Vilhelm Hammershoi Woman Seen from the Back 1888
https://twitter.com/GUnderground_TV/status/1932923385400406294
CIA
🚨🇺🇸CIA keeps Trump IN THE DARK – Prof. Sachs
The CIA does not tell the Trump administration “a lot of things,” Jeffrey Sachs told Tucker Carlson.
"The CIA has for decades and decades done very, very dangerous things not telling the president,” said the US economist.
The… pic.twitter.com/raoQzz8mTv
— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) June 12, 2025
Riots
BREAKING: Sen. Josh Hawley announces that he’s officially launched an investigation into the dark money behind the LA riots.
“These aren't spontaneous at all.”
“They're about as authentic as astroturf.”
“They are bought and paid for flash mobs and I want to know who's doing… pic.twitter.com/mQGxO3rijW
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) June 12, 2025
Hump
The most insane humpback whale experience ever
[📹 nagdoggie]pic.twitter.com/Uaz4yEUOtf
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 12, 2025
There are videos of Bibi wanting this in the last century.
• Israel Carries Out Strikes Against Iran
Israel carried out strikes against Iran on Thursday evening, according to multiple reports.The Israel Defense Forces “launched a preemptive, precise, combined offensive to strike Iran’s nuclear program,” the IDF wrote on X. “Dozens of IAF jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran,” the IDF said just before 4 a.m. Friday morning in Jerusalem. “Today, Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and to the wider world. ”The IDF added that Israel “has no choice but to fulfill the obligation to act in defense of its citizens and will continue to do so everywhere it is required to do so, as we have done in the past.” Videos shared across social media Thursday evening showed explosions in Tehran.
“This is a fight for our survival,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message shortly after the strikes began. “If we don’t act now, we won’t be here.” The strike campaign is called Operation Rising Lion and “will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat,” Netanyahu pledged. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday night that the U.S. is “not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.”“Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense,” Rubio said. “President [Donald] Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”
Israel carried out strikes on at least six military bases in Iran, according to reporting from The New York Times. Israel is also reported to have struck homes that may belong to two Iranian military commanders along with residential building in Tehran “in what appears to be targeted assassinations,” the Times reports. Israel also struck Iran’s Natanz nuclear site, according to multiple reports. Gen. Hossein Salami, the commander in chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was killed in the strike, the Times reports, citing Iranian state television reports. Gen. Gholamali Rashid, the deputy commander of Iran’s armed forces, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff for Iran’s Armed Forces, and Fereydoun Abbasi, a nuclear scientist, have reportedly also been killed.
Some lawmakers reacted to the news of the strikes on X, with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., writing, “Game on. Pray for Israel.” Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., wrote, “Bombs away.”“Iran said they would not dismantle their advanced centrifuges,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said. “That was a giant middle finger to President Trump. Tonight, we saw the consequences of Iran’s defiance.” “Our commitment to Israel must be absolute and I fully support this attack,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said after the strikes began. “Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry—to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”
From itself?
• US Will Defend Israel – Trump To Fox News (RT)
The US will “defend itself and Israel” if Iran retaliates for West Jerusalem’s “preemptive” strikes, President Donald Trump has told Fox News. He made the remarks in a phone call with host Bret Baier on Friday morning, according to the network. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier said it struck dozens of targets across Iran, including military installations and a nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iranian media reported that at least five people were killed and 20 injured in Tehran following the strikes. The attack came just two days before the sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Oman.
Trump told Fox News that he had spoken with Netanyahu multiple times in recent days and knew of the planned strikes in advance, adding that “there were no surprises.” He stressed, however, that “the US was not involved militarily” and expressed hope that Iran would return to negotiations. “Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back,” Trump reportedly said, apparently referring to Iranian officials killed in the strikes. Iranian media identified the victims as IRGC commander Hossein Salami, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Gholam Ali Rashid, and nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi.
Trump added that he is monitoring whether Iran will retaliate. The Iranian Army has said it will not tolerate Israeli “aggression” and warned that “a bitter lesson awaits Netanyahu.” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated on Friday morning that Israel “should expect severe punishment.” “CENTCOM is on high alert, the US will defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates,” Trump said, according to Fox News. Ahead of the strikes, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US “remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue.” “My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon,” he posted on Thursday night.
Iran
https://twitter.com/GUnderground_TV/status/1932933531136897491
Moon of Alabama from before the attack.
• Trump’s Attempt To Scare Monger Iran Into Nuclear Restrictions Will Fail (MoA)
There is some noise that an Israeli and/or U.S. attack on Iran is imminent. I regard this a propaganda which hopes to put pressure on Iran and not as serious war planning. Israel wants the U.S. to destroy Iran. It would be the last of the seven countries in five years plan of destruction the U.S. had activated, with Israel’s prodding, in 2003. President Donald Trump wants to avoid a war with Iran. He has nothing to gain from it. But he is under pressure by the Zionist lobby. Instead of bombing Iran he would prefer to shut down its civil nuclear program. Its existence makes Iran a latent nuclear weapon state. Iran denies that it is striving to get nuclear weapons. U.S. intelligence has found that Iran has no current program that would lead to weapon capabilities. It was Trump who in 2018 withdrew the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which had limited Iran’s nuclear industry and had put it under strict surveillance.
Iran waited a year before it took retaliatory measure by increasing its enrichment of nuclear fuel and by decreasing its cooperation with the inspectors of the IAEA who are supervising Iran’s adherence to the JCPOA. With Trump back in office he set out to push Iran towards a new agreement that would, he hoped, eliminate all enrichment of nuclear fuel in Iran. There is no chance to achieve that. Nuclear enrichment is an inalienable right of all nation under the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and Iran insists on not being blocked from it. Trump decided on a two pronged strategy. He would push the IAEA and the European co-signers of the JCPOA to condemn Iran with the perspective of reestablishing UN mandated sanction on Iran. He would also offer Iran a new kind of JCPOA to again limit its nuclear development abilities.
Trump had sent out his envoy Steve Witkoff to push Iran towards a new agreement. He however mangled the constrains Iran should agree to. Witkoff told the Iranians that they would be allowed to enrich Uranium to 3.6% as needed for a civil nuclear reactor. A few days later Trump ordered that to be 0% – i.e. no enrichment at all. This went back and forth several times. The JCPOA was a very fine balanced and very technical agreement that took many months to conclude. Trumps offer to Iran is a “dollar-store-JCPOA”, incomplete and with many clauses Iran would never agree to.Trump has made negotiations even more difficult when he publicly demanded Iran to surrender completely:
The president outlined his vision for a new agreement during a White House presser on Wednesday, calling for a “very strong document” that would effectively give Washington carte blanche over Tehran’s nuclear energy program. “I want it very strong – where we can go in with inspectors, we can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but [with] nobody getting killed,” he told reporters. “We can blow up a lab, but nobody is gonna be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up.” He did not elaborate on those remarks, however, leaving it unclear whether Washington had actually pushed for such major concessions at the negotiating table. The Islamic Republic would be unlikely to accept a deal under those terms.
Iran had answered appropriately (archived):”The Trump administration over the weekend proposed the outline of a deal that would seem to allow Iran to continue enriching uranium, which had been a sticking point in talks — but only temporarily. With talks at an impasse, the proposal was seen as a potential concession that could open a path to compromise. In his first public remarks since the proposal was reported on, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran’s “response to the U.S. government’s nonsense is clear.” He said in a speech that it would be “useless” for Iran to build nuclear power plants without being able to enrich uranium over the long term, framing the U.S. proposal as an attempt to obstruct Iran’s nuclear industry and self-reliance.
Just hours before the attack, Bibi survived by one vote. Is that a mandate for war?
• Netanyahu Survives Coalition Collapse (Cradle)
Israel’s parliament narrowly rejected a preliminary bill to dissolve itself early on 12 June, avoiding the possibility of snap elections and preserving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition. The motion, backed by opposition lawmakers, was defeated by a vote of 61 to 53 – just meeting the 61-seat threshold needed for passage in the 120-member Knesset. The failed vote followed a last-minute deal between coalition leaders and ultra-Orthodox parties regarding one of Israel’s most divisive issues, which is mandatory military service for the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim. While military service is compulsory for most Jewish Israelis, the ultra-Orthodox community – roughly 13 percent of the population – has long been granted exemptions if men are enrolled in full-time religious study.
Ultra-orthodox parties have been pressuring the Netanyahu government to codify the exemptions by passing a new law. In a key development, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein announced that his committee and ultra-Orthodox parties had reached a preliminary understanding to draft new legislation addressing the conscription issue. This agreement persuaded most ultra-Orthodox lawmakers to vote against dissolving the Knesset.However, the arrangement sparked backlash from both opposition leaders and within the coalition itself. Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democrats party, condemned the agreement, saying, “Netanyahu entered a room with the heads of the Haredi factions and left with a disgraceful agreement … There is no love for the country here. Only cynicism. Only selfish survival.” Golan accused Netanyahu of betraying both military service members and ultra-Orthodox citizens who wished to contribute to the state.
Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, head of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, resigned from Netanyahu’s cabinet in protest over the compromise deal. Goldknopf, whose Hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction supported the Knesset’s dissolution, said the new understandings fell short of promises made in coalition agreements. “I can no longer take part as a member of this government,” he wrote in his resignation letter to Netanyahu. Goldknopf’s resignation follows a previous symbolic resignation in March over the same issue. Despite his departure, UTJ remains part of the ruling coalition, which has been under pressure due to widespread discontent over the military burden placed on young Israelis tasked with executing the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. With the war now lasting more than 18 months, the Israeli army is facing growing manpower shortages, intensifying the debate over draft exemptions. Roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach conscription age each year, but fewer than 10 percent enlist, according to the State Control Committee.
Still a weird thing to say.
• Trump Could Lead Both US and Israel – Witkoff (RT)
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has quipped that Donald Trump could serve as both US president and Israeli prime minister. While Trump has traditionally positioned himself as strongly pro-Israel, Witkoff’s remarks come amid reports of a strong rift between the US leader and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking at a fundraising gala for the emergency response group United Hatzalah in New York on Wednesday, Witkoff described Trump as “an incredible friend to the Jewish people.” “No disrespect to Prime Minister Netanyahu, who I actually spoke to today, but I think President Trump could be the first sitting president who could be prime minister of Israel at the same time,” Witkoff said, drawing laughter and applause from the audience.
The envoy also stressed that the two countries must act together to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, “no matter the cost.” Tehran has denied that it has plans to develop the weapons, insisting its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. In October 2022, Trump said he “could easily be PM” of Israel, suggesting that “no President has done more for Israel than I have.” The Trump administration has typically had close ties with Israel. However, media reports indicate that there are growing policy differences with Netanyahu over the war in Gaza and other regional issues.
According to CNN, Trump has urged Netanyahu to end the conflict with Hamas, which has brought unprecedented destruction and loss of life to the Palestinian enclave, while pressuring him to abandon plans for a military strike against Iran. Tensions have also been fueled by the recent US decision to conclude a ceasefire with the Houthis in Yemen, who back Hamas, and the lifting of sanctions on Syria. Netanyahu has stated that Israel’s goal remains the complete destruction of Hamas, promising last month that “all of the territories of the Gaza Strip will be under Israel’s security control” once the offensive in the enclave is complete. He also dismissed reports of a breakdown in ties with Washington.
Be friendly.
• US Treasury Chief Warns Against New Russia Sanctions (RT)
A proposed package of tougher sanctions against Russia could undermine diplomatic efforts, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said, warning lawmakers of the potential risks of imposing the measures. The bill in question, spearheaded by Senator Lindsay Graham, calls for 500% tariffs on imports from countries buying Russian oil and gas if Moscow refuses peace talks with Ukraine. Graham also suggested amending the bill to exempt countries that provide military assistance to Ukraine. Critics claim the tariffs risk isolating the US from key global economies. The bill has thus far drawn the support of 82 senators. Bessent, speaking at a House Committee hearing on Wednesday, said he did not support the proposed bill to tighten sanctions on Russia, urging lawmakers to give the administration of President Donald Trump greater flexibility to negotiate with Moscow and Kiev.
“I would encourage Congress to continue to let this administration have flexibility to support the negotiations. We should be aware of unintended consequences,” Bessent said. Bessent said “economic tools remain an important facet of the administration’s strategy to end the conflict. All the options are on the table. Treasury is ready to take action to facilitate a durable and lasting peace.” Russia and Ukraine have both put forward proposals to end the conflict. Moscow’s plan would require Kiev to accept the loss of five regions which joined Russia in referendums, pull back its troops from those regions, and adhere to neutrality. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky dismissed the proposal as an ultimatum and ruled out territorial concessions or neutrality, while insisting on a full 30-day ceasefire as a precursor to negotiations.
Under former President Joe Biden, Washington cut most ties with Moscow in 2022 over the Ukraine conflict and imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian officials and companies. Trump has since criticized Biden for eschewing diplomacy and vowed to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow has welcomed Trump’s shift in tone but progress on reaching a settlement has been slow. Trump has threatened further measures if no ceasefire is reached but has stopped short of endorsing the Senate sanctions bill. The US president has also reportedly asked Senate Republicans to delay action on the bill. Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump had indicated he was not yet ready to support it.
“Countries including India, Oman, and Kazakhstan also issued congratulatory statements on Russia Day”..
• Ukraine Complains About Global Russia Day Congratulations (RT)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has criticized countries that sent congratulatory messages to Russia for Russia Day, a public holiday celebrated on June 12. He expressed his displeasure after Secretary of State Marco Rubio extended greetings on behalf of the US. “As a minister of a country at war, I found it especially unpleasant to read this morning that some countries were publicly congratulating Russia on its national holiday,” Sibiga said at the Weimar+ summit in Rome on Thursday. “There can be no reward for an aggressor state. I have a moral right to say this,” he added.
In a statement published on the State Department’s website, Rubio said the US “remains committed to supporting the Russian people as they continue to build on their aspirations for a brighter future.” He reaffirmed that Washington is seeking “constructive engagement with the Russian Federation to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the message as “positive news,” noting a shift from the more hostile policies of former President Joe Biden.
The US suspended nearly all contact with Russia in 2022 following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict and imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow. Under President Donald Trump, however, the two sides resumed direct negotiations and agreed to gradually normalize relations. Countries including India, Oman, and Kazakhstan also issued congratulatory statements on Russia Day. “Our special and privileged strategic partnership continues to serve the interests of our peoples,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a message to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
Goodwill everywhere.
• Kremlin Welcomes Rubio’s Russia Day Message As ‘Very Positive News’ (RT)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Russia Day message is “very positive news,” indicating a potential shift in relations between Moscow and Washington, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Rubio congratulated the Russian people on Russia Day, celebrated on June 12, while vowing to work toward reaching a resolution of the Ukraine conflict. “This is very positive news,” Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Thursday, commenting on the message. According to the spokesperson, the move “once again shows that the current administration in Washington is completely different from the previous Biden administration.”
He added that “despite many disagreements that have always existed and will always exist” between Russia and the US, the administration of Donald Trump “advocates for dialogue and for solving the most difficult problems through dialogue.” “This coincides with our approach,” he added. In his statement on Wednesday, Rubio emphasized America’s support for the Russian people’s aspirations for a brighter future and reaffirmed a commitment to pursuing constructive engagement with Moscow to achieve lasting peace in the Ukraine conflict. “It is our hope that peace will foster more mutually beneficial relations between our countries,” the US top diplomat added.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sybiga stated “it was unpleasant” to read about some countries sending their regards to Russia on the holiday.Russia-US relations hit their lowest point in decades under then-US President Joe Biden following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Trump has moved to restore direct dialogue with Moscow. Earlier this week, Russia’s new ambassador to the US, Aleksandr Darchiev, said he met with Trump at the White House to present his credentials. He promised the US president that the embassy would “do everything to restore Russian-American relations,” adding that he believes the two great powers “are destined for non-confrontational peaceful coexistence.”
Non stop.
• Democrat Judge Rules Against Trump Over Use Of National Guard In LA (ZH)
A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles, and has directed Trump to ‘return control of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom.’ Judge Charles Breyer a Clinton appointee, issued his ruling late Thursday, after Newsom requested to immediately restrict the troops’ power on the ground, and suggested that at minimum, federal law required Trump to alert the governor’s office. Breyer repeatedly emphasized during a hearing earlier that Trump is exercising presidential authority – not that of a King (playing right into the current protests, of course).
“That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George,” said Breyer. ““It’s not that a leader can simply say something and then it becomes it. It’s a question of is a leader, a president or the governor, following the law as set forth in both the Constitution and statutes.” “That’s what a president, a governor or any leader must act under. Otherwise, they become something other than a constitutional officer.” Breyer also agreed with Newsom’s legal argument that Trump’s deployment was legally defective. That said, as Politico’s Kyle Cheney points out, Breyer gave the Trump admin until Noon Friday, which “should be enough time for Trump to seek emergency appeal at the 9th Circuit and perhaps Supreme Court.
Breyer stays his order until noon tomorrow, which should be enough time for Trump to seek emergency appeal at 9th Circuit and perhaps Supreme Court. https://t.co/RjvefxZcSO pic.twitter.com/AbXYVumPaE
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 13, 2025
Corrected overnight.
• Federal Appeals Court: Trump To Keep Control of California National Guard (JTN)
A federal appeals court late Thursday ruled that the Trump administration can maintain control over National Guard troops in California, and continue to deploy them against rioters in Los Angeles, blocking a lower court ruling that President Donald Trump’s federalization of the guardsmen was unlawful. A three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals restored Trump’s authority over the deployment of at least 4,000 California National Guard troops and several hundred Marines. Earlier, a federal judge had ruled in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had sued Trump over the federalization of the National Guard, after anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests in Los Angeles turned into riots over the weekend.
Trump has also activated 700 Marines to the area to help defend federal law enforcement officers and buildings. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer approved the temporary restraining order after a heated hearing earlier in the day, where he claimed that recent actions by the Trump administration and president were reminiscent of a monarchy. “That’s not where we live. We live in response to a monarch. This country was founded in response to a monarch,” Breyer said in the hearing. “The Constitution is a document of limitations.” Breyer ruled in a 36-page order that the president’s actions were unconstitutional and exceeded his authority.
“His actions were illegal – both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith,” the judge wrote, per CNN. A stay on the restraining order has been implemented until noon Friday, and a hearing on the order has been scheduled for June 20. The order also bans the administration from deploying more members of the National Guard to California. The Justice Department has filed a notice of appeal.
Powell to cost the US $600 billion a year?
• Trump Says He Won’t Fire “Numbskull” Powell, But Demands Rate Cuts (ZH)
President Trump said he did not plan to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, days after saying he would “soon” pick his nominee – to lead the central bank next, with Polymarket odds suggesting Hassett, Warsh and Bessent are favorites to replace Powell. “The fake news is saying, ‘Oh, if you fired him, it would be so bad, it would be so bad.’ I don’t know why it would be so bad, but I’m not going to fire him,” Trump said at a White House event on Thursday.Trump went on to reiterate his complaints that the Fed has not moved quickly enough to cut interest rates, as more evidence emerged of cooling inflation. Powell’s term as chair expires in May 2026.
President Trump calls Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell a "numskull" for not lowering interest rates but says he won't fire him. pic.twitter.com/VwydtLM673
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 12, 2025
Trump went on to complain that “we’re going to spend $600 billion a year because of one numbskull that sits here, ‘I don’t see enough reason to cut the rates now.’… Cut your rates now, there’s no inflation.” “We call him ‘Too Late,’ right?” Trump said, adding he was frustrated that the current rates were increasing the federal government’s borrowing costs. The president said the Fed could always increase rates if inflation returned. “Let’s say there was inflation. In a year from now, raise your rates. I don’t mind, raise your rates. I’m all for it. I’ll be the one to be calling you,” Trump said. “He’ll be too late for that too.”
Far too much power.
• Trump Can and Should Fire Fed Boss Over Economy (RCW)
Federal Reserve kingpin Jerome Powell is busy doing what he does best: sabotaging a prosperous economy so that President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans lose popularity. He’s also ignoring Trump, whom voters will judge for the economy’s performance and whom the Constitution says runs the executive branch of which the Fed is a part. This is old hat for Powell, who, after being installed by Trump in 2018, got straight to work undermining his boss’s economic recovery.You may recall that one of the circumstances that brought an unusual candidate like Trump to power in 2016 was the preceding decade of economic malaise. The Obama years averaged just 2.1% annual growth – the most lethargic economic recovery since World War II.
It was fashionable among establishment economists to say that growth above this level, especially the 4.3% average annual growth of the Reagan boom, was simply unobtainable. Big-government economists – practically a redundant phrase today – called it “secular stagnation.” Enter Trump. Upon taking office, he immediately began deregulating the U.S. economy, particularly in the energy sector. He worked with Congress to lower the corporate tax rate from 35%, which was nearly the highest among advanced economies, to a more competitive 21%. He also cut personal income taxes for every income bracket, which meant lower taxes for the majority of small business owners who pull company income and taxes onto their personal tax returns. Trump also incentivized corporations to bring home capital they held overseas. Apple alone said it would bring home a majority of its roughly $252 billion in offshore reserves, paying a one-time tax of $38 billion.
The results for the broader economy were impressive. Annualized GDP growth in the quarter Trump took office was 2.0%. By the end of the year, it had jumped to 4.6%. Unemployment dropped from 4.7% to 4.0%. Manufacturing jobs, which totaled nearly 17 million when NAFTA was enacted in 1994 and globalization ensued, had fallen to 12.3 million when Trump took office. Within a year, the sector saw modest improvement to 12.5 million jobs. Oil production increased from 8.9 million to 10 million barrels per day during that year. (It would reach 13 million later in Trump’s first term.) But Powell was having none of it. Like most of his predecessors and colleagues at the Federal Reserve, Powell adheres to the discredited Keynesian school of economics, which holds that the government should play a preponderant role in the economy, managing demand through government spending. Keynesians distrust free markets, free people, and the supply side of the economy that produces tangible goods.
They believe economic growth leads inevitably to inflation, despite repeated economic expansions, including most notably Reagan’s, in which the expansion of the private-sector economy leads to more goods and services produced and stable prices. In 2018, Powell saw looming inflation where there was none and tightened monetary policy for the first time since 2008. When Trump was elected in 2016, the federal funds effective rate stood at 0.41%. Despite no inflation, the Fed began a relentless cycle of rate increases that reached 2.2% in time for the 2018 midterm elections, when Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives to Democrats, leading eventually to Trump’s impeachment.Beyond being a Keynesian, Powell is also a fool. Trump’s first term isn’t the only time he saw inflation where there was none, or failed to see inflation when it was obvious.
During the Biden administration, long after the pandemic had peaked, Powell enabled continued federal spending at crisis levels despite the lack of a crisis. Biden’s Treasury Department issued bonds to pay for unprecedented deficits in excess of $1.5 trillion. This only worked because Powell had the Fed buy the bonds with dollars created out of thin air. He also tried to goose the Biden economy by buying mortgages from banks immediately after they were issued. The Fed’s balance sheet of debt it owned grew from $7.4 trillion when Biden took office to a peak of $10 trillion just over a year later. Powell also kept interest rates near zero even as inflation caused by his dilution of the dollar skyrocketed.
Inflation peaked at over 9% in 2022, and the cumulative inflation of the Biden years and Powell’s debasement of the currency eliminated more than 20% of Americans’ purchasing power. Powell and his establishment friends had assured Americans that inflation was “transient” when it wasn’t.
The end of TV as we know it?
• Senators To Propose Ban On Big Pharma TVAds (ZH)
Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, both independents, on Thursday will introduce legislation that would ban pharmaceutical companies from promoting prescription drugs directly to consumers – including through television, radio, print, digital platforms, and social media, the WSJ reports. The proposal would mark a sweeping shift in the U.S. advertising landscape, where pharmaceutical companies are among the largest spenders. Prescription drug brands accounted for roughly 13 percent of all ad spending on linear television in 2025, totaling approximately $2.18 billion so far this year, according to iSpot data. In 2024, the industry spent $3.4 billion on traditional TV ads between January and August alone, according to ad-tracking data.
“The American people don’t want to see misleading and deceptive prescription drug ads on television,” Sanders said in a statement. “They want us to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and ban these bogus ads.” The legislation follows longstanding criticism from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly called for a ban on prescription drug advertising. While running for president, Mr. Kennedy said he would issue an executive order removing pharmaceutical ads from television, citing overmedication and industry influence on news coverage.
“We’re one of only two countries in the world that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to consumers,” Mr. Kennedy said in a video posted to X. “Everybody agrees it’s a bad idea.” The United States and New Zealand are currently the only countries that permit direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug ads. Mr. Sanders and Mr. King, who each voted against Mr. Kennedy’s confirmation, have long expressed skepticism of consumer drug marketing. In February, Mr. King introduced a bill that would prohibit pharmaceutical advertising in the first three years following a drug’s approval.Other lawmakers from both parties have taken similar steps. In May, Senators Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, and Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, introduced legislation to eliminate tax deductions for pharmaceutical consumer advertising.
Since 1997, when the Food and Drug Administration relaxed disclosure requirements for DTC ads, pharmaceutical companies have increasingly leaned on consumer advertising to drive demand. Under current rules, companies need only disclose a drug’s “most important” risks during commercials. The result has been a media environment saturated with pharmaceutical messaging. Drug ads made up 24.4 percent of all advertising minutes on evening news broadcasts across major networks — including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and NBC — through May of this year, according iSpot. On CBS Evening News, pharmaceutical companies appeared in more than 70 percent of commercial breaks, per Kantar Media.
Huge
*SENATORS TO PROPOSE BAN ON DRUG ADVERTISING TO CONSUMERS: WSJ
This would destroy most of legacy media overnight https://t.co/FydjBGzNlx
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 12, 2025
T h e i n d u s t r y h a s d e f e n d e d t h e p r a c t i c e . T h e P h a r m a c e u t i c a l R e s e a r c h a n d M a n u f a c t u r e r s o f A m e r i c a , a l e a d i n g t r a d e g r o u p , p o i n t s t o i t s g u i d i n g p r i n c i p l e s , a r g u i n g t h a t d i r e c t t o c o n s u m e r a d s i n c r e a s e d i s e a s e a w a r e n e s s , e n c o u r a g e p a t i e n t s t o s e e k t r e a t m e n t , a n d p r o m p t c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h d o c t o r s . A n y m o v e t o b a n p h a r m a c e u t i c a l a d v e r t i s i n g c o u l d f a c e l e g a l c h a l l e n g e s u n d e r t h e F i r s t A m e n d m e n t s p r o t e c t i o n s f o r c o m m e r c i a l s p e e c h . S t i l l , M r . S a n d e r s a n d M r . K i n g m a i n t a i n t h e i r e f f o r t s a r e n e c e s s a r y t o p u s h b a c k a g a i n s t w h a t t h e y d e s c r i b e a s a n o v e r c o m m e r c i a l i z e d i n f l u e n c e o n p u b l i c h e a l t h m e s s a g i n g .
Big plans.
• Pentagon Puts AUKUS on Ice, Leaving Allies Rattled (Sp.)
The US Defense department is reviewing the 2021 AUKUS submarine deal with the UK and Australia, the Financial Times reported earlier. The review is being led by Elbridge Colby, a senior defense official known for his past skepticism of the pact. The Pentagon is taking a hard look at its role in the AUKUS alliance to make sure it fits squarely within the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda, according to a Department of Defense spokesperson. “We’re reassessing AUKUS to ensure this carryover from the last administration aligns with the president’s priorities,” the spokesperson said. Australia has rushed to say it’s still on board with US defense cooperation, but according to The Australian, the Pentagon’s review is a “major blow” to Canberra.
The Financial Times earlier reported that Washington is weighing a full exit from the AUKUS pact with Australia and the UK. Announced on September 15, 2021, the AUKUS trilateral partnership between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia promised to bolster Australia’s fleet with nuclear-powered submarines and increase defense cooperation among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The deal led to a diplomatic rift between Australia and France after Canberra reneged on a $66 billion contract with Paris to develop 12 advanced conventionally powered attack submarines. Russia has criticized the trilateral security pact, which focuses on military cooperation and countering China in the Indo-Pacific, as undermining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by transferring nuclear submarine technology to Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state.
Brian
Good Vibrations is a symphony.
This clip of Brian Wilson and The Wrecking Crew recording the track is outer worldly.
Proof that all he needed were just musicians to play his material.
He is The Beach Boys. pic.twitter.com/rvPkvi65rp
— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) June 11, 2025
Oh man RIP Brian Wilson 🙏….thank you for all the music! pic.twitter.com/wkLOJpO126
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) June 11, 2025
John Belushi & Dan Aykroyd as the “Surf Police” arresting Brian Wilson because he's not surfing enough.
From the 1976 NBC special “The Beach Boys: It’s OK”
So good. pic.twitter.com/PPM9eMgjJp— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) June 11, 2025
I’ve always really liked this latter day performance of Sloop John B by Brian Wilson and Al Jardine. pic.twitter.com/ceXUa6dPjg
— Shane (@sbliss89) June 11, 2025
On July 13, 1985, Brian Wilson performed with The Beach Boys at Live Aid at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.
The 5-song 16-minute setlist included their notable hits :
• California Girls(1965) #3
• Help Me, Rhonda(1965) #1
• Wouldn't It Be Nice(1966) #8
•Good Vibrations… pic.twitter.com/TxnD2dCFAl— Boston Radio Watch®️ (@bostonradio) June 11, 2025
Brian Wilson, the legendary frontman and co-founder of The Beach Boys, has died at the age of 82.
Back in 1976, he spoke with Bob Harris about making Pets Sounds and the Fire Tapes with Bob Harris.
Originally broadcast on The Old Grey Whistle Test, 16 November 1976. pic.twitter.com/dvE5XyB80K
— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) June 11, 2025
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