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Debt Rattle February 12 2025

Feb 122025
 
 February 12, 2025  Posted by at 10:40 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  Add comments


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
https://twitter.com/i/status/1889188421400154472

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.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1888581827285148067

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.

Read more …

“.. 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.

Read more …

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.

Read more …

“..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.

Read more …

“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.

Read more …

“..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.

 

 

 

 

 

Home › Forums › Debt Rattle February 12 2025

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  • February 12, 2025 at 10:40 am #182015
    Raúl Ilargi Meijer
    Keymaster

    Leonardo da Vinci (?) La Joconde nue or Monna Vanna 1515   • Stubbornness, Divine Providence and Donald Trump (Miele) • Trump Orders Federal Agen
    [See the full post at: Debt Rattle February 12 2025]

    February 12, 2025 at 11:38 am #182017
    Red
    Participant

    TDK “after every sports video i watch on the youtube, THIS nonsense is coming up.

    after every one.”

    Let it load or load it and hit the thumbs down. I’ve been doing this and the AI stops putting up the shows I don’t want to see. I don’t think it likes the down vote even though it doesn’t show them.

    February 12, 2025 at 12:39 pm #182018
    Red
    Participant

    Palestine Hijacked: How Zionism Forged An Apartheid State From River to Sea By Thomas Suárez

    A Review

    Much has been written in the alternative press over the past year about the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians and its other war crimes in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, etc. This has often been viewed within the historical context of the self-declared Zionist Israeli state’s founding in 1948 up to the present day. But far less has been said about the Zionist’s racial-nationalist-settler-colonialist movement’s history of terrorism to seize Palestine and kill and drive the Palestinians into exile that goes back for more than a century

    For those who think Donald Trump’s recent announcement that the United States will take over Gaza and force the besieged Palestinians to leave their country is shocking, the history presented by Thomas Suárez will disabuse them of that notion. The Zionist Trump is stating baldly the ultimate goal of the ethnic cleansing of all non-Jews from Palestine, which has been the Zionists’ goal from the beginning and lies behind Biden, who considers himself a Zionist, and Trump’s recent support for Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

    When questioned why he supported the Zionist leaders’ efforts to drive the Palestinians from their land, Winston Churchill, in 1937, replied, “I do not admit the dog in the manger has the final right to the manger, even though he may have lain there for a very long time.”

    As Suárez, a London-based historical researcher, former West Bank resident, violinist, and composer, writes, “He denied that ‘a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America, or the Black people of Australia’ by their replacement with ‘a higher grade race’.” This higher grade race rhetoric is racism, pure and simple, and it has been applied to the Palestinians by the Zionists from the start. Dogs, vermin, etc. Hitler would be proud.

    It is nothing new. Ethnic supremacy and a pure Jewish state have always been the goal, even as the Zionists used Nazi rhetoric and tactics that they allegedly abhorred while working with the Nazis to get German Jews into Palestine but nowhere else. What became known as The Haavara Transfer Agreement is proof of that.

    In January 1933 when Hitler came to power as German Chancellor, there were international calls for a boycott of German goods and services, supported by prominent Jews and Christians. The boycott caused a severe blow to the Reich’s economy. But an agreement with Hitler was arranged by Zionists to circumvent the boycott and provide Germany with needed capital, with Hitler allowing German Jews with sufficient wealth to emigrate to Palestine in return for their purchase of German goods and equipment, a quid pro quo arrangement that provided Germany with a propaganda win by claiming the boycott-breaking deal was made by Jews. Four years later, Adolph Eichmann, on a trip to Palestine, was involved in a follow-up effort with the Zionist terrorist militia, the Haganah, and its representative Feival Pokes, for the Nazis to pressure German Jewish groups to urge Jews to go only to Palestine and no other countries.

    The irony of Churchill’s racist statement is that the Zionists, despite the UK’s Balfour Declaration of 1917 declaring its support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,” turned on their British accomplices, who were in Palestine as “administrators” under a League of Nations mandate following WW I, with a savage terrorist campaign to drive the British out. This gave the Zionists a narrative propaganda myth that they have exploited to the present day that they were the victims of occupation in their own land, while it was the Zionists who, through terrorism, were driving the Palestinians from the land that was theirs for a very long time.

    Treachery of this nature defines the history of all those arrayed against the Palestinians from the start – as today, with Trump being no exception.

    Suárez makes it clear that the “Palestinians also committed terror attacks, and this book’s focus on Zionist and Israeli terror must never be misinterpreted as excusing Palestinian violence against innocents,” but the “Palestinian terror occurred principally during the uprisings of the late 1920s and late 1930 after years of being institutionally discriminated against and killed for the benefit of the Zionists, and after non-violent resistance – diplomacy, entreaties, strikes, boycotts – proved futile.” His focus in this book, therefore, is to document and offer a comprehensive and structural analysis of the decades-long terror campaign the Zionist racial-nationalist settler movement used to obliterate the “inferior” Arabs who were “dogs in the manger.”

    The Zionists’ twin terror campaigns against the Palestinians and the British forced the British to withdraw in 1948. They then turned their full attention to exterminating the Palestinians, which resulted in the what Palestinians refer to as the Nakba – the purging of nearly a million Palestinians from their land and the destruction of more than five hundred of their villages – (what Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel, called “a miraculous simplification of our task” ). It was then that the siege of Gaza began, not as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his accomplices claim began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

    As Suárez writes, “The siege of Gaza began in 1948, fifty-eight years before the 2006 election of Hamas, which Israeli now uses to justify it. It served then the same purpose it serves today: to block people of the wrong ethnicity from returning home.”

    From its start, the Zionist settler project was rooted in a fanatical messianism marketed as the myth of these modern Jewish settlers simply sailing back to the Hebrew land of the Bible after a 2,000 year absence, a land that belonged to them even though they had never lived there. They were just returning to their sovereign home, decreed by God, and those Palestinians living there, no matter for how long, were usurpers who had to be driven from their homes, killed, or forced into exile. The branding of the Jewish state “Israel,” a name entrenched in the messianic Jewish and Christian culture of the West, was crucial since it called up all the nostalgia for the Holy Land of yore and all the images of one’s “true” homecoming. This was crucial to get Christian support in the West.

    Palestine Hijacked (2022) is a book of deeply documented historical research (686 detailed endnotes) that tears the mask off the narrative that paints Zionism as a benign force. Through assiduous archival research in poorly accessed and newly declassified archives of the Central Intelligence Agency, the British National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Zionist Organization of America, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, etc., Suárez uses original source documents to hoist the well-known Zionist leaders with their own petards, often in their own words, words never meant to see the light of day. Chaim Weizmann. Theodore Herzl, David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Moshe Sharett are exposed as liars, and the latter three as ruthless terrorists, with the former three in complete accord with their terror tactics. The same is shown to be true for those Western leaders who supported the terrorist seizure of Palestine by a Zionist racial-nationalist settler movement that had zero legal or moral right to the land, as they still do not.

    Suárez sets the scene early on page 14:

    Through the decades to come [from the early days of Zionism], from mainstream leaders like David Ben-Gurion and Chaim Weizmann to the fanatical terror gang Lehi, the ideological pronouncements of the settler project were couched in the language of messianism. Zionism was building the final Kingdom, the Biblical Third Temple, a resurrection rising from the ashes of the fabled Second Temple and Solomon’s Temple. Zionism’s battles, its enemies, its conquests, its tragedies, were Biblical, and its establishment of the Israeli state in 1948 was sold as the resumption, the reconstitution, of the Biblical realm. As Ben-Gurion put it, “the Bible is our mandate” to take Palestine.

    [my emphasis above]

    Again, as with Trump’s pronouncement, the old is new and the new, old; thus today we have American conservative Christian evangelicals’ (Christian Zionists) passionate support for Netanyahu’s war crimes, justified and blessed by the Biblical canard that lives on in the propagandistic narrative promoted by Israel and the corporate media.

    It’s all here in Suárez’s chronicle. Not just details about the rather well-known Zionist terror attacks such as the bombing of The King David Hotel that could be turned into Zionist propaganda, but all the years of the slaughters of Palestinians, old and young, men and women and children in small villages and markets, in homes and on the roads and in the fields, done without mercy and carried out with a Biblical gleefulness by fanatics doing their “God’s will.” It chills the soul to read the details of such genocide’s long history.

    Suárez writes:

    The King David bombing endures as the iconic terror attack of the Mandate years, and history books falsely cite it as the most deadly. The 1940 bombing of the Patria [an immigrant ship] bombing was three times deadlier, killing about 267 people, and the two atrocities are identical in the claim that only infrastructure, not people, were the targets.

    Of the attacks in which the killing was the acknowledged purpose, at least one of the Irgun’s bombing [the Irgun, the Lehi, and the Haganah were the Zionist’s three main terror groups] of Palestinian markets killed more (July 6, 1980, about 120), and the Zionist armies coming slaughter of villages such as Deir Yassin – still during the Mandate – would also kill more people than the King David attack.

    If you wish to understand the terrorist nature of today’s Israeli government, you need to read this book.

    If you think the recent Israeli use of exploding pagers has no history, learn about the Zionist use of exploding leaflets long ago.

    If you think critics’ use of the term Nazi to describe the ongoing genocide of the Palestinians is over-the-top, learn about the history of Zionist collaborations with Hitler and the Italian fascist Mussolini.

    If you think the Israel designs and attacks on Lebanon and Syria are something new, think again.

    If you are shocked by the question: Does Israel have a right to exist?, discover the illegal and immoral nature of its claims to that right. Then ask yourself to answer.

    If you are afraid to learn these things for fear of being called antisemitic, learn how the Zionist founders of Israel weaponized that term long ago, against fellow Jews and anyone else who dared question their legitimacy, and how their progenitors and the U.S. government that supports them now stand rightly condemned as supporters of genocide.

    If you think Zionism and Judaism are synonymous, you have swallowed a package of lies wrapped as a treacherous gift; for Jews with a conscience know that the Zionist project is a terrible stain on their name.

    Thomas Suárez has written a brave and great book. He should have the last word:

    The reason Israel holds millions of human beings under various levels of apartheid, the reason it keeps millions more languishing in refuge camps, is not that they are Palestinians, not that they are Arab.

    It is rather, strictly, because they are not Jewish. If they were Jewish, whether Palestinian or Arab or anything else, they would be welcomed and given a generous subsidy to move in from whatever part of the world they live and take over a house whose owner was expelled because s/he is not Jewish.

    Nothing in the history of Zionism, of the Israeli state, or the so-called conflict can be understood divorced from this.

    February 12, 2025 at 1:35 pm #182019
    kultsommer
    Participant

    Leonardo had a full access to contents under the human skin, but, apparently not as what is under the early 1500’s fashion. One may say that who ever invented “the centerfold” had a point.
    Nevertheless, hardly a dent in his towering presence in the world of art.

    Speaking of art, Fred and Wilma had a high taste as what is on their cave wall – truly Leonardo or Picasso-level mastery.

    February 12, 2025 at 1:39 pm #182020
    kultsommer
    Participant

    Western world is full refuges from war torn countries. Palestinians are an exception of not being in rush to leave their homeland despite suicidal prospect.
    One-day-the-Land-will-be-theirs.

    February 12, 2025 at 2:50 pm #182021
    those darned kids
    Participant

    “What would the world be like if Trump had won had been allowed to win a 2nd consecutive term?”

    hmmm,

    we would have had lockdowns, masking, and mandates for a lethal injectable product spewed from the mires of fort detrick.

    and now, dr. jill biden would be president, making america correct again, or some other nonsense.

    and gaza would be flattened and the palestinians would be ignored.

    February 12, 2025 at 3:04 pm #182022
    jb-hb
    Participant

    https://i0.wp.com/www.barnhardtmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/img_2227-1.jpg?w=600&ssl=1

    https://i0.wp.com/www.barnhardtmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/img_2304-1.jpg?w=626&ssl=1

    February 12, 2025 at 3:10 pm #182023
    zerosum
    Participant

    Bubbles, Illusions, fictions.

    DOGE

    It’s not a lack of revenues, it’s a management of our out of control spending.
    “This isn’t optional, it’s essential.”
    If we don’t do something about this, the country is going bankrupt.

    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.

    https://x.com/Geiger_Capital/status/1889435604812779561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1889435604812779561%7Ctwgr%5Ed8790f5bada95abf0b1cef884df15d652a94cd93%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theautomaticearth.com%2F2025%2F02%2Fdebt-rattle-february-12-2025%2F
    ————–
    Oppositions tools, Distractions, Diversions, Fear, Lies,

    Violent rhetoric with mainstream figures.
    Calls for violence.
    “The changes by DOGE violates a law … “

    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.”

    ———–
    • 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.

    https://x.com/OG_DrC/status/1889061616882454538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1889061616882454538%7Ctwgr%5Ed8790f5bada95abf0b1cef884df15d652a94cd93%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theautomaticearth.com%2F2025%2F02%2Fdebt-rattle-february-12-2025%2F
    —————
    • Zelensky’s 100 Days Might End In Florida As Trump Prepares Ukraine Plan (Jay)

    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. (with what military)

    Add to that almost mission impossible is his insistence on “western security” guaranties – read NATO membership.
    ———-

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

    —————
    • Trump To Send Treasury Secretary To Kiev (RT)

    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.
    ————

    “Hundreds of billions in grants could be returned to US and foreign governments if fraud is proven..”
    Bigger Than USAID Scandal?
    • Clinton Probe to Expose Gates, Soros and Epstein Links (Sp.)
    https://sputnikglobe.com/20250211/bigger-than-usaid-scandal-clinton-probe-to-expose-gates-soros-and-epstein-links-1121554592.html

    ————–
    BUBBLLE BUSTERS REPORTS/

    WATCH LIVE: DOGE Subcommittee holds first hearing on its ‘war on waste’
    ———-

    February 12, 2025 at 3:16 pm #182024
    jb-hb
    Participant

    February 12, 2025 at 3:24 pm #182025
    Dora
    Participant

    The Clinton Foundation has IRS tax questions around it?
    It was tax evasion that finally put notorious Chicago 1930’s gangster Al Capone in prison.
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/10/17/al-capone-convicted-on-this-day-in-1931-after-boasting-they-cant-collect-legal-taxes-from-illegal-money/

    February 12, 2025 at 3:33 pm #182026
    WES
    Participant

    Dora:

    And Hillary Clinton’s father took over as mob boss in Chicago!

    February 12, 2025 at 3:40 pm #182027
    those darned kids
    Participant

    red: “Let it load or load it and hit the thumbs down. I’ve been doing this and the AI stops putting up the shows I don’t want to see. I don’t think it likes the down vote even though it doesn’t show them.”

    haha, i put a comment under the wretched thing to the effect of, “hey, youtube, stop linking to this video as i think it is crap.”

    and it stopped!

    February 12, 2025 at 3:45 pm #182028
    those darned kids
    Participant

    kult: “Western world is full refuges from war torn countries. ”

    because “the west” is wartorning the world.

    February 12, 2025 at 4:08 pm #182029
    jb-hb
    Participant

    https://i0.wp.com/www.barnhardtmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/img_2055-2-1.png?w=568&ssl=1

    https://i0.wp.com/www.barnhardtmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/img_2094-1.jpg?w=568&ssl=1

    February 12, 2025 at 4:24 pm #182030
    Dora
    Participant

    A warning from Karen Kingston:
    Musk Calls for “Wholesale Removal of Regulations – Default GONE”
    “There was an overwhelming consensus that there should be some Ai regulation. That that would be in the best interest of the people to do so.” – Elon Musk, September 2023
    https://karenkingston.substack.com/p/musk-calls-for-wholesale-removal

    February 12, 2025 at 4:27 pm #182031
    zerosum
    Participant

    WATCH LEARN WHO YOU SHOULD VOTE OUT OF OFFICE
    ————–

    WATCH LIVE: DOGE Subcommittee holds first hearing on its ‘war on waste’
    ———-

    February 12, 2025 at 4:32 pm #182032
    WES
    Participant

    Hillary Clinton

    Hillary learned the family’s crime business very well while sitting on her Father’s knee.

    First Hillary took the family crime business interstate to Arkansas.
    Crimes and deaths followed right behind her.
    Then Hillary took the family crime business to Washington, DC
    Again crimes and deaths followed in her foot steps.
    Then Hillary took her family’s crime business international as a charitable foundation!
    More crimes and deaths soon followed!

    Today, we find Hillary’s family crime business deeply embedded in USAID as it’s biggest shark!

    Hilary is fine.
    Hillary did it all for the children!

    Hillary’s father would be so proud that she expanded the family’s crime business nation wide and internationally too!

    February 12, 2025 at 5:01 pm #182033
    kultsommer
    Participant

    because “the west” is wartorning the world.

    Of course and applicable to Palestinians too, not “direct” but via “country road” route.
    Their resilience is something to behold.

    February 12, 2025 at 5:16 pm #182034
    kultsommer
    Participant

    YouTube commercials are window to depravity of the US “economy”:
    “….they (some companies) do not want you to know about this product or service…”
    “….there is a little know secret / loophole…”
    “….you do not need to be an expert….we’l show you how to….”
    “….friends begged him (the “inventor”) to market his product…”
    “….the latest study shows that…”

    I was asking YT to, at least, allow us to comment on them just as we do to the content that they mercilessly interrupt.
    No reply.

    February 12, 2025 at 5:27 pm #182035
    jb-hb
    Participant

    Not only can you block Youtube ads by using Brave browser or a Linux program like Freetube, you can block ads at your router. DNS filterng can block a lot of it as well.

    When youtube decides they don’t like someone, they insert ads every 20-30 seconds. Destroys the channel.

    February 12, 2025 at 5:48 pm #182036
    jb-hb
    Participant

    we may believe different things or not even like each other, but Youtube ads are a threat to us all, fellow human being!

    February 12, 2025 at 5:48 pm #182037
    Dr D Rich
    Participant

    Delusional 24/7, 7/52, 365/decade.

    Hyperbolic hyperbole

      “…a beautiful Pennsylvania field…”

    Come to VA Butler and then we’ll go visit the beautiful field. You be the judge of not beauty and not field.

    Crucifixion????

    This bizarre assertion diminishes the act and applies it to a guy who never left the public spotlight. Hell, Jay Bhattacharya was late to the game even by the modest comparison with several respondents to this website. Drd, the online form of a broken clock being tight twice a day, GOT IT RIGHT long before Jay Bhattacharya. Btw, what happened to the Drd? Co-opted by whom?

    When Jay Bhattacharya is:
    deplatformed,
    demonetized,
    debanked,
    targeted for removal of his medical license
    accused of weakening his nation
    terminated under At Will work statutes
    reduced to entry-level employment
    rejected for employment with the VA
    blocked from posting on YouTube, Twitter,
    isolated from family, friends and colleagues,

    then he’ll have made movement toward a legitimate claim of persecution.

    February 12, 2025 at 5:56 pm #182038
    those darned kids
    Participant

    that’s right, ol’ doc jay ain’t no doc hoffe or doc makis

    February 12, 2025 at 6:00 pm #182039
    those darned kids
    Participant

    i use a 24 hour clock so that i’m only correct once a day!

    February 12, 2025 at 6:37 pm #182040
    Red
    Participant

    Question: What is it about gold that makes it so valuable? I’m not questioning the market mechanisms that are at work with/over it. Why does it command such value? What practical applications does it have in society or for society that makes it so valuable? There are thousands of tons of this stuff in storage. Does it have some function that no other mineral has? Will it cure deceases? Make it rain? Stop the rain? Slow the wind? Fertilize the garden? Why was it so sot after as far back as we can discover? What does it do besides being shiny? There must be some underlying reason somewhere in the mists of time that allowed it to rise to such prominence. WTF was it and why do we still value it for some forgotten reason?

    February 12, 2025 at 6:47 pm #182041
    my parents said know
    Participant

    Tulsi’s in.

    February 12, 2025 at 6:56 pm #182042
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    The USAID funding to NGO’s to “combat child trafficking” was in actual fact funding the international child trafficking network itself, because it is the NGO’s who are doing the trafficking and providing both logistics and legal cover, diplomatic and media cover for it all.

    Long story short, the Government of the United States is the biggest human trafficking operation that the world has ever NOT seen (because the same U.S. government manages all of the cover-up, too)

    The sex trafficking part of it also provides the blackmail material that keeps the collaborators under control (and continuing to provide money, cover and cooperation, assuring that no one talks, and no one ever goes to jail.

    This link should get you started on unraveling the convoluted scheme that is wrecking the world:

    February 12, 2025 at 7:01 pm #182043
    Dr D Rich
    Participant

    The Same People….

      “Every.
      Single.
      Fucking.
      Time.”

    Latinas and Mexicans!! Right!

    Academics and Strippers

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/claudia-sheinbaum-mexico-president-jewish-first-woman-rcna155179

    https://x.com/anyaparampil/status/1889499740439511391

    February 12, 2025 at 7:04 pm #182044
    Dr D Rich
    Participant

    https://x.com/anyaparampil/status/1722743558258425891

    February 12, 2025 at 7:05 pm #182045
    Dr D Rich
    Participant

    https://x.com/anyaparampil/status/1889512367987331171

    February 12, 2025 at 7:14 pm #182050
    John Day
    Participant

    Inevitable And Unforeseen https://drjohnsblog.substack.com/p/inevitable-and-unforeseen

    Surplus Energy Economics, The Arc Of Inevitability: AGENCY, VISIBILITY & CHAINED CAUSALITY
    Whenever some economic crisis or challenge arises, finance ministers, central bankers and officials are expected to respond, choosing appropriate policies from a wide selection of possibilities.
    We might, of course, later conclude that these choices were mistaken. Decision-makers are also open to accusations of favouring some interest-groups over others.
    But the existence of agency itself – of the ability to make largely unfettered policy choices – is seldom called into question.
    There are, though, plenty of reasons to wonder about how much agency actually exists, and a strong possibility that the economy follows its own “arc of inevitability”.
    If this turned out to be the case, it would overturn a whole series of assumptions about the art of the possible, and provide unsuspected visibility about the future course of events.
    Instead of demanding economic ‘fixes’ from governments, we – and they – could start planning on the basis of a very largely foreseeable trajectory of economic and financial development…
    ​..We cannot control material systems in the same way that we can control money. We can loan money into existence through the banking system, and central bankers can conjure it, ex nihilo, out of the ether. But we cannot similarly create material resources such as energy, minerals, productive agricultural land and water.
    ​ As agency is re-thought in a downwards direction, so the importance of material systems outside our control will gain ever greater significance in our interpretations.
    This opens up the very real possibility that economic trends and outcomes are determined by a material sequence of causation which we have little or no ability to influence.
    ​ My term for this is the arc of inevitability.
    ​ If this is indeed the case, it’s unreasonable to expect leadership to steer the economy in desired directions. If, for example, an arc of inevitability is pushing British material prosperity in a downwards direction, neither chancellor (finance minister) Rachel Reeves – nor anybody else – can do anything much about it.
    ​ There is, moreover, a compensatory process involved here. What we lose in agency, we gain in predictability. We can cease asking ourselves which leadership contenders have the best plans for changing directions, and start examining the forward implications of a knowable trajectory.
    ​ The basic premise of the arc of inevitability is that each event contains, within itself, the causation of the next trend or occurrence. On this basis, we can visualize outcomes, not as discrete, self-contained happenings, but as beads strung along a central thread of tendency.​ https://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/2025/02/10/299-the-arc-of-inevitability/
    arc

    Wind-powered electrical generation is not working out for the UK economy. UK to Make Building Nuclear Easier​ https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/UK-to-Make-Building-Nuclear-Easier.html

    ​Profits decrease by the maintenance costs of roads, bridges, sewers and electrical lines, so the maintenance is not done. Averting Collapse Is No Longer Profitable
    How the past 75 years of infrastructure development has created a massive predicament for industrial nations and what comes next​ https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/averting-collapse-is-no-longer-profitable

    February 12, 2025 at 7:14 pm #182051
    John Day
    Participant

    ​ Steel is a marker for industrial economic output. Peak Steel
    Global steel production has peaked in 2021 and it’s stagnating ever since. Is this just another minor hiccup or an ominous sign of a much bigger crisis in the making?​ https://thehonestsorcerer.substack.com/p/peak-steel

    ​More Bang for those Bucks? Trump: DOGE To Analyze Pentagon Spending After 7th Failed Audit​ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/doge-analyze-pentagon-spending-after-7th-failed-audit

    USAID is stripped of its lease and staffers turned away from DC headquarters​ https://www.arabnews.com/node/2589747/world

    Google Calendar Removes Pride, Black History Month, Other DEI Dates​ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/culture-shift-google-calendar-removes-pride-black-history-month-other-dei-dates

    Following the Money: How Did Samantha Power More Than Triple Her Millions While Working for USAID?​ https://sputnikglobe.com/20250210/following-the-money-how-did-samantha-power-more-than-triple-her-millions-while-working-for-usaid-1121553113.html

    February 12, 2025 at 7:15 pm #182052
    John Day
    Participant

    DOGE Investigating Feds Whose Net Worths Have Exploded After Samantha Power Bombshell​ https://www.zerohedge.com/political/doge-investigating-feds-whose-net-worths-have-exploded-after-samantha-power-bombshell

    Microsoft Drops USAID-Funded NewsGuard After Ted Cruz Starts Digging​ https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/microsoft-drops-usaid-funded-newsguard-after-ted-cruz-starts-digging

    US-funded ‘social network’ attacking pesticide critics shuts down after Guardian investigation
    v-Fluence halts operations after widespread backlash over private portal profiling environmental health advocates
    ​ v-Fluence, which also had the former agrochemical firm Monsanto as a client, secured some funding from the US government as part of a contract with a third party. Public spending records show the US Agency for International Development (USAid) contracted with a separate non-governmental organization that manages a government initiative to promote GM crops in African and Asian countries.
    ​ That organization, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), then paid v-Fluence a little more than $400,000 from roughly 2013 through 2019 for services that included counteracting critics of “modern agriculture approaches” in Africa and Asia.
    ​ The “private social network portal” set up by v-Fluence was part of the contract, and was supposed to provide, among other things, “tactical support” for efforts to gain acceptance for the GM crops.​ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/10/v-fluence-pesticide-critics

    ​ “We are the Resistance” Sounds Incredibly Stupid When You’re Making Demands for the CIA
    DOGE is really exposing just how ridiculous the progressive claim to ‘fight the power’ really is.​ https://jupplandia.substack.com/p/we-are-the-resistance-sounds-incredibly

    Homeland Security Secretary Noem says DOGE team has access to agency data​ https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/09/politics/noem-homeland-security-doge-musk-cnntv/index.html

    February 12, 2025 at 7:16 pm #182053
    John Day
    Participant

    Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as top U.S. intelligence official
    The 52-48 vote was largely along party lines, with nearly all Republicans present voting in favor of Gabbard. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the former longtime GOP leader who has clashed with Trump, was the only Republican who joined all Democrats in voting against her.​ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/senate-votes-confirm-tulsi-gabbard-top-us-intelligence-official-rcna191587

    ​ Kennedy One Step Closer to Confirmation as Health Secretary After Senate Vote
    The Senate voted along party lines to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary to the floor for a final vote, likely Thursday.​ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/us/rfk-jr-senate-vote-hhs.html
    ​
    ​ What is (or might be) in a name? Today’s name: “Doge”

    ​ Dogecoin was originally created as a joke in late 2013 by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer. Both Billy and Jackson thought that cryptocurrency was being taken far too seriously and wasn’t much fun. Jackson created the Dogecoin.com website and would have been, for a while, the public face of Dogecoin, while Billy worked as a solo developer on the first 4 releases.​ https://dogecoin.com/dogepedia/articles/history-of-dogecoin/

    ​ Frances Leader: DOGE COIN HAS SOME INTERESTING HISTORY! [And an elegant palace, too.]
    The Doge is the senior member of the Venetian Black Nobility – an exceedingly powerful individual who is voted into office by representatives of the world criminal syndicates. The office of Doge dates back to medieval times!!​
    ​ Once Head of State of Byzantine origin whose military features were already present in the title – doge derives from the Latin dux, military commander –, the doge became in Venice the official representative of the Serenissima in the eyes of the world.
    ​ “Monsignor the Doge”, as he was called in public documents, was the symbol and incarnation of Venetian power, the protagonist of solemn public ceremonies, receptions and feasts. His real power, however, was limited and controlled by the Venetian merchant aristocracy, while his person was under the constant supervision of the ducal councillors because, despite being the ‘Most Serene Prince’, he was and remained the first servant of the Republic, to all intents and purposes.
    ​ Resorting to a perfect and straightforward synthesis, the doge was called Princeps in solemnitatibus, in curia senator, in urbe captivus, extra urbe reus in Latin, which translates to: Prince in solemnities, senator in the senate, prisoner within the city, guilty outside the city.​ https://francesleader.substack.com/p/doge-coin-has-some-interesting-history

    ​Catherine Austin Fitts argues that Trump & Musk are instituting tyrannical digital technocracy.: Trump Administration: Digital Control Grid Coming Together at High Speed​ https://solarireport.substack.com/p/trump-administration-digital-control

    February 12, 2025 at 7:16 pm #182054
    John Day
    Participant

    Celia Farber, DOGE Says It Plans To Audit The “Federal Reserve.” If You Listen To This Clip, You Will Learn Shocking Facts and Hear Insane Quotations About The FR, Our Chief Despot Outside Human Form. It’s a Short Clip. Did You Know They Had Said These Things? I Did Not https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/doge-says-it-plans-to-audit-the-federal

    ​ Sen. Mike Lee floats former Rep. Ron Paul for Federal Reserve chairman, Musk says ‘amazing’ idea
    Musk wrote on X it would be a ‘good idea’ if DOGE allowed former GOP Rep. Ron Paul run a ‘Federal Reserve audit team’​ https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/sen-mike-lee-floats-former-rep-ron-paul-federal-reserve-chairman-musk-says

    Lots of details here: Bigger Than USAID Scandal? Clinton Probe to Expose Gates, Soros and Epstein Links​ https://sputnikglobe.com/20250211/bigger-than-usaid-scandal-clinton-probe-to-expose-gates-soros-and-epstein-links-1121554592.html

    ​Celia Farber: CIA’s Internal Guidelines For Assassinations: How To Murder People And Make It Look Like Accident, Complete With Charts
    Mike Benz Hints At Major Disclosure Today and Hopes He Does Not Get Killed​ https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/cias-internal-guidelines-for-assassinations

    ​ Trump ‘Committed To Buying & Owning Gaza’ As Poll Shows Little Support Among US Public
    ​ “I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it,” Trump told the press pool while flying to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
    ​ “But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back. There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site.”​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-committed-buying-owning-gaza-poll-shows-little-support-among-us-public

    February 12, 2025 at 7:17 pm #182055
    John Day
    Participant

    ​ Trump threatens to cut aid for Egypt, Jordan over controversial Gaza plan
    Trump says he would “conceivably” withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if both countries refuse to take in ethnically cleansed Palestinians.​ https://www.trtworld.com/us-and-canada/trump-threatens-to-cut-aid-for-egypt-jordan-over-controversial-gaza-plan-18263661

    ​ Jordan pledges to take in sick Palestinian children as Trump backpedals on aid threat
    King Abdullah II of Jordan pledged to take in 2,000 sick Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday amid pressure from President Trump for his country to take in Palestinians from the enclave.​ https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5138756-jordan-children-trump-aid-backpedal/

    Trump rules out Palestinian right of return under his plan for Gaza​ https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250210-trump-rules-out-palestinian-right-of-return-under-his-plan-for-gaza/

    ​ The Genocide is not over: Hold Israel accountable under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
    The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network calls on global leaders to protect Palestinian children by cutting off the military, political, financial, and diplomatic support that sustains Israel’s systematic human rights abuses.​ https://mondoweiss.net/2025/02/the-genocide-is-not-over-hold-israel-accountable-under-the-un-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child/

    Israel committed 110 violations against Palestinian press in January, killed 7 journalists​ https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/israel-committed-110-violations-against-palestinian-press-in-january-killed-7-journalists-report-3698279

    February 12, 2025 at 7:18 pm #182056
    John Day
    Participant

    ​ Hamas accuses Israel of ceasefire violations, says it will delay next hostage release
    ​ “This includes delays in allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, targeting them with airstrikes and gunfire across various areas of the Strip, and failing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid as agreed.”
    ​ Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday that Trump must remember that the only way to bring home Israeli prisoners is to respect the ceasefire.​ https://www.arabnews.com/node/2589710/middle-east

    ​Caitlin Johnstone, Israel Admits It Violated The Ceasefire And Hamas Did Not https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-admits-it-violated-the-ceasefire

    Honest journalist Richard Medhurst is arrested in Switzerland, and everything is confiscated. Civil Rights Are Being Destroyed Throughout The West In Service Of Israel https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/civil-rights-are-being-destroyed

    He’s not actually holding Israel back, is he? Trump threatens to ‘let hell break out’ in Gaza
    ​ 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.​ https://swentr.site/news/612488-trump-gaza-hell-break-out/

    Israel Backs Trump’s Unleash Hell Plan For Gaza If Hostages Aren’t Freed By Saturday​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israel-backs-trumps-unleash-hell-plan-gaza-if-hostages-arent-freed-saturday

    February 12, 2025 at 7:18 pm #182057
    John Day
    Participant

    ​ The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said in a statement on Monday that the number of Palestinians Israel has displaced in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of its ongoing offensive has reached 40,000.
    ​ Dubbed “Operation Iron Wall,” the ongoing Israeli military invasion overtook the northern West Bank in mid-January, leading to the forcible displacement of thousands of residents.​ https://mondoweiss.net/2025/02/israel-has-displaced-40000-palestinians-in-the-west-bank-unrwa-says/

    ​ Israeli army expands shooting orders for soldiers to kill Palestinians in West Bank: Report
    Soldiers attribute high Palestinian death toll to expanded orders to shoot Palestinians in West Bank, army denies any change​ https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-army-expands-shooting-orders-for-soldiers-to-kill-palestinians-in-west-bank-report/3477368

    ​ Erdogan wants rebuilding contracts. Financial cost of Israel’s destruction of Gaza estimated at $100B: Turkish president
    ‘From the economy to diplomacy, from trade to security, we need a new approach and a new global order to solve problems,’ says Recep Tayyip Erdogan​ https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkiye/financial-cost-of-israels-destruction-of-gaza-estimated-at-100b-turkish-president/3477355

    ​ Most of the world says this, and does… Israel must end its occupation of Palestinian lands, compensate for damage it caused: Turkish president
    Establishment of independent, sovereign and geographically integrated State of Palestine based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital is ‘essential,’ says Recep Tayyip Erdogan​ https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/israel-must-end-its-occupation-of-palestinian-lands-compensate-for-damage-it-caused-turkish-president/3478092

    ​”Greater Israel”: The next Israel-Hezbollah war is now unavoidable – and it will be worse
    Netanyahu has made it clear he wants to redraw the region’s map, and the IDF’s refusal to withdraw backs up that intent
    ​ If Israel chooses to stay inside Lebanese territory, for whatever reason, it will only be a matter of time before action is taken. The next round will also likely be much more bloody, and the death toll will make the conflict last year seem relatively insignificant in comparison. This may not happen in the immediate future and could even take over a year, but the conflict is far from over and that is because there isn’t really a ceasefire in effect as of now.
    ​ On November 27, Israel made a point of not only violating it from the first moments and later advancing further into southern Lebanon, it committed hundreds of violations of the ceasefire. Israel has made it very clear that the new reality is that it has full freedom of action and can remain inside pockets of southern Lebanon for as long as it chooses. Therefore, there will have to be a war to ensure that a real ceasefire is reached and Lebanese territory will not be open season for the Israeli military to bomb, shoot at, and kidnap civilians.
    ​ Netanyahu is now bragging about changing the map of the surrounding region, while his new army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, recently declared “2025 will continue to be a year of combat.” Israel is acting aggressively, expanding its borders, and does not appear to be backing down from its warmongering with Iran, which will lead to even greater chaos.​ https://www.rt.com/news/612465-war-between-israel-lebanon-inevitable/

    February 12, 2025 at 7:19 pm #182058
    kultsommer
    Participant

    O’Keeffe’s girl is irresistible for the “dry-dick-guys” in important positions.
    Sad realization that he, probably, paid for the meas and drink, ended again with the dry dick and, atop of everything, self destructed himself.

    February 12, 2025 at 7:19 pm #182059
    John Day
    Participant

    ​ Gilbert Doctorow, Waiting for the Munich Security Conference to Open: What ‘peace plan’ is Team Trump bringing?
    All of the optimism coming from the Trump camp that it holds the high cards in relations with Russia flies in the face of the statements made yesterday afternoon by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov that relations with the USA “are at the breaking point.” The war will end, said Ryabkov, only when the conditions set down by Vladimir Putin in June 2023 are satisfied. These conditions include the withdrawal of all Ukrainian military forces from the 4 Eastern Ukrainian regions that have been formally integrated into the Russian Federation, disavowal by Kiev on its hopes to enter the NATO alliance together with acceptance of neutral status without the presence of any foreign military personnel or installations on its territory. Let us remember that Ryabkov is the same official who announced in December 2021 Russia’s ultimatum to the USA calling for return of NATO to its borders of 1997, that is to say, before the multiple expansion waves that took in the former Warsaw Pact countries and the Baltic States.
    ​ Yesterday, Ryabkov also said that there are no prospects presently for successful discussions with the United States about limitations on medium range ground-based missiles or other items on the agenda in regulating strategic stability.​ https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/02/11/waiting-for-the-munich-security-conference-to-open-what-peace-plan-is-team-trump-bringing/

    ​ Russia treated US ‘very nicely’ – Trump
    The president has said he hopes the release of an American national will mark the “beginning of a relationship” to end the Ukraine conflict
    ​ Fogel also expressed gratitude, calling Putin “very generous” and “statesman-like” in allowing him to return home after spending more than three years in prison on drug trafficking charges.
    ​ At the time of his arrest Fogel was a teacher at an elite Anglo-American school in Moscow, but he had previously worked at the US Embassy in Russia. He lost his diplomatic immunity in May 2021. In August of that year, he was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow after the authorities found marijuana and hashish oil in his possession. He was later sentenced to 14 years in prison.​ https://swentr.site/russia/612542-russia-fogel-treated-nicely-trump/

    ​ Russian Crypto Kingpin Freed By US In Marc Fogel Swap​
    “Vinnik operated BTC-e, once one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. He was arrested in 2017 and detained at Washington’s request on suspicion of laundering $4 billion through the exchange,” Reuters has detailed.​ https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russian-crypto-kingpin-freed-us-marc-fogel-swap

    ​ The transaction: Vice President JD Vance to meet with President Zelenskyy in Germany this week
    President Donald Trump may also meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he told reporters on 7 Feb.Vice President JD Vance will meet with Ukrainian ​ President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) this week, CBS News reported on 9 February.​ The 61st MSC, an annual international security policy conference, will take place in Munich, Germany, from 14-16 February 2025.​ https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/02/10/vice-president-jd-vance-to-meet-with-president-zelenskyy-in-germany-this-week/

    Moldovan gas-generated-electricity returns: Transnistrian head confirms gas supplies to the republic with Russian support​ https://eu.eot.su/2025/02/10/transnistrian-head-confirms-gas-supplies-to-the-republic-with-russian-support/

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