Debt Rattle February 13 2025
- This topic has 78 replies, 23 voices, and was last updated 6 months, 2 weeks ago by
.
-
Posts
-
chooch: no, not that one.
tdk: Jay Bhattacharya needs to be freed from the manacles of the paradigms represented by his intact, well-paid, well-padded sinecures. I doubt even Mike Reid thinks those RNs that participated in denying a 12yo lifesaving transplant surgery operated from anything but a Vulcan logicmaster rational mindset. So all’s good.
CBDR…..and the Ultimate DEI Hire for CNO.
FnA-18 and Truman ruin its day on consecutive days.
When will Pete fire Lisa? Journalism major.
Our SecDef…..
Enjoy Don’t Give Up The Ship!
John Perkins (economic hitman) said his company took orders from the World Bank, USAID, and the Treasury Department.
Efficiency is the enemy of redundancy. Redundancy is the friend of resilience.
Electrical power grids should be resilient. Political power grids?The blob seems extremely resilient, so I suspect there’s a lot of redundancy. It may even enjoy being the whacked mole.
Mr Wolf. As with everything take what makes sense and discard the rest.
In his analysis of key ills that plague working class Americans, he is correct – In absolute surge of productivity in the 70’s elites decided not to share the proceeds but introduced “two income economy” where the couples were also forced to supplement former middle class lifestyle with the credit and, final, the offshoring the production to China and other counties with the dirt cheap labor.
In the case of China, my observation, while unbolting the machines from the plant floor and shipping them overseas, it was never mentioned that it was a communist country, but became the one “just recently” (interesting).
One has to be a dumb as a rock not to least contemplate the short list.
Where he falls short, other than being the broken record about the past, is his “solution” to the new economy in the form of cooperatives that he backs by the existence of ,OK maybe successful, company somewhere in Spain. Interestingly enough, he himself, aside from the teaching, has a side businesses that he runs in “old-fashion-American-way”.
Such is the life.RFK
Great news. Let’s hope it’s the start of the emancipation from the stranglehold of Big Pharma, and the improvement of peoples’ health across the world.
RIM
Thanks for all your work. Every day we tune in.
One more take on Mr Wolff.
Just like him I agree that Soviet Union achieved the following being the CCCP and not Russia:
— Defeated the Nazis in WWII
— Won the space race being “the first” in 50’s and early 60’s and later on formidable present.
— Current technological military supremacy due to State run military industry, remnebt of previous era.
— Today’s comfort Russia’s citizens can thank and is carry-on from the “social nest as a way of life” of a previous system.
Compare that to recent North Carolina, Maui, Palisades “you are on your own and you can do it” (Trump: “Let the people
rebuild, don’t stop them”, while investor sharks are circling above)
Among others…..Where we differ is that he is pointing to that from the obvious ideological bias perspective and I state as a fact.
“Putin Invites Trump To Visit Moscow In ‘Highly Productive’ Call, Ready For Peace
But we don’t have anything to do with this war. It’s all Ukraine. Right? Which reality are we in today? It’s an odd-numbered day.
“Last month, Rutte similarly urged NATO member states to “shift to a wartime mindset” to “prevent war.”
Same thing every day, so why comment? But I have to show up, so let’s point this out: sounds great except going on a “Wartime footing” means you have no coffee in Europe since you spent all your money on guns. How do you think the European people will feel about that? Do they believe Russia is imminently invading? You, Mr. Rutte, just said they were not. Population mathematics says they are not. So I suspect what they’re saying is their banking compound interest will collapse unless they can spend (borrow) another several trillion, as indeed they said they would a few years ago, before Covid. I think it was $100 Trillion or something?
All of that sounds to me like you’re about to do literally nothing. You won’t do it and the European people won’t tolerate it. Good luck.
Not Hegseth says “We need to stop the drain”. From EUROPE. So quiet part out loud at last.
Listening to audio about the election and the DNC NOT reforming here, so let’s add noise from the Biden campaign. That is, Biden did all the drilling and other infrastructure that prepares the ground for Trump to succeed on. Again, funny ol’ world. Almost as if it were planned that way underneath the whole four years. And there’s nothing a GOP strategist could add to the DNC positioning and party head vote. The only astonishing part is, no matter what the GOP have them do – oops, I mean the DNC – their voter base never wake up, get mad, and go away. It’s the perfect codependent domestic violence situation. Apparently they will die while under abuse. Oh well.
“She’s been subject to years of media attacks branding her a ‘Kremlin agent’ and ‘Assadist’ etc… For example, right up through the vote The New York Times was running its smear campaign …These positions, at odds with the foreign policy establishment in both parties, have made her one of President Trump’s most divisive cabinet nominees.”
Why do they hate women so much? Is it because she’s brown, or because she’s not a Christian? Would it help if they picked a Congresswoman from a longstanding Democratic Party family?
“prohibits New York sheriff’s departments and other agencies from sharing motor vehicle data with federal authorities for the purposes of immigration enforcement. It has allowed tens of thousands of migrants to obtain driver’s licenses.”
Well, I don’t’ see them taking driver’s tests, so what gives? They can also come here, claim they have a license back home, and drive without having having sat in a car before? …Probably. That’s most probably exactly what’s happening. And no insurance either.
““..a political class that classifies an estimated fifty million documents a year [..] is voicing disgust over Musk’s team’s occasional use of discretion.”
• Why They Really Hate Elon Musk (Mises)Today in the news there was a napkin given to USAID that said, “Give me a Billion dollars.” That’s it. Well, happy ending is, the official that received it said, “Nah, I don’t think so.” …Didn’t track them down and go, wtf do you think you’re doing, reported for reprimand and fired. …But they didn’t give the money either. If I only knew that!!! I would have sent them a blank bill for “Services Rendered” every month for the last 20 years!
In fact, one guy did: he worked two months then billed repeat for 20 years. Oh, oops, shucks, totally didn’t notice MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of dollars popping into my account all that time. Google search terms for D.C. metro is “How do I hire a defense attorney.” …Not admissible evidence, of course! Just a very sudden anomaly. Total coincidence.
Back to Musk, however, I share Solari’s apprehension that they may be handing all the money-processes over to Musk/technocrats. …Somehow. Insert handwaving here. They can’t write checks, we’re all watching them, and they’re entirely beholden to government. But IF – handwaving here – then they could set up a core of a CBDC, an AI method of indecipherable, unaccountable computer running…tracking… of not just the U.S. but a new model that can be implemented worldwide. Yes, I’m quite sure Thiel, Zuck would love all that. But how? Show me something.
“some of whom were underage at the time – and flying them to his private island in the Caribbean on a jet dubbed the “Lolita Express.” He was arrested in 2019 and died in his Manhattan cell later that year, officially ruled a suicide.”
I appreciate and note this specific, even-handed language from RT. It’s quite difficult to do.
“• Switching Off Russian Gas Pipelines Hurts Europe Far More Than Russia (SCF)
Gas, that is the phase-state and not Petrol, is more expensive than oil right now in Europe. Europe has now turned on all their generators and oil-burning plants to stay operational. Go Green! Really, caring, #Caring so much for CO2 and the environment. Nothing cleaner than #3 bunker fuel, going up a outdated, third rate generator.
Rumors of your demise were greatly exaggerated!
Welcome back, D!
You were said to have been gone for not so long.…cause for celebration
@ MQ,
Michael Hudson had points regarding Canada
Mute and advance 10s are ways to avoid the unpleasant without missing outWell DBS, let’s see. Did you know the purpose of the small hat they wear is to cut off any connection to God? Did you know today is the anniversary of Dresden, a different jewrun human sacrifice than the recent one? Down the memory hole it went. So will this one by the time they build their new Riviera. I thought now that you got a few bucks, you’d be less of a cranky codger. Wrong again.
I hear you, KS and MR. I’ve just been away for a while, and hearing Richard Wolff repeat the same old tropes about the capitalist system hit me the wrong way and I needed to kvetch. With the populist movement currently building in the West, you’d think he could come up with some new material which was relevant to today’s zeitgeist. He’s so dependably boring, and must think we are simpletons to believe that Biden was under the influence of the ghost of the Soviet Union past. See, even now I can’t stop. The guy brings out the worst in me.
I thought now that you got a few bucks, you’d be less of a cranky codger. Wrong again.”
That’s okay. Two out of three ain’t bad.
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” on Trade
February 13, 2025
THE “FAIR AND RECIPROCAL PLAN”: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum ordering the development of a comprehensive plan for restoring fairness in U.S. trade relationships and countering non-reciprocal trading arrangements.The “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” will seek to correct longstanding imbalances in international trade and ensure fairness across the board.
Gone are the days of America being taken advantage of: this plan will put the American worker first, improve our competitiveness in every area of industry, reduce our trade deficit, and bolster our economic and national security.
AMERICA WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES: The United States is one of the most open economies in the world, yet our trading partners keep their markets closed to our exports. This lack of reciprocity is unfair and contributes to our large and persistent annual trade deficit.There are endless examples where our trading partners do not give the United States reciprocal treatment.
The U.S. tariff on ethanol is a mere 2.5%. Yet Brazil charges the U.S. ethanol exports a tariff of 18%. As a result, in 2024, the U.S. imported over $200 million in ethanol from Brazil while the U.S. exported only $52 million in ethanol to Brazil.
The U.S. average applied Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff on agricultural goods is 5%. But India’s average applied MFN tariff is 39%. India also charges a 100% tariff on U.S. motorcycles, while we only charge a 2.4% tariff on Indian motorcycles.
The European Union can export all the shellfish it wants to America. But the EU bans shellfish exports from 48 of our states, despite committing in 2020 to expedite approvals for shellfish exports. As a result, in 2023, the U.S. imported $274 million in shellfish from the EU but exported only $38 million.
The EU also imposes a 10% tariff on imported cars. Yet the U.S. only imposes a 2.5% tariff.
A 2019 report found that across 132 countries and more than 600,000 product lines, United States exporters face higher tariffs more than two-thirds of the time.
This lack of reciprocity is one source of America’s large and persistent annual trade deficit in goods: closed markets abroad reduce U.S. exports and open markets at home result in significant imports, both of which undercut American competitiveness.
The United States has run a trade deficit of goods every year since 1975. In 2024, our trade deficit in goods exceeded $1 trillion.
Thanks to the proliferation of non-reciprocal barriers in just the last few years, the U.S. now runs a trade deficit in agriculture, worth around $40 billion in 2024.
Though America has no such thing, and only America should be allowed to tax American firms, trading partners hand American companies a bill for something called a digital service tax.
Canada and France use these taxes to each collect over $500 million per year from American companies.
Overall, these non-reciprocal taxes cost America’s firms over $2 billion per year.
Reciprocal tariffs will bring back fairness and prosperity to the distorted international trade system and stop Americans from being taken advantage of.
THE ART OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEAL: President Trump continues to deliver on his mandate given to him by the American People to put America First when it comes to trade.As President Trump said in the Presidential Memorandum on American First Trade Policy on his first day in office, trade policy is a critical component of our economic security and national security.
In his first term, President Trump successfully ended the outdated and unfair NAFTA, replacing it with the historic USMCA to deliver one of the largest wins for American workers.
When our national security was threatened by a global oversupply of steel and aluminum, President Trump took swift action to protect America’s national security by implementing tariffs on imports of these goods.
In response to China’s intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, and other unreasonable behavior, President Trump acted with conviction to impose tariffs on imports from China, using that leverage to reach a historic bilateral economic agreement.
Just last week, President Trump leveraged tariffs to force Canada and Mexico to make long-overdue changes at our northern and southern borders, ensuring the safety and security of American citizens.
—————-https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/02/reciprocal-trade-and-tariffs/
Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs
February 13, 2025
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURYTHE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR ECONOMIC POLICY
THE SENIOR COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT FOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURING
SUBJECT: Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs
Section 1. Background. The United States has one of the most open economies and has among the lowest average weighted tariff rates in the world. The United States imposes fewer barriers to imports than other major world economies, including those with similar political and economic systems. For many years, the United States has been treated unfairly by trading partners, both friend and foe. This lack of reciprocity is one source of our country’s large and persistent annual trade deficit in goods — closed markets abroad reduce United States exports and open markets at home result in significant imports.
Our workers and industries bear the brunt of unfair practices and limited access to foreign markets. As noted in the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025 (America First Trade Policy Memorandum), this situation is untenable. The trade deficit of the United States threatens our economic and national security, has hollowed out our industrial base, has reduced our overall national competitiveness, and has made our Nation dependent on other countries to meet our key security needs. By making trade more reciprocal and balanced, we can reduce the trade deficit; grow the United States economy; and improve our trade relationships with trading partners to the benefit of American workers, manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to reduce our large and persistent annual trade deficit in goods and to address other unfair and unbalanced aspects of our trade with foreign trading partners. In pursuit of this policy, I will introduce the “Fair and Reciprocal Plan”(Plan). Under the Plan, my Administration will work strenuously to counter non-reciprocal trading arrangements with trading partners by determining the equivalent of a reciprocal tariff with respect to each foreign trading partner. This approach will be of comprehensive scope, examining non-reciprocal trade relationships with all United States trading partners, including any:
(a) tariffs imposed on United States products;
(b) unfair, discriminatory, or extraterritorial taxes imposed by our trading partners on United States businesses, workers, and consumers, including a value-added tax;
(c) costs to United States businesses, workers, and consumers arising from nontariff barriers or measures and unfair or harmful acts, policies, or practices, including subsidies, and burdensome regulatory requirements on United States businesses operating in other countries;
(d) policies and practices that cause exchange rates to deviate from their market value, to the detriment of Americans; wage suppression; and other mercantilist policies that make United States businesses and workers less competitive; and
(e) any other practice that, in the judgment of the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Senior Counselor to the President for Trade and Manufacturing, imposes any unfair limitation on market access or any structural impediment to fair competition with the market economy of the United States.
The Plan shall ensure comprehensive fairness and balance across the international trading system by factoring in losses as a result of measures that disadvantage the United States as applied, regardless of what they are called or whether they are written or unwritten.
Sec. 3. Taking Action. (a) After the submission of the specified agency reports due under the America First Trade Policy Memorandum, the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Senior Counselor to the President for Trade and Manufacturing, and the heads of such other executive departments and agencies as the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative deem relevant, shall initiate, pursuant to their respective legal authorities, all necessary actions to investigate the harm to the United States from any non-reciprocal trade arrangements adopted by any trading partners. Upon completion of such necessary actions, they shall submit to me a report detailing proposed remedies in pursuit of reciprocal trade relations with each trading partner.
(b) Within 180 days of the date of this memorandum, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall assess all fiscal impacts on the Federal Government and the impacts of any information collection requests on the public, and shall deliver an assessment in writing to the President.
Sec. 4. Definitions. For the purposes of this memorandum:
(a) “Value-added tax” means a type of consumption tax that is levied on the incremental increase in value of a good or service at each stage of the supply chain.
(b) “Nontariff barrier” or “measure” means any government-imposed measure or policy or nonmonetary barrier that restricts, prevents, or impedes international trade in goods, including import policies, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, government procurement, export subsidies, lack of intellectual property protection, digital trade barriers, and government-tolerated anticompetitive conduct of state-owned or private firms.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
(d) The United States Trade Representative is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
RFK In !
Wow, Excellent news and real progress… WEF Demtards certainly overplayed their hand and overstayed their welcome. Now comes the reckoning which they will resist until they are demolished, then they will just whimper like the abusing, weak, unethical, immoral cowards they truly are…
Tulsi and RFK… exceptional. Elon’s name… “Harry Bolz”… can’t stop laughing.
Numerous times I have heard Trump and Team retort to Media Lbtards that the Trump Election win was a Mandate from the people… Can’t help but laugh from the trolling use of the word mandate…
You can shove your vax mandates right up your asses… but please go take another booster morons.
My Body My Choice, informed consent, the right to refuse medical treatment for an experimental therapeutic… not just trite words to live and let live by.Remember “vaccine breakthrough cases” ? Just another lie from Fauci and company from a fraud product that NEVER prevented transmission in the first place.
…
Rogan- a true fighter.
When you’ve been f**ked with by these nitwits that hide behind 3-letter agencies…
I’ve certainly had enough of leftist insane talking points and fuckery…time for them to go back into their bottle and never be let out, or escape again. Their collective ‘cancel culture’ and censuring were precisely saying you have no choice and no rights to disagree. For that, they can all go back to hell rather than trying to inflict hell on Earth.
…
Trump Tells Xi, Putin ‘Let’s Cut Military Budget In Half’ – Says Russia Should Be Back In G7
Awesome, China and Russia are not, and should not, be positioned as “enemies” by the MIC deep sate scum. Why not a world of friendly partnership and positive interaction ?
Another highlight from the Oval Office press conference was when the president called on China and Russia to join the United States in agreeing to cut their enormous defense budgets in half. He said in the context of also urging the three major powers to restart nuclear arms control talks.
…
Most people think great God will come from the sky
Take away everything, and make everybody feel high
But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now you see the light
You stand up for your rightWords of Wonder / Get Up Stand Up w/Keith Richards
So Now What https://drjohnsblog.substack.com/p/so-now-what
There is a lot of danger in the endowment of any human with the powers and agency required to restructure a society, which is declining within a rigid and corrupted system, as the resources which feed the economy dwindle. The decline has become intolerable, and we don’t know what plan-a was to be if Trump had not turned his head to look at a video display last July 13, but it was not going to make use of his talents. It may well have involved a kinetic world war…
I suspect that plan-b, with Trump winning the presidency, had to be quickly negotiated under duress. Musk, and then the other tech oligarchs flocked to Trump. What is being offered is a technical solution to the vast divergence between real-economy and financial-economy, which will involve the admission of a lot of financial losses to create a match with reality. those financial losses will need to be “assigned” to asset-holders, and nobody wants to accept losses.
“Assets” are now seldom held in a legal sense, but remain held on trading platforms, while people buy and sell the rights to trade them and get paid dividends from them. In the case of a financial crash, the “owners” do not actually have ownership, but a form of claims. The super-senior claims, which get served first, are now held by the holders of derivatives-contracts, which is backwards and unjust, but the system would otherwise have a hair-trigger for crashing, as everybody tried to unwind their derivatives in a panic.
Elon Musk’s forensic-auditing A.I. is doing something in real time that was previously impossible on any time scale. It is doing this with the federal government spending. The arcane is revealed as illegal and poorly hidden, like the $600,000,000 Pentagon spending last year for “sushi”. One must wonder about the specifics, but stopping it seems urgent.
It appears that the financial economy is headed for part-2 of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, and that a technical resolution of this reckoning with forensic AI, and somewhat-fair assignment of properties and losses, is at least possible. The alternative is a really big war in a world of nuclear ICBMs, and now hypersonic bunker-busters with pinpoint accuracy, which can take out deeply buried elite bunkers.
Since $2 trillion of graft and corruption money has been flowing out of the federal government, borrowed on our behalf for nefarious ends, it has been supporting much of the real economy, in ways nobody can really see, but it is money and it has been getting fed into the economy in channels which will now be cut. That is bound to crash the US, and global economy, in ways that we can’t foresee. Perhaps the Forensic AI is mapping that now. It will still happen, though.
Crashes like this take about a dozen years to sort out and restructure an economy for health. There was the decline of high-quality coal after WW-1, which contributed to the decline of British alliances, such as Italy, when Newcastle couldn’t provide them enough coal any more. Now energy resources are in terminal decline, and we have an elite class which has the hammer of killing-some-folks, which makes our world look like billions of targets to eliminate. Nuclear weapons can’t be modulated, and destroy factories and pipelines, so variations on slow-poison are being tried, with some success. But, regular people have caught on. The herds are getting restless, so now what?
What if there could be a meeting of dangerously endowed, powerful and competent elites to negotiate a mechanism to harmonize inflated financial claims to correspond with real physical economy, without the necessity of assumptions of economic growth. How could that be accomplished equitably enough to be more appealing than nuclear war to enough “stakeholder” elites? Is Musk’s forensic AI worth a try in this predicament? Can it be downgraded to a problem?Celia Farber feels good again today. This is a good step, but the work has no end. SENATE CONFIRMS RFK JR. FOR HHS SECRETARY
Despite Millions or Maybe Billions Of Black PR, Smear Campaigns, Lies, Slander, Bullying, Mockery, And On The Sweat, Blood and Tears Of Thousands Of Warriors, Over Decades— VICTORY! https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/senate-confirms-rfk-jr-for-hhs-secretarySteve Kirsch is also invigorated: RFK Jr. confirmed: 52 to 48. The world is about to change forever.
The FDA and CDC will now be required to answer all the questions from the misinformation spreaders that they’ve been ducking all these years. What a glorious day. https://kirschsubstack.com/p/rfk-jr-confirmed-51-to-47-the-worldFederal judge allows Trump to push forward with buyouts for government workers after 75K accept offers https://nypost.com/2025/02/12/us-news/federal-judge-allows-trump-to-push-forward-with-buyouts-for-government-workers/
Gilbert Doctorow on Trump and Putin holding a wide-ranging summit without Europeans or Ukrainians: Shock and awe: News of Donald Trump’s 90-minute phone conversation with Vladimir Putin
News of the 90-minute telephone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin came late in the day in Europe, but not too late for the Evening with Vladimir Solovyov show broadcast at midnight from Moscow…
..Looking over the text on Truth Social, he pointed out that the language was diplomatic. Vladimir Putin was referred to as ‘President Putin.’ The words ‘aggressor,’ ‘unprovoked,’ and similar derogatory, propagandistic words used habitually during the Biden administration in relation to the Russian leader and his ‘full scale invasion of Ukraine’ were absent. Very importantly, Trump mentioned the cooperation of the United States and Russia in World War II. He called out the millions of Russians who died in the war as well as ‘many Americans,’ properly indicating who had paid the cost of fighting Nazism more fully.
Implicit in this was the notion that the two countries could have a cooperative relationship again today. Such a notion was further suggested by mention that their talks went well beyond the issue of the Ukraine war and also touched upon energy matters, the general situation in the Middle East, the Iran nuclear program and upon Artificial Intelligence...
..Solovyov pointed out that per Peskov’s summary President Putin had remained firm on Russia’s conditions for a peace, namely that the causes that lay behind the decision to invade, the need to revise the security architecture of Europe and to roll back NATO, be addressed…
..They found it to be very significant that Trump made no mention of the European allies, as if they do not exist
..Since Trump spoke of a visit to Russia that could take place in the near future given his wish to end the confrontation as soon as possible, perhaps they both had sketched 9 May on their agendas as the tentative date. After all, during his first presidency Trump had hoped to come to the Victory Parade in 2020 but was dissuaded from doing so by his advisors… From that speculation on dates, one panelist noted that perhaps the Chinese leader Xi could also show up in Moscow for the Parade, setting the stage for three-way parlays.…
..Per the Russians Witkoff spent three and a half hours in talks with top Russian leadership and we may assume the talks were preparatory to what Donald Trump spoke about with Vladimir Putin yesterday.
One panelist noted that Trump’s talk with Putin also has to be linked with what U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier in the day within his introductory remarks to the Ukraine Contact Group in Brussels. The main points in this were: no to Ukraine joining NATO, no to Ukraine ever recovering its 2014 borders, no American troops participating in any ‘peace keeping force’ to protect Ukraine as part of the peace settlement, the idea that such a force should consist of both European and non-European member countries, no extension of NATO’s article 5 provisions to such a peacekeeping force, the division of labor between the United States and its European NATO allies whereby the USA will redirect its attention to China and the Far East while the Europeans look after their own defense for conventional warfare on their Continent and raise their own defense budgets from 2% to 5% to achieve that move up from its present dependency on the United States...
..I call attention to the contrast between the high sounding and reassuring words in which Hegseth wrapped his speech and the absolutely empty contents from the standpoint of his audience. The high-sounding words ‘Peace through Strength’ were repeated several times, but behind this façade was a vacuum that must have left his audience shocked. The overarching idea was that the Ukraine war is being handed over to the Europeans to pursue as they wish...
..The United States evidently sees its division of labor with Europe to mean that the United States will continue to provide its ‘nuclear umbrella’ as a deterrent to nuclear attack but will no longer contribute to defense for conventional warfare as has been going on in Ukraine. The implication of this is that there will be a draw-down of U.S. forces across Europe. The further implication is that when the Europeans understand they cannot on their own stand up to the Russian armies, then they will on their own understand that they have to make some accommodation with the Russians on Europe-wide security…
..It comes 11 days before the Germans go the polls in their federal elections, where the favored candidate to become the next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has been campaigning on a Cold War platform that Trump just shot to hell. There could have been no better boost to the chances of Alice Weidel and the Alternative for Germany than what Trump & Company did yesterday. https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/02/13/shock-and-awe-news-of-donald-trumps-90-minute-phone-conversation-with-vladimir-putin/ Trump’s former adviser says Trump “has effectively surrendered to Putin”
Bolton stressed that “it is unconscionable to allow Russia to assault Ukraine’s sovereignty, recruit enemies like North Korea to aid in their fight, and then sell out the Ukrainians by conceding the loss of their territory and NATO security guarantees or membership”.
“By making these and others concessions before negotiations even started, Trump has effectively surrendered to Putin on Ukraine,” he said. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/02/13/7498077/ Kiev backtracks on Tulsi Gabbard claims
Ukraine’s ‘anti-disinformation’ center has admitted to spreading disinformation about the new US director of national intelligence
The news site Strana.ua reported in November that the CCD took down four of its bulletins mentioning Gabbard from social media, including one from April 2022 that described her as someone who “for several years, has been working for foreign audience for the Kremlin money.”
A June 2024 bulletin accused Gabbard of spreading disinformation about Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, and a February 2023 post claimed she was “espousing pro-Russian rhetoric,” according to the outlet.
On Thursday, the center admitted to past misjudgments concerning Gabbard, who has just been confirmed by the US Senate as the national intelligence director. https://swentr.site/russia/612660-gabbard-ukraine-disinformation-center/ Alex Krainer is hopeful. Is a Grand Bargain between US and Russia in the works?
The Grand Bargain could lead to a complete overhaul of the global order.
We know that the Kremlin and many other powers including China, India and Iran are keenly interested in redrawing the Eurasian continent’s security architecture and also improving global economic, financial and trade relations.
Since the post World War II period, these relations have heavily favored the Western world in general, but especially the United States. As a result, the West will resist any real changes. However, judging by the statements of Trump’s Secretary of State during his confirmation hearing last month, the current administration may have adopted a different approach.
Secretary Marco Rubio said that, “The postwar global order is not just obsolete – it is now a weapon being used against us. And all of this has led to a moment in which we must now confront the single greatest risk of geopolitical instability and of generational global crisis…” At the same time, one of Russia’s leading intellectuals and an advisor to the Kremlin, Sergei Karaganov may have revealed the Russian thinking in stating that Russia’s task was to help the United States transition to the new global order as peacefully and with the least disruption as possible. https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/is-a-grand-bargain-between-us-andEuropean Leaders Freaking Out Over Trump-Putin Summit: ‘Dirty Deal’ For Ukraine https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/european-leaders-freaking-out-over-upcoming-trump-putin-summit-dirty-deal-ukraine
European leaders are freaking out at the speed at which Presidents Trump and Putin are headed toward a summit to talk Ukraine peace, following their 90-minute Wednesday phone call, the first known contact between the two since Trump took office.
Zelensky too is loudly demanding that nothing be agreed to without Ukraine’s direct representation and input. He has also asserted that in any negotiations to end the war, Kiev’s European allies must be at the table. Reuters has characterized a “scramble” to get a seat. Defense Secretary Hegseth’s Ukraine bombshell of ruling out future NATO membership in statements yesterday have also left the Europeans reeling.
There’s also Trump’s blunt Monday words to Fox wherein he said of Ukraine, “They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday.” https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/european-leaders-freaking-out-over-upcoming-trump-putin-summit-dirty-deal-ukraine Trump Orders Reciprocal Tariffs, Will Also Respond To Value Added Taxes
As reported last night, Trump has officially signed an action on reciprocal tariffs, targeting all countries around the globe that have higher tariffs than the US. It appears that Trump has picked reciprocal in place of a inform tariff on all exports. That’s just the start however: what is more important is that as we cautioned earlier, the US also appears set to retaliate against Europe’s VAT buffer which could very well cripple the continent’s exporters. Trump ordered his secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick to prepare the tariffs for implementation by April 1. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-imposes-reciprocal-tariffs-will-also-respond-value-added-taxes Simplicius has a contrarian read: Hysteria Ignites as Trump Throws Ukraine on the Third Rail Meltdown in the Atlanticist sphere ensues.
If you read between the lines above, you’ll note Ukraine barely covered a fraction of the talk, which included artificial intelligence and a host of other geopolitical issues. Likewise, Trump’s guarded remarks in press statements afterwards also left much to be desired, for instance describing the only Ukraine-related ‘achievement’ of the talks being Putin acknowledging that ‘he would like to end the killing’.
This is the clear definition of reaching: Trump’s team is trying to sell the phone chat as a much larger leap of progress than it really was. The added declaration that Putin intends to meet Trump in Saudi Arabia was empty garnish, as no urgent date was set, and they were bound to meet at some point in the future anyway. The same goes for the timed release of “political prisoner” Mark Fogel, which was meant to dress up the occasion, to add grist to the narrative that Trump is making some big ‘headway’ with Russia—nothing of the sort; this is desperate trickery to mask the major failure of Trump’s braggadocio about swiftly ending the war.
In short: the talk was the perfunctory, basic exchange of pleasantries and customary political gestures, nothing more. If you read the actual quotes and soundbites from various Russian officials, it is clear that Russia is no closer to any real negotiations, and is merely indulging the US its moment in the limelight of ostensibly ‘leading the peace charge’. In fact, I believe Trump even said he offered Putin a temporary ceasefire, which was quickly swept under the rug after Putin declined.
I say the above because I was quite taken aback by the online reactions, particularly from well-known geopolitical cognoscenti, who have flown into premature declarations that the war is now officially nigh over, and the final performative phase of negotiations will proceed from here on out. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/double-decker-special-hysteria-ignites Russian SVR: Ukrainian intelligence plans to blow up a ship in the Baltic Sea and shift the blame onto Russia
Ukrainian intelligence agencies are planning to detonate a vessel in the Baltic Sea and shift the blame onto Russia, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) stated on February 11.
According to the SVR press bureau, the plan involves using Russian-made naval mines that Ukraine possesses to stage an explosion of a foreign vessel in Baltic waters. The incident would then be attributed to Russia.
Western and Ukrainian intelligence agencies believe that such an operation could pressure NATO leadership into restricting Russia’s access to the Baltic Sea under the pretext of ensuring maritime security. https://eu.eot.su/2025/02/11/russian-svr-ukrainian-intelligence-plans-to-blow-up-a-ship-in-the-baltic-sea-and-shift-the-blame-onto-russia/ John Helmer, Russia’s War Against The Baltic Pirates
A new era of piracy may begin in the Baltic Sea. The European Union is going to proclaim it if the EU implements its intention to hunt down Russian oil – or rather, tankers carrying Russian oil. Ships sailing under various flags, carrying black gold and not subject to Western oil sanctions, including the so–called price ceiling.
The motives of the European pirates are simple and at the same time multifaceted. For example, some countries want to achieve a direct Russian-American conflict, or at least disrupt the US Administration’s plans for negotiations with Russia. https://johnhelmer.net/russias-war-against-the-baltic-pirates/#more-91073Simplicius: European elite bets appear to have been placed upon war, not technical solutions. Danger Ramps Up in the Baltics, as War Party Won’t Go Quietly https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/danger-ramps-up-in-the-baltics-as
Maybe Xi can just visit Moscow on May 9 for Victory Day. China offers to host Putin-Trump summit – WSJ
Beijing has long sought to mediate the peace process between Moscow and Kiev https://swentr.site/news/612639-china-putin-trump-summit/ Musk calls for complete overhaul of NATO
The Trump-appointed US government efficiency tsar earlier called for the closure of state-funded cold-war-era propaganda outlets https://swentr.site/news/612568-us-musk-nato-needs-overhaul/ Trump decries ‘tremendous kickbacks’ in US government contracts. America has lost billions of taxpayer dollars to “waste, fraud, and abuse,” the president has said https://swentr.site/news/612572-trump-tremendous-kickbacks-government/
Trump ally promises info on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’
Americans should be given the “answers they deserve,” new declassification task force head Anna Paulina Luna has said
The Republican-led congressional task force was created to oversee the release of government files linked to a wide range of high-profile topics, including the 9/11 attacks, the origins of Covid-19, UFOs, and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother and political ally Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights campaigner Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. https://swentr.site/news/612623-epstein-client-list-classified/ The Houthis are ready to mount attacks on Israel if it resumes its assault on Gaza and does not commit to the ceasefire deal, the group’s leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi said on Tuesday. “Our hands are on the trigger and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli enemy if it returns to escalation in the Gaza Strip,” Al-Houthi said in a televised speech. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2589830/middle-east
Just dawned on me, again, how thin their veil of lies truly were.
They said and claimed that the cvd19 vax would prevent you from getting covid.
Do you all remember that?Then, they slyly, simultaneously said the vax would reduce your symptoms, another massive LIE.
So which was it, no transmission or reduced symptoms? Cognitive dissonance to the max.The Shock Doctrine rollout paralyzed Society while they shut down Society into fear and paranoia.
Thinking clearly was negated by their psychological warfare unleashed on the World.
They should all hang for these crimes against humanity…or solitary confinement until dead.They broke families, minds, society and lives… no forgiveness for that. During an interview with Putin, he was asked about forgiving and forgiveness. Putin commented forgiveness yes, but not with intentional betrayal. I agree.
Not a single member of the Covid Cult has apologized.
Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan for Gaza derails recovery of Red Sea shipping
Shipping executives fear Yemeni forces will resume attacks on US and UK-linked ships off the Yemeni coast in response to Trump’s plan https://thecradle.co/articles/trumps-ethnic-cleansing-plan-for-gaza-derails-recovery-of-red-sea-shipping Not even Hezbollah, just the locals. Lebanese tribesmen humiliate HTS elite forces
Ongoing battles on Syrian Lebanese border have potential to undermine Al Jolani’s assumed power in Syria https://beeley.substack.com/p/lebanese-tribesmen-humiliate-hts Egypt to present proposal for Gaza’s reconstruction ensuring Palestinians remain on their land
Egypt expresses its eagerness to cooperate with US administration to ‘reach a comprehensive and just peace in the region’ https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/egypt-to-present-proposal-for-gaza-s-reconstruction-ensuring-palestinians-remain-on-their-land/3479131 Truth-serum? What’s his motive? UAE Ambassador Says Arab World Has ‘No Alternative’ To Trump’s Gaza Plan
In an extraordinarily surprising development, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signaled the possibility of removing all Palestinians from Gaza, in accordance with Trump’s controversial Gaza plan.
UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba in a fresh interview called the plan “difficult but inevitable” and said he’s sees “no alternative” but Trump’s plan to expel Gaza’s population and undertake massive economic redevelopment of the Strip. He had been asked by a reporter whether the UAE is working on a separate plan, to which he responded no, there’s no other plan...
..UAE has long been a close regional US-ally, but the ambassador’s words are still deeply surprising and might actually contradict the UAE’s official stance.
For example, regional media just yesterday reported:
The UAE, a key ally of both Israel and the United States in the Muslim world, has taken a firm stance against U.S. President Donald Trump’s reported plan for Gaza. In a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan strongly rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians or deny them their “inalienable rights.”
The country’s leadership has just this week called for a two-state solution. And per Reuters:
It said the UAE, one of the few Arab countries that normalised relations with Israel, categorically rejected any attempt to displace the Palestinians and deny them “inalienable rights”. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/uae-ambassador-says-arab-world-has-no-alternative-trumps-gaza-plan US Intelligence Suggests Israel Is Trying To Drag Trump Into Preemptive Attack On Iran The key line in the report is that “The intelligence analysis concluded Israel would push the Trump administration to back the strikes, viewing him as more likely to join an attack than now-former President Joe Biden and fearing the window for halting Tehran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon was closing, two of the people familiar with the intelligence said.” https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-intelligence-report-suggests-israel-trying-drag-trump-preemptive-attack-iran
I just wrote a vaccine exemption for a little girl to get into school, who got seizures after her 8 month vaccinations, which lasted for weeks, and after her 12 month vaccinations, which lasted over a year. Her little sister now has them after getting shots. Her Pediatrician is sympathetic, but apparently afraid to fill out the form.
Nicole Shanahan Announces $3.5 Million Foundation Grant For Honest Scientists To Publish Papers Documenting The Evidence Of Vaccines Inducing “Autism” (Toxin Induced Gut-Brain Inflammation)
Posts One Mother’s Story Of Her Child’s Regressive Autism After Shots And Says She Gets “Thousands Of Messages Like This A Week.” https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/nicole-shanahan-announces-35-millionKentucky Becomes the 9th U.S. State with Legislative Efforts to Ban mRNA Injections. Amid Interference by the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/breaking-kentucky-becomes-the-9th
Ugo Bardi tries, but all the pieces don’t quite fit properly. The Mesozoic Climate Mystery: What caused Warming During the age of Dinosaurs? https://livingearth.substack.com/p/the-mesozoic-climate-mystery
It’s only 1 out of 43… Asteroid’s chances of hitting Earth in 2032 just got higher – but don’t panic
Space rock now has 2.3% risk of collision – up from 1.3% in December – but danger is likely to fall with more data https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/06/asteroid-impact-chancesRototillerman.
Great comments. Much appreciated. Yes that rabbit hole was very very long and deep. All vaccines are complete horseshit.Catherine Austin Fitts has a very different take on DOGE to the TAE feed
A suggestion for RFK Jr’s first official act: rescind the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the c19 mRNA injections.
https://x.com/Scavino47/status/1890128221485822222 Kennedy Swearing-in
@ oxymoron. Yes, Austin Fitts has a very different take. Here she talks with Shannon Joy on Rumble. Add the ‘dot’ between Rumble and com. Skip ahead to the 26 minute mark.
https://rumble com/v6gh1m4-weekend-bombshells-elons-doge-coup-and-trumps-trade-wars-are-moving-america.html
@JohnDay
I’m reading your stuff of my own free will. No complaints so far.
P.S.
An illusion that works dependably, every time, forever, is good enough for me, so I’m sticking with the free will thing too.My guess is the Harry Turman aircraft carrier’s captain will soon be unemployed!
A little fender bender in the Suez Canals north parking lot in broad dayline!
Didn’t see nothin!citixen: fauci is the spokesmodel. ¿do you think the folks on the nsc or at nato are going to apologize?
plus, ¿¡apologize!?
how about go to monster island forever and ever.
the fact that aircraft carriers exist is proof that humans are just plain stupid.
how much does one cost?
hmmm, 14$ billion.
how much does a high school cost?
hmmm, 12$ million for a fancy one.
so one aircraft carrier = 1,167 high schools.
stupid humans.
“One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say, ‘let’s cut our military budget in half.’ And we can do that. And I think we’ll be able to,” Trump declared.
Spot the error in this reader’s post from a Zerohedge.com article on The Attempted Scuttling of USS Harry S. Truman.
Here’s a Hint: some ppl will never command anything despite a title, not now, not then, not ever AND they will never receive the commission that permits them to drive a ship of the line.Masters of One Thing..
Masters of DeflectionThe quote:
“Command….Command…..Command….Command……”
3rd in Command
Command Master Chief Samira McBride
Command Master Chief (CMC) Samira McBride, a native of Chad, Africa, enlisted in the U.S. Navy in September 1999. Following completion of basic training at Recruit Training Command (RTC), Great Lakes, Illinois, she attended Operations Specialist “A” School in Dam Neck, Virginia.
Carlos Del Toro and Lisa Franchetti must feel proud today the world is this confused how the Navy doesn’t work.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.