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Debt Rattle September 20 2026

Sep 202026
 
 September 20, 2026  Posted by at 8:53 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,  3 Responses »


Thomas Cole Consummation of Empire 1836


• Trump Announces Permanent Security Deal with Denmark and Greenland (CTH)
• What Happens When Pacman Rescues the Princess (Scott Pinsker)
• Trump Just Dropped the Receipts on CNN, and It’s Brutal (Matt Margolis)
• Team Trump Releases the List CNN Wishes Didn’t Exist (Bob Hoge)
• AI Hallucinated Nuclear Weapons Components Aboard Chinese Vessel (ZH)
• Trump Just Located New Bases for 40,000 U.S. Military in Europe (CTH)
• President Trump Signs Yet Another Russian Sanctions Bill (CTH)
• Princeton Faculty Reach Perfect Zero in Support for Republicans (Turley)
• Canada Looks To Cash In On EU’s €90bn Ukraine Arms Scheme (RT)
• Von der Leyen Sends Zelensky €3.3bn After Phone Call (RT)
• Germany Should Profit From Ukraine Aid – Merz Ally (RT)

 

 

 

 


“President Donald Trump announces a permanent security deal between the USA, Denmark and Greenland establishing U.S. military bases on the arctic region. The government of Denmark confirms.”

• Trump Announces Permanent Security Deal with Denmark and Greenland (CTH)

(Via Truth Social) – BREAKING NEWS: I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns. There will be NO COST to the United States!


At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America. Additionally, from now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval.

For over 100 years, Presidents have known the strategic importance of Greenland, but NONE of them were able to do anything about it. I am proud to be the President that permanently and conclusively addressed this very important situation. This is an “Infinite Life” Agreement, there is no end! We are very honored and proud of what has just taken place, and everything agreed to today will be cherished by the American People. We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many. We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.”

“This solution is a great one for the United States of America, Denmark, Greenland, and all of our Allies. We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land. We will be very protective of it! This is a dream come true for the United States of America, one that is very important, historic, and special. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” ~ President Donald J Trump

The government of Denmark has confirmed the deal.

Official statement from the Prime Minister of Denmark’s office: Greenland, Denmark, and the USA expect to sign an agreement in the coming week.

“Anticipated agreement on strengthened security in the Arctic and North Atlantic region

Greenland, Denmark, and the USA expect to sign an agreement in the coming week that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic region. The three governments are expected to sign the agreement next week in connection with the UN General Assembly. Once signed, the agreement will have to undergo the necessary parliamentary procedures to enter into force. Premier of Greenland (Chair of Naalakkersuisut) Jens-Frederik Nielsen states:

“It is gratifying that we are on the verge of concluding an agreement that ensures and strengthens security for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the USA, and the Western alliance. The agreement recognizes Greenland’s interests and our place in international cooperation. It is to the benefit of us all.” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen states:

“I am pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the USA. An agreement that strengthens our shared security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic region, and is thus also beneficial for NATO and Europe. And an agreement that simultaneously recognizes the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.”

No further comments will be available at this time.”

Read more …

“The Great Greenland Gaslight:..”

• What Happens When Pacman Rescues the Princess (Scott Pinsker)

They were shocked! That rude, disgraceful vulgarian did it again! Because in international diplomacy, negotiations aren’t really negotiations — they’re wish lists, performative art, and virtue signaling. The purpose, after all, isn’t to get results. It’s to express political sympathies while protecting the status quo. (And take a lovely photo-op at the cocktail party.) But that ain’t how it works in New York real estate: You come in high and hard, manufacture leverage, and negotiate from a position of strength. Boom, boom, boom. Sharks and minnows.


Because in New York real estate, the purpose is to sign the best possible deal. So when President Donald Trump started talking about seizing Greenland, diplomats all over Europe were aghast. “Why, sir! Have you no shame?” It was a dreadful breach of decorum! (Plus, it totally killed the vibe of the cocktail party.) But y’know what? It worked. Just as “peace through strength” worked for Ronald Reagan, “negotiating through strength” worked for Trump. Because human nature is constant; the common denominator is strength.

And in life, whoever projects the most strength usually wins. It demotivates aggression and wobbles knees in negotiations. Been that way since the dawn of time. It’s simply who we are. Yesterday, it led to a stunning diplomatic breakthrough: The U.S. just came within a whisker of annexing Greenland — and we did it without paying a dime or firing a single bullet. As PJ Media’s Matt Margolis wrote:

“The United States, Denmark, and Greenland signed a permanent agreement Friday that hands Washington lasting military rights across the island while permanently shutting out China, Russia, and every other non-NATO adversary. The deal gives the U.S. permanent access, basing, and overflight rights in Greenland, along with the authority to build new military installations there whenever it decides it needs to, according to a senior U.S. official who briefed Fox News Digital.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wasted no time celebrating. “This historic deal is a huge win for the United States and the American people,” he said. “This historic agreement permanently guarantees U.S. security interests in the Arctic at zero cost to the U.S. taxpayer.” President Trump crowed on social media:


Almost immediately, a media consensus emerged: Yawn. This is no big deal — it’s the same as before. And since Greenland isn’t “officially” part of America, Trump lost the negotiations.

• The Atlantic: The Greenland Fiasco Stumbles to an End
• Washington Post: Trump Hails Greenland Security Deal That Falls Short of Takeover
• Daily Beast: Trump Suffers Humiliating Defeat of His Crackpot Plan to Own Greenland
• Reuters: Greenland, Denmark Say U.S. Deal Will Not Cede Sovereignty
• New York Times: ‘Nervous and Skeptical,’ Greenlanders Question the New Deal With Trump
• NBC News: After Greenland Threats, Trump Settles for a Deal That Avoids Further Angering Allies
• DW News: Greenland Deal Gives U.S. What It Already Had
• Times of India: Trump’s Greenland Dream FAILS! ‘Wanted to Buy’ Island, but Denmark Keeps Control Despite U.S. Deal

What kind of crazy, screwed-up world is this when we must turn to Al-freakin’-Jazeera for a less-biased spin? (It says something about the sad state of American media when President Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House for political bias — yet Al Jazeera remains.) But here we are:


It’s a four-minute (and change) clip, but the money quote is this: “[Trump] got pretty much everything he wanted except formal annexation.” We gained permanent rights, control, and access to Greenland, completely independent of NATO — and also independent of Greenland declaring itself a sovereign nation. It’s now de facto American territory. Additionally, Russia and China are frozen out. Forever. From the American point of view, it was a helluva victory. Best of all, it didn’t cost taxpayers a penny. In exchange for lifting the (completely manufactured!) leverage of annexing Greenland, Trump got EVERYTHING he wanted on a silver platter.

And that’s great news for the American people — and a much-needed break for the GOP with the midterms 45-ish days away. Because winning begets winning. The Greenland breakthrough won’t shift the midterms all on its own, but it can do something even more meaningful. It can signal the start of a new narrative: the great American winning streak! Too much of the midterms’ focus has been on what’s going wrong. From gas prices to groceries to the Iran War to AI doomerism, it’s been a season of discontent. But there’s so much positivity to report: The border is secure. Crime is at record lows. So is the poverty rate.

Yet the Republicans refuse to spike the damn football! I don’t know how else to say this, boys and girls: If we don’t forcefully — and passionately — tell voters our story, they’re not gonna hear it. ‘Cause the media sure as hell won’t tell them for us. If you’re a conservative, things don’t move on their own. We must proactively push them. The burden is ours. So sell the crime, border, and poverty stats. Add our Greenland victory. And now we have the beginning of a new political narrative. Which, one hopes, more positive news stories will bolster.

Which will then become part of this new, emerging narrative: The great American comeback is now underway — and if we want to keep the good times rollin’, we better keep those crazy communists out of Congress. Because, as a one-off, Greenland will be like a burp in a hurricane: It’ll come and go, gone and forgotten. Its staying power is nonexistent. Trump solved a problem that very few voters care about. Americans want high-paying jobs, dirt-cheap gas and groceries, affordable housing, and personal freedom and security. It’s not intuitive to them how Greenland fits into the equation.

Trump is kind of like Pacman — but instead of eating the dots and evading the ghosts, he’s crowing about saving Princess Peach from Bowser in Super Mario Bros: Great work bruh, but that’s not the game we’re playing. And that’s why the smartest PR play is to connect the Greenland victory — which was a real, honest-to-God victory — to something even greater. And for MAGA’s purposes, the best possible connection is to the MAGA mission itself. Making America Great Again! (In other words, winning.)

Don’t treat the Greenland deal as an independent story, but as a pivot point. An opportunity to shift the narrative — before it’s too late.Otherwise, the media’s Greenland gaslighting will turn our victory into another paragraph in the “Trump is distracted” narrative: Instead of lowering prices, he’s wasting time in the frozen Nordic tundra. (See? Trump doesn’t care about people like you and me. Vote for someone sane and grounded — y’know, like Abdul El-Sayed.)

Make no mistake, Greenland matters for America’s future — and leveraged correctly from a position of strength, it could reset the 2026 midterms. Its value isn’t just what it is, but what we can do with it. The rest is up to us.

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They’ve been saving them up..

• Trump Just Dropped the Receipts on CNN, and It’s Brutal (Matt Margolis)

On Friday, President Donald Trump banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House, effective immediately. In a Truth Social post, he said all three outlets are locked out over what he calls their fake and fictitious reporting, and he warned that more networks are coming.


“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them ‘alive,’” he wrote. “Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”

CNN responded with a statement defending its White House team. “CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting,” the statement read. “We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”

That technically doesn’t entitle it to White House credentials. There are lots of media outlets that don’t get White House credentials. And let’s face it, whatever you think of this action by the White House, CNN is the same network that spent years manufacturing its own version of reality, which curiously benefits the Democrats every single time. Now, sure, legal challenges and First Amendment arguments are already expected from all three outlets, but it’s worth examining here if the White House has justification.

And boy, did the Trump team drop receipts. The White House Rapid Response account on X responded with a list cataloging years of the network’s own reporting failures and outright fabrications, nearly 50 examples in all. And I’m sure it’s not even everything. For example, CNN ran with the Russia collusion hoax for years, and it falsely claimed Trump once called for Liz Cheney to be executed. The network also pushed a story accusing Trump of trashing American troops, and another claiming he assaulted a Secret Service agent and grabbed the wheel of his own limousine. All bogus stories.

CNN’s sloppiness hasn’t been limited to Trump himself. It falsely reported that police officers were killed during the January 6 riot at the Capitol, and it described the violent 2020 Kenosha riots as “fiery but mostly peaceful” while buildings burned behind its own reporters. In 2019, the network promoted false accusations of racism against the Covington Catholic students and ran with Jussie Smollett’s obviously fabricated hate-crime story.

CNN also insisted Joe Biden was “sharp as a tack” long after his decline was obvious to anyone paying attention, and in 2024, it gave Kamala Harris cover by claiming she’d never actually served as the administration’s border czar. And let’s not forget the way CNN claimed that Elon Musk made a Nazi salute.

Whatever happens to Trump’s ban, no one can take CNN’s outrage over “accuracy” seriously.

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“A Staggering Tally of Failure and Deception..”

• Team Trump Releases the List CNN Wishes Didn’t Exist (Bob Hoge)

As our Ward Clark reported Friday, Donald Trump is fed up with the fake news mainstream media, and he took action by announcing that CNN, Politico, and MS NOW are no longer welcome to attend White House Press briefings or Oval Office Q&As. The president roasted the outlets on social media, saying they’re less trustworthy than Pinocchio and routinely inject immense bias into their stories.


“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” he wrote. Expect lawsuits and First Amendment arguments and plenty of hyperventilating drama from those outlets; they’re simply not used to facing consequences (except for the occasional legal settlement) for playing fast and loose with the facts.

As you’d expect, CNN’s feelings are hurt over Trump’s declaration, and they quickly put out a high-minded statement defending their incredibly brave, heroic reporters and pundits:

They laughably describe their reporters as “fair and accurate” in the post: “CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”

We all know that’s a load of hooey, and I’m sure for many readers, several recollections of embarrassing CNN failures immediately came to mind. The outlet may have wished they hadn’t poked the bear, however, because Team Trump quickly reacted with a staggering list of their mistakes, deceptions, and outright dereliction of duty. I admit, even as someone who follows this stuff closely, my jaw fell to the ground. There are so many examples that I’d started to forget some of them.

If I wrote up every one, I’d be at my keyboard for days, but even amidst that epic record of failure, a few incidents stand out as exceptionally egregious. Perhaps the most famous is the 2020 “mostly peaceful” riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which followed the shooting of a suspect named Jacob Blake who resisted arrest when police were investigating a domestic call. The conflagration came in August during the summer of the George Floyd riots that rocked the country:

The mostly peaceful violence led to an estimated $50 million in damage in Kenosha, and teenager Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people, two of them fatally, in an act that was later determined to be self-defense. The Summer of Love’s mostly peaceful yet somehow riots led to an estimated $2 billion in damage and 31 deaths when all was said and done.

There are so many other false narratives the network pushed that it’s hard to process, but the other falsehoods that jump out at me are the 2019 Nick Sandman/Covington Catholic kids BS white supremacy allegations, the laughable Jussie Smollett fake claim of assault by racist MAGA dudes (also in 2019), which CNN bought hook, line, and sinker, and more recently, the network’s endless efforts to convince us that Joe Biden was “sharp as a tack” despite mounds of evidence proving otherwise.

Even worse, anchor Jake Tapper, a top media leader of the Great American Cover-Up, then did an about-face by writing a book that pretended he was part of the solution. Absolutely no shame in that guy. Don’t get me started on their COVID coverage, where they endlessly cheered on the Draconian Biden-Fauci regime, or I might explode in rage. Who knows if Trump will follow through with his threat or if it will even withstand legal challenges, but this embarrassing list should be tacked to the wall of every newsroom, courthouse, and college classroom in the country.

As we like to say around these parts, “You can’t hate the media enough.”

Read more …

Can you program it to hallucinate? Can it program itself to?

• AI Hallucinated Nuclear Weapons Components Aboard Chinese Vessel (ZH)

Could runaway artificial intelligence (AI) spark a future WW3? We don’t need movies like Terminator 2 and its SkyNet to help us imagine this, it’s 2026 and there is already a terrifying real-world precedent that could have kicked off a shooting war with nuclear-armed China. A human analyst within the US intelligence community utilized data gathered by AI for a report that was later widely circulated across classified Pentagon channels, except that the chatbot which was relied upon in effect hallucinated nuclear weapons components being transported aboard a Chinese vessel bound for Iran.


Naturally this set off the highest alerts in Washington in the middle of an active hot war which President Trump launched ostensibly to prevent this very thing – Iran obtaining a nuke and atomic weapons components. From there military planning kicked into high gear, with a special forces boarding operation imminent. Supposedly elite assets were already airborne, ready to descend on the Chinese ship in question.

But then, “the operation was halted only after officials took a closer look at the intelligence report and discovered that it had been produced with assistance from an AI chatbot,” CNN reports in a bombshell Friday exclusive. The episode reportedly happened last spring. The severe error was realized with barely enough time to call off what could have been the geopolitical blunder and disaster of the century, “The chatbot had incorrectly identified the material the vessel was carrying.”

In essence the United States found itself based on completely manufactured ‘intel’ potentially headed for conflict with China. As if to to preempt anyone who might be tempted to think the account is merely being hyperbolic or needlessly sensational, one official (unnamed) source told CNN that the intelligence assessment, which was “entirely false” – in the end “almost started a war.” While Pentagon leadership, including US Special Operations Command Pacific, has yet to respond to CNN’s queries, the outlet pieces together the alleged chain of events and how this could have possibly happened in the following:

In this particular instance, the analyst queried a chatbot about some intelligence reporting on the ship’s manifest that originated with US Special Operations Command Pacific, based in Hawaii. It was not clear whether the chatbot was a commercially available one or a US government product. “The internal tools are mostly just copies of the commercial stuff wearing lipstick,” a former senior US official familiar with the AI systems used by military and intelligence analysts.

The bot fused together open-source intelligence with secret signals intelligence in government holdings and reached its fateful conclusion about the material the ship was carrying. The analyst then used AI again to package the findings into a standard intelligence report — the kind that is trusted by military officials — and disseminated it. The report seems to be suggesting that the unknown AI tool that was utilized would be deemed substandard and weak for such an important assessment in the first place.

Further “comforting” for readers is that given heavy AI-integration seems the “irreversible” trend of the day across the DoD/Depart of War and IC, similar near-misses in the near and distant future are bound to happen. CNN underscores, “Across the US military and the intelligence community, officials are pushing to weave AI into nearly every facet of their work, from analyzing the huge volumes of raw intelligence the US collects and selecting targets for strikes, to more mundane applications like managing budgeting, logistics and supply chains.”

Meanwhile, another botched AI job perhaps?…

Read more …

New bases in Greenland?!

• Trump Just Located New Bases for 40,000 U.S. Military in Europe (CTH)

Toward Latin America there are multiple options, but it’s likely a significant U.S. military footprint is destined for Greenland. If you read President Trump’s earlier announcement you might note: …”We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many. We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.”


This announcement comes directly after President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a review of NATO forces in Europe with the expressed intention of drawing down the U.S. footprint. The Pentagon announced a six-month review of US forces in Europe in June, directing US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US European Command, to assess future force requirements.

According to media, “The proposed reduction could involve around 25,000 troops, which is roughly one-third of the approximately 80,000 US service members currently stationed in Europe. Some officials involved in the discussions have indicated that the figure could be considerably higher, potentially reaching 40,000, or about half of the American military presence on the continent, according to NBC News.”

Germany is the largest American military hub on the continent, with around 36,000 US troops. Italy hosts about 12,000 US troops and several major air bases. Spain, meanwhile, provides important air and naval facilities in the country’s south. These would be the bases most likely to see significant withdrawal. All three nations are a hot mess of political manipulation, economic turmoil, internal friction and opposition to the U.S. national security framework.

Revisit President Trump and Marco Rubio’s National Security Strategy: [President Trump] – […] The larger issues facing Europe include activities of the European Union and other transnational bodies that undermine political liberty and sovereignty, migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence.

[…] The Trump Administration finds itself at odds with European officials who hold unrealistic expectations for the war perched in unstable minority governments, many of which trample on basic principles of democracy to suppress opposition. A large European majority wants peace, yet that desire is not translated into policy, in large measure because of those governments’ subversion of democratic processes. This is strategically important to the] United States precisely because European states cannot reform themselves if they are trapped in political crisis.

[…] Over the long term, it is more than plausible that within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European. As such, it is an open question whether they will view their place in the world, or their alliance with the United States, in the same way as those who signed the NATO charter. {SOURCE}

Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio wrote that outline.

So, North American military bases will essentially look like this:


How about them elbows!

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What?

“President Trump Signs Russian Sanctions Bill that Grants Him Massive Tariff Authority Over U.S. Imports from Countries Doing Business With Russia “

Trump wants Russian oil back in the world markets. It can win him both the Iran and Ukraine wars.

• President Trump Signs Yet Another Russian Sanctions Bill (CTH)

After a careful review of HR5334, the Lindsey Graham Russian Sanctions Bill [pdf HERE], I can certainly see why President Trump would happily sign it.= The bill has several elements that are immensely useful for President Trump, beginning with the fact that the baseline of the bill sits upon the cornerstone of current U.S. sanctions against Russia. This is a critical aspect to understand, because if you take away the originating Russian sanctions, HR5334 disappears.


Secondly, the bill grants President Trump the ability to place 100% tariffs on the top five trading partners of Russia, but the bill also grants wide latitude as to how those top five are determined. Top five oil, top five gas, top five financial, top five sector specific (energy, grain, oil, minerals etc.) the actual parameters or definitions of the “top five” are undetermined except by monetary value.

Some have just realized what this bill empowers. Others have yet to catch on. Additionally, The bill gives President Trump the ability to impose tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on all goods imported into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas as well as any country that knowingly made new purchases of oil or gas 30 days after the law was enacted or was among the top five countries helping Russia evade sanctions.

But there’s the key, again the authority is based on the pre-existing “sanctions.” So, who determines sanction relief? [interim, temporary, or strategic, in coordination with the policy objectives of the President] That would be U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent.

Remember the previous 30-day interim sanction relief that Bessent and Trump provided for Russian oil/gas “on the water’? In that scenario, the legislatively authorized tariff authority becomes entirely subject to the application determination of President Trump. Ex. give a 30-day waiver and suddenly oil/gas are no longer the largest monetary trade issues. Instead, it could be as simple as who buys the most Russian caviar; maybe it’s Italy or Spain, or even Canada.

Reuters – […] critics say the legislation, which imposes tariffs on Russia’s biggest trading partners, has broad language that could herald trouble for other countries as well if they find themselves in Trump’s crosshairs in the future. The bill requires Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on all goods imported into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas as well as any country that knowingly made new purchases of oil or gas 30 days after the law was enacted or was among the top five countries helping Russia evade sanctions.

China and India are among the biggest buyers of Russian oil, but critics say the law gives US officials enough leeway to name a range of targets since it does not name any country or spell out how the top-five lists would be calculated. “Given the discretionary authority that the president has, it is likely to be abused,” said Laura Brank, a lawyer at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner who focuses on cross-border transactions.

[…] Challenging the latest tariffs in court could be difficult since the law specifically calls for the duties, while previous challenges to tariffs have successfully argued that the Trump administration misapplied laws from decades earlier. (more)

Congress was very upset at the horrible Trump for his tariff approach.

Congress has just given Trump a golden tariff pen.

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The US education system is dying.

• Princeton Faculty Reach Perfect Zero in Support for Republicans (Turley)

We recently discussed how Yale faculty reached academic nirvana after years of purging departments of conservatives and Republicans. The university finally showed zero political donations to Republicans. Now Princeton can claim that it has succeeded in a similar cleansing, according to a new study by Princetonians for Free Speech (PFS). The study shows that 98% of political donations went to Democrats or Democrat-affiliated groups and 0% went to Republicans or affiliated groups.


Political contributions are one measure that helps gauge the degree of ideological orthodoxy and intolerance in higher education. While some academics simply do not make contributions and may still hold conservative views, the study still offers another insight into the political preferences of those who do make such contributions. The study does not mean that we can assume that the number of academics with conservative or libertarian values is zero. (There are obvious outliers such as Robby George). However, few would dispute that it reaffirms the extreme imbalance of ideological views at this and other universities.

Professors often express shock at the thought that there would be any political or ideological litmus test for hiring. I have also opposed such measures. However, the hypocrisy is crushing. Today’s faculty are responsible for a near-complete ideological purging of their ranks. They have created a hostile environment for anyone with conservative or libertarian viewpoints, including students who rarely have the opportunity to hear from a professor from a center-right perspective at most schools.

Most recently, forty percent of college faculty admitted that they would vote against any Trump supporter seeking an academic position regardless of their scholarship or teaching ability. Keep in mind that this is only the professors willing to admit to such bias. Some are more open than others. I had dinner with a Harvard Law Professor, who expressed disbelief that I expected him to vote for any faculty applicants who held views he considered wrong. When I noted that I regularly vote for faculty candidates who hold opposing views, he just shrugged and said that, if he rejects their views, he cannot vote for those views to be taught to students.

There are few remaining conservatives or libertarians on law school faculties, which have been purged of dissenting voices through a biased hiring and promotion system. Despite years of complaints and declining public trust in higher education, faculty members continue to reinforce bias and orthodoxy in our schools. Is wrote about the rise of this new McCarthyism on the left seven years ago.

Recently, I discussed the example of Fordham University School of Law professor John Pfaff, who called for “repercussions” for professors who do not “recant” their view that the 14th Amendment does not protect birthright citizenship. Not long ago, I debated Professor Randall Kennedy at Harvard Law School about the school’s lack of ideological diversity. I respect Kennedy, and I do not view him as anti-free speech or intolerant. Yet when I noted the statistics on the vanishing number of conservative students and faculty in comparison to the nation, Kennedy responded that Harvard “is an elite university” and does not have to “look like America.”

Of course, the problem is that Harvard does not even look like Massachusetts, which is nearly 30 percent Republican. At schools like Yale and Princeton, they have achieved near 100% for Democrats (with only a couple of percent going for independent or socialist causes). Yet, if you ask faculty about the purging of their ranks, they will often shrug and say that they just cannot find a conservative or libertarian who is intellectually worthy of an appointment to their schools. It was the same absurd rationalization that was once used to justify not hiring minorities or women.

I just had a debate with a William & Mary law professor who admitted there is no other rational explanation for the virtual absence of conservatives and libertarians than systemic bias. Indeed, if a company were to go to court to say that there was nothing intentional in a virtual absence of minority employees, it would be laughed out of court.

Of course, nothing is laughable about the state of higher education. This generation of administrators and faculty are destroying our educational institutions because they cannot set aside their political bias and intolerance for the benefit of their schools. Higher education has reached record lows in public trust. Yet, these professors and deans are insulated from such public opinion. They are often financially insulated from the economic impact of such isolation. In higher education, the echo chamber works to their personal benefit, increasing their opportunities for writing and conferences. They also do not face opposing views of their scholarship or viewpoints.

Recently, I participated in a debate with the President of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). He doubled down on his call for universities to pursue more political agendas and activism. AAUP later broke its long-standing apolitical tradition and endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. This is why I have advised university presidents who want to restore intellectual diversity that they cannot rely on faculty members. With enough donor and faculty pressure, deans may add a single conservative, but they have shown they are unwilling to make real changes to the academic echo chamber they have created.

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Riddle me this: The “loan” will never be paid back. but Canada is very eager to join.

• Canada Looks To Cash In On EU’s €90bn Ukraine Arms Scheme (RT)

Canada is seeking to join the EU’s €90 billion loan program for Ukraine, a European Commission spokesman said on Friday, in a move that would allow Canadian arms manufacturers to compete for contracts financed by the scheme. Ottawa has been discussing participation with Brussels for some time and would have to contribute toward the EU’s borrowing costs in return for access to the procurement scheme. The UK joined the mechanism under a similar arrangement in July.


“I can confirm that Canada has expressed an interest in joining the 90 billion Ukraine support loan,” European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari told journalists in Brussels. “Technical exchanges have been ongoing with Canada for some time, and they are still ongoing,” he added. Canadian participation would not increase the €90 billion available to Kiev. Instead, it would allow Ukraine to use the funds to buy weapons from Canadian manufacturers without requiring a special exemption from the scheme’s procurement rules.

The talks come as Kiev faces mounting financial pressure. The EU loan is intended to cover much of Ukraine’s budgetary and military financing needs for 2026 and 2027, which remain heavily dependent on foreign aid. Of the €90 billion, €60 billion is earmarked for military assistance and €30 billion for general budget support. Despite the outside funding, Ukraine faces a $27 billion budget shortfall. Vladimir Zelensky announced in August that Kiev had already spent funds originally intended to cover its needs through the end of 2026.

The financial crunch has coincided with a series of high-profile corruption and embezzlement scandals in sectors heavily supported by Ukraine’s foreign backers. The most prominent involved state nuclear operator Energoatom and implicated figures close to Zelensky, prompting a senior-level reshuffle. An escalation in long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine targeting critical infrastructure has further strained Kiev’s economic outlook.

The intensified exchanges followed Zelensky’s failed 40-day pressure campaign against Russia, which included Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and warehouses belonging to major e-commerce retailers. Moscow subsequently intensified strikes on Ukrainian ports and vessels it said were carrying military supplies, severely disrupting Kiev’s Black Sea exports, previously the country’s main export route.

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€3.3bn is peanuts

• Von der Leyen Sends Zelensky €3.3bn After Phone Call (RT)

The EU has released another €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine following a phone call between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, as Kiev faces fresh corruption cases and a surprise $27 billion hole in its defense budget. Von der Leyen announced the payment on Thursday immediately after speaking with Zelensky. She said the EU had already provided Kiev with nearly €15 billion this year and promised that “more is coming.”


At the same time, she acknowledged that Ukraine’s parliament has yet to pass anti-corruption, judicial, fiscal and green energy reforms required to unlock further EU funding. The European Commission confirmed on Friday that the €3.3 billion had been disbursed. The payment marks the fourth defense tranche under the EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan. The EU and its member states say they have provided a total of €224.5 billion in support to Ukraine since 2022.

The latest payout comes as Kiev seeks billions more from its Western backers to cover an unexpectedly large defense funding gap. Zelensky told European officials last month that Ukraine needed another $27 billion to make it through the year, according to the New York Times. The request reportedly “surprised and unsettled” officials, with some privately questioning whether existing funds were being spent efficiently or whether Kiev was overstating its needs.

The fresh funding also comes amid a series of corruption investigations involving public funds, military procurement and senior Ukrainian officials.Over the past year, scandals have reached into the energy sector, military procurement and the upper levels of government. The sprawling Midas probe uncovered an alleged $100 million kickback and money-laundering network around state nuclear operator Energoatom. Separate investigations have targeted inflated drone contracts, the alleged theft of foreign donations and senior officials accused of illicit enrichment.

Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies have themselves raised concerns about graft risks surrounding defense procurement. NABU Director Semyon Krivonos said last month that major arms suppliers can have powerful beneficiaries among lawmakers, senior law-enforcement officials and other branches of government. Russia has repeatedly argued that continued Western financing only prolongs the conflict and has cited Ukraine’s corruption scandals in criticizing foreign support for Kiev. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week that the “laundering” of Western money had become a “form of existence” for the Ukrainian authorities.

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Use German money to buy German arms..

“Bavarian premier Markus Soeder has demanded that Kiev buy more German arms and provide access to raw materials..”

• Germany Should Profit From Ukraine Aid – Merz Ally (RT)

Germany should demand greater economic benefits from the billions it spends supporting Ukraine, including more arms orders and access to raw materials, Bavarian Minister-President Markus Soeder said on Friday. Since beginning his second term, US President Donald Trump has pushed European NATO members to shoulder more of the cost of supporting Kiev. He has also touted European-funded purchases of US weapons and Washington’s minerals deal with Ukraine as ways for the US to recoup some of its spending on the conflict.


“Overall, Ukraine should also use the many German aid funds to buy more technology from Germany,” said Soeder, who leads the Bavarian CSU, the sister party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU. “And we too, not just the US, should also discuss access to raw materials with Ukraine.” Rare earths and other critical minerals covered by Washington’s deal with Kiev are used in a wide range of military and high-tech applications. Soeder’s view echoes recent comments by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who has argued that Berlin’s support for Kiev should translate into more orders for German arms manufacturers.

Germany has earmarked around €11.5 billion ($13.2 billion) in military aid for Ukraine this year. “It must naturally be the case that the German defense industry benefits,” Wadephul said in a podcast last week. The push for more Ukrainian arms orders comes as Germany sharply expands its own military procurement. Berlin ordered around €85 billion ($97.4 billion) worth of military equipment in 2025, dominating European arms procurement, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Moscow has portrayed Germany’s military buildup, along with broader rearmament across the EU and UK, as evidence that Western governments are preparing for a possible direct confrontation with Russia. It has long described the Ukraine conflict as a NATO proxy war against Russia. “The statements Merz made about making Germany the leading military power in Europe again are being put into practice. He is, in effect, setting out to declare war on us,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier this month.

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“It won’t even look like a robot. It’ll look like a human in a superhero suit.”

 

 

 

 

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