Gustave Moreau Orpheus at the Tomb of Eurydice 1891
O’Leary
When an American company, or frankly Canadian for that matter, gets investors and does a startup. Let's say they put up $10 million bucks or whatever. As soon as it gets to a run rate of five million annually, almost 100% of the time it gets knocked off in China. The company has… pic.twitter.com/5pjLAR1sbm
— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) April 11, 2025
Miller
https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1911435337303278045
VDH
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: How Will the Wars in Ukraine, Middle East End? The Answer Lies in History.
With two major, ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, historian @VDHanson takes a step back to examine the historical nature of war—and why modern conflicts so often defy… pic.twitter.com/RZOtVLg1nu
— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) April 11, 2025
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/J8FHr5phqi
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) April 13, 2025
Rogan
Now this is mind blowing
Joe Rogan “Kids Wish Network:
– They raised $127 million
– They paid to solicitors $109 million
– They spent percentage on direct cash
– Aid to the actual kids is ONLY 2.5%– Look at the Cancer Fund of America. LESS THAN 1% went to the actual thing” pic.twitter.com/Oi19orsWPD
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) April 11, 2025
Joe Rogan’s diving deep into the science of staying healthy, and it’s all about the basics: nutrition, exercise, and supplements. “There’s real science behind healthy foods, vegetable juices, and stuff like cod liver oil loaded with vitamin A,” he said. “Doctors used to prescribe… pic.twitter.com/7H8lo3Eqko
— Camus (@newstart_2024) April 13, 2025
Don’t want to start a fan club, but the esssence here seems true. There’s no-one else. He won the elections by a mile and a half. Without the fierce forever bogeyman anti-Trump narrative, imagine how popular he could be.
• Only Trump Is Brave Enough For This Job (David Bossie)
Aside from Congressional Democrats, there’s widespread agreement among the American people that the failed status quo in Washington must be confronted immediately. There’s also agreement that navigating our country around the economic iceberg that is rapidly approaching after decades of bad policy decisions is not a task for the faint of heart. During the 2024 presidential race, President Trump campaigned on implementing the difficult but necessary reforms that have been “punted” by weak-kneed career politicians and was elected by historic margins because he has a record of keeping his promises. And nearly 80 days into his second term, Donald Trump the steel-spined change agent is busy bringing common sense back to America to change our downward trajectory before it’s too late.
No one with any credibility can argue that our $36 trillion national debt can be ignored, that our trade agreements are fair, or that allowing an enormous tax increase is sound policy. And because he listens to the American people intently, President Trump is laser focused on dealing with these three consequential issues once and for all to supercharge our economy both in the short term and for future generations. Taking on entrenched power is never easy, but entrenched power has never butted heads with a fearless visionary like Donald Trump.
The radical left is trying to block President Trump’s fiscally responsible spending reforms and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting recommendations at every turn, but he won’t be deterred. On taxes, Democrats are employing garden variety class warfare tactics, but Trump knows that every American is taxed too much, and people deserve the certainty that comes along with making low tax rates permanent. And regarding the issues of trade and tariffs, President Trump will never bow to concocted media hysteria or hollow threats from powerful self-interested elites who can’t fathom a much-needed change in direction. He believes deeply – and happens to be 100 percent correct – that America has spent decades entering into trade deals that put our country at a strategic disadvantage on the world stage. Americans are grateful that we finally have a leader with the guts to look out for millions upon millions of working families who have been struggling to get by for far too long.
The American people are more than willing to be patient with President Trump’s reforms because they understand how badly previous leaders let things veer off track. Folks understand this president’s language, like when he says that America needs to go in for a long overdue medical procedure and the recovery won’t happen overnight. Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy – simply charging countries the same amount that they charge us – has drawn the expected response from those riding the gravy train, but we’re already starting to see the president’s grand plan in action with over fifty countries lining up to make deals. For example, the European Union is reportedly offering a “zero for zero” tariff deal and Israel, Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Indonesia – to name a few – have all indicated they are ready and willing to negotiate new agreements with President Trump.
Instead of premature hyperventilation over daily stock market ups and downs and astroturf drama to drive clicks, ratings, outrage, and division, Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media should consider rooting for American success for a change. It wasn’t so long ago that liberals would line up to fight for the working class. These early moves by reasonable nations stand in stark contrast to Communist China. The CCP seems eager to start a trade war with the United States instead of acknowledging what everyone else already knows – that they’ve taken advantage of flawed U.S. policy for years and President Trump is now working to level the playing field. By choosing a course that is fraught with peril, China is running the risk of exposing itself as a bad actor on the world stage by refusing to act in good faith for the benefit of all peaceful nations. The CCP needs to understand that they don’t have Barack Obama and Joe Biden to kick around anymore.
It will take time for some to get used to a president who puts America first again. Regardless of how hard the decisions are or how well-funded the opposition to saving America is, President Trump is going to plow forward with his robust economic plan because he realizes we can’t kick the can down the road any longer. Whether it’s tackling spending and debt, tariffs and trade, taxes and regulations, or the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy, this president is the perfect leader to handle it all in short order. President Trump understands better than most that time is of the essence and that he was made for this moment.
“There’s going to be a disengagement from China.” “I hope it doesn’t become a … total disengagement..”
• Tucker Carlson: Of Course Trump Is Willing to Negotiate Tariffs With China (DS)
President Donald Trump is using tariffs to apply heavy pressure on China on trade, but he remains open to negotiations with Beijing, Tucker Carlson says. “Well, of course, he is,” Carlson said when asked whether he thought Trump is willing to negotiate with China. “I mean, the question is: Who needs the other more? Does the U.S. need China more or China need the U.S.? I can’t answer that,” Carlson told The Daily Signal. Only hours after new tariffs went into effect on about 90 countries around the world, Trump announced a 90-day pause on the “reciprocal” tariffs, but he increased tariffs on goods from China. “Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the world’s markets, I am hereby raising the tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
China and the U.S. “need each other,” Carlson said. “The deal has been for the past 30 years: We’ll buy your underpriced consumer goods; you buy our overpriced debt. And you know, in some ways that’s worked great. In other ways, it hasn’t worked at all.” Carlson was at the White House last week when Trump stood in the Rose Garden and announced his plan to increase tariffs to a minimum of 10% on nations around the world. Despite knowing Trump for years and the president’s interest in tariffs as a negotiation tool, the conservative news commentator and former Fox News host said he was “shocked” by Trump’s tariff plan. “I wasn’t against what Trump was saying, but I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s shocking that he said that. You can’t erect trade barriers.’ … It’s like all the childhood orthodoxies were still rattling around in my head.”
Free market conservatives have traditionally opposed most tariffs. While there is a lot Carlson said he cannot assess regarding Trump’s use of tariffs due to not being an economist, he was confident in saying, “There’s going to be a disengagement from China.” “I hope it doesn’t become a … total disengagement,” Carlson said, “and I certainly hope there’s not a military conflict. I don’t think we’d win. Well, we wouldn’t win at this point. But there needs to be some kind of disengagement on trade.” America cannot be reliant on China and other nations for critical products such as pharmaceuticals and critical military components, he said.
“You have to be able to build a jet engine exclusively in the United States and not rely on supply chains 10,000 miles long or on countries that are hostile to you. I mean, that’s crazy. It’s just basic stuff. And we have the resources to do that,” he said. On Friday, China raised tariffs on U.S. imports to a matching 125%. Trump says he is using tariffs to bring American manufacturing back to the U.S., an action some on Capitol Hill say is long overdue. “Missouri alone has lost 50,000 jobs to China,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote on X on Thursday. “Trump is right to go after China.”
My personal favorite of his “active lifestyle”: “frequent victories in golf events..”
• Trump’s Doctor Gives Him Clean Bill of Health (RT)
US President Donald Trump remains in “excellent cognitive and physical health,” White House physician Captain Sean Barbabella has said. On Friday, Trump underwent the first physical of his second presidential term at a hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, which included a five-hour medical examination, blood work and a cognitive test. The results of the check-up have shown the 78-year-old president to be “fully fit” for the job, Barbabella said in a memorandum on Sunday. ”President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,” the memo read. The US leader’s “active lifestyle,” which includes meetings, public appearances and “frequent victories in golf events,” has contributed significantly to his well-being, the doctor stressed.
Trump currently weighs 224 pounds (101.6kg) and is 75 inches (190cm) tall. His resting heart rate is 62 beats per minute and his blood pressure is 128/74 mmHg, the memo said. During the examination, he was also found to have scarring “on the right ear from a gunshot wound” as a result of an attempt on his life last July, it added. According to Barbabella, the president had “minor sun damage” and several “benign skin lesions.” Trump scored 30 out of 30 in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which is commonly used to detect cognitive decline and early signs of dementia, the memo said. The 10-minute test contains such tasks as drawing a clock, naming animals, recalling words after a delay of five minutes, and others.
Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump insisted that he “got every answer right” on the cognitive test. “Overall, I felt I was in very good shape. A good heart, a good soul, a very good soul,” he said. The president added that he had received “a little bit” of advice from the doctor on lifestyle changes to improve his health, but did not reveal any further details. Trump had repeatedly questioned the cognitive and physical health of previous US President Joe Biden, who left the White House at age 82. Biden had refused to undergo a cognitive test after his poor performance in a debate last June. A month later, he withdrew from the presidential race, and was replaced by his Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Trump had defeated.
Good.
• US and China Try ‘Soft’ Approach to Tariff Row, Talking Via Intermediaries (Sp.)
On April 2, Trump signed an executive order introducing “reciprocal” tariffs on imports from other countries. The baseline rate was set at 10%, while dozens of countries were hit with higher rates. The duties on most countries were reversed to 10% days later to allow for trade negotiations, while those on China were hiked to 145%. The United States and China have started “soft” communications on tariffs and other trade issues through intermediaries, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday.
“I think we have had soft — the way I would say this is soft entrees, you know, through intermediaries,” Lutnick told ABC News when asked about whether Washington and China had recently had any contacts regarding their trade relations. The US commerce secretary added that he was confident that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would be able to “work out” the differences and find a solution.”Donald Trump has the ball … He knows how to play this game. He knows how to deal with President Xi,” Lutnick said.
Will Xi make the call?
• Trump to Announce New Tariffs on US Semiconductor Imports in Coming Week (Sp.)
US President Donald Trump said that he would announce new tariffs on semiconductor imports to the United States in the coming week. “I’m going to be announcing it over the next week,” he told the White House press pool reporters, commenting on the upcoming tariffs on semiconductor imports. Earlier, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that Washington had temporarily exempted imports of electronics and semiconductor devices from “reciprocal tariffs”, since the US administration intended to introduce separate sectoral duties on them in the coming months.
Happened to find this list:
“All of the following products are now exempt from the larger global tariffs, including the tariffs in place against China:
•Computers (laptops, desktops, servers) •Workstations •Computer systems •Keyboards •Mice •Hard drives •Memory modules (RAM) •Power supplies •Computer motherboards •Graphic cards •Semiconductor manufacturing equipment: •Photolithography machines •Etching and doping machines •Wafer handling robots •Cleanroom systems used in chip fabrication Used by companies like TSMC, Intel, and Samsung in chip production. •Smartphones •Mobile phones with data transmission capabilities •Devices like iPhones, Android phones, and similar mobile communication devices •Wireless routers •Network switches •Modems (cable, DSL, etc.) •VoIP equipment •Communication hubs •Internet gateway devices •USB flash drives •SSDs (solid-state drives) •Memory cards (like SD, microSD) •Other flash storage devices used in everything from laptops to cameras and game consoles. •Individual solar cells, unassembled •Photovoltaic cells assembled into modules or panels, with or without bypass diodes •Custom or specialty solar panels •Microprocessors (CPUs, SoCs) •Memory chips (RAM, Flash, etc.) •Logic ICs, analog ICs, mixed-signal ICs •Specialized application chips (ASICs, GPUs, AI chips) •Widely used in all electronics: smartphones, laptops, vehicles, appliances, industrial controls •All types of LEDs.”
Dalio doesn’t know how the tariffs will work out, anymore than you or me. So why so negative? Only exception seems to be: “While acknowledging that tariffs could serve as a useful tool to bring back manufacturing and generate revenue..”
• Ray Dalio Fears Global Financial System Collapse (RT)
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has warned that the United States is facing economic risks far greater than a typical recession, arguing that President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies and ballooning debt could trigger a breakdown of the global financial system. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, the founder of Bridgewater Associates said the world is at a critical juncture, marked by profound changes in the political, economic, and geopolitical order – factors which he says have historically led to severe crises. “I think that right now we are at a decision-making point and very close to a recession,” Dalio said. “And I’m worried about something worse than a recession if this isn’t handled well.” Dalio explained that the US economy is confronting several overlapping challenges: rising debt, internal political divisions, growing geopolitical tensions, and shifts in global power.
“Such times are very much like the 1930s,” he warned. “If you take tariffs, if you take debt, if you take the rising power challenging the existing power – those changes in the orders, the systems, are very, very disruptive.” Asked about the worst-case scenario, Dalio pointed to a potential breakdown of the dollar’s role as a store of wealth, combined with internal conflict beyond the norms of democratic politics and escalating international tensions – potentially even military conflict. “That could be like the breakdown of the monetary system in ‘71. It could be like 2008. It’s going to be very severe,” Dalio said. “I think it could be more severe than those if these other matters simultaneously occur.”
While acknowledging that tariffs could serve as a useful tool to bring back manufacturing and generate revenue, Dalio cautioned that the method of implementation matters deeply. “How that’s done – whether in a practical and stable way, with quality negotiations – or whether that’s done in a chaotic and disruptive way that produces great conflict, makes all the difference in the world,” he said. Describing Trump’s recent tariff moves as “very disruptive,” Dalio said the real test will come after the current 90-day negotiation period ends. “What was put there is like throwing rocks into the production system,” he said, warning of “enormous” impacts on global efficiency and costs.
Goldman Sachs raised the odds of a US recession in the next 12 months to 45% last week, following Trump’s April 2 announcement of a minimum 10% tariff on all imports – but before he placed a three-month hold on further “reciprocal” duties of 11% to 50% targeting dozens of nations. China, however, was still hit with a 145% tariff hike – and retaliated with a 125% levy of its own.
Europeans don’t have $23 billion to spare.
• Europe Pledges $23 Billion in Military Support for Ukraine (Antiwar)
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) pledged to send 21 billion euros ($23.7 billion) in future military aid for Kiev. Under the Joe Biden administration, Washington led the UDCG and was the largest contributor to the Western proxy war in Ukraine. Following a meeting of the UDCG on Friday, the bloc announced the new military aid for Kiev. The majority of the aid was pledged by Berlin and London. Germany agreed to send Ukraine €11 billion over the next four years. The UK plans to send £4.5 billion this year. The UDCG was formed and led by the US to facilitate Western support for the proxy war in Ukraine. After Trump returned to the White House, the US stepped back as the group’s leader. London and Berlin are now co-heads of the organization. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attended Friday’s summit remotely.
Discussing Berlin’s pledge, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius argued, “Given Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, we must concede (that) peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future.” He added, “We will ensure that Ukraine continues to benefit from our joint military support.” President Trump is making a major push to bring the war to an end with a diplomatic settlement. US and Russian officials met in Turkey on Thursday, with both sides describing the talks as positive. On Friday, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to St. Petersburg to meet with President Valdimir Putin. UK Defence Secretary John Healey accused Putin of misleading the US about Russia’s interest in ending the war. “Putin said he wanted peace, but his forces continue to fire on Ukraine,” he said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who attended Friday’s summit, explained that Europe was now “taking the lead in security assistance for which we are thankful to the UK and Europe.” He noted that Washington has continued to send Kiev military aid. Pistorius said Berlin’s pledge to send billions in weapons to Kiev over the next four years is because “Russia needs to understand that Ukraine is able to go on fighting, and we will support it.” According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the German pledge includes 4 IRIS-T air-defence systems with 300 guided missiles, 300 reconnaissance drones, 120 MANPADS, 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 15 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks, 14 artillery systems, 100 ground surveillance radars, 30 PATRIOT guided missiles, and 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition.
Today, Germany announced provision of €11 billion in further military support to Ukraine up to 2029.
In 2025, our partners will provide us with:
✅ 4 IRIS-T air-defence systems with 300 guided missiles
✅ 300 reconnaissance drones
✅ 120 MANPADS
✅ 25 Marder infantry fighting… pic.twitter.com/qJDBUCV0Jo— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 11, 2025
Berlin’s pledge notably does not include Patriot launch systems, just interceptors. Ukrainian President Zelesnky has recently made several appeals to allies for more air defense systems. Pistorius said Germany was unable to send a Patriot system to Ukraine as Berlin is waiting for deliveries of the platform for its defenses. “Air defence is a problem all over the world – we are doing as much as we can as fast as we can,” said Pistorius. Most of Britain’s military aid will come as radar systems and air defenses. “In our calculations, 70% to 80% of battlefield casualties are now caused and inflicted by drones,” Healey explained.
“The sole raison d’être of the European Union today appears to seek the strategic defeat of a neighboring country – Russia – despite the enormous political and economic cost to European people..”
• EU Elites Are Hyping The Russian Threat And War For Political Survival (SCF)
The elitist rulers of the European Union are proof of the time-honored adage that war and militarism are a convenient escape from internal problems. And the European Union, as well as hangers-on like the doughty British, have an abundance of intrinsic, structural problems tantamount to a political meltdown. Over decades, the 27-member European bloc has evolved into a centralized superstate structure in which policy decisions have become wholly decoupled from the democratic preferences of its 450 million citizens. Our columnist, Ian Proud, in a recent article, explored how the EU has lost its way from its original vision as a friendly association of European neighbors to one of an unwieldy and unresponsive bureaucracy fixated on ideological conformity to its core.
As Ian Proud comments: “The sole raison d’être of the European Union today appears to seek the strategic defeat of a neighboring country – Russia – despite the enormous political and economic cost to European people who are denied a say through wall-to-wall propaganda.” He adds this cautionary note: “Ever-greater centralization of powers in Europe will inevitably leave member states feeling disenfranchised by the removal of sovereignty and the attack on their identity. This will continue to drive political dissent and pressure for disintegration that we can already see in Germany, France, Hungary, and other places.” Many other observers consider that the EU is heading towards a systemic collapse over the next few years owing to a combination of top-heavy concentrated political power, democratic deficit, economic malaise, and a hyper-militarized albeit ineffectual state.
In a desperate bid to offset its stagnating condition, the European bloc bureaucrats and political leaders (with a few honorable exceptions) are seeking their political survival by recklessly talking up fear of war with Russia. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president and daughter of a Nazi-affiliated German politician, wants the bloc to increase its total military budget to €800 billion. This militarism will deprive the civilian economy of essential resources and public services. The ulterior purpose is to try to boost the EU’s flagging industrial growth. Scapegoating Russia and talking up a looming war is a handy way to justify this insane militarism instead of dealing with the root causes of economic malaise, such as wasting billions on a proxy war in Ukraine and blowing up gas pipelines from Russia.
This week saw European military chiefs from some 30 nations meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels to solidify a so-called “Reassurance Force” for Ukraine. Significantly, the Americans were absent. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also skipped attendance of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein, Germany, held on Friday. While the Trump administration is prioritizing diplomacy with Russia to end the over three-year conflict in Ukraine, the Europeans seem desperate to undermine any peace initiative by talking up the “military defense” of Ukraine. The Europeans are indulging in a chivalrous charade by portraying themselves as a “coalition of the willing” to bolster any peace deal that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin may deliver.
Last week, British and French military brass met with Ukrainian counterparts in Kiev to discuss the deployment of troops purportedly to support an eventual peace deal. The Black Sea port city of Odessa was one location mooted for an Anglo-Franco contingency. This is nothing but a cynical cover for preparing a NATO military intervention in Ukraine, which will inevitably trigger an escalation of the war to a critically dangerous international level. Russia has amply warned that European troops deployed in Ukraine even as so-called peacekeepers will be targeted as combatants. Thus, European colonel blimps doing the bidding of their equally blimpish politicians are gambling with a nuclear World War Three.
Russia has all but won the war as the Kiev regime flounders from rampant corruption, repression and despotism under the puppet president Zelensky, as well as battlefield devastation in the east of the country. Russian forces are rolling up the NATO proxy army and laying waste to mountains of military weapons that the U.S. and Europe plowed into Ukraine. The Trump administration has admitted the futility of the proxy war and is trying to shore up huge financial and military losses by engaging in long-overdue diplomacy with Russia. Not so the elitist Europeans who cannot afford to admit their criminal machinations in Ukraine. They are in denial.
“Some agreed verbally, but never followed through with signing. In some cases, parents intervened; others thought, ‘Peace is coming soon, no need for this.’
• Top Kiev Official Wants Women Conscripted Into Army (RT)
The Ukrainian presidential administration’s deputy head, Col. Pavel Palisa, has voiced support for mandatory conscription for women, drawing inspiration from the Israeli approach. Ukraine is facing a shortage of troops, leading enlistment officers to employ aggressive tactics shown in numerous eyewitness videos. In an interview with the investigative journalism outlet Bihus.info published on Saturday, Palisa emphasized the need for a structured transition period to help the public adapt to the idea that military service should be a universal obligation. He also proposed that individuals who have not served in the military be restricted from accessing certain government benefits and opportunities, including employment in public service roles.
”If a citizen claims to support the state, job, education, I don’t know, in general, to claim some payments from the state budget, they should serve… there is a minimum contract, let it be annual,” the official suggested. Palisa went on to state that both men and women in a modern army “have a lot of different jobs[…] No matter how wild it sounds now, maybe we need to learn the experience of Israel in this,” he explained. After the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022, Ukraine implemented martial law and announced a general mobilization, preventing able-bodied men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Both measures have been extended multiple times since. In response to the mobilization drive being marred by corruption and draft dodging, last year the Ukrainian government lowered the conscription age to 25 and implemented stricter penalties for evading the draft and desertion.
Since February, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has been offering enrollment incentives to men aged 18 to 24 who are not subject to compulsory service. Chief among these is compensation of one million hryvnia ($24,000) for one year of service. The ministry has also released several videos showcasing how the money could supposedly enhance recruits’ lives. However, according to Palisa, fewer than 500 men have signed such contracts. “Some agreed verbally, but never followed through with signing. In some cases, parents intervened; others thought, ‘Peace is coming soon, no need for this.’ There are all kinds of reasons,” he said, commenting on the low number.
Black Sea only.
• Russia and Ukraine To Hold Direct Talks – CNN Turk (RT)
Russian and Ukrainian representatives will hold direct talks in Ankara next week, CNN Turk has reported, citing sources in the Turkish Defense Ministry. Delegations from the two countries will meet to discuss security in the Black Sea, the outlet said in an article on Sunday. The meetings will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Turkish Naval Forces headquarters in Ankara, according to sources. During talks between Russian and US experts in Riyadh in late March, it was agreed to move towards reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which according to the Kremlin, should include the removal of Western restrictions against the Russian Agricultural Bank and other financial institutions involved in the international sale of food and fertilizers.
A maritime ceasefire is seen by Moscow and Washington as a step towards the diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine conflict. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, originally brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye, envisioned the safe passage of Ukrainian agricultural products in exchange for the US and EU lifting its restrictions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports. Moscow withdrew from the deal a year later, citing the West’s failure to uphold its obligations. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky claimed earlier that Kiev rejected a maritime truce due to it representing “a weakening of positions and a weakening of sanctions” against Russia.
US President Donald Trump confirmed last month that his administration is considering lifting some curbs on Moscow in order to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, saying that “there are about five or six conditions. We are looking at all of them.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ruled out relaxing EU restrictions on Moscow, insisting they should “remain in effect until a just and lasting peace is established in Ukraine.” According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the maritime truce could take effect only when certain conditions set out by Russia are met. “Of course, this time justice must prevail, and we will continue our work with the Americans [on the Black Sea Initiative],” Peskov stressed.
After 4 hours of WItkoff, this should be soon. But after 3-4 years of no communication, it may take some time.
• Kremlin Teases Potential Putin-Trump Meeting (RT)
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump “will take place,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed, while stressing it would be “at the appropriate time.” Peskov made the remarks to reporter Pavel Zarubin on Sunday. His statement follows Friday’s meeting between Putin and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin said the talks covered “aspects of the settlement of the Ukraine conflict.” “The presidents expressed their political will that [the meeting] should take place, including publicly. But it will take place at the appropriate time, we need to prepare for it,” he added, without specifying a timeline. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Witkoff’s trip this week was part of Trump’s broader effort to negotiate a ceasefire.
“This is another step in the negotiating process,” she explained. Witkoff’s visit came soon after Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev met with senior Trump officials in Washington. In March, Putin and Trump held a phone call that reportedly lasted for over two hours. In that conversation, Trump proposed a 30-day mutual ceasefire, including a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure. Putin supported the idea and gave the corresponding orders to the Russian military. During the call, the two reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a “lasting peace” rather than a temporary solution to the Ukraine conflict. Moscow stressed the need to “eliminate the root causes of the crisis,” as well as meet “Russia’s legitimate interests in the area of security” and “the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kiev,” as fundamental elements necessary for an agreement, the Kremlin press service said.
“As a matter of policy, I don’t respond to people who use pronouns in their signatures as it shows they ignore scientific realities and therefore ignore facts.”
• Trump’s Press Team Won’t Respond to Emails With ‘Preferred Pronouns’ (DS)
Reporters often contact government officials to request statements or quotes on significant events or policies, but President Donald Trump’s press deputies have determined that one group of journalists won’t be getting a response to their emails. According to The New York Times, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other Trump administration communications officers have implemented a policy effectively ignoring emails from journalists who include their “preferred pronouns” in their email signatures. Leavitt explained, “As a matter of policy, we do not respond to reporters with pronouns in their bios.” She added, “Any reporter who chooses to put their preferred pronouns in their bio clearly does not care about biological reality or truth and therefore cannot be trusted to write an honest story.” Responding to The New York Times’ report on social media, the press secretary quipped, “Fact Check: True.”
The New York Times noted several instances when “senior Trump press aides have refused to engage with reporters’ questions because the journalists listed identifying pronouns in their email signatures.” The outlet claimed that the “widespread” practice of including preferred pronouns in email signatures is a means of “clarifying one’s gender identity and conveying inclusivity and solidarity for transgender and nonbinary individuals.” White House communications director Steven Cheung told The New York Times, “If The New York Times spent the same amount of time actually reporting the truth as they do being obsessed with pronouns, maybe they would be a half-decent publication.”
Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and spokeswoman for the Department of Government Efficiency, told journalists, “As a matter of policy, I don’t respond to people who use pronouns in their signatures as it shows they ignore scientific realities and therefore ignore facts.” While the Trump administration has not confirmed whether or not this is an official administration-wide policy, Trump’s presidential campaign account on X claimed, “It is official White House policy to IGNORE reporters’ emails with pronouns in the signature.”
In comments to The Washington Stand, Family Research Council Senior Fellow Meg Kilgannon, a former public relations expert at the conservative Creative Response Concepts firm, said, “With the number of requests for comment and information the White House gets, not responding to people with pronouns in their signatures is a great way of attempting to identify nonhostile or less hostile media. It’s the job of the communications teams to amplify the president’s message.” Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and spokeswoman for the Department of Government Efficiency, told journalists, “As a matter of policy, I don’t respond to people who use pronouns in their signatures as it shows they ignore scientific realities and therefore ignore facts.”
While the Trump administration has not confirmed whether or not this is an official administration-wide policy, Trump’s presidential campaign account on X claimed, “It is official White House policy to IGNORE reporters’ emails with pronouns in the signature.” In comments to The Washington Stand, Family Research Council Senior Fellow Meg Kilgannon, a former public relations expert at the conservative Creative Response Concepts firm, said, “With the number of requests for comment and information the White House gets, not responding to people with pronouns in their signatures is a great way of attempting to identify nonhostile or less hostile media. It’s the job of the communications teams to amplify the president’s message.”
I doubt it. Trump wants that peace.
• Trump Backs Away From Improving Relations With Russia (Paul Craig Roberts)
On April 10 Trump declared a continuation of the national emergency with Russia and renewed President Biden’s April 2021 executive order declaring Russia to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the United States.” By renewing Biden’s executive order, Trump even buys into the Russiagate charges against himself: Among the “harmful” activities ascribed to Russia in the document are “efforts to undermine the conduct of free and fair democratic elections and democratic institutions in the United States and its allies and partners.” Russia is also blamed for a Washington specialty: “undermining security of countries and and violating principles of international law.”
Trump has already cluttered the peace negotiations with his demand for Ukrainian rare earth minerals. Now he has introduced another extraneous issue–his demand for control of the pipeline through which Russian natural gas is delivered to Europe. Yes, Putin is still supplying Russia’s active enemies with energy. What sense does it make to help your enemies make war against you? The Kremlin remains unable to read the writing on the wall. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said that “our dialogue with the American side is ongoing,” and that Moscow remains open to resolving the Ukraine conflict diplomatically. The Kremlin thinks it is building relations with Washington by being the only party to keep the ceasefire on energy infrastructure. It is not succeeding.
Trump has already threatened Russia with more sanctions unless Russia agrees to a total ceasefire. What incentive does Russia have to do that when Zelensky? US? NATO? won’t even keep a partial ceasefire? It leaves one to wonder if Putin has convinced Washington that he is so averse to war that he will eventually surrender. It is now completely clear that Putin made a strategic mistake not to quickly win the conflict. Instead, the Kremlin valued reaching an agreement with the West higher than it valued Russian national defense.
“He could break up the media by enforcing the Sherman Anti-trust Act. But he hasn’t.”
• Can Trump and America Survive the Whore Media and the Corrupt Judiciary? (PCR)
The Associated Press, like the rest of the presstitutes who are anti-Trump, report all news falsely in order to undermine Trump. According to the AP presstitutes Bernard Condon and Stan Choe, Trump is causing the US to lose its reputation as a “safe haven.” Their evidence is a “freak sell-off of ‘safe haven’ US bonds that raises fear that confidence in America is fading.” The AP message is clear: Trump is destroying the world’s confidence in America, and Americans will not be able to get a loan. The reason for the Bond sell-off is that the stock market was down several thousand points, and people waiting for a buy opportunity sold bonds and bought equities. So far they have gained 3,000 points on their transaction. The alleged “freak sell-off” of US Treasuries was nothing but the decisions of people to take advantage of a buying opportunity by shifting from bonds to stocks.
I believe in holding Trump accountable. That is the responsibility of American citizens. If the Trump administration has deported mistakenly a father of American children, the error should be corrected. But I do not believe in permitting the media to lie and misrepresent in order to attack a president of the United States or the government of any other country. But that is what biased and ideologically-motivated media do in America and throughout the Western world. There is no Western media, just a propaganda ministry that is against anything that is normal. Prior to Trump’s reelection, I warned that he would be faced with a corrupt Western media and a corrupt American judiciary. He could break up the media by enforcing the Sherman Anti-trust Act. But he hasn’t.
The DEI Democrat judges appointed for the sole purpose of advancing liberal/left agendas are a different kind of problem. The majority of them are unqualified and should never have been approved. The question for Trump and his intent to renew America is how is this achieved when Democrat and RINO members of the judiciary are opposed to America? President Trump is faced with Democrat judges who are ideologues who are enemies of America. Trump is faced with a judicial system that is willing to violate the 14th Amendment’s requirement of equality under the law by giving legal preferences not only to DEI but also to sexual perverts and to illegal alien immigrant-invader criminal gangs, even trying to stop their deportation. The question Trump and American citizens face is: WHAT CAN A PRESIDENT DO WHEN THE JUDICIARY IS AGAINST THE COUNTRY?
“..it’s the combination of the overt adoration of Obama and the attempted evisceration of Trump that sunk trust in the media.”
• Public Trust in Media Dies in ‘Groupthink’ (Tim Graham)
Journalists are terrible at hiding their desire to run our democracy, using their platforms to direct history to the “right side.” That badly disguised lust for power creates an audience problem, where the people resent the media’s imperious lectures about which side they are supposed to favor—and if they don’t, they are uneducated, racist nincompoops. Axios.com co-founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen appeared on the podcast “Honestly with Bari Weiss.” The host left The New York Times editorial page staff as it bubbled over in wokeness in 2020. She asked her guests what caused the collapse in public trust in the media. VandeHei blamed three happenings for the problem:
1. The ascent of Twitter showed reporters were engaged in a “hotbed of liberal groupthink,” and reporters clearly stated which side they were on. He oddly argued before Twitter, reporters were objective, and their opinions “they hid from the public.”
2. In 2020, the coverage of COVID-19, “defund the police,” and the “word policing” didn’t sit right with Americans.
3. The final straw was the coverage of President Joe Biden, where the public clearly saw his decline, but there wasn’t a lot of coverage of that. The media lectured that this issue was all “cheapfakes.”
VandeHei then claimed that this problem was somehow caused by only a few people! He announced he is a fierce defender of journalism, and “I believe that most reporters at most institutions actually do try to get to the closest approximation of the truth and achieve it most of the time. I think it’s a couple of bad apples who make it look bad for everyone.” That inevitably undercuts numbers 1, 2 and 3. The media’s arrogance isn’t limited to two or three “bad apples.” They are unified in a broadly national and overtly hostile mindset.These three are certainly factors, but the voters who are old enough to rely today on traditional media outlets know it goes back further than that. Contrary to VandeHei’s imagination, reporters openly demonstrated an infatuation with Bill Clinton in 1992, insisting he was a more talented candidate than John F. Kennedy. Then they descended even deeper into “thrill up my leg” adoration for Barack Obama in 2008. Weiss told her guests they should start in 2016, where the election of Trump caused crying fits in the newsroom and spurred the national newspapers to present themselves as crusaders, because “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” But it’s the combination of the overt adoration of Obama and the attempted evisceration of Trump that sunk trust in the media.
When Weiss returned to the cover-up of Biden’s mental decline, Allen blamed the groupthink: “People discounted what they saw with their own eyes … you don’t want to be separate … the herd wanted the approval of the White House … they didn’t want to look like they were being ideological.” Isn’t it strange that these self-appointed heroes who think they embody democracy are a herd who deny reality because they “wanted the approval of the White House”? Today’s “news judgment” is very crude when it’s considered “ideological” to pursue an obvious storyline because it might help Trump.
The legacy media today aren’t “fact-based.” They are results-oriented. Public trust would seem to go hand in hand with the media letting go of their overweening desire to control the results. You can’t gain public trust when it’s obvious you don’t trust the public to vote “the right way.”
Safe to say that Bibi failed.
• Hamas: 75% of Tunnels Intact, 40,000 Fighters & Rocket Production (LI)
Israeli military sources speaking to the press revealed the lack of progress Tel Aviv has made toward one of its core goals in Gaza: eliminating Hamas. The armed wing of the Palestinian group reportedly retains 75% of its tunnel network, 40,000 fighters and the ability to produce its own weapons. According to Haaretz, an Israeli defense official explained that Hamas still has significant military capabilities despite 18 months of fighting in the Strip. Israeli military analysts now estimate that Hamas has 40,000 fighters. Before October 7, 2023, Hamas was estimated to have between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters under arms.
Near the end of the Joe Biden administration, the US intelligence community estimated the group had lost 15,000 men during the Israeli onslaught, but had recruited the same number of new troops. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that one of his top goals in Gaza is to eradicate Hamas. However, the war has decimated the civilian population of Gaza. Most Gazans have been displaced multiple times, at least 50,000 have been killed, and countless deaths of deprivation have been reported. Tel Aviv and Washington maintain that all of the fatalities caused by the Israeli war and blockade are the responsibility of Hamas. The Israeli defense officials reported that despite some protests, Hamas retains its popularity and is firmly in charge of Gaza.
Its armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, still has the capability to produce arms and rockets. Last week, Hamas fired several rockets into Israel, leaving one person injured. While Hamas has a significant fighting force, Israeli officials said the militants have not been engaging with Israeli troops. Tel Aviv says the fighters are hiding among civilians or in tunnels. Hamas also retains a significant portion of its tunnel network. The officials said the IDF has only managed to destroy 25% of the group’s underground facilities so far. Defense Minister Israel Katz explained that some of the tunnels connecting Gaza with Egypt remain intact.
You be the judge of that.
• The Most Important 4-Minutes On America’s Middle East Wars We Ever Heard (ZH)
Economist Jeffrey Sachs strikes again… this time by dropping truth bombs at Saturday’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum — an annual conference on international diplomacy held in Antalya, Turkey. Sachs is also director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and has been an adviser to the United Nations for decades. Below is a clip from his mainstage speech, which is the most important four-minute commentary on the Middle East we have heard in a long time. He told the audience while discussing regime change in Syria and America’s legacy in the region to look up the CIA’s ‘Operation Timber Sycamore’ while pointing out that
This region (Middle East) has been manipulated by Britain, France and the U.S. for 100 years since the Treaty of Versailles. It will not have safety or peace until the U.S. is out of this region. If you think your big friend U.S. is gonna do your bidding and help you get your way. Empires divide to rule. They’re not doing the bidding of Syria, Türkiye… You are calling the U.S. to balance Iran… This is gonna work out well? It’s not gonna work out well. You don’t need the U.S. to pull the chestnuts out of the fire. There’s not international community. We’re trying to make one. That’s the tragedy in this world. There’s no community.
American economist Jeffrey Sachs: (at Antalya Diplomacy Forum)
This region (Middle East) has been manipulated by Britain, France and the U.S. for 100 years since the Treaty of Versailles.
It will not have safety or peace until the U.S. is out of this region. If you think your… pic.twitter.com/EOJ8eDCuSK
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 12, 2025
Cow
https://twitter.com/TrumpGirlLove/status/1910762182528168351
Flying fish+
Flying fish, take flight to avoid predation
pic.twitter.com/67H8HVULiD— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) April 13, 2025
Granite
The 24 granite boxes within the Serapeum, each weighing 70–100 tons, exemplify machining capabilities that defy conventional Egyptology. Lid-to-box fits exhibit deviations of ≤0.002 inches over 10-foot spans, a precision achievable today only with computer-guided milling.
KEY… pic.twitter.com/iBQNrLtFEy
— Jay Anderson (@TheProjectUnity) April 13, 2025
Driver
Same driver, 26 years apart in China pic.twitter.com/L6j6AxHGE8
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) April 13, 2025
Sugar
Everyone should agree this is a crime
“Why does the Coca Cola served here have high fructose corn syrup made from genetically engineered corn, the chemical roundup and glyphosate here in the United States, but in other countries, they're using real sugar”
“We have a seriously… pic.twitter.com/QYGFzRZ23Z
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) April 11, 2025
Wag
https://twitter.com/NiallHarbison/status/1911391733444735219
Bunny?
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) April 12, 2025
Friends
https://twitter.com/OlgaBazova/status/1911154772498850036
Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.
