in, Trump signed a series of orders rolling back protections for transgender individuals and terminating DEI initiatives. Last week, DOGE claimed that it had managed to save over $1 billion thanks to the elimination of contracts related to DEI. Prior to that, the agency had stated that it had slashed federal spending by approximately $1 billion per day as of January 29, due to an effective halt to “the hiring of people into unnecessary positions, the deletion of DEI, and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations.”

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Two federal judges separately(?!) getting involved. The first one says USAID cannot mass-fire employees…

• Judge Puts Brakes On Trump’s USAID Purge (RT)

A federal judge has temporarily barred the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington’s primary vehicle for funding political projects abroad, from putting thousands of employees on paid leave. The order was in response to a lawsuit filed by two labor unions representing federal workers. A “limited,” temporary restraining order issued by Judge Carl Nichols in the US District Court in Washington, DC, on Friday, banned the US government from placing around 2,200 USAID workers on administrative leave or evacuating them from their host countries before the end of the day on February 14. The ruling also reinstates some 500 employees who had already been furloughed.

“All USAID employees currently on administrative leave shall be reinstated until that date, and shall be given complete access to email, payment, and security notification systems until that date, and no additional employees shall be placed on administrative leave before that date,” the order reads. A request for a longer-term pause will be considered at a hearing on Wednesday, according to the ruling. Earlier on Friday, Democracy Forward and Public Citizen Litigation Group filed suit on behalf of two labor unions representing federal workers. The two unions are the 800,000-member American Federation of Government Employees and the American Foreign Service Association, which represents thousands of foreign service officers working for USAID.

US President Donald Trump suspended all US foreign aid, pending a three-month review, in one of his first executive orders after taking office on January 20. The decision is part of a broader plan to significantly reduce government spending. Subsequently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suspended a number of projects assigned to USAID. Earlier this week, Trump claimed that the agency had funneled billions of taxpayer money into media companies to foster positive media coverage of Democrats. Meanwhile, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, leading the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is evaluating federal agencies’ spending, has branded USAID a “criminal organization” and claimed it funded bioweapon research.

Read more …

…the second one says DOGE can’t access “personal financial data of millions of Americans”. Both cases run until Feb 14.

That DOGE would increase “Cybersecurity Risk” sounds fake. They’re too good for that. And as soon as something leaks, their project is over. But yeah, you can make the claim, no matter how empty…

• Judge Blocks DOGE’s Access to Sensitive Treasury Records (ET)

A federal judge has temporarily barred the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), run by Elon Musk, from accessing the personal financial data of millions of Americans kept at the Treasury Department. The late-night order, issued Saturday by U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan, blocks most Trump administration officials—including Musk and members of his cost-cutting initiative—from accessing sensitive Treasury records for at least a week while the case proceeds in the New York court. The injunction specifically prohibits President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent from granting access to records containing personally identifiable or confidential financial information to political appointees, special government employees, or any other employees from outside of the department. The White House has designated Musk a special government employee.

Under the order, only those working at the Bureau of Fiscal Services and have passed background checks may access those records in order to do their job. The judge further ordered any person among those whom he restricted to “immediately destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems, if any.” A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Feb. 14. The decision was made after 19 state attorneys general sued the Trump and Bessent after DOGE was given access to the Treasury records. DOGE is an advisory body tasked to identify ways to reduce government spending.

The attorneys general argued that Musk and DOGE, which is not an official government department, should not have access to such highly sensitive financial data. They claimed that the move violates federal law and presents a massive cybersecurity and privacy risk. “Defendants’ new expanded access policy poses huge cybersecurity risks” that put “vast amounts of funding for the States and their residents in peril and endangers the [personally identifiable information] of States’ residents whose information is stored on the payment systems,” reads the complaint, which was filed late Feb. 7 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Engelmayer agreed with the state’s argument that they “will face irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief.”

“That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking,” Engelmayer wrote. There was no immediate comment from the White House or Musk. The decision is the latest in a series of judicial interventions blocking the Trump administration’s rapidly unfolding actions to overhaul the federal bureaucracy. Just hours before Engelmayer’s order, another federal judge in Washington halted a Musk-led initiative to dismantle USAID, the agency responsible for administering foreign aid programs. In recent weeks, judges have also intervened to block Trump’s early executive actions ending automatic citizenship for children born on U.S. soil, pausing federal grants and loans, offering buyout to federal workers, and sending male inmates who identify as transgender women back to men’s prisons.

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Eventually published as “Welcome to the Executive Presidency”. This was the working title.

• Trump Alone Can Fix It (RCP)

“I would support you to be spokesperson for the Pentagon,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal acidly told Pete Hegseth during his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The insult was a poke in Pete’s eye for his career at Fox News. Blumenthal, who once fibbed that he had served in Vietnam as a Marine (he never left the States), thought Hegseth lacked the record of “leadership” to head an organization as large and complex as the Department of Defense. Evidently, it never crossed Blumenthal’s mind that this appointment was a first step toward making the department less large and complex. On paper, former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had such “leadership” experience, as did Jim Mattis, Bob Gates, Leon Panetta, Donald Rumsfeld, and most other department secretaries over the last 25 years.

Pete, on the other hand, led a platoon in Iraq before smiling his way through Saturday morning news shows. Once, during a bit on “Fox and Friends,” Hegseth tossed an ax that sailed over its target and struck a man standing nearby. Pete grimaced, the man was unhurt, and the show went on. Despite Blumenthal’s putdown, Hegseth’s nomination passed out of committee and cleared a floor vote on his way to becoming the youngest secretary of defense since Donald Rumsfeld was first confirmed 50 years ago. Hegseth wasn’t the traditional nominee, and that’s the point. Blumenthal and others like him looked at Hegseth through distorted, outdated glasses. They fail to understand that Donald Trump is remaking the executive branch of the federal government, and it starts with choosing communicators.

Any effective network of strategic communication must be organized as a hierarchy – if there is no one “at the top” who determines the messaging, there will be as many messages as there are nodes in the network. The executive’s ability to achieve his goals is fundamentally dependent on high-fidelity, rapid information transferal, where the message is relayed broadly, quickly, and without significant distortion. That’s what effective communication is – and it explains why Trump’s first term was less effective than it could have been. When Trump took office eight years ago, the left resisted him through the mainstream media, Hollywood, and corporate America, but the spearhead of “The Resistance” was his own government. The bureaucrats of the vast “administrative state” did not see Trump as a legitimate occupant of his office. Thus, they didn’t merely distort the communication that came from the top.

They tried to subordinate his agenda by refusing to transfer the information. More than that, they actively disseminated information that ran counter to the president’s stated aims. Accomplished people like Jim Mattis and Rex Tillerson were seasoned executives with deep managerial experience, but their priorities were misplaced: Rather than advance the president’s initiatives, they focused on protecting themselves and their legacies.In his 1938 classic “The Functions of the Executive,” author Chester Barnard explains that an executive’s first task is to create a “definite system of communication.” Barnard wasn’t talking about the technical means of communication – whether that be telephone, memo, or computer – but the communicators themselves. These new modes of transferring information sometimes obscure the human interaction that remains the most effective form of information transfer.

“Communication,” Barnard writes, “will be accomplished only through the agency of persons,” meaning the appointment of the right people. Controlling an enterprise, he tells us, hinges on the executive’s choice of who will repeat and amplify the executive’s message. During the Biden interregnum, it seems that Trump absorbed these insights, almost as if by osmosis. Consider the inauguration. There were Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg front and center. Yes, they are among the world’s wealthiest men, but they also happen to be the owners of national and global media organizations. Trump spent the entire first day of his second term on camera, narrating his executive actions. “Here, David, that’s for you,” Trump said, passing his trademark, Trump-embossed marker to an aide, then holding up an executive order before the cameras like a newborn baby.

Never before had a president so merrily occupied the stage of the Oval Office, hosting audiences of millions online and on television, as he signed documents, bantered with reporters and staff, and generally went about his business. Trump knew his daylong, unscripted availability would contrast sharply with his predecessor’s behavior. Joe Biden’s increasing withdrawal from the public and his inability to deliver spontaneous remarks hid his declining mental health, and the fact that he really wasn’t in charge.

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They didn’t just influence the news, they made it too (4,291 media outlets).

• USAID Funded Massive ‘News’ Platform, ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’ (ZH)

In addition to propping up far-left corporate media outlets like Politico and the BBC with taxpayer funds, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has funneled half a billion dollars to a secretive non-governmental organization operating a global news propaganda matrix. WikiLeaks published the bombshell report in the overnight hours that shows the massive taxpayer-funded state propaganda network – operating as a shady NGO – called “Internews Network”: “USAID has pushed nearly half a billion dollars ($472.6m) through a secretive US government financed NGO, “Internews Network” (IN), which has “worked with” 4,291 media outlets, producing in one year 4,799 hours of broadcasts reaching up to 778 million people and “training” over 9000 journalists (2023 figures). IN has also supported social media censorship initiatives.

The operation claims “offices” in over 30 countries, including main offices in US, London, Paris and regional HQs in Kiev, Bangkok and Nairobi. It is headed up by Jeanne Bourgault, who pays herself $451k a year. Bourgault worked out of the US embassy in Moscow during the early 1990s, where she was in charge of a $250m budget, and in other revolts or conflicts at critical times, before formally rotating out of six years at USAID to IN. Bourgault’s IN bio and those of its other key people and board members have been recently scrubbed from its website but remain accessible at http://archive.org. Records show the board being co-chaired by Democrat securocrat Richard J. Kessler and Simone Otus Coxe, wife of NVIDIA billionaire Trench Coxe, both major Democratic donors. In 2023, supported by Hillary Clinton, Bourgault launched a $10m IN fund at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The IN page showing a picture of Bourgault at the CGI has also been deleted.

IN has at least six captive subsidiaries under unrelated names including one based out of the Cayman Islands. Since 2008, when electronic records begin, more than 95% of IN’s budget has been supplied by the US government.


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“We had a former cocaine addict sitting in on the most sensitive meetings of the most consequential and most important government in world history. Does that sit right with you?”

• Now We Know Who was Running the Country for Joe Biden (Margolis)

Have you noticed how leftists are losing their minds over Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to expose rampant waste and corruption? As Musk uncovers shocking levels of mismanagement and even actions aiding America’s enemies, critics have launched coordinated attacks on him, implying that he’s the one who is actually running the White House. “No one voted for Elon Musk!” they say. Time Magazine’s latest issue has joined the fray, featuring Musk seated confidently at the Resolute Desk—a symbolic jab suggesting he’s really the one in charge. The outrage is ironic, considering the same voices now wailing about Musk’s alleged control were silent while Joe Biden spent four years clearly not running the White House. Why does this matter? Well, we now have fresh allegations from Lindy Li, a former Democratic National Committee (DNC) insider, about who was running the White House for Joe Biden.

And it’s quite terrifying. Once a proud fundraiser for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Li has turned into an insider spilling the Democratic Party’s most closely held secrets—and, boy, does she have stories. Her revelations pull back the curtain on what has been described as a chaotic and delusional 2024 campaign for the Democrats, which spectacularly collapsed under the weight of its own hubris. Li has revealed intriguing insider details about how Joe Biden was ultimately ousted, and what Pelosi and Obama really think of Kamala. Back in December, she revealed new dirt on Joe Biden’s mental decline. “The president has not been cognitively fit to assume the duties of the Oval Office for a number of years now,” she told Fox News. “And it breaks my heart because I know President Biden and I love the man, but he is in no shape or form able to carry out the duties that the Commander in Chief requires, and it’s just devastating.”

But it’s her revelations about what happened in the White House in the aftermath of Biden’s devastating performance in his June debate on CNN with Trump that are truly jaw-dropping. According to Li, Joe Biden, already staggering from public scrutiny, effectively lost control of the White House after that fateful debate. The event reportedly prompted an audacious power shuffle at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—one spearheaded by none other than Hunter Biden. Li alleges that, following Biden’s disastrous debate drubbing, Hunter essentially took over White House operations. Speaking with podcaster Shawn Ryan, she painted a picture of dysfunction at the highest levels of government: “After the [CNN] debate, Hunter basically commandeered the White House. He sat in on all of the White House top-level meetings. We had a former cocaine addict sitting in on the most sensitive meetings of the most consequential and most important government in world history. Does that sit right with you?”

Ryan’s immediate reaction—“No”—reflected what many are surely thinking. “Without security clearance mind you,” Li added. The idea that Hunter Biden, with no security clearance, was allegedly dictating the flow of information to his father is a much bigger deal than Elon Musk going after government waste, don’t you think? “That’s who was basically running the show. So Hunter basically battened down the hatches after the debate to make sure his father would only receive intel he pre-approved.” The media’s and the Democrats’ hypocrisy is glaring. They attack Elon Musk for exposing waste, accusing him of having too much power without having been elected, while their lack of scrutiny during the Biden presidency allowed for an unelected crack addict to run the country.

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“The Hur Report revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information.”

• Trump Revokes Biden’s Security Clearances, Intel Briefings: “Poor Memory” (ZH)

President Trump revoked former President Biden’s security clearance and terminated his daily intelligence briefings, stating that, given his “poor memory,” there was no reason for Biden to continue receiving classified government information. “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Friday evening. Trump said the decision was based on the precedent of Biden’s 2021 decision to end his access to the secret information. He also pointed to the special counsel report last year: “The Hur Report revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information.”

Biden in 2021…

Trump concluded the post with: “I will always protect our National Security — JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Steven Cheung, the president’s communications director, shared Trump’s Truth Social post on X and said: “Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more!” Trump’s team made a smart move given the investigations into various Biden family members—including Hunter Biden, who has been at the center of a probe into influence peddling schemes. Federal investigators have also recently become concerned about the Biden family’s close ties to China. Speaking with The Hill last month, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY.) said the pardons “validated” the investigations into Biden family members. Perhaps the actual reason the Trump team revoked Biden’s security clearance is over the family’s close ties with the Chinese.

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“USAID and Soros allegedly spent $27 million on anti-Trump prosecutions, claims journalist Mike Benz.”

• USAID or SorosAid? How US Tax Dollars Fund Chaos Worldwide (Sp.)

Soros’ vast NGO network has spent over $20 billion since 2000 on radical liberal causes across the world. Tens of millions or even billions of US taxpayer dollars were funneled through USAID, observers suspect. The Soros-linked East-West Management Institute received over $260 million from USAID to influence foreign affairs in Georgia, Uganda, Albania, and Serbia. Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center, backed by Soros, began receiving USAID grants in 2014 – the same year the US-backed Euromaidan coup ousted elected President Viktor Yanukovych with neo-Nazi support. Over $1 million has been funneled by USAID to the center.

In August 2024, a coup against Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina was allegedly fomented by USAID, IRI, and Soros-linked groups. Her successor, Muhammad Yunus, is a known Clinton and Soros ally. According to The Grayzone, US taxpayer money funded rappers, transgender activists, and LGBT* initiatives to create a “power shift.” Soros and USAID have long sought to unseat Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, who has actively opposed the globalist billionaire since 2017. During the 2022 elections, the Soros-linked NGO Action for Democracy funneled $7.6 million to his opposition.

Soros-linked groups, backed by USAID, led resistance efforts against Donald Trump during his presidency, influenced the 2020 election through Black Lives Matter protests, and worked to flip battleground states in 2020–2021. Soros funded the Electoral Justice Project, Black Lives Matter’s voter mobilization effort, and gave $22 million to Tides Advocacy, which supported the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s pre-election nationwide protests aimed against Trump in 2020. USAID and Soros allegedly spent $27 million on anti-Trump prosecutions, claims journalist Mike Benz. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg was also accused of being “bought” by Soros.

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“..an agency gone rogue, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on inane programs, refusing to answer basic questions from congressional committees, and actively undermining the foreign policy goals of the United States.”

• How USAID and Its $50 Billion Budget Became a Target for Reform (ET)

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was a little-noticed federal agency until it suddenly became the object of a fierce political battle over the limits of presidential power and the accountability of government bureaucracies. When the Trump administration closed the agency’s offices on Feb. 3 and later placed most employees on administrative leave, USAID took center stage in a drama unfolding at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. On one side is the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to make all parts of the executive branch comply with the president’s agenda. On the other side are congressional Democrats, who are warning that the action is a dangerous abuse of executive power and are vowing to fight it. Meanwhile, many observers fear that USAID’s true purpose—to advance U.S. interests through the use of soft power—may be overlooked.

On Feb. 3, President Donald Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting director of USAID. The next day, the president indicated that the agency may be shuttered and its functions permanently transferred to the State Department. Here is why critics want to abolish or reform the agency, supporters want to save it, and what may happen next. USAID was established by an executive order of President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to advance U.S. foreign policy by offering developing nations technical assistance, help with education and health care, and disaster relief. The idea was that turning poor countries into stable world citizens would benefit U.S. citizens, too. A stable, prosperous nation makes a good ally, the theory went. Champions of USAID continue to see it as both an essential tool for foreign policy and a tangible expression of the goodness and generosity of the U.S. people.

Most observers agree that the agency does some good. Relatively small by Washington’s standards, USAID employs about 10,000 people and controls an annual budget of about $50 billion. In 2023, USAID poured $10.5 billion into humanitarian aid and $10.5 billion into health programs in countries around the world, according to the Congressional Research Service. One program that is often touted as a shining success story is the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a USAID program that has provided more than $110 billion for controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS in more than 50 countries. “Most estimates are that somewhere in the vicinity of 27 million people are alive today because President Bush initiated and Congress supported that program,” Scott Pegg, acting director of the Global and International Studies program and chair of political science at Indiana University–Indianapolis, told The Epoch Times.

President Donald Trump said in remarks to reporters on Feb. 4 that “some of the money is well spent.” Yet the agency’s halo dims on closer inspection. Critics tell the story of an agency gone rogue, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on inane programs, refusing to answer basic questions from congressional committees, and actively undermining the foreign policy goals of the United States. The White House on Feb. 3. produced a list of projects funded by USAID that it characterized as examples of waste and abuse. The projects include $1.5 million to “advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities,” another $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia, and $2.5 million for electric vehicles in Vietnam.

Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) listed further examples on social media platform X on Feb. 3, including $56 million to boost tourism in Egypt and Tunisia and $27 million for “reintegration gift bags” for deported Central Americans. Hunt said the agency was behaving “like a child with YOUR credit card.” Some USAID grant recipients include terrorist-controlled organizations, according to a study by the Middle East Forum released on Feb. 1. The study found that $122 million has gone to groups aligned with designated terrorist organizations, including millions of dollars for organizations directly controlled by the Hamas terrorist group. A July 2024 report from the U.S. Office of Inspector General noted deficiencies and vulnerabilities in USAID’s vetting process, which is supposed to prevent the diversion of U.S. funds to terrorist organizations.

In one case of apparent abuse, USAID partnered with Chemonics, an international consulting firm, to spend $9.5 billion to improve health supply chains. Chemonics allegedly overbilled the agency by up to $270 million and failed to meet its objectives, and the project led to 31 indictments for the illegal resale of USAID-funded materials, according to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has called for an independent analysis of USAID grant recipients. Ernst said USAID also provided nearly $1 million in funding to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, which the CIA has said was the most likely source of the virus that causes COVID-19. USAID has resisted congressional oversight for decades, some lawmakers say, resulting in a culture of defiance. “The agency has engaged in a demonstrated pattern of obstructionism,” Ernst wrote in a letter to Rubio on Feb. 4.

False claims were made that certain documents were classified to delay review by congressional staffers and to mislead Congress on the indirect cost of programs, Ernst wrote, adding that in some cases, this amounted to more than 25 percent of the grant total. The agency refused to provide data on administrative costs, Ernst said. The agency later said that providing the data to Congress would violate federal law and that it had no obligation to respond because Ernst did not present a formal request from a “committee of jurisdiction.” “Washington insiders are more upset at DOGE for trying to stop wasteful spending than USAID for misusing tax dollars,” Ernst told The Epoch Times. “The agency has stonewalled me and used every trick in the book to hide what they are doing from the American people. It has lied, misled, and deceived taxpayers, but I will not be deterred in fighting for and uncovering the truth.” Rubio leveled his own criticism at the agency on Feb. 3, after being appointed its interim caretaker.

“They have basically evolved into an agency that believes that they’re not even a U.S. government agency, that … they’re a global charity,” Rubio said in an interview on Fox News. Worse, the agency frequently works at cross purposes with the interests of the United States, the secretary of state said. “One of the most common complaints you will get … from State Department officials and ambassadors and the like, is: ‘USAID is not only not cooperative, they undermine the work that we’re doing in that country,’” sometimes advancing programs that the host government finds objectionable, Rubio said. Speaking about USAID at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador on Feb. 4, he said: “It’s been 20 or 30 years where people have tried to reform it, and it refuses to reform. When we were in Congress, we couldn’t even get answers to basic questions about programs. That will not continue.”

Chemonics – revealing

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“..the best symbolic indication that the old partisan and ideological divides in the country that date back three-quarters of a century find themselves fully scrambled into a wholly new alliance.”

• The Rise and Rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (ET)

There is much to learn about the way the world works today by watching the confirmation vote on Trump’s pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services. In so many ways, this is a remarkable development with a dramatic story arc, one that speaks presciently to events over the past five years and where they stand in public consciousness. In November 2021, a major book blasted onto the scene that hardly anyone had expected. It was “The Real Anthony Fauci” by Kennedy. The author had already emerged as the world’s leading critic of the policy response to COVID-19, which included locking down societies across the globe to prepare the population for a vaccine that was already on record as failing to protect against both infection and transmission.

This book was not just a criticism of the way that the “nation’s leading infectious disease doctor” had been the dominant voice for shutdowns, closures, distancing, and masking. It dug through the deep history of the U.S. bioweapons program to highlight the role of dangerous research with a military angle. Fauci was not merely the guy telling you how to stay well; he had become a powerful figure in the bioweapons industry, which had a deep relationship with pharmaceutical companies. The book was beyond mind-blowing, and its many hundreds of footnotes provide an incredible documentary source for readers to check. I dug through them to discover features of the pandemic response I never knew existed. The depth of research here was simply astounding.

As the book became a bestseller, Amazon itself faced pressure to censor it. It acquiesced for a time simply because the powers that be were so awesome and aggressive. Still, the book made inroads in any case. At that time, the political constellation in the country was shifting wildly, and no one knew where it would wind up. The Biden administration had doubled down on coercive pandemic policies and added vaccine and mask mandates while issuing wild warnings of mass death for noncompliance. Resistance on the right and left were growing, but no one knew for sure where all of this would end up. As Trump clinched the Republican nomination, there was a brief moment when it seemed that the Democrats would be open to replacing Biden on the ticket.

A lifelong Democrat and the inheritor of the mantles of both his father and uncle, Kennedy seemed like an obvious choice to take the nomination in an open primary. He started an ad campaign that revived his uncle’s early efforts. But there would be no primary, thus forcing him into an independent bid for the presidency. Third-party attempts in the United States always run into the same problem: The whole system is geared toward two parties, and voting logic usually ends up reinforcing that as well. As that reality gradually dawned on Kennedy, there was a growing sense within the large movement that backed him that he needed another option. As events unfolded, Trump was subjected to a close assassination attempt on July 13, 2024. That was the moment when the two camps came together.

After several days of talking, there was a sudden realization on both sides that they were fighting the same corporatist enemies from two different fronts, one focused on immigration and trade and the other focused on food and pharma power. There was general agreement that many things in America needed to change. The sudden emergence of the unity effort of Trump and Kennedy together disoriented both sides, simply because the coalition brought together factions that had long seemed opposed. Kennedy was a long-time environmental lawyer, and Trump was generally an anti-environmentalist. They would agree to disagree on oil and energy but concentrate on the economic and physical health of America, which came to be embodied in the MAGA/MAHA coalition.

The shock in both camps was high, but the urgency of the moment—and the deep desire for change in Washington—impressed upon the grassroots the need to shake off their squeamishness and get to work together. How much did Kennedy’s involvement help the Trump campaign? Enormously. Was it decisive in the sweeping victory? Very likely. As a thank you for joining forces or perhaps a quid pro quo that was nonetheless highly merited, Kennedy gained nomination to the position of secretary of health and human services, which oversees many other agencies in the realm of food, health, pharmaceuticals, and much more.

The real challenge then began after Trump’s victory because of a peculiar feature of the American system: Cabinet picks have to be confirmed by the Senate. In normal years, and with most appointees of the past never really presenting that much of a challenge to the status quo, a president’s picks sail through with bipartisan support. Trump’s picks would be different, particularly the Kennedy choice since his stance on pharma and pandemic planning was well known. A choice for him would represent a repudiation of the past five years of policy, a prospect nearly all of Washington dreaded.

In the course of events, an incredible irony emerged. In committee—and likely too in the larger Senate—the vote fell along party lines, but not in the way one would expect. This lifelong Democrat and scion of the great Democrat family was opposed by every Democrat and supported (so far) by every Republican. Not only that, but the Republican-friendly press opposed him tooth and nail. The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and the New York Post all published bitter editorials that called the nominee a crank and conspiracy theorist.

Largely because of a huge push from the grassroots—and because of support from Trump—the Republicans voted for him in any case, while the Democrats simply could not and did not, despite the manner in which Kennedy, in many ways, represented causes long important to many people generally considered to be on the left. Thus does the expected confirmation of Kennedy—his rise and rise for fully five years—embody the best symbolic indication that the old partisan and ideological divides in the country that date back three-quarters of a century find themselves fully scrambled into a wholly new alliance. If you attend any events that bring together MAGA and MAHA, you know exactly what I mean. They are exciting scenes of people who have never been in the same room together, gradually discovering points of agreement and feeling very optimistic about the future.

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Trudy is nervous.

• Trudeau Warns Trump’s Threat To Annex Canada Is ‘Real Thing’ (RT)

Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been caught on a hot mike telling businessmen that US President Donald Trump is not joking when he talks about absorbing Canada, the Toronto Star newspaper has reported. Trump reiterated his desire to make Canada “our 51st state” when he spoke to journalists in the Oval Office earlier this week. “I would love to see that. Some people say that would be a long shot. If people wanted to play the game right, it would be 100% certain that they would become a state,” he claimed. The US president and the Canadian PM discussed the hiccups in their relations during two phone calls on Monday. On Thursday, Trudeau revealed some of the details of those conversations to businessmen and union leaders ahead of a closed-door meeting as part of the Canada-US Economic Summit in Toronto.

The prime minister thought he was speaking confidentially, but it turned out that his microphone had not been turned off promptly and he was overheard by journalists. “I suggest that not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have but that may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state,” Trudeau said as cited by the Toronto Star. The US wants to “benefit” from Canada’s natural resources and “Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country, and it is a real thing,” he warned. When Trump first raised the possibility of making Canada part of the US in December, Trudeau insisted that there was “not a snowball’s chance in hell” of it happening.

Last week, the US president argued that Canada would struggle to remain viable if it stopped getting “hundreds of billions of dollars” in subsidies from Washington. The solution would be joining the US, which would result in “much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada – and no tariffs!” In early February, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on imports from China – citing concerns over illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Ottawa vowed to retaliate by slapping equivalent duties on US goods. However, Trump decided to postpone the introduction of tariffs on the two neighboring countries for 30 days in return for promises by both governments to strengthen border security.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1887994885967380517

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“The Post noted that the access sought by the UK “has no known precedent in major democracies.”

• Apple Ordered to Provide UK Gov’t Access to ALL User Data on the Cloud (HUSA)

The Washington Post reported Friday that the United Kingdom’s deep state has demanded that Apple create a back door for them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud—what would be an unprecedented erosion of online privacy and civil liberties. Citing anonymous sources, the Post reported that the British government’s undisclosed order was issued last month. It reportedly requires Apple to give officials blanket capability to view fully encrypted material. Typically, Apple has assisted authorities on a case-by-case basis—such as helping the FBI access a terrorist’s phone, for example. The Post noted that the access sought by the UK “has no known precedent in major democracies.” According to the Post, the UK’s order was made pursuant to the sweeping U.K. Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which authorizes law enforcement to compel assistance from companies to access user data.

“The law, known by critics as the Snoopers’ Charter, makes it a criminal offense to reveal that the government has even made such a demand,” the Post reported. “Apple can appeal the U.K. capability notice to a secret technical panel, which would consider arguments about the expense of the requirement, and to a judge who would weigh whether the request was in proportion to the government’s needs. But the law does not permit Apple to delay complying during an appeal.” An Apple spokesman reportedly declined to comment. The Post reported that Apple is likely to stop offering encrypted storage in the UK. “Yet that concession would not fulfill the U.K. demand for backdoor access to the service in other countries, including the United States,” the newspaper added.

Western countries, including the U.S., have been pushing for total access to online user data for years. In March 2021, for example, former FBI Director Chris Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee that encryption was stifling his agents from investigating domestic extremism. According to Wray and other law enforcers, tech companies should be able to build “backdoors” into their encryption that preserves privacy, while allowing for access when necessary. That, they say, strikes the proper balance between data security and national security.

However, numerous tech experts, civil libertarians, and others say that it’s impossible to build a backdoor that can’t be exploited by hackers. They also say that by banning encryption, the United States would be following in the footsteps of authoritarian countries such as China, which blocked the encrypted messaging app Signal. “It is important to understand that any kind of back door (or front door) access for the ‘good guys’ can also be exploited by the ’bad guys,’” the pro-industry Information Technology & Innovation Foundation stated in a July 2020 report. “For example, key escrow systems would introduce new attack vectors that could allow attackers to gain access to encrypted information, such as by compromising the system that maintains copies of the keys.”

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“..this is not an agency for aid, assistance and development..” [..]“This is a machine for interference in internal affairs, a mechanism for changing regimes, political systems, and state structures..”

• Russian News Finds Readers Despite Sanctions, USAID-Funded Competition – FT (RT)

RIA Novosti and Russia Today have been spreading their message despite competition from media outlets funded by USAID and Western sanctions pressure, the Financial Times has said. In an article published on Thursday, the British daily outlined the hit various media outlets would face from President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington’s primary means for funding political causes abroad. A number of USAID projects were focused on “countering” major Russia media outlets such as RIA Novosti and Russia Today, whose news coverage was “spreading on social media despite Western sanctions,” the newspaper said.

According to FT, the agency spent around $100 million on funding programs in Russia in 2023. Programs in Moldova received $309 million while around $1.7 billion was spent on Ukraine. The US president froze most US foreign aid for a 90-day review shortly after his inauguration. USAID has subsequently seen a number of its projects suspended, and Trump has said he wants the agency shut down. Without funding from the agency, many NGO media outlets around the world are struggling to stay afloat, FT wrote. According to French NGO Reporters Without Borders (RFS), 9 out of 10 media outlets in Ukraine relied on donations and USAID as their primary donor, with many already announcing that they’ll have to shut down.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Trump’s crackdown on the agency vindicated Moscow’s 2012 ban on its activity in the country. “We said that this is not an agency for aid, assistance and development,” the spokeswoman stressed in a press briefing on Thursday. “This is a machine for interference in internal affairs, a mechanism for changing regimes, political systems, and state structures,” she said, adding that the agency had acted outside the realm of Russian and international law.

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“..it’s the embarrassingly passe “there are no Palestinians” trope on steroids.”

• In Valdai, Confronting The “American Problem” In West Asia (Pepe Escobar)

The 14th Middle East Conference of the Valdai Club in Moscow was hit by a geopolitical bunker buster bomb right in the middle of the proceedings: the announcement, by US President Donald Trump himself, of some sort of future Trump Gaza Riviera Resort and Casino in Palestine. Even before international outrage started to overspill, from the BRICS front to ASEAN to the Arab world (which sees it as Nakba 2.0), reaching even Trump-friendly Saudi Arabia and major US allies in Europe, perplexity set in at Valdai among most scholars and academics. Two glaring exceptions were professor at the University of Tehran Mohammad Marandi and former British diplomat Alastair Crooke – always delicately nuanced analysts of West Asia.

Both have long argued that as the US empire is being forced to retreat, it will become much more ruthless and take greater risks. Marandi qualifies Trump as “a gift” to American global decline. Crooke, for his part, wonders whether Israel’s far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really trapped Trump in a quagmire – when it may be the other way around. Trump now seems to have Netanyahu – which he basically despises – exactly where he wants him: owing favors. Trump made a lot of bombastic promises, which Netanyahu can sell as a major success to the Tel Aviv warmongers who compose his government. So his coalition will hold – for now. Yet, in return, Israel will still have to follow the next steps of the despised ceasefire project.

And that would lead, in theory, to the end of the war. Netanyahu wants an Infinite War, with unlimited Eretz Israel expansion and annexation. That is not a done deal – by far. As it stands, at face value, in one fell swoop, Trump normalized genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the reduction of the Gaza tragedy to a tawdry real estate deal in a “phenomenal location.” The accumulated effect of “the US will take over the Gaza strip,” “we will own it,” and “… level the site” not only opens the US to a shockingly illegal foreign annexation, but it’s the embarrassingly passe “there are no Palestinians” trope on steroids.

But this is far from “sheer lunacy,” as defined by US think tanks everywhere. It’s a natural extension of trying to buy Greenland, trying to annex Canada (in both cases, an increase to the US resource base), grabbing the Panama Canal, and rechristening the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. It’s about changing the subject and the predominant narrative instead of addressing the real threat to the Empire: the Russia–China strategic partnership. In this case, the new Gaza Riviera built on a pyramid of skulls is not only endorsed but already envisioned by the genocidals in Tel Aviv in tandem with Trump’s billionaire donors, a key part of Israel’s lobby in the US.

Trump’s vision, according to New York insiders, came from his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who less than a year ago was already talking about the real estate gold represented by the Gaza seashore. Kushner is even more dangerous now that he’s acting behind the curtains in Trump’s second term: he’s the main influencer on POTUS when it comes to a possible, future US-sanctioned occupation of Gaza. For the moment, we have a Deporting-Building-Selling reality show ethos applied to the most insoluble problem in West Asia. Marandi calls it the “US–Israel problem.” Taha Ozhan at the Ankara Institute qualifies it as “the Israeli-centered order” as well as “the American problem.”

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That’s just one little problem. Try this:

Name me one European country where people are fine with German troops on their land.

• NATO Troops Unable To Move Quickly Across EU (RT)

The EU would be unable to move a major military force within the bloc’s territory in case of need, a recent report by its financial watchdog stated this week. Bureaucratic hurdles and chaotic logistical planning would prevent a swift deployment, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) concluded in the document. Brussels has already spent all of its budget allocated for improving military logistics between 2021 and 2027 without achieving the stated goal of “moving military staff, equipment, and supplies swiftly and seamlessly,” the ECA said in a statement accompanying the report. Funding worth €1.7 billion ($1.76 billion) was spent in just two years and no money was “left in the pot by the end of 2023,” the report said, adding that organizing military movements within the bloc could still face “significant delays.”

Member states still need to file a notification of cross-border movement 45 days in advance in order to get authorization, according to the paper. One nation’s tanks can also be outright banned from crossing into the territory of a neighboring EU member simply because they are heavier than allowed by the neighbor’s road traffic regulations, the report said. Military logistics directions can also include infrastructure like bridges that are not suitable for heavy equipment, requiring armor to take a major detour, it added. The ECA blamed the chaotic planning and management structure for the setbacks. “Governance arrangements for military mobility in the EU are complex and fragmented, without a single point of contact, which makes it difficult to know who does what,” it said.

With the allocated military mobility budget spent, there will be “a significant gap of over four years” before any more funds will be available, it warned. “Projects were funded mainly in the east of the EU, but the bloc hardly funded any projects at all on the southern route towards Ukraine” the watchdog said. The ECA – an independent auditing body with a college consisting of individual members assigned by each EU member state – has been critical of Brussels’ defense policy initiatives over the past several years.

In 2024, it warned that the European Defense Industry Program could fail to reach its goals despite a €1.5 billion budget due to a poor balance between policy objectives, funding, and the timeline for implementation. The program could result in resources “spread across a wide array of projects that may not have a measurable impact at EU level,” it said. In 2023, it stated that the EU was lacking a long-time strategy on defense spending, while also warning later the same year that financial assistance to Kiev could add tens of billions of euros to the bloc’s debt due to Ukraine potentially being unable to repay its loans.

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The function of plastics recycling is to make people feel less guilty, so they will use more plastics.

• “Recycling” Makes Plastic Pollution Worse (McGlinchey)

If you’re like many people, you’ve always thought a numbered-triangle symbol on the bottom of a plastic container tells you it’s recyclable — giving you peace of mind that when you toss it into a blue bin, it will be turned into something else. That’s not true. Those symbols are Resin Identification Codes (RICs). Numbered 1 through 7, they only identify the kind of plastic an item is made of. Far from giving a sweeping assurance that RIC-stamped items are recyclable, the symbol frequently indicates a particular item absolutely cannot be recycled. Reluctant to burden citizens with figuring out which plastics are recyclable — a chore that could dampen participation and cause confusion as recyclability of various plastics changes over time — many municipal recycling programs simply encourage people to toss all their RIC-stamped plastics in the bin and let the recyclers sort it out.

Which ones do recyclers actually want? The most-recycled plastic in America is stamped with a “1,” identifying the item as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). You’ll find it on beverage bottles, cooking oil containers, and many other liquid-containing bottles. A “2” tells you it’s high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Another generally recycling-suitable plastic, it’s used for milk jugs and laundry detergent jugs, and spray-cleaner bottles. It’s all downhill from there. Chances are your bin has plenty of #5 — polypropylene (PP) — which is frequently used for single-serve coffee-maker pods; yogurt, butter, prescription pill and soft tofu containers; and the lids on paperboard raisin cartons. Unfortunately, while there’s been a modest recent uptick in recyclers’ interest, polypropylene generally isn’t being recycled in the United States.

As for the rest of the RIC spectrum, feel free to make pointed inquiries with your city government, but chances are extremely slim that any #3, #4, #6 or #7 items you throw in your curbside blue bin will be made into anything else. That heap includes lots of packaging, such as non-cardboard egg cartons, fast-food clamshells, styrofoam cups and to-go containers, flexible 6-pack rings and bread bags. Feeling a little demoralized? Brace yourself: This blue-bin buzzkill is just getting started.

Let’s circle back to recyclers’ favorite: #1 PET. Even for this most-favored plastic, much of what’s placed in blue bins isn’t recycled. It’s a question of configuration: Recyclers love clear PET bottles, but most of them don’t want PET when it’s in the form of clamshell containers, cups and tubs. In these formats, PET reacts differently to the heat of recycling. For example, if they’re combined with bottles, those PET tubs used to package your blueberries and strawberries create ash that contaminates the whole batch. “This is a perfect example of why we don’t go by plastic numbers,” explains Millenium Recycling. “A #1 clamshell container is NOT the same as a #1 bottle and they cannot be recycled the same way.”

Size matters too. No matter the type of plastic, if it’s smaller than three inches, most recycling processors don’t want it cluttering up their works. Given that, the Washington Post recently advised simply throwing away any plastic that doesn’t fit in the palm of your hand. Thinness is another liability — which means your plastic forks, spoons and straws are also a no-go. Then there’s color discrimination — any kind of black plastic is pretty much guaranteed not to be recycled, because infrared scanners in automated sorting machines aren’t able to “see” most black plastic. And while clear #1 PET bottles are at the top of the recyclability list, colored PET bottles are less favored.

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Cooked
https://twitter.com/i/status/1887888796261216690

 

 

Helmet

 

 

Mums baby

 

 

Tigerboar

 

 

Cat

 

 

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