Caravaggio The seven works of mercy (Sette opere di Misericordia) 1607
Elon Musk: There's an 80%-90% chance AI will usher humanity into a phase of extreme prosperity.
“In 10 years, AI can probably do almost anything better than a human cognitively. Based on the current rate of improvement, AI will be smarter than the smartest human.
There will… pic.twitter.com/TuTvP19Qow
— ELON CLIPS (@ElonClipsX) March 18, 2025
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1901832507080712314
JUST IN: Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller absolutely unleashes on Andrew Weissmann for defending members of Tren de Aragua who were deported from the U.S.
"Andrew Weissman is an absolute moron. He is a moron and he is a fool and he's a degenerate."
"Andrew Weissman has… pic.twitter.com/kMGxqKC1UJ
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 17, 2025
2,900
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
Only 49 out of the 2,900 people were showing up to work full time!
What a waste of tax payers money!
Our Director of Federal Housing Bill Pulte is about to clean house.
Thank you @pulte
— Terrence K. Williams (@w_terrence) March 18, 2025
small r
No, these people are likely not receiving checks. The cleanup of the Social Security database is about something much more important. It is about establishing a ground truth.
There is a reason that DC is panicking about establishing a truly accurate Social Security database,…
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) March 18, 2025
RPReport
Trump started off like an "America First" freight train.
But in only 2 months, that train is going off the rails.
As usual, with wars.
Pull yourself back from the abyss, President Trump. pic.twitter.com/9Zt5btVBHY
— Ron Paul (@RonPaul) March 18, 2025
Looked like a useless phone call. Don’t think the US side seriously prepared. Subtle difference that came up: were they talking about “energy infrastructure” or about “energy and infrastructure”? Vast difference.
• Trump, Putin Agree On ‘Energy and Infrastructure Ceasefire’ (RT)
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed that the first step towards ending the Ukraine conflict should be an “energy and infrastructure ceasefire,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has revealed. The leaders reached the agreement during a 2.5 hour phone conversation on Tuesday. According to the readout of the phone call published on X by Leavitt on Tuesday, both leaders concur that the conflict must conclude with a lasting peace. They also emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral relations. “The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace,” the transcript reads.
The Kremlin has confirmed that Putin supported Trump’s proposal for Russia and Ukraine to halt strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days, and instructed his military accordingly. According to the readout, Moscow and Washington have agreed to hold relevant negotiations “immediately in the Middle East.” Aside from Ukraine, the two heads of state are said to have discussed the situation in the Middle East as well as potential cooperation with a view to preventing future conflicts in the region. Another topic high on the two leaders’ agenda was the “need to stop proliferation of strategic weapons” globally, according to the White House press secretary. “The two leaders agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has huge upside,” including but not limited to “enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability,” the readout concludes.
Witkoff sounds empty. Opportunities missed. There won’t be that many. I don’t see anything that brings Kursk close to a solution.
• Trump, Putin Reached ‘Consensus’ On Ukraine – Witkoff (RT)
The US and Russia have agreed that Moscow and Kiev should pause attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said. Witkoff made his comments following a phone call between Trump and Putin on Tuesday. The diplomat previously had a lengthy conversation with Putin in Moscow on March 13. Witkoff highlighted that Putin had agreed to Trump’s proposal to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days and backed a ceasefire in the sea. “Up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects – the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing – and today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there,” Witkoff told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday evening.
“I’m certainly hopeful that the Ukrainians will agree to it. We have some details to work out, of course,” he added. “I would commend President Putin for all he did today on that call to move his country close to a final peace deal,” the envoy said. “And I would give all the credit to President Trump, his election, peace through strength, the perception that there are no alternatives, and the fact that a good peace and lasting peace are important for both sides.” “It was these two great leaders coming together for the betterment of mankind,” Witkoff said. According to the Kremlin’s readout of the call, Putin has “immediately” ordered the Russian troops to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy sites. The president responded “favorably” to the maritime truce proposal and instructed to begin the talks to “further work out specific details of such an agreement,” the Kremlin said.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday that he supports a maritime ceasefire and a moratorium on strikes on energy facilities in principle but will wait for the American side to provide details about the arrangement. Witkoff told Fox News that the talks will continue in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. According to Reuters, it was unclear whether Ukraine would participate in the meeting.
“In seven weeks, we have switched from being allies to customers, and with largely imagined debts..”
• Kiev Thinks Trump ‘Can’t Stand’ Ukraine – The Economist (RT)
US President Donald Trump “can’t stand” Ukraine, an official in Kiev has reportedly told The Economist, claiming that since the Republican returned to office, Washington has shifted from supporting Ukraine to treating it as a “customer.” The report comes as Ukraine continues to suffer military setbacks, particularly in Russia’s Kursk Region, where Kiev launched an incursion last year. According to Moscow, most of the territory has already been liberated while the remainder of Ukraine’s forces have been encircled by the Russian military. According to The Economist, some Ukrainian officials believe Trump’s recent move to temporarily cut off military aid and intelligence assistance to Kiev may have played a role in the country’s frontline setbacks.
One source told the outlet that Trump may have been deliberately seeking to strip Kiev of bargaining power in future negotiations with Russia. A separate government official claimed it may have been a coincidence, but emphasized that Ukraine’s relationship with Washington has changed. “What is clear is that Trump can’t stand us,” the source said. “In seven weeks, we have switched from being allies to customers, and with largely imagined debts,” the source added, apparently referring to Trump’s demand that Ukraine return several hundred billion dollars that was reportedly provided under the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Since his inauguration in January, Trump has taken a starkly different approach to Ukraine than his predecessor. While the former administration pledged to support Ukraine financially and militarily for “as long as it takes,” Trump has instead been pressuring Kiev towards a ceasefire and peace negotiations with Moscow. In February, Trump had a public dispute with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky during his visit to the White House, where the latter was accused of “gambling with World War III” by refusing to seek peace. After the heated exchange, Trump temporarily halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev.
However, the decision was reversed last week after the two sides held talks in Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine agreed to a US proposal of a 30-day ceasefire. Since then, Washington has been trying to negotiate the terms of a ceasefire with Moscow. Trump is expected to hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss the initiative. Moscow has signaled openness to negotiations on a truce, although Putin has stressed that a number of issues must be addressed beforehand, including resolving the situation surrounding Ukrainian forces in Kursk as well as guarantees that Kiev would not use a ceasefire to arm and remobilize.
Be positive!
• Hungary Expects Peace In Ukraine In Just Two Weeks (TASS)
Hungary expects the Russia-US talks on Ukraine to succeed and peace to return to Europe as soon as in two weeks, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, speaking at the Raisina Dialogue international conference in the Indian capital. “I hope <…> in a couple of weeks, we can celebrate peace returning to Central Europe,” the foreign minister said, speaking about Ukraine ceasefire talks. “We are very happy that these talks have started. We’re happy to see the talks in Saudi Arabia between the US and Russia, between the US and Ukraine. We do attach great hopes to these meetings, and we do hope that a ceasefire can be established as soon as possible, and peace negotiations could be started as soon as possible. Because we want peace to come back to Central Europe,” Szijjarto noted. He recalled that from the very beginning of the conflict, the Hungarian government called for its peaceful settlement and advocated for dialogue with Russia.
“First of all, don’t listen to the idiot politicians that say, yeah, we’ve degraded the Russian army. No, we have chewed up a lot of material..”
• Russian Army ‘Has Gotten Infinitely Smarter’ – Erik Prince (RT)
The Russian military has become “infinitely smarter” in countering the US-supplied weapons being used by Ukraine, according to Erik Prince, the founder and former CEO of the private military company Blackwater. Speaking at Hillsdale College on Saturday, Prince also expressed skepticism over claims that the Russian army has been significantly weakened in the conflict. “The thing that the Russians are very good at is electronic warfare,” Prince stated, emphasizing that advanced American weaponry, such as Javelin missiles, HIMARS, and Copperhead guided artillery shells, often become ineffective within weeks. “It works for a week or two, and the Russians figure how to jam the navigation or the command link, and the stuff goes blind.”
Prince also pushed back against assertions that the Russian forces have been significantly weakened. “First of all, don’t listen to the idiot politicians that say, yeah, we’ve degraded the Russian army. No, we have chewed up a lot of material. The Russian army has gotten infinitely smarter.” He pointed to the rapid improvements in Russian counter-artillery capabilities, contrasting the response time between early 2022 and now. “If you shot at a Russian, with artillery in March or April of 2022, it would take them an hour and a half to shoot back accurately. Now, about two minutes, which means if you shoot at them, you better be in your vehicle and hauling ass because they’re going to get you otherwise.” The Russian Defense Ministry provides regular updates on the destruction of Western-donated equipment such as HIMARS and ATACMS missile launchers in Ukraine.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the US has been Kiev’s largest weapons supplier. After US President Donald Trump took office in January, he has made peace in Ukraine one of his top priorities and criticized the administration of former President Joe Biden for spending billions of American taxpayer dollars supporting Kiev. Trump briefly suspended military aid and intelligence sharing following a public dispute with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky at the White House in February. However, the assistance was restored after Kiev agreed to support a 30-day ceasefire with Moscow. Moscow has repeatedly warned that Western military aid merely extends the hostilities but will not alter the conflict’s outcome and risks a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
“Scholars, historians, and journalists are likely to spend months sifting through the records for new information about Kennedy’s killing, with the newly published files being identified only by record numbers..”
• Trump Administration Releases JFK Assassination Files (RT)
The administration of US President Donald Trump has released thousands of pages of government files related to the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy (JFK) in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The National Archives uploaded some 63,000 pages of documents on its website in two initial tranches on Tuesday, with more files expected to be publish once they are digitized. “All records previously withheld for classification that are part of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection are released,” it said. Shortly after taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to declassify government documents related to the assassinations during the 1960s of John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
The shooting of JFK has long been the subject of speculation in the US regarding the alleged role of rogue elements within the government. A poll by Gallup in 2023 suggested that 65% of Americans did not believe the findings of the official investigation, which concluded Lee Harvey Oswald, a former US Marine, acted alone in killing the 35th US president. Among those surveyed, 20% said they believed that Oswald conspired with the US government, while another 16% suggested that the CIA had been involved. Trump told reporters on Monday that “people have been waiting decades” for the publication of the JFK assassination files. Approximately 80,000 pages of previously classified records would be made available to the public, he added.
“I said during the campaign that I would do it, and I am a man of my word,” the president insisted. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said in a statement on Tuesday that the records are being released in fulfillment of Trump’s promise of “maximum transparency and a commitment to rebuild the trust of the American people in the Intelligence Community (IC) and federal agencies.” Scholars, historians, and journalists are likely to spend months sifting through the records for new information about Kennedy’s killing, with the newly published files being identified only by record numbers and having no descriptions.
Lyndon
After hearing this conversation I don't think we even need the JFK files to understand what happened. pic.twitter.com/qymAwasApB
— Freyja™ (@FreyjaTarte) March 17, 2025
“..their bravery, courage, expertise, and integrity are all leadership qualities that should be exemplified within the ranks of the IRS.”
• Hunter Biden Whistleblowers Promoted By Trump After Biden-era Retaliation (JTN)
The two IRS whistleblowers who shed light on failures to properly investigate Hunter Biden — and who were allegedly retaliated against as a result — have now received promotions from the Trump administration. IRS supervisory special agent Gary Shapley and IRS special agent Joseph Ziegler will serve as senior advisers to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Just the News has learned. “Rewarding merit rather than retaliating against whistleblowers is exactly how government ought to work. At long last, I’m happy that’s finally what is happening for Gary and Joe. They earned these promotions through integrity and hard work for the American people,” Jason Foster, the founder of Empower Oversight, which is representing the IRS whistleblowers, told Just the News. The promotions of the Hunter Biden whistleblowers were first reported by the New York Post on Tuesday morning.
“We are enormously grateful to Secretary Bessent, Senator Grassley, and all of the members of Congress for their leadership and trust,” Shapley and Ziegler said in a statement released by Senator Chuck Grassley’s office. “We have been motivated by one singular mantra: do what’s right, and do it the right way. It has not been easy, but having a clear conscience is worth the effort. We appreciate the opportunity Secretary Bessent is giving us to put our experience and firsthand knowledge to good use for the American people to eliminate waste and reform the IRS.” Grassley had sent a private letter to Bessent in late February, telling the new Treasury Department chief that “their bravery, courage, expertise, and integrity are all leadership qualities that should be exemplified within the ranks of the IRS.”
“Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler put their entire careers on the line to stand up for the truth, and instead of being thanked, the Biden administration treated them like skunks at a picnic. Far too many whistleblowers share a similar experience of retaliation,” Grassley said. “I hope today is the first of many redemption stories for whistleblowers who’ve been mistreated. By taking a stand for whistleblowers, President Trump and his cabinet are ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability.” Lawyers for the whistleblowers have said that Shapley and Ziegler were removed from the Hunter Biden investigation in May 2023, and alleged that their clients have been repeatedly retaliated against since then. The IRS whistleblowers have consistently argued that they did nothing “unlawful” and followed all of the laws and procedures when they blew the whistle about DOJ and IRS stonewalling on the federal case against Hunter Biden.
Grassley had demanded in a 2024 letter that then-IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel end all retaliation against the whistleblowers. The Iowa senator also sent a letter to President Donald Trump in February telling him that Shapley and Ziegler “were illegally issued gag orders and retaliated against by the IRS under the Biden administration” and that “this is unacceptable, and you have the power to put a stop to it today.” Hunter Biden initially reached a plea agreement with then-special counsel David Weiss on federal charges related to tax crimes and the illegal purchase of a handgun in what congressional Republicans dubbed a “sweetheart deal” in June 2023. The deal collapsed under scrutiny by a federal judge the next month, thanks in part to the revelations made by the IRS whistleblowers. And now, Bessent said Tuesday morning that “I am pleased to welcome Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler to the Treasury Department, where they will help us drive much-needed cultural reform within the IRS.”
https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1901964818216603652
18 agents for a holiday trip in South Africa. For a guy who tells a judge he can’t pay his bills because his paintings no longer sell.
• Trump Cancels Hunter Biden’s Costly Secret Service Protection (ZH)
After Hunter Biden made headlines by vacationing in South Africa with a Secret Service detail on a week he was scheduled to appear for a deposition in a civil trial he initiated, President Trump on Monday night announced that he was canceling Hunter’s federal protection, and his half-sister Ashley’s too. Trump’s announcement came just hours after a reporter asked him about Hunter’s travel and ongoing, taxpayer-funded security. “I just heard about it for the first time…I would say if there are 18 [Secret Service agents] with Hunter Biden… That will be something I look at this afternoon,” he replied amid a tour of the Kennedy Center, where he earlier this year installed himself as chairman of the board. True to his word, at 5pm Monday, Trump took to his Truth Social account to inform Hunter, Ashley and America that the government would no longer provide security protection for Joe Biden’s adult children:
“Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer. There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous! … Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection. Likewise, Ashley Biden who has 13 agents will be taken off the list.” To get some idea of how much the Bidens’ security details were costing Americans, a Daily Mail Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiry determined that the Secret Service spent more than $4.5 million to protect Hunter over an 18-month period between the start of 2021 and June 2022, while Biden lived in Malibu. During that stretch, the service shelled out $30,000 a month just for a villa to house their agents.
Former presidents and their spouses are assured of life-long Secret Serve protection by federal statute. Protection for children over age 16, terminates along with the president’s term in office — officially, but not in practice. Outgoing presidents frequently extend adult children’s coverage for up to six months, as Biden, Trump, Obama and George W. Bush all did. Already during his second term, Trump has canceled elective federal protection for several other individuals, including former NIAID director Anthony Fauci, Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his former national security adviser John Bolton. It’s not clear exactly when Secret Service agents will step away from Biden’s children. “We are aware of the President’s decision to terminate protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden,” said Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi in a statement. “The Secret Service will comply and is actively working with the protective details and the White House to ensure compliance as soon as possible.”
At the same time he was in South Africa, Hunter was scheduled to give a deposition pursuant to a lawsuit he filed against former Trump staffer Garrett Ziegler, accusing him of illegally hacking and then circulating 10,000 photos from Hunter’s infamous “Laptop from Hell.” Earlier this month, Hunter told the judge he wanted to drop the case, on the basis that he had millions of dollars in debt and sales of his artwork and memoir were tanking. Hunter was already in Cape Town when the judge agreed to cancel the case on Thursday. “That means he [was] assuming his daddy’s appointee is gonna rubber stamp what he wants,” Ziegler told the New York Post. In an unusual twist, Ziegler had sought to contest Hunter’s dropping of the case. “Hunter wants to cry uncle,” he said. “We are OPPOSING that. We want our attorney’s fees to be paid, for Hunter to cease lying about us and me, and just generally to shut the f**k up.”
Trump’s Monday announcement took aim at Hunter’s current travel destination. “He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has [sic] been strenuously questioned,” wrote Trump, who earnestly supports the governments of Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other countries where the human rights of people have been strenuously questioned. Hunter’s wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, is South African, and we’ll watch to see if Trump condemns South African Elon Musk should he decide to visit family in his crumbling native country where whites are in increasing peril.
Green subsidies. A bottomless pit.
• Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Could End Up Costing Taxpayers $5 Trillion (JTN)
When former President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in 2022, it did so along party lines with not a single Republican voting for it. At the time, a Senate one-pager summarized the law as costing taxpayers $369 billion, based on Congressional Budget Review (CBO) estimates. A new study from the Cato Institute finds that the law could cost as much as $4.67 trillion by 2050. That’s roughly 12 times the stated cost. The study also concludes that the subsidies are undermining innovation and driving investments toward subsidy farming rather than satisfying consumer demand. “The government should not have a hold on the economy in such a way that it can truly distort entire markets, and that’s what the Inflation Reduction Act is,” Joshua Loucks, research associate with Cato Institute and co-author of the analysis, said in a video explaining the study.
The Trump administration has been executing a series of reviews of regulations that federal agencies passed during the Biden years. Repealing some agency decisions may require congressional action. Due to the massive costs and market-impacting effects of the IRA, the study’s authors argue Congress should take a hard look at it. The law, they say, should be fully repealed, or Congress should place limitations on the subsidies, which the IRA mostly lacks. Loucks and his co-author Travis Fisher, director of energy and environmental policy studies at the Cato Institute, explained that the impetus for doing the study was the wildly varying estimates of the costs of the IRA that came out since its passage. While the CBO pegged the figure at $369 billion, Goldman Sachs estimated in May 2023 that it would be closer to $1.2 trillion. There were other estimates as well, all coming to different conclusions.
“We decided to go on our own fact-finding endeavor here, and that’s what resulted in this paper,” Loucks said. The subsidies for the IRA come in two forms — production tax credits (PTC), which provide tax credits per unit of energy produced, or investment tax credits, which provide tax credits for various investments in carbon-free energy. Which one developers take depends on the project and their business preferences. With the ITC, the subsidies provide an infusion of cash up front, whereas the PTCs provide payouts over time. Some of these are not capped, and others are only phased out when certain greenhouse gas emission reductions are met.
Using models from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the study shows there’s little likelihood that these reductions will be met in the next 25 years, meaning the subsidies have no meaningful end date. The authors estimated all the ITCs and PTCs that might come from the various carbon-free eligible projects — whether they be nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, energy storage, green manufacturing or hydrogen — and using complex models, the authors came to some overall estimates. Over the next 10 years, according to the study, the IRA could cost taxpayers anywhere from $936 billion to $1.97 trillion. By 2050, it will cost between $2.04 trillion and $4.67 trillion.
Everyone was signing everything, with every kind of pen.
• Biden’s Autopen Scandal Just Got a Whole Lot Worse (Margolis)
Earlier this month, we reported that virtually every document bearing Joe Biden’s signature during his presidency was signed by an autopen. The presidential autopen has been in use since the 1950s, with its legality debated for years. In 2013, Barack Obama became the first president to sign a bill into law using an autopen while vacationing in Hawaii, relying on a Bush-era legal memo stating a president’s presence wasn’t required if they had authorized the signature. The key issue with Biden, however, is whether he actually authorized the use of the autopen — or if someone else was running it without his knowledge. The New York Post then uncovered a pattern of potential power abuse within the Biden White House, with insiders suspecting a key aide may have made unilateral decisions on what to sign.
On Sunday night, Trump declared that Biden’s pardons are “VOID, VACANT, AND NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen. In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!” On Monday, The Oversight Project released a memo exposing 32 instances where the Biden White House used an autopen to sign clemency warrants, granting pardons and commutations to thousands — including preemptive pardons for members of the J6 Committee. The report raises serious concerns about the implications of a presidency governed by autopen rather than by the president himself.
“We analyzed the 51 clemency warrants with President Biden’s signature on them. In those warrants, the Biden Administration granted clemency to 4,245 people—the most of any President,” the memo reads. “We found that the Biden White House used two variations of his signature loaded into an autopen to sign over half of the clemency warrants issued during his Presidency. We identified the two autopen signatures as Autopen A and Autopen B in this Memorandum.” The memo continued, “We calculated that the Biden Administration signed 16 warrants with Autopen A, 16 warrants with Autopen B, and 19 warrants appear to be signed with a wet signature.”
Interestingly enough, the pardon of Hunter Biden appears to have been legitimately signed by Joe Biden, which makes sense. But, here’s where things get really bad: “The warrants we determined to be wet signatures contain significant variations between the signatures. Some warrants spell out the President’s entire first name “Joseph.” Others have only a diagonal line to indicate the letter “J.” Other wet signed warrants have significant variations in the President’s middle initial “R” and “B” in the last name “Biden.” At the time of publication of this Memorandum, the variations of the wet signatures are so severe, that it is unclear whether the same person signed all of the warrants. We are continuing to investigate this issue.”
That’s right: While the Oversight Project hasn’t confirmed it yet, evidence suggests that beyond a rogue staffer using the autopen — possibly without Biden’s authorization — one or more aides may have outright signed his signature on certain pardons and commutations. Could the inconsistencies be a symptom of Biden’s cognitive decline? Perhaps. But the variations in his signature may point to something even more troubling: deliberate forgery. This could be huge because it tells us that staffers were confident Biden was out of it to the extent that they could get away with actual forgery, not just abuse of the autopen. That’s frightening.
Neera Tanden fits the profile to a tee. Not everyone would be referred to as “the boss”.
• Is This the Aide Who Abused Joe Biden’s Autopen? (Margolis)
The latest scandal for the former Biden administration has exploded into the spotlight thanks to Trump’s declaration Sunday night that Biden’s pardons are “VOID, VACANT, AND NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT” because they were signed via autopen, and Biden may not have authorized them. The lingering question, of course, is who may have been using the autopen on Biden’s behalf without his knowledge or consent. An explosive New York Post report revealed a disturbing pattern of potential power abuse within the Biden White House, centered around the controversial use of the presidential autopen. One Biden White House source told The Post they suspect that a key aide to the then-president may have made unilateral determinations on what to auto-sign. The Post is not publishing that staffer’s name due to the lack of concrete evidence and refutations by other colleagues.
The Biden aide, who did not respond to requests for comment, would frequently make mention of what “the boss” wanted, the source said, but compatriots would have “no idea” if it was true because the internal culture was to not ask questions. While the New York Post didn’t name the staffer, speculation is swirling around Neera Tanden. A longtime left-wing operative, Tanden was Biden’s controversial pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget — until her nomination collapsed over a slew of hyper-partisan attacks on Republican lawmakers. She later found a role as White House Staff Secretary. Now, she finds herself at the center of this constitutional crisis. The timeline is damning. On Dec. 30, 2022, while Biden was allegedly golfing in St. Croix, six pardons magically appeared with his signature. Tanden’s response? A desperate attempt at deflection, trying to turn the tables by questioning Trump’s own autopen usage.
https://twitter.com/neeratanden/status/1901593683729772628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1901593683729772628%7Ctwgr%5E834a907535a976df566b7d17e79689c29ac6fe17%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpjmedia.com%2Fmatt-margolis%2F2025%2F03%2F18%2Fis-this-the-aide-who-abused-joe-bidens-autopen-n4938019
Nice try, Neera, but there’s a difference between delegated authority and potentially hijacking presidential powers. The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, which broke the scandal, called her out specifically.
You were White House Staff Secretary when Biden autopenned pardons from the golf course in USVI.
This you? https://t.co/26z9C6cE7m pic.twitter.com/7btD2RTX0N
— Oversight Project (@OversightPR) March 17, 2025
This isn’t just about pardons or autopenned signatures. It’s about who was actually running our country. Was it Joe Biden? Or was it radical operatives like Tanden, who went from heading a far-left think tank to potentially wielding presidential power without proper authorization? The Biden administration’s deafening silence on social media speaks volumes. They can’t defend the indefensible, so they’re hoping this scandal will just disappear. But Trump’s declaration has ensured this constitutional crisis won’t be swept under the rug. The American people deserve to know who’s really in charge. Was Biden even aware of what was signed in his name? Or did progressive bureaucrats turn the White House into their personal playground, wielding presidential power while the actual president remained blissfully unaware on the golf course? These aren’t just partisan questions; they’re fundamental to our constitutional republic. And the American people deserve answers.
Voice of America. Brought to you by Europe (or the other way around).
• EU Could Take Over US State-funded Media Outlet – Kallas (RT)
The EU will discuss ways to maintain the operation of US state-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), now that President Donald Trump has slashed its budget, the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has said. RFE/RL was founded during the Cold War to spread pro-Western propaganda in the Eastern Bloc. The organization was initially funded by the CIA and continues to receive US Congressional grants. A reporter asked Kallas following the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday whether the EU would offer “temporary protection” to Russian journalists who’d had their contracts terminated. She argued that RFE/RL’s broadcasts during the Cold War were “very valuable.”
“It is sad to hear that the US is withdrawing the funding. Now the question for us is, can we come in with our funding to fill the void?” Kallas said. “The answer to that question is… not automatically because we have a lot of organizations that are coming with the same request.” “But there was really a push from the foreign ministers to discuss this and find a way. So this is the [task of] our side to see what we can do,” she added. The European Commission and officials from EU member states have condemned Trump’s decision to gut the news agency. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky wrote on X last week that he would discuss the possibility to “at least partially maintain its broadcasts.” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Monday that the EU was “brainstorming” how to help RFE/RL, according to The Kyiv Independent.
On March 14, Trump signed an executive order mandating funding and staff cuts at the United States Agency for Global Media, which oversees RFE/RL and other state-funded news organizations, including the Voice of America. The White House said that the move is part of a wider campaign to rid the government of “unnecessary” bureaucracy. Trump has frequently accused media outlets of bias and spreading “fake news” about him and his policies. RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus has described the cuts as “a massive gift to America’s enemies.” In a call with journalists on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov labelled RFE/RL and the Voice of America “purely propagandistic media” and said that the cuts were the domestic affair of the US.
Roberts takes the easy way out. But that invites a flood of lawfare. Which will hamper the administration.
• SCOTUS Chief Justice Roberts Says Impeaching Judge ‘Not Appropriate’ (ZH)
On Tuesday, President Trump said on Truth Social that US District Judge James Boasberg should be impeached for issuing a two-week halt to his efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens – calling Boasberg a “troublemaker and agitator.” Trump’s call to remove Boasberg – the chief judge of the federal district court in Washington DC, marks the first time that he’s asked Congress to seek a judge’s removal. Trump also suggested that “many” of the judges who have ruled against him in other cases should be impeached as well.
Then, hours later, Chief Justice John Roberts pushed back – saying in a rare statement that it would be inappropriate to impeach a judge. “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” Roberts said Tuesday. Of course, that would be up to Congress – wouldn’t it? As TheLastRefuge notes on X, Roberts and Boasberg go way back… “Yes, Roberts will protect Boasberg, because Boasberg -who Roberts appointed to be presiding judge of the FISC- has major leverage over Roberts. Boasberg has assembled his shields over years, and CTH has outlined every step. The brutally obvious began surfacing when Boasberg appointed *Mary McCord as amicus to the FISC.”
**ahem** Yes, Roberts will protect Boasberg, because Boasberg -who Roberts appointed to be presiding judge of the FISC- has major leverage over Roberts.
Boasberg has assembled his shields over years, and CTH has outlined every step. The brutally obvious began surfacing when… https://t.co/NdMc6VsUr0
— TheLastRefuge (@TheLastRefuge2) March 18, 2025
Law professor Jonathan Turley agrees with Roberts, however, writing on Sunday; “I have criticized Judge Boasberg, who was involved in the controversial FISA surveillance during the first Trump term and made a poor choice of the attorney tasked with investigating that matter. I also criticized him in prior treatment of pro-life litigants in a case reversed by the D.C. Circuit. However, he has also ruled against Trump critics). The response for the Administration should be to seek an expedited appeal. The district court cannot drag out a TRO very long before issuing an order that can be appealed. This country is facing novel issues and the Administration is not surprisingly trying to use novel means to address them. I expect that it will prevail in many of these initial fights while losing others. That is part of the process in a nation committed to the rule of law. The Trump Administration can appeal and leave impeachment out of it.”
The MAGA movement is going to do something that hasn’t been done in decades, if ever
We are going to start impeaching Marxist Federal judges https://t.co/KmCMHuuH7W
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) March 18, 2025
“Musk has been ordered to reinstate access to email, payment and other electronic systems for all current USAID employees and personal services contractors [..] after roughly 83% of USAID programs have been officially canceled..”
• Obama Judge Rules Against DOGE Shutdown of USAID (ZH)
In the latest legal turn of events – since the United States is now governed by activist judges, an Obama-appointed federal judge on Tuesday found that Elon Musk and DOGE likely violated the constitution when it shut down deep state slush fund USAID, and has ordered them to restore access for current (remaining) employees. US District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled in favor of more than two dozen unnamed current and former USAID employees and contractors who challenged the Trump administration’s efforts to shutter the organization. In a 68-page decision, Chuang granted in part their request for a preliminary injunction, ruling that DOGE and Musk likely violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and separation of powers.
Musk has been ordered to reinstate access to email, payment and other electronic systems for all current USAID employees and personal services contractors, while the Trump administration is now prevented from taking any further actions related to the shutdown of USAID – including placing employees on administrative leave, firing USAID workers, closing buildings, bureaus or offices, and deleting the contents of its websites or collections. Of note – the order does not currently require the reinstatement of fired employees, after roughly 83% of USAID programs have been officially canceled according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “After a six-week review, 5200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, and even harmed the core national interests of the United States,” he said.
This latest judicial move to block the Trump administration comes days after DC District Court judge James Boasberg (who was in charge of the FISA court when the Obama administration was spying on Trump), issued a two-week halt on deporting illegal immigrant gang members. On Tuesday Trump called for Boasberg’s impeachment, drawing a sharp rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who said it was “not an appropriate response.” The Trump administration is also in the process of reinstating over 24,000 federal workers after a different Obama judge, US District Judge James Bredar, ordered the mass reinstatement of employees at 18 federal agencies last week, determining that the administration’s justification for the firings—poor performance—was not supported by evidence. The ruling follows another decision by a federal judge in San Francisco, who also found terminations at six agencies to be illegal.
This feels upside down. DOGE does not.
• Trump Admin Moves To Reinstate Over 24,000 Federal Workers (ZH)
The Trump administration is taking steps to reinstate thousands of probationary federal workers who were fired in an effort to downsize the government, according to court filings in one of two cases where judges deemed the terminations unlawful. U.S. District Judge James Bredar, an Obama appointee, ordered the mass reinstatement of employees at 18 federal agencies last week, determining that the administration’s justification for the firings—poor performance—was not supported by evidence. The ruling follows another decision by a federal judge in San Francisco, who also found terminations at six agencies to be illegal. According to more than a dozen declarations filed by the government Monday night, the administration has moved to reinstate roughly 24,000 probationary workers.
According to the Monday night filings, many of the reinstated employees have been placed on paid administrative leave, while others have returned to full employment. However, officials warn that the reinstatement process could create confusion and operational challenges, particularly for employees who are reinstated only to potentially face termination again if an appellate court overturns the ruling. Reesha Trznadel, the acting chief human capital officer at the Department of Energy, cautioned in a declaration that reinstating employees “could impose burdens on DOE and cause significant confusion and turmoil for the terminated employees.”
Since taking office, the Trump administration has taken aggressive steps to reshape the federal bureaucracy, including dismissing employees during their probationary periods. The recent ruling represents a legal setback for these efforts, reinforcing protections for federal workers and challenging the administration’s justification for its sweeping dismissals. The legal battle is expected to continue, with the possibility that an appellate ruling could overturn Bredar’s decision. Until then, agencies must navigate the complexities of onboarding and retraining employees who may face further job uncertainty in the months ahead.
Habba is just one among a group of shining young stars around Trump.
• Trump Adviser Alina Habba Sounds Alarm on ‘Human Extortion’ (ET)
The Trump administration is committed to taking decisive action against one of the nation’s most pressing yet overlooked crises: human trafficking. In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, Alina Habba, senior advisor to President Donald Trump, shared the administration’s plan and her role in addressing this critical issue. But as Habba sees it, this isn’t just about human trafficking—it’s about “human extortion,” a more encompassing term that includes everything from sex trafficking to cyber activity and forced labor. “I’m focused on human extortion, which includes child trafficking,” she said in an interview with Jan Jekielek, senior editor at The Epoch Times and host of “American Thought Leaders.” Habba emphasized that her efforts focus not only on children who are victims of trafficking but also on any individual, regardless of age, who falls victim to sex trafficking, financial extortion through cyber means, or modern slavery.
Habba, 40, who served as Trump’s defense attorney in recent years, now works as a counselor to the president, collaborating closely with government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She is currently drafting a series of executive orders aimed at strengthening regulations and protecting the victims of human extortion. In her view, the crisis reflects the widespread abuse of vulnerable individuals who are coerced and exploited, often in ways that the public is barely aware of. Habba pointed to examples like cyber-interactive pornography that encourages people to hurt children, calling it a “sick” and disturbing reality of today’s world. She also noted that the issue worsened during the border crisis under the Biden administration.
Many children were, misleadingly, trafficked over the border, she said. “They were displaced from their families and then found themselves in vulnerable positions where they were sex trafficked and labor trafficked.” Since Trump took office, Habba said she has spent nearly two months fully understanding the scale of the problem. The administration is now focused on bringing these children home, providing them with necessary care, capturing their traffickers, and prosecuting those responsible—particularly pedophiles. A DHS report from August 2024 revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) transferred over 448,000 unaccompanied migrant children to the HHS between fiscal years 2019 and 2023. The Office of Refugee Resettlement, a division within HHS, is responsible for placing these unaccompanied children with sponsor homes in the United States.
However, the report indicated that ICE was unable to track the location and status of all the children who had been released from HHS custody. While Habba declined to provide exact numbers, she stated that the absence of familial DNA testing had led to a surge in child trafficking. In 2023, the Biden administration revoked a Trump-era program that required rapid DNA testing for illegal immigrants crossing the border. Without this measure, she said, individuals were entering the country with alleged relatives—such as parents, aunts, or uncles—without any verification. As a result, it was impossible to determine whether those accompanying the children were associated with cartels or engaged in human trafficking. The Biden administration reportedly did not provide specific reasons for ending the program, only stating that it was not renewing the contract with the private company doing the tests.
Since Trump’s return to office in January, the DNA testing program has been reinstated. However, Habba said there are still other critical issues to address. She mentioned that some migrant children were placed in “fake sponsor homes” by HHS. When officials visited these homes for safety checks, they found that the children were no longer there. “So, effectively, they were being re-trafficked,” Habba said. The administration is now working closely with public and private sector individuals to ensure these children are kept safe, provided with necessary rehabilitation, including therapy and medical care, and placed in secure homes.
Habba addressed the recent controversy surrounding the influencer Tate brothers, who are facing human trafficking and rape allegations. She faced criticism after expressing in a January interview that she was a big fan of Andrew Tate. Habba told Jekielek that her comments had been manipulated and taken out of context. She clarified that her support for Tate was based on his political views and should be viewed separately from the accusations being made against him. “The accusations against the Tate brothers are stomach-churning. They are disturbing,” she said. “There is no part of me that condones at all that behavior,” she said of the reports. The Tate brothers are contesting the allegations being made against them. Habba also provided an update on the long-awaited Epstein files.
She said that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel are leading the investigation to review the files and thoroughly vet the accusations. “We are committed to transparency,” Habba said, urging Americans to be patient during the process. “We’re not going to be off the cuff. We’re not going to shoot from the hip. We’re going to look at things methodically and take them very seriously. And unfortunately, that takes time.” Habba also discussed her upbringing and family, identifying herself as a Middle Eastern Catholic woman. Her parents, both Chaldean Catholics, emigrated from Iraq to the United States in the early 1980s to escape persecution in their home country.
“My family is religious. They are very involved in the church, and I’m proud of that,” she said. Trump praised Habba when announcing her appointment as counselor to the president, highlighting her dedication and loyalty. “She has been unwavering in her loyalty, and unmatched in her resolve—standing with me through numerous ‘trials,’ battles, and countless days in Court,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Dec. 8, 2024. “As a first generation American of Middle Eastern Heritage, she has become a role model for women in Law and Politics, most recently being named Chaldean Woman of the Year.”
Puppyducks
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1901877651179982943
Fin
Fin whale, the second-largest whale species after the blue whale, swimming alongside dolphins in the ocean,
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) March 18, 2025
Stopper
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1901993392696905813
Kids
Kids are kids pic.twitter.com/OiFKpyt4dx
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) March 18, 2025
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