Rembrandt van Rijn Bathsheba at her bath 1654
Depopulation goes fast.
Trump
I will sit down with Putin and Zelensky to get this war solved. If Biden authorizes US-Supplied missiles for Ukraine to use on Russia, a nuclear World War III will start. Since Biden is incompetent , I will have to put an end to this killing and prevent WWIII myself. pic.twitter.com/KJ0VJiqLEq
— Donald J. Trump – Parody (@realDonParody) November 18, 2024
Bannon
WATCH: Bannon says it's 'march or die' with Trump cabinet picks; "This is not even a question. It's march or die and all of them get confirmed. If Trump puts em up, they get confirmed. If we have to have a showdown now with the Senate, let's have it now!" pic.twitter.com/H3uEoRLRoa
— Overton (@overton_news) November 16, 2024
Scharf
https://twitter.com/i/status/1857562938837520434
Gaetz
https://twitter.com/i/status/1857953928152752275
Casey Means
https://twitter.com/i/status/1857626646007644507
Kai
https://twitter.com/i/status/1857888752963657828
We’ve been hinting at escalation for a while…
• Biden Authorizes Ukraine’s Use Of US Missiles To Hit Targets Inside Russia (ZH)
In a move straight out of Louis “After me, the flood” XV, the outgoing BIden admin, in a seemingly desperate move to destabilize the global geopolitical picture, has authorized the lifting of some restrictions on Ukraine’s use of western-made weapons to strike military targets inside Russia, according to reports from Bloomberg and the AP. The decision was reportedly shaped by North Korea ramping up support for President Vladimir Putin’s army and an increase in Russian missile and drone attacks on its neighbor. The approval represents a major U.S. policy shift and comes as the deep state-supported, dementia-ridden puppet Joe Biden is about to leave office and incoming President-elect Donald Trump has said he would bring about a swift end to the war and has expressed skepticism over continued support by the United States.
If approved, the capability would likely be used first in the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukraine is fighting against North Korean troops as well as Moscow’s forces, the people said. Still, any permission, if granted, is unlikely to go as far as Ukraine has requested, one of the people said. As the war in Ukraine heads into its third full winter, the US and its allies “have grown extremely concerned” about Pyongyang’s decision to deploy its forces in combat and assessments by some Group of 20 nations suggest North Korea could eventually send as many as 100,000 troops to Russia. The allies believe the deepening cooperation between Putin and Kim Jong Un could have consequences for the security balance in the Indo-Pacific region, Bloomberg has reported previously. Discussions between the allies over missile strikes have intensified since Donald Trump won US elections earlier this month, another Bloomberg source said.
Trump has said he will seek a quick deal between Ukraine and Russia to end the war, without specifying how. In other words, Biden’s puppet masters are urgently seeking to escalate the war in Ukraine to make the quick ceasefire sought by Trump impossible (after all, war is how the Deep State earns its income). Until now, Biden had remained opposed, determined to hold the line against any escalation that he felt could draw the U.S. and other NATO members into direct conflict with Russia. But what supposedly triggered the shift is not Trump’s desire to end the war, at least not according to Bloomberg’s deep state sources, but North Korea’s decision to deploy deployed thousands of troops to Russia to help Moscow reclaim land in the Kursk border region that Ukraine seized this year, and which Russia has already mostly regained even as Ukraine continues to cede territory in the Donetsk region. The introduction of North Korean troops to the conflict comes as Moscow has seen a favorable shift in momentum.
As many as 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, according to U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian assessments. U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials say North Korea also has provided Russia with significant amounts of munitions to replenish its weapons stockpiles. Trump, who takes office in January, spoke for months as a candidate about wanting Russia’s war in Ukraine to be over. He also repeatedly slammed the Biden administration for giving Kyiv tens of billions of dollars in aid. His resounding election victory has Ukraine’s international backers worrying that any rushed settlement would mostly benefit Putin. Which is where the deep state’s World War 3 Hail Mary comes in, especially since the outgoing Biden administration has said it will send as much aid as possible to Kyiv before Trump takes office in January.
“..make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives..”
• The Biden Administration Wants ‘World War III’ – Trump Jr. (RT)
US President-elect Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., lashed out at the Democrats following reports that outgoing President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to use American-made long-range missiles to strike internationally recognized Russian territory. Trump Jr., who campaigned alongside his father during the 2024 presidential election and has been helping him pick members of his future cabinet, did not mince words on social media. “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” he wrote on X on Sunday. “Gotta lock in those $Trillions. Life be damned!!! Imbeciles!” The Biden administration previously restricted the use of ATACMS missiles by Ukraine, citing fears of possible retaliation by Russia. The White House, however, had decided to reverse its policy, according to reports by multiple news agencies.
The White House and the Pentagon have chosen not to comment on the matter. The reported decision is widely seen as a last-ditch effort to boost Ukraine’s military capabilities before Trump could assume office on January 20. During his re-election campaign, the president-elect cast doubt on the necessity of unconditional aid to Kiev and vowed to resolve the conflict by diplomatic means. His looming return to the White House made the Democrats, together with officials in Ukraine and the EU, worry that the new administration could abandon Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly stated that allowing Western weapons to be used deep inside Russia would be a signal of NATO’s direct involvement in the conflict. President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will take “appropriate decisions in response to the threats.”
“Libs [liberals] love war..” [..] “..war facilitates bigger government.”
• Musk Reacts To Biden Reportedly Allowing Deep Strikes On Russia (RT)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a close confidant of US President-elect Donald Trump, has weighed in on President Joe Biden’s apparent decision to officially sanction the use of American missiles on targets deep within Russian territory, agreeing with a post stating “libs love war.” With just two months left in office, Biden reportedly gave in to one of Ukraine’s long-standing demands on Sunday afternoon, authorizing Kiev to use its American-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) in strikes on Russia’s Kursk Region. The decision was simultaneously reported by multiple US media outlets. Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, Reuters reported, citing “two US officials and a source familiar with the decision.” Biden’s decision marks a significant escalation in the conflict.
While Ukraine has possessed ATACMS missiles since April, the US president did not at that time give Kiev permission to use them on internationally recognized Russian territory. To date, they have been used in strikes on Russia’s Crimea, Donetsk, and Lugansk regions, which Washington considers Ukrainian. Responding to the news on X, Utah Senator Mike Lee, a Republican, declared that “Libs [liberals] love war,” adding: “war facilitates bigger government.” “True,” Musk replied. While SpaceX has provided the Ukrainian military with Starlink internet terminals, Musk has long argued that Kiev cannot hope to defeat Russian forces on the battlefield, and that the conflict must end in a negotiated settlement. The tech tycoon endorsed Donald Trump – who has vowed to bring a swift end to the fighting – earlier this summer, and following Trump’s defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris last week, he has emerged as one of the president-elect’s closest advisers.
Musk is not the only figure in Trump’s orbit to condemn Biden’s decision. Richard Grenell, a close adviser to the president-elect who served as acting director of national intelligence in 2020, accused Biden of “escalating the wars before he leaves office.” “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” Trump’s son, Donald Jr., wrote on X. “Gotta lock in those $Trillions. Life be damned!!! Imbeciles!” Trump has vowed to bring the conflict to a speedy conclusion, and is expected to push Moscow and Kiev to agree to peace talks. Musk reportedly joined Trump on a phone call to Vladimir Zelensky last week, speaking directly to the Ukrainian leader at one point, according to reports in the US media.
Musk has not acknowledged taking part in the call, but wrote on X shortly afterwards that “the senseless killing will end soon. Time is up for the warmonger profiteers.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow would view any attacks on Russia’s internationally recognized territory with American-supplied weaponry as NATO entering the conflict directly. These actions, he suggested, would have severe repercussions, including retaliation against Western interests.
“The Dems can pretend like people are listening to them as they tell the world how they would would do each cabinet job better..”
• Democrats Propose ‘Shadow Government’ To Oppose Trump’s Cabinet (ZH)
If Democrats today are known for anything, it’s their uncanny inability to read the room and listen to people when they say “No”. It’s a typical trait of psychopaths; the assumption that when people refuse your ideals and your leadership they “don’t really mean it” and they “just”need a little more convincing”. Sorry leftists, but no means no. It doesn’t help that the most common argument coming from leftist pundits after their brutal election loss is that the only reason voters didn’t choose Kamala Harris and the woke cult is because most Americans are stupid. The progressives think they know what’s best for everyone else. They’re the smartest people in the room, after all… Despite the supposedly incredible intellectual power of the progressive elites, they still lost the election in a landslide and common sense would dictate that they should reconsider their political philosophy and align more with the needs of the general public. However, recent events suggest that’s not going to happen.
Donald Trump’s cabinet process is well underway and some of his picks have the Democrats (and some Neo-Cons) truly terrified. In particular, the establishment media machine is already pumping out endless propaganda in an attempt to undermine RFK Jr, Matt Gaetz, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Pete Hegseth, etc. They are floating rumors of sexual misconduct, corruption, mental instability, conspiracy; desperately clamoring to stop these appointments no matter the cost. Why? Because these people will have the power to completely gut the status quo regime and they openly assert they will do so. Trump faces perhaps the most aggressive opposition to his cabinet appointments of any president in recent history, and it’s a sure bet that most Democrats and a number of GOP RINOs in the Senate will work together to sabotage the appointment process. But Trump has the ability to force the Senate into recess and make his appointments while lawmakers are out of session, which means Democrats and Neo-Cons might not have a choice in the matter.
In preparation for this outcome, some Democrats are calling for the creation of what they call a ‘Shadow Government’ or ‘Shadow Cabinet’. Democrat Wiley Nicol from North Carolina cites a similar dynamic used by the UK government; a kind of counter-body of political leaders that hound elected officials with policy criticism while offering their own policies as a better option. The idea is rather tone deaf. For Americans, the phrase “shadow government” has numerous negative connotations and inspires suspicions of corruption. In the UK it’s a bit more innocuous – Members of a shadow cabinet have no executive power. It is the shadow cabinet’s responsibility to apply scrutiny to the policies and actions of the sitting government, which doesn’t sound much different from what opposing politicians already do.
That said, a shadow government also represents a false alternative. It’s the government that the Democrats think should be in power instead of the government that the public actually voted for. It should be noted that the UK’s socialist system have become increasingly authoritarian in recent years, with punishments for thought crimes now widely enforced. There is no true opposition party to the globalist establishment in the UK, they barely know what a legitimate conservative is.
All parties essentially hover around the center left, and with each passing year the center left moves further to the extreme left. The idea that UK or European government methods should be emulated by the US shows just how detached from the American people Democrats have become. At best, this concept represents a sad attempt by Democrats to cling to the illusion of importance. The Dems can pretend like people are listening to them as they tell the world how they would would do each cabinet job better, but they never really do much beyond talk. At worst, the shadow government could be used as an alternative contact point for foreign governments, NGOs and other institutions that prefer not to engage with the Trump Administration and face the music.
If the latter is the ultimate goal, then it is utterly contrary to the constitution. There is no allowance for a “shadow cabinet”, it doesn’t exist as a legal edifice in the US for good reason. There is only one government, which Americans voted into office. No one wants to hear from Democrats on how they would govern; they had their chance and they blew it. Anyone who understands progressive government knows that their system is designed only to eat more and grow bigger. It’s not designed to shrink, or to give up power. What the Democrats greatly fear is a substantial downsizing of the bureaucracy. That is where they derive their true influence. A shadow cabinet might be the beginnings of an effort by leftists to pretend as if they still have a say in the overall course of the country.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1857495484534857996
“President-Elect Trump will begin making decisions on who will serve in his second Administration soon..” “Those decisions will be announced when they are made.”
• It’s Trump’s Transition and He Calls the Shots (Wegmann)
Since Election Day, the Trump transition has been copying and pasting the same quote again and again into emails to reporters seeking comment on this or that presidential appointment. “President-Elect Trump will begin making decisions on who will serve in his second Administration soon,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt always writes without fail. “Those decisions will be announced when they are made.” The boilerplate delivers an obvious truth that many in Washington, D.C., find uncomfortable or, in some cases, unimaginable: The president-elect alone, not his senior staff, and certainly not any outside organization, is calling the shots. Enter Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The famous vaccine skeptic is a new addition to the Trump orbit. He abandoned his own presidential campaign over the summer before backing the Republican candidate, delivering an unusual but no less invaluable endorsement in the final stretch of the election season. “It is a realignment,” Tucker Carlson later said of the coalition that included RFK Jr., whose addition he helped facilitate. “It is unbelievable.” The Kennedy apostate, it seemed at the time, was only there to deliver a bit of political capital. Kennedy is an environmental lawyer who believes in climate change and who sued oil companies. He is a Catholic but also a liberal who believes in abortion rights. He is a crusader against what he has described as “Big Banks” and “Big Data” and “Big Tech” and “Big Pharma.”
The one thing Kennedy would never be? The Health and Human Services Secretary. So said Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of the Trump transition committee. Just days before the election, he told CNN that Kennedy was “not getting a job for HHS.” Asked anchor Kaitlin Collins, “He would not be in charge of HHS?” Replied Lutnick, “No, of course not.” And then, nine days after the election, Trump announced his intent to nominate RFK Jr. to that HHS post. “I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth,” Kennedy said in a statement. Pharmaceutical stocks stumbled.
Democrats on Capitol Hill were aghast. Republicans were mostly silent. Asked for reaction, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, whom Republicans elected to serve as Senate majority leader in the next Congress, told reporters, “I don’t have one at this point.” Not all of Trump’s picks were so controversial. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, for instance, is well-respected among his colleagues on the Hill and is considered a shoo-in for secretary of state. Others reflected the realignment that Carlson referenced on the campaign trail, like former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a lapsed Democrat whom Trump tapped to serve as his director of national intelligence.
And then there is former Rep. Matt Gaetz. RealClearPolitics first reported that the Florida Republican was about to resign after Trump announced his intent to nominate him to be attorney general. His hasty resignation likely precludes the House Ethics Committee from releasing a report that includes allegations he had sex with a minor. Gaetz denies the allegations. Some Republicans still find them disqualifying. Trump made the decision, according to Politico, after his longtime confidant Boris Epshteyn lobbied on Gaetz’s behalf the night before. Incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was reportedly unaware and in a different part of the plane during the deal-making. The developments reflect a president-elect who is much more hands-on this time around and, perhaps, a transition chief unaware of how Trump operates.
“Trump avoided a fall into the abyss and instead reached new heights.”
• Beyond Victory and Defeat: A Vision for National Unity (ET)
The election is finally over, marking a stunning victory for former President Trump, who not only won all swing states but also, for the first time in 20 years, secured the popular vote. This required changing the opinions of 7 percent of all voters—a whopping 10 million people! With the Senate and, most likely, the House on his side, Trump now has a free hand to implement his policies. However, the nation remains deeply divided, with no signs of healing. Media platforms like YouTube, cable TV, and TikTok are filled with attacks and counter-attacks. While Republicans have indeed won the majority, they are unable to reach out to the other 48 percent of voters who chose differently. The election still feels like an “I can overpower you” contest. Does it have to be this way? Is there anything that can pull our nation together after such a bitterly fought election?
I still remember the moment former President Trump announced his presidential campaign at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022, just one week after the midterm election. It was a subdued event, a low point for Trump and his supporters, as they had just lost most of their battles—except for victories by J.D. Vance and Ron DeSantis, the latter of whom soon became Trump’s next political headache. When Gov. DeSantis announced his own campaign four months later, touting his impressive midterm election results, Trump’s path back to the White House grew even murkier. From then on, however, a stunning sequence of events unfolded. In March 2023, Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for alleged hush money payments to an adult film star. Outraged, Trump’s supporters rallied, and his poll numbers surged by five percentage points.
Next came the classified documents indictment in June, followed by the Jan. 6 election interference indictment, the Georgia election interference case, the high-profile Mar-a-Lago raid in August, and the New York bank fraud case in October. Yet each of these misfortunes turned into blessings, raising Trump’s poll numbers by five percentage points each time. Soon, DeSantis found himself unable to keep up, trailing in Trump’s wake. When Trump lost his bank fraud case and was hit with a nearly $500 million penalty, many thought it would bankrupt him. However, his Digital World Acquisition Corp. shareholders voted to acquire his Truth Social company and take it public, giving Trump a financial lifeline with nearly $2 billion in new wealth. Trump avoided a fall into the abyss and instead reached new heights.
The miracle continued. When he was shot at a rally in Butler in July 2024 but survived miraculously, rising to shout “Fight!” more than half the nation was awed by him, including former critics and foes like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. It was another instance of misfortune transforming into fortune. Over the past two years, Donald Trump has repeatedly risen from the ashes, culminating in his landslide victory in November. What does this unbelievable sequence of events tell us? Now that the election is over, should it be reduced to the winning side laughing at the losing side and enjoying a four-year victory? What message might these sequence of events be trying to convey? I believe that, at this moment, conservatives should reach deeper into the issues that divide us and seek common ground that can unify the nation. That common ground lies in the values and principles of this country.
These values and principles are embodied in the Constitution and, more importantly, in the vision of the Founding Fathers who crafted it. Despite the divisions in our country, the Constitution still holds a place of reverence. Why don’t we engage in dialogue within the framework established by the Constitution to address our profound differences?
“I think there’s going to be a complete second look at all of the prosecutions..”
• What Happens to Jan. 6 Defendants After Trump’s Election Win? (ET)
After President-elect Donald Trump won a second term, multiple defendants charged for their roles in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, asked to delay their cases because they anticipate pardons from Trump. Many were denied, but each nonetheless raised questions about how Trump will handle the cases. According to data collected by NPR, more than 1,500 people have been charged in relation to Jan. 6, with nearly 1,000 pleading guilty. At least a dozen cases have been dismissed, while plenty remain with changes following Trump’s election. At the beginning of November, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia announced multiple sentences and guilty verdicts. Various factors could determine whether these individuals end up avoiding jail time, but perhaps the most important is Trump’s eventual control of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and who will lead that department.
On Nov. 13, Trump announced Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as his pick for attorney general. Gaetz has been critical of the prosecutions and introduced a bill in July that was intended to prevent prosecutors from retaliating against Jan. 6 defendants for seeking resentencing. Gaetz has also questioned federal involvement, stating that Jan. 6 “wasn’t an insurrection” but that it “very well may have been a fedsurrection.” Assuming the presidency also grants Trump substantial pardon power under the Constitution: Trump has indicated that he’s open to pardoning those charged but left open the possibility that some would face punishment. “We will treat them fairly,” he said in January 2022. “And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons, because they are being treated so unfairly.”
More recently, during an event in July, he was asked about individuals who assaulted officers. He said he would “absolutely” pardon the defendants “if they’re innocent” and added that “they were convicted by a very tough system.” More than 70 defendants have received a mixed verdict, and so far, more than 1,000 people have been sentenced, with 64 percent receiving prison time, according to NPR data. Some defendants have also taken plea deals. “I think there’s going to be a complete second look at all of the prosecutions,” Robert Ray, a former Trump impeachment attorney, told The Epoch Times, while noting the large number of cases brought.
He added that a second look wouldn’t “necessarily yield a favorable result with regard to each and every defendant, but I think there’s going to be a pretty strenuous exercise of the pardon and commutation power to deal with overreaching [by prosecutors].” John Pierce, an attorney who has represented Jan. 6 defendants, told The Epoch Times he expects a “blanket pardon,” while Trump–Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the president-elect “will make pardon decisions on a case-by-case basis.” It’s unclear which individuals Trump will consider for pardon.
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Lori Ulrich, an attorney with the public defender’s office, told The Epoch Times. She is currently representing Joseph Fischer, whose case made it to the Supreme Court this year. Fischer and other defendants face a myriad of charges, including an obstruction charge the Supreme Court addressed this summer in Fischer v. United States. It’s unclear how Trump’s DOJ will apply that ruling, but the president-elect’s pardons could be influenced by factors such as the politics surrounding his pardons. “If President Biden either pardons or commutes the sentences for Hunter Biden, that gives President Trump political cover to either pardon or commute the non-violent J6 offenders, [as well as] Peter Navarro, and Steve Bannon, if he chooses to,” John Shu, a constitutional law expert who served in both Bush administrations, told The Epoch Times.
“Investors fear that Europe will be in the front line of the coming trade war.”
• Trump Not Even in Power Yet and Already Wreaking Havoc on European Markets (Sp.)
Donald Trump’s expected return to the White House in January has been met with intense skepticism by both political and economic elites in Europe. European markets are trending downward and the euro has slid to its worst dip against the US dollar since the 2022 energy crisis in anticipation of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The cause? Fears that Trump will make good on his campaign promises to level cross-the-board 10-20% tariffs on all foreign imports, including those coming from Europe. Barclays analysts cited by the Financial Times dubbed the Stoxx Europe 600’s poor performance compared to US markets – which soared on news of Trump’s reelection last week, a “Trump premium.” ING global markets head Chris Turner explained the situation in no uncertain terms: “Investors fear that Europe will be in the front line of the coming trade war.”
“Trump’s not messing around,” Markus Hansen, portfolio manager at Vontobel, a Zurich-based investment management firm, said. “His administration wants to get going on tariffs from day one” and the Europeans “will find themselves in the crossfire.” The president-elect appeared to confirm as much last week with his reported plans to rehire noted trade hawk Robert Lighthizer as his trade czar. During Trump’s first term, Lighthizer kicked off a trade war with China, strongarmed Canada and Mexico into renegotiating NAFTA, and slapped tariffs of up to 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum imports from much of the world, including Europe. FT says the specter of new Trump tariffs, combined with China’s growing industrial might, could push European manufacturers deeper into crisis.
The latter are already reeling from Brussels’ shortsighted 2022 decision to try to wean the EU off Russian energy, which thrust regional industrial powerhouses into recession and arguably the worst deindustrialization crisis since WWII. Jeffries investment banking chief European economist Mohit Kumar confirmed to FT that Europe’s poor performance is tied to the fact that its “cheap energy model has been broken” by the Ukraine crisis. The markets’ reaction to Trump’s victory echoed a string of pessimistic analyses on Europe’s prospects under Trump generally, expecting the president-elect to “test European solidarity on NATO, Ukraine and trade,” and prove “2025’s disaster” for a Germany lurching “from crisis to crisis.”
Representatives of Europe’s political class couldn’t help but express disdain for Trump following last week’s election, with outgoing EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell telling colleagues in Brussels this week that Trump’s victory “is going to have many geopolitical consequences.” “We have to show that we are not afraid or divided – although in reality we surely are, because the reception to President Trump’s victory has not been the same in all [European] capitals. In any case, the result will have profound consequences for our bilateral relations. Trump talks about imposing 10% tariffs on all European products. If such a thing were to happen, it would certainly affect our competitiveness,” Borrell said.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies, and compensation is zero. What a great deal!”
• Musk, Ramaswamy Seek Volunteers to Join New DOGE Department (ET)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced on Nov. 14 that they are looking for volunteers to join the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling for the top 1 percent of small-government revolutionaries.” We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE,” they announced on social media platform X. “We don’t need more part-time idea generators. “We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting. If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.” Musk further confirmed that DOGE work would be unpaid, stating on X, “Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies, and compensation is zero. What a great deal!”
In response to that comment, Ramaswamy stated, “That stands in contrast to the many government bureaucrats who: (a) do little or no work, (b) tell people only what they want to hear, & (c) make more money than the value they create.” DOGE’s objective is in its name: to make government more efficient, with significant spending cuts being among the top expectations. “I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans,” Trump said in a Nov. 12 statement announcing the new department and its leaders. “Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending. They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to ‘WE THE PEOPLE.’”
Musk stated on X that all DOGE actions will be posted online to provide “maximum transparency.” This will include the creation of a leaderboard showcasing the “most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars,” which he said would be “extremely tragic and extremely entertaining.” He also urged the public to be vocal about anything that is being cut that they think might be important. Trump said the initiative could be “‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time.” The request for volunteers followed Musk’s announcement in September that he was willing to forgo compensation.
“I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises,” Musk said in a post on X. “No pay, no title, no recognition is needed.” DOGE will work with the Office of Management and Budget and is set to complete its work no later than July 4, 2026, America’s 250th anniversary. “Either we get government efficient or America goes bankrupt. That’s what it comes down to. Wish I were wrong, but it’s true,” Musk wrote on X, responding to Trump’s official announcement on Nov. 12.
Cui bono?
• Harris Campaign Still Pleading With Donors for More Money (Sp.)
The Democrats suffered a repeat of the 2016 presidential election last week, with Donald Trump returning to the White House, while Republicans flipped the Senate and maintained control of the House of Representatives – a government trifecta the GOP previously enjoyed between 2017 and 2019. Despite raking in over $2.3 bln in cash for her campaign and billions more in indirect support through the PAC-based campaign financing loophole, Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign surrogates are reportedly still prodding donors for more money after her election loss. The Reason? The campaign reportedly spent more than it raised on an array of election-related content, from TV, internet and mail ads to lavish payments to social media influencers, concerts and rallies, and now wants supporters to help it climb out of the financial hole it has dug for itself.
Small-time supporters subscribed to Harris’s email donor list are reportedly facing a deluge of almost-daily donation appeals, while personal calls are being made to bigger donors (whose generosity measures beyond hundreds of dollars). Democrats say that despite losing the war, there’s still a battle to be fought over Donald Trump’s cabinet picks – many of whom will have to undergo grueling confirmation hearings in the Senate, and point to outstanding seats in the House of Representatives, the election results for which have yet to be called. US media reported last week that the Harris campaign had landed itself $20 mln in debt after the election. Donald Trump took to Truth Social to express “surprise” over the fact that Harris had run out of money, and urged Republicans, “for the sake of desperately needed UNITY,” to chip in to help the opposition pay back the debts. Media hinted at one big potential source of the debts, pointing to last-minute concerts in seven swing states featuring big name (and big bucks) artists like Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.
“..one of their primary tasks should be to expose how the Biden Admin has been hiding the real economic data from the nation at large..”
• Trump Faces An Economic Catch-22 His First Day In Office (ZH)
The first thing Trump needs to do is set up an economic advisory board (Ron Paul would be a great candidate to lead such a project) and one of their primary tasks should be to expose how the Biden Admin has been hiding the real economic data from the nation at large. The temptation will be to keep this data under wraps for fear that it will destroy the country should everyone know the facts. I think the country has voted in great numbers for an end to the status quo and that they want transparency. We can handle the truth. If Trump doesn’t educate the public on how the Democrats and the establishment have been rigging the numbers, then the public will ultimately blame conservatives for any eventual crash. Also, when the public knows the truth, they will also understand why dramatic changes to policy need to be made.
A major pillar of Trump’s economic plan includes tariffs on foreign goods as a way to pay off the national debt, reduce taxes and fund the government. Leftists claim tariffs are actually a “tax on the American consumer” and will end in disaster as prices rise. They’re ignoring the fundamental point. Tariffs cause an increase in prices on foreign-made goods, not American made products. We simply need to manufacture more in the U.S. Why does the U.S. need to remain stuck as a consumer country only? Why can’t we also produce? First, tariffs are not just a tax, they are leverage. Europe is already talking about buying more commodities and goods from the U.S. so they can avoid high tariffs. China is likely to do the same.
The U.S. is the biggest consumer market in the world with 30% of global share. No other nation comes close. Producer nations would face economic disaster without access to U.S. customers. That said, it’s not enough. There needs to be a backstop of domestic production and I think this could also help reduce price increases. How? If the U.S. focuses on what I call the “quality economy” then prices will be higher for a time, but in the long run inflation will drop significantly. The key is that we produce goods with a high quality standard – products that last for many years and have a significant warranty attached.
If our goods are better than foreign products and they last longer, then people will buy less stuff over time. This means reduced spending, more savings, lower demand and ultimately lower prices. There’s a number of ways Trump could subsidize this domestic manufacturing boom while also greatly increasing American wages and the standard of living. Biden pretended he was going to do this with his so-called Inflation Reduction Act and his green energy programs. Trump could do it for real.
“..the EU has effectively trapped itself, which does not benefit its interests. “It is in a trap. And this does not work to the advantage of the European Union..”
• EU Won’t Survive Without Russia And BRICS – Russian Senator (RT)
The EU can’t survive without cooperating with Russia and the BRICS states, Russian Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said in an interview with RT on Saturday. Russia, however, needs the EU far less, he said. Kosachev noted that the sanctions imposed on Russia create a significant barrier to any real cooperation with the EU. The bloc has imposed 14 rounds of sanctions against Russia following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. These measures have targeted Russia’s central bank reserves held abroad, major banks, various companies, entrepreneurs, politicians, and officials, along with bans on numerous imports and exports. The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the sanctions as illegitimate, while President Vladimir Putin has described them as irrational.
Kosachev pointed out that lifting these sanctions would require the unanimous approval of EU states, and that even if a majority supports removing them, dissent by just a few countries could derail such an initiative. He concluded that the EU has effectively trapped itself, which does not benefit its interests. “It is in a trap. And this does not work to the advantage of the European Union,” the deputy speaker emphasized. While he believes Russia will continue to thrive independent of the EU, he asserted that the EU’s survival hinges on its collaboration with Russia and other BRICS nations. “We will survive without cooperation with the European Union on our side. The European Union will not survive without cooperation with Russia and other member states in BRICS, this is for sure.” Earlier this month, Putin stated that Western efforts to isolate Russia economically and politically have ultimately failed.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko has claimed the EU’s total losses from sanctions imposed on Russia and restrictions on its economic activity are believed to be around $1.5 trillion, according to “the most conservative estimates.” Some EU nations contend that the sanctions have hurt the bloc more than Russia. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban cautioned on Friday that the EU’s sanctions regime “should be reviewed,” or else it risks “destroying” the European economy. Meanwhile, the well-attended annual BRICS summit that was held in October in Kazan, the first since the group’s expansion to include Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, highlighted that Russia remains globally connected despite Western sanctions. Delegations from 35 countries participated in the event. More than 30 nations, including NATO member Türkiye, have expressed interest in joining the group. BRICS now accounts for an estimated 37.3% of global GDP versus 14.5% for the EU.
“If people knew the truth, people would have a lot of questions about what we’re giving to our children… Unfortunately we have to go to Russian TV to tell the truth..”
• RT Is ‘Only Station Where I Can Tell The Truth’ – RFK in 2020 (RT)
Americans are “not allowed” to talk freely about healthcare problems on US media and must go to Russian TV “to tell the truth,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told RT DE in Berlin in August 2020. He singled out RT America as the “only station” where he was free to express his opinion on the US healthcare system and its inadequacies. Kennedy was an outspoken critic of the US Covid-19 response during the pandemic. Often accused of being an ‘anti-vaxxer’, he has brushed off the claims, stressing that the only thing he opposed was administering drugs that have not been safety-tested. Kennedy claimed that the entire US vaccine industry was “an artifact” of the old “quasi-military” public health system introduced during the Cold War as a “national security defense against biological attacks” by Russia.
According to him, the laws regulating vaccines were written with a “loophole” that allowed pharmaceutical companies to forgo time-consuming safety tests if they did not call a drug a medicine. This was done in order to deploy vaccines quickly and with no regulatory impediments, but resulted in a “gold rush to put more vaccines on the table” as pharmaceutical companies “took advantage of that old military loophole” to boost profits. “You know why people don’t know it? Because there’s censorship. I’m not allowed to talk about that on American TV… I do talk about it on RT America – it’s the only station that lets me talk about it,” he stated. Very paradoxical but it’s true: RT America is the only place where we can talk about many of these subjects.
Kennedy said it was “ironic” that a Russian TV station looked to be the most free in the US, but not surprising. “Unfortunately, US TV is owned by the pharmaceutical companies,” he stated, noting that ever since the US passed a law that made it legal to advertise prescription drugs on TV back in 1997, the influence of big pharma on media content has become all-encompassing. “If you look at the evening news in the US, out of twenty two advertisements on a typical news show seventeen are pharmaceutical. So they’re dictating content,” he claimed, adding that this was the reason behind Americans “consuming more drugs than any country in the world” while still having “the worst health outcomes.”
“Pharmaceutical drugs are now the number three killer in the US after heart attacks and cancer, but nobody talks about it…. If people knew the truth, people would have a lot of questions about what we’re giving to our children… Unfortunately we have to go to Russian TV to tell the truth,” he stated. Kennedy was nominated by US President-elect Donald Trump for the position of secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this week. If approved, he will oversee America’s major healthcare agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). A longtime critic of these agencies, he has promised major reforms in order to “make America healthy again.”
The purpose is fear.
• Climate Summits “No Longer Fit For Purpose”, Experts Say (ZH)
It looks like experts are starting to realize that the litany of global ‘climate summits’, where participants fly in on private jets to wax poetic about the virtues of attempting to change thousand-year cooling and warming cycles on Earth, could need some reform. Leading climate experts, including Ban Ki-moon, Mary Robinson, Christiana Figueres, and Johan Rockström, are calling for significant changes to UN climate summits, according to a new report from The Guardian. They argue future conferences should only be hosted by nations demonstrating strong climate action and advocate for stricter controls on fossil fuel lobbyists. Over 1,700 industry lobbyists attended Cop29, raising concerns about undue influence. The group has urged the UN to streamline the annual summits, amplify the voices of developing countries, and increase meeting frequency to better address the climate crisis.
“It is now clear that the Cop is no longer fit for purpose. We need a shift from negotiation to implementation,” they wrote. “We need strict eligibility criteria to exclude countries who do not support the phase-out/transition away from fossil energy. Host countries must demonstrate their high level of ambition to uphold the goals of the Paris agreement,” they said. Cop29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, is nearing its halfway point amid controversy. Azerbaijan, a major fossil fuel producer with oil and gas comprising half its exports, follows last year’s host, the UAE—a petrostate led by Sultan Al Jaber, who retained his role as head of Adnoc during the conference. At Cop29 in Baku, controversy surrounds the presence of 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists, more than any nation except Azerbaijan, Brazil, and Turkey, and far exceeding the 1,033 delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations.
The Guardian wrote that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore criticized the fossil fuel industry’s influence and called for reforms in choosing host countries. Talks center on securing $1 trillion annually by 2030 to help poorer nations address climate challenges, but progress is slow, with disagreements over contributions from developed nations and emerging economies like China. Campaigners demand polluters pay, while a report suggests innovative funding options, including levies on cryptocurrencies, plastics, and air travel, or a 2% wealth tax, to bridge finance gaps. Negotiations will continue into next week.
Recall, just days ago we wrote about a how a senior COP29 official in Azerbaijan reportedly used his role as heading up the fight on climate change…to secure meetings with potential investors in the country’s oil and gas sectors. Energy production drives 60% of Azerbaijan’s economy. Elnur Soltanov, Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister and COP29 chief, was covertly recorded discussing investment opportunities in the state-owned SOCAR, according to PJ Media. “SOCAR Trading is trading oil and gas all over the world, including in Asia. To me, these are the possibilities to explore. But in any case this is something that you need to be talking to SOCAR, and I would be happy to create a contact between yourself and them,” he was caught on tape saying. He added: “We have a lot of gas fields that are to be developed.”
“They are gnats. Gnats can be really annoying. That does not change what they are..”
• US Media Cheerleads ‘Killer Robots Filling Ukrainian Skies’ (Sp.)
NATO and Ukrainian officials and arms contractors have stated openly that the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine is an “ideal testing ground” for Western weapons systems for the conflicts of the future against other potential adversaries. Now, media have begun championing turning the crisis into a forever war using cheap killer drones. The US military-industrial complex has reportedly begun literally embedding itself into Ukrainian-produced military hardware, with Virginia-based defense firm Auterion said to be preparing to deliver ‘tens of thousands’ of its small, cheap Skynode autopilot computers to Kiev to fuse with locally made UAVs to increase their lethality. The minicomputers reportedly provide guidance, targeting and networking functions, are capable of stabilizing drones and maneuvering around obstacles to targets, and cost about $300 apiece.
Oleksiy Babenko, CEO of Ukrainian UAV startup Vyriy Drone, says his company will build several thousand of the new autopilot-equipped drones this month. The Wall Street Journal reported on the development in a puff piece published Friday, with the story, titled ‘Killer Robots Are About to Fill Ukrainian Skies’, praising the fusion of US and Ukrainian military manufacturing capabilities, and suggesting the UAVs are the solution the Zelensky regime is looking for as Washington’s interest in fueling the Ukrainian crisis fades, undermining more conventional and expensive forms of military support. WSJ specifically touts the new drones as a fix to Ukraine’s increasingly dire manpower shortfall, and low cost compared to missiles and artillery shells, which NATO hasn’t been able to supply in sufficient numbers after being outproduced by Russia’s defense sector.
Russian electronic warfare tools, and advances in its own drone programs, pose a challenge to Ukraine’s UAV ambitions, the newspaper admitted, pointing to Russian EW systems’ ability to “drown out” the signal between enemy drones and operators at a rate of 80-90%, and Russian defense engineers’ creation of a new series strike drones attached to long fiberoptic cables, which makes them impervious to enemy jamming. Reading like a written version of the 2017 sci-fi short film ‘Slaughterbots’, WSJ’s story alarmed even its own readers – particularly its praise of systems that further ‘automate’ the conflict. “The drone/EW/AI arms race we see in the Ukraine war is Skynet’s nursery and preschool,” one reader wrote, referring to the main antagonist from James Cameron’s Terminator movies, which warned of the dangers of AI being allowed to take control of military decision-making.
“Robot armies, impersonal killing, will become the new norm. What could go wrong?” another person sarcastically asked. “So this is the latest magic bullet. Every day there are fewer Ukrainians able to fight…Do you really think these drones will change the tide of a war of attrition? They are gnats. Gnats can be really annoying. That does not change what they are. Continuing this is irresponsible and immoral,” another commentator wrote.
“He needs us to back him. We need to fight for him if necessary. Here’s the scary thing. God forbid, but I don’t think this is the last assassination attempt. I think there will be more..”
• Left is a Vicious Wounded Tiger, They Want Us Dead – Larry Klayman (USAW)
Renowned Attorney Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and later Freedom Watch, has been fighting government corruption and winning for decades. Today, the fight has turned into an all-out war and fight to the death. Klayman explains, “Bottom line is we have been in a war, but now we are at red alert…””The fact that Donald Trump has been reelected the 47th President of the United States with the popular vote and an overwhelming landslide in the Electoral College, the Left is on the run, but it’s stung. It’s like a wounded tiger. It’s vicious. It will fight back… You are going to see the Left in the streets, ultimately. It will probably be in days, if not weeks. You are going to see a repeat of what we saw with Black Lives Matter, ANTIFA, radical Palestinians and others. They are going to be coming for us.
Frankly, and this sounds extreme, we saw the assassination attempts… and Kamala Harris and Biden calling Trump Hitler, calling them garbage and calling us garbage, they want us dead. Let me repeat that. They want us dead…They are like rats leaving the ship. The time to peacefully and legally crush them is now.” Klayman also sees that things may not stay peaceful. Klayman points out, “It’s only a matter of time because they are whipping up the hatred right now against all of us garbage men…” “It’s only a matter of time that he (President Trump) may have to declare martial law to reestablish order here. I hope it doesn’t get to that. But he (the President) has that authority as well. So, I want people to realize that there may be a calm in the storm right now, but the communists, the atheists, the radicals and the Left are coalescing. They are plotting, and they are planning.
This is like the ‘Force’ in ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Darth Vader.’ They intend to come back anyway they can. If they can’t do it peacefully and legally, which they can’t, they are going to get violent, and we better be prepared for that.” Klayman also points out that President Trump cannot turn America around without the help of millions of patriots. Klayman says, “He needs us to back him. We need to fight for him if necessary. Here’s the scary thing. God forbid, but I don’t think this is the last assassination attempt. I think there will be more. . . . This kid that took a crack at Trump in Butler, we don’t know what his motive was today. . . . We’ve never gotten the truth about anything. We don’t know who killed John F. Kennedy. Even Bobby Kennedy Jr. does not believe that Sirhan Sirhan killed his father. Martin Luther King’s family does not believe that James Earl Ray was the assassin of Martin Luther King. It was probably Edgar Hoover the FBI Director. . . .
We don’t know anything about the two people that tried to assassinate Donald Trump because our government is corrupt to the core, and that is why the Left is going to resist. Our government needs to be reconstituted. Embedded in government is the Deep State, and it is more powerful than the President.” Klayman is appealing to the incoming Trump Administration to make him the Czar in charge of picking judicial appointments. Klayman says too many RINO judges were put on the bench during Trump’s first Administration. Klayman is also representing Laura Loomer in a $150 million defamation lawsuit against HBO and Bill Maher. Klayman is also the lawyer of record on many other groundbreaking cases. Klayman also talks about the need for donations as the 2024 Election cycle took donations away from FreedomWatchUSA.org. Klayman makes an appeal for badly needed funds so he can continue his work for “We the People” against government corruption.
Tucker
Tucker Carlson: "Moscow has not been degraded by postmodern architecture that destroys your spirit"
Chris Cuomo: "You believe postmodern architecture is designed to kill your spirit?!"
Tucker: "Of course." Cuomo: "Why?"
Tucker's answer will blow your mind. A rant for the ages: pic.twitter.com/VHx7x4vpV1
— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) November 17, 2024
Deer
This guy saved a deer and friendship began
pic.twitter.com/q1RVT0OM6O— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) November 17, 2024
Cats
Cats with other animals pic.twitter.com/etBouDC6XA
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) November 17, 2024
Kingfisher
Ladies and gentlemen,I present to you the one and only:The Kingfisher ! pic.twitter.com/ThIYL4XjXk
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) November 17, 2024
Catch
Possibly the greatest single male athletic performance of all timepic.twitter.com/5avGeFmy4d
— Interesting things (@awkwardgoogle) November 16, 2024
Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.
Home › Forums › Debt Rattle November 18 2024