RFK Jr. Archives - The Automatic Earth

Wow. One of the greatest speeches of our time.

I don’t know how he does it but @SecRubio manages to impress me more and more each time he speaks.

The fact he received a standing ovation by the European leaders after seeing their defiance against the Trump administration… pic.twitter.com/XybK5aplgz
— Kosher (@koshercockney) February 14, 2026

https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2022457483537567991?s=20

Eric Schmidt just told Congress the number that kills the AI race on Earth: 92 gigawatts of new power, and we can’t deliver it.

Former Google CEO laid out math everyone’s ignoring. Average nuclear plant: 1.5 gigawatts. AI demand: 92 gigawatts. That’s 60+ new nuclear facilities… pic.twitter.com/HiMADn3bRS
— Dustin (@r0ck3t23) February 14, 2026

Elon Musk just revealed what happens when Neuralink and Optimus merge, and it’s not about helping the disabled. It’s about making them better than you.

“You’d have basically Cybernetics Superpowers.”

Not recovery. Evolution. Lose a limb and the replacement isn’t restoration.… pic.twitter.com/ZsXwBRBlxl
— Dustin (@r0ck3t23) February 14, 2026

Mustafa

Mustafa Suleyman just said what everyone else building AI refuses to admit. As CEO of Microsoft AI, he knows exactly what’s being constructed and where it leads.

Suleyman: “We must reject the assumption that superintelligence is inevitable or desirable.”

Silicon Valley worships… pic.twitter.com/qY0G3fZN34
— Dustin (@r0ck3t23) February 15, 2026

Elon Musk lays out the stark math: When AI's combined intelligence makes humanity's share just ~1%, "it's hard to imagine humans staying in charge."

Instead of fighting for dominance, his bet is alignment through cosmic-scale values. xAI's mission—to rigorously understand the… pic.twitter.com/eYFB6D2y92
— Camus (@newstart_2024) February 15, 2026

Marco wants to be president. What does Trump say?

• Marco Rubio Expands on Purposeful Speech to Munich Security Conference (CTH)

Marco Rubio appears for an interview with John Micklethwait of Bloomberg News. The interview was pre-scheduled as a follow up to the rather historic speech in Munich at the security conference. Within the interview {video and transcript below} Rubio expands on the baseline of the speech, the ‘why‘ is the U.S-EU alliance important. Beginning with the end in mind, Rubio reminds the interviewer that an alliance must first accept the purpose of the assembly. There are common values and common social components to the relationship that sit at the core of the decision to be allies.

We have a shared civilization based on shared values, and within that central component the Trump administration is staring at the Europeans and saying they have lost focus on these values. Europe is diminishing itself; it is fracturing its culture and has lost its sovereign identity. The United States wants to stay partnered with Europe, but we are not going to be a partner anchored to a collective mindset that has lost its identity. This culturally Marxist status, a gathering of nations infected with political correctness, pontificating wokeness and apologetic self-flagellation, is the core problem the Europeans are not willing to face.
President Trump and Marco Rubio are essentially telling the EU to shake it off, quit being woke, get proud of your heritage, institute political systems that give benefit to the population and regain pride in themselves and their identity. The process begins with national security, but that is not just about military spending. Their energy industry needs to support economic independence; they cannot outsource component manufacturing; they need to reestablish economic baselines that are not dependent on Russia, China, India or any other risk vector that could be used to manipulate.

QUESTION: Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, thank you for talking to Bloomberg. You’ve just made this rather remarkable speech where you talked about the destiny of Europe and America always being intertwined. You talked about the alliance which has stretched all the way, culturally, from Michelangelo to the Rolling Stones – a first, I suspect, for a secretary of state – but a culture that has bled and died together. But the very common theme of your speech was the need to share the burden, the need for Europe and America to do things together, which was slightly different from the Vice President last year. Were you kind of offering a carrot where perhaps he was offering a stick?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I think it’s the same message. I think what the Vice President said last year very clearly was that Europe had made a series of decisions internally that were threatening to the alliance and ultimately to themselves, not because we hate Europe or we don’t like Europeans but because – what is it that we fight for, what is it that binds us together? And ultimately, it’s the fact that we are both heirs to the same civilization. And it’s a great civilization and it’s one we should be proud of. It’s one that’s contributed extraordinarily to the world and it’s one, frankly, upon which America is built, from our language to our system of government to our laws to the food we eat to the name of our cities and towns – all of it deeply linked to this Western civilization and culture that we should be proud of, and it’s worth defending.
And ultimately, that’s the point. The point is that people – people don’t fight and die for abstract ideas. They are willing to fight and defend who they are and what matters and is important to them. And that was the foundation he laid last year in his speech – and we add on into this year – to explain to people that when we come off as urgent or even critical about decisions that Europe has failed to make or made, it is because we care. It is because we understand that ultimately, our own fate will be intertwined with what happens with Europe. We want Europe to survive, we want Europe to prosper, because we’re interconnected in so many different ways and because our alliance is so critical. But it has to be an alliance of allies that are capable and willing to fight for who they are and what’s important.
(more…)

“..swarms of drones operated remotely and increasingly automated with AI targeting “

• Eric Schmidt Warns Ukraine’s “No Man’s Land” Is Future of War (ZH)

Google’s old motto, “Don’t be evil,” was retired for very good reasons about eight years ago.

Former CEO Eric Schmidt has found a new obsession and is linked to a covert drone production pipeline that has supplied hundreds of FPV drones to Ukrainian front-line units, reinforcing his warning in a new Financial Times op-ed that “Ukraine’s no man’s land is the future of war.” “Future wars are going to be defined by unmanned weapons,” Schmidt wrote in the op-ed. He said, “The winner of those drone battles will then be able to advance with unmanned ground and maritime vehicles, which move slowly but can carry heavier payloads.” Schmidt described a stretch on the first line as “no man’s land.”
He explained: “Ukraine is ready for the next stage of warfare, with swarms of drones operated remotely and increasingly automated with AI targeting. No man’s land has expanded as each side pulls its most valuable personnel back from the front while new generations of drones achieve longer ranges and increased lethality through better batteries, sensors and aerodynamics. Automating operations so personnel can operate safely behind the lines has become an urgent Ukrainian priority, with plans to move drone pilots even farther from the front in 2026.
The combination of unblockable satellite communications, cheap spectrum networks and accurate GPS targeting means the only way to fight will be through drone vs drone combat. Drones share data in real time, meaning that many inexpensive platforms can act as a single weapon. They will carry air-to-air missiles to defeat attackers, just like a fighter jet does, but will be cheaper and more abundant. Within this kill zone, reportedly extending for miles – and in some assessments, approximately 15 miles or more wide – FPV drones and ground robots dominate, with AI kill chains that, in some cases, reduce or remove direct human-in-the-loop to kill.
Schmidt continued: “When the war in Ukraine is eventually settled, the result may be a tense peace that offers as many lessons for western nations as the conflict itself. In the future, a “drone wall” could be established along the division between Russia and Ukraine, where omnipresent automated drones monitor the border like an intelligent electric fence. Because these drones are valuable enemy targets, they will need to be armed to repel attackers, creating a hard border that is miles high and miles wide.”
Numerous publications have documented the rise of Schmidt’s secretive military drone company, White Stork, including a 2025 Forbes report. A separate report from Aviation Weekly said that Schmidt’s drone company “will expand production to deliver hundreds of thousands of drones to Ukraine this year and more in 2026.” And while humans are still embedded in the kill chain, we must share the gamification of war story that Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces have been using since last year, even keeping an online “killboard” that lets anyone track confirmed Russian losses from Ukrainian drone strikes in near real time.

“Even Democrat Voters agree, 85%, that there should be Voter I.D.”

• Trump Promises Voter ID “Whether Congress Approves Or Not” (ZH)

The SAVE America Act squeaked through the House this week by five votes. The final tally was 218-213, with Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas standing as the lone Democrat to cross party lines. On Friday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) gave Republicans their 50th vote late Friday afternoon, telling Maine Wire the revised bill strikes an appropriate balance between election security and voter access. “The law is clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. In addition, having people provide an ID at the polls, just as they have to do before boarding an airplane, checking into a hotel, or buying an alcoholic beverage, is a simple reform that will improve the security of our federal elections and will help give people more confidence in the results,” she told Maine Wire.

“Requiring voters to produce passports or birth certificates on Election Day — as opposed to just a state-issued ID — would have placed an unnecessary burden on the voters. That provision is no longer in the bill, and dropping this requirement was key to getting my support.” With Will Collins on board, Republicans have enough support to pass the bill even without additional backing, with Vice President JD Vance ready to break any tie. Unfortunately, 50 votes only get the GOP so far. The legislation still lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has made clear the bill is “dead on arrival.” And Collins herself opposes scrapping the filibuster to ram the measure through.
“I oppose eliminating the legislative filibuster,” Collins said. “The filibuster is an important protection for the rights of the minority party, that requires Senators to work together in the best interest of the country. Removing that protection would, for example, allow a future Congress controlled by Democrats to pass provisions on anything they want — DC Statehood, open borders, or packing the Supreme Court — with just a simple majority of Senators.” President Trump, however, is promising that requiring a photo ID to vote will get done with or without Congress. In a post on Truth Social, he accused Democrats of opposing Voter ID and citizenship verification because “they want to continue to cheat in Elections.”

He said this “was not what our Founders desired” and promised to present an “irrefutable” legal argument on the issue soon. Trump vowed that “There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not,” and stated that Americans demand “Citizenship, and No Mail-In Ballots, with exceptions for Military, Disability, Illness, or Travel.” Trump also slammed Democrats as “horrible, disingenuous CHEATERS” for opposing Voter I.D., claiming they “boldly laugh in the backrooms” while opposing it. He called the lack of Voter I.D. “even crazier, and more ridiculous, than Men playing in Women’s Sports, Open Borders, or Transgender for Everyone.”
Trump urged Republicans to make it “a CAN’T MISS FOR RE-ELECTION IN THE MIDTERMS, AND BEYOND,” noting that “Even Democrat Voters agree, 85%, that there should be Voter I.D.” He called Democratic leaders “Crooked Losers like Schumer and Jeffries,” who label it “racist,” and promised to present legal arguments for action via an Executive Order. Trump warned that if Democrats regain power, they will “PACK THE COURT with a total of 21 Supreme Court Justices” and warned the country “will never be the same if they allow these demented and evil people to knowingly, and happily, destroy it.” Trump previously signed an executive order attempting to impose proof-of-citizenship requirements on federal voter registration forms. That effort crashed into multiple legal challenges and has been systematically dismantled by the courts.

Judges set policy here?

• Judge Weighs Whether to Block Vaccine Changes From CDC, RFK Jr. (ET)

A federal judge weighing whether to block changes to U.S. vaccine guidance and an advisory panel did not immediately rule Feb. 13 after hearing from attorneys representing medical groups and the government. Lawyers for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and other groups told U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Boston that recent changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine schedule and the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel violate federal law and will reduce vaccination rates. “This is a clear and present danger to public health,” said James Oh, a lawyer for the groups.

Oh said the schedule update, which removed the broad recommendation for six childhood vaccines for diseases including rotavirus, influenza and hepatitis A, “set off alarms” in the medical community and occurred without any rational explanation from the agency. The CDC on Jan. 5, with backing from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., narrowed the number of vaccines routinely recommended by the childhood schedule. Government officials said in filings that the the reasoning behind the change was in part due to an assessment carried out by senior health officials that analyzed the U.S. childhood schedule against schedules from other countries.
“The U.S. is a global outlier among peer nations in the number of target diseases included in its childhood vaccination schedule and in the total number of recommended vaccine doses,” the officials, Drs. Tracy Beth Hoeg and Martin Kulldorff, concluded. The plaintiffs, which also include several women who say changes under Kennedy have prevented them from receiving vaccines, are challenging a series of actions. They focused on arguments for and against imposing an injunction blocking that update and the health secretary’s remaking of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee.
Oh said that the committee is not fairly balanced because it is dominated by people who oppose vaccines, in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and urged Murphy to block the committee’s upcoming Feb. 26–27 meeting. Government lawyers said in a recent brief that the advisory committee members have a variety of employment histories and that the accusation they are anti-vaccine “does not accurately represent the members’ complex and nuanced perspectives and their committee voting records.” Murphy asked during the hearing whether he could consider the “broader public health impacts” of the changes in vaccine recommendations while weighing the case.
Department of Justice lawyer Isaac Belfer told him health officials were not pursuing an anti-vaccine agenda and welcomed “spirited debate about vaccine policy.” But he said the Department of Health and Human Services had broad authority to change policy to address a decline in public trust in vaccines following the COVID-19 pandemic. “The court cannot substitute its judgment in place of the agency,” Belfer said. Murphy did not immediately rule. With the meeting upcoming, he said he “must make a decision in this case on an uncomfortably tight timeline.”

“:Orban previously dismissed Zelensky’s rhetoric as the behavior of “a man in a desperate position” and has accused Brussels and Kiev of “declaring war on Hungary.”

• Comedian Zelensky Turned Munich Conference Into Circus – Political Consultant (RT)

Vladimir Zelensky turned the Munich Security Conference into a circus with a personal and “childish” attack on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, political risk consultant and lawyer Adriel Kasonta has said. The controversy stems from remarks made by Zelensky on Saturday, in which he mocked Orban’s physique while claiming that Ukraine is fighting to protect the entire EU from Russia. “It’s Ukrainians who are holding the European front… And even one Viktor can think about how to grow his belly, not how to grow his army to stop Russian tanks from returning to the streets of Budapest,” Zelensky said.

The comment was met with applause from the largely pro-Ukraine and pro-EU audience in Munich, but critics argue that the insult was unbecoming of a “serious” leader. Speaking to RT, Kasonta described the Ukrainian leader’s behavior as that of a “desperate man” resorting to the antics of his former comedy career on one of the world’s most important political stages. “He’s trying to take his tricks from the comedian past into the public fora like the Munich Security Conference – turning this previously very important gathering of Western leaders or world leaders discussing important issues related to world security into a farce,” he said.
Kasonta argued that spectacles like Zelensky’s are alienating global observers. “This security conference is observed around the world and countries outside of the Western hemisphere are just scratching their heads and wondering why instead of discussing important issues related to this war-torn world that we are living in currently, we are simply allowing leaders like Mr. Zelensky to turn it into a big circus,” he said. Orban, who has refused to send weapons to Ukraine and blocked EU funds for military aid, responded to the insult on X with characteristic coolness, suggesting that Zelensky’s words would “greatly help Hungarians see the situation more clearly.”
“This debate is not about me and it is not about you. It is about the future of Hungary, Ukraine, and Europe. This is precisely why you cannot become a member of the European Union,” Orban wrote. Orban previously dismissed Zelensky’s rhetoric as the behavior of “a man in a desperate position” and has accused Brussels and Kiev of “declaring war on Hungary.”

Show you can protect it.

• Trump ‘Very Serious’ About Annexing Greenland – Danish PM (RT)

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that US President Donald Trump remains “very serious” about annexing Greenland, despite recently toning down his rhetoric about using military force to take over the resource-rich Arctic territory. Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, citing its strategic location and alleged threats from Russia and China – claims dismissed by Copenhagen, Moscow, and Beijing. Although he initially did not rule out using military force, last month he announced a framework deal with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Frederiksen argued the threat is far from over, describing the pressure on Greenland as “unacceptable.”

“Unfortunately, the US president remains very serious,” she said, adding that “the people of Greenland have never been threatened by anyone before.” While Copenhagen is willing to work with Washington to allow an expanded military presence, Frederiksen stressed that “there are, of course, things that you cannot compromise on” – such as sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We now have a working group. We will try to see if we can find a solution… we will do whatever we can, but of course, there are red lines that will not be crossed,” she said, following a 45-minute meeting on Friday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Details of the talks have not been made public.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen echoed the concerns, calling it “outrageous” that Greenlanders are being threatened by a NATO member. Frederiksen warned last month that the annexation threats could undermine “everything,” including the US-led military bloc. French President Emmanuel Macron also criticized Washington’s stance, calling the “Greenland moment” evidence that the Trump administration is “openly anti-European.”

“Moscow has since said Zelensky’s legal status is a major obstacle to concluding a binding peace deal “

• Russia Open To Discussing Ukraine’s ‘External Governance’ – Senior Diplomat (RT)

Russia is ready to discuss establishing “temporary external governance” in Ukraine under UN auspices to facilitate long-overdue democratic elections, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has said. In an interview with TASS released on Sunday, Galuzin noted that the idea was first floated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2025, describing it as one possible way to further the peace process. This step, he said, “would make it possible to hold democratic elections in Ukraine, bring to power a capable government with which a full-fledged peace treaty could be signed, along with legitimate documents on future interstate cooperation.”

“In general, Russia is prepared to discuss with the US, European nations, and other countries the possibility of introducing temporary external governance in Kiev,” he added. Galuzin acknowledged that while the UN “does not formally have a standardized mechanism” for these types of cases, there are historical precedents.Moscow proposed the idea of external governance after the expiration of Vladimir Zelensky’s presidential term in 2024. At the time, the Ukrainian leader refused to hold new elections, citing martial law, which prompted Russia to declare him “illegitimate.” Moscow has since said Zelensky’s legal status is a major obstacle to concluding a binding peace deal.
Following US pressure, Zelensky signaled that he is open to having an election, but demanded security guarantees from the West and Russia. In March 2025, the US dismissed the external management proposal, saying governance in Ukraine is “determined by its Constitution and the people of the country.” Prior to this, however, US President Donald Trump branded Zelensky “a dictator without elections.”

“..Democrat extremists are already plotting to primary Fetterman ahead of his 2028 reelection bid, viewing his moderate positions as a betrayal.”

• Fetterman Reveals His Parents Are TRUMP Supporters (MN)

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has once again set himself apart from the radical elements in his party by admitting that his own parents support President Trump—and using that as a reason to reject the Democrats’ over-the-top attacks on MAGA voters. In a recent interview with Politico’s Dasha Burns, Fetterman again explained why he won’t join the chorus labeling Trump supporters as threats to democracy, emphasizing personal connections over partisan hysteria.Burns asked Fetterman directly about Trump’s praise for him as the “most sensible Democrat,” questioning if it’s a “badge of honor or kryptonite for a Democrat in 2026.” Fetterman responded, “My parents would appreciate it.”

He continued, “I know, and I love a lot of people that vote for Trump. And that’s part of why I refuse to call these people Nazis, or they’re brownshirts, or they’re trying to destroy our democracy.” Fetterman made it clear he’s not engaging in that rhetoric, stating, “I’m not defending the president, but I will say he hasn’t defied a single court order yet. He hasn’t. And there was the big freak out that he was going to run in 28.” “And I’m like, no, he’s not going to run. That’s not going to happen. And now, of course he’s not going to run,” the Senator added. When Burns pressed on his relationship with Trump, Fetterman said, “If I have something to say it’s not going to be, you know, in an insult. It’s not going to be extreme things…when you have members of Congress calling him a piece of shit.”
“And I think it’s crazy, it’s like you just don’t, you know, I’ll always talk and speak, you know, with respect, because I really want to find a way forward.” This admission underscores Fetterman’s ongoing pushback against his party’s extremes, a stance that has increasingly isolated him from Democratic insiders. As we previously reported, Democrat extremists are already plotting to primary Fetterman ahead of his 2028 reelection bid, viewing his moderate positions as a betrayal. Despite his popularity in Pennsylvania, including strong support from Republicans, party officials are contemplating challenges because he won’t fully embrace their radical agenda.
Fetterman recently warned Democrats that socialism and far-left ideas are electoral poison, stating that such policies “pushed our party over the cliff” and led to recent losses. He called for “common sense” to prevail, highlighting the party’s shift toward figures like New York City’s socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani as a warning sign. Fetterman has also urged his colleagues to dial back the constant outrage, telling them to stop turning everything into a “national freak out.” He criticized Democrats for overreacting to issues like the firing of Jimmy Kimmel and risking government shutdowns over partisan squabbles, emphasizing that “people need to just chill a little about a lot of things.”
These repeated calls for moderation have earned Fetterman bipartisan respect, even as they fuel internal Democratic discord. His refusal to demonize Trump voters, rooted in his own family’s views, exposes the growing divide between the party’s base and its leadership’s ideological purity tests. Republicans stand to benefit from this chaos, as Fetterman’s crossover appeal could complicate Democratic efforts in swing states like Pennsylvania. If pushed too far, he might even consider running independently, further splintering the left.
Fetterman’s approach highlights a rare willingness to prioritize respect and practicality over division, a move that contrasts sharply with the Democrats’ ongoing embrace of extremism. As the party grapples with its identity, his voice serves as a reminder that alienating everyday Americans—including Trump supporters—only weakens their position.

”I’m not sure what’s worse: the fact that we needed a bill to stop paying dead people or the fact that a bill to stop paying dead people met resistance. “

• We Actually Needed a Law to Stop Paying Dead People (Margolis)

Last week, President Donald Trump signed the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act. Believe it or not, we actually needed a bill to end fraudulent payments to dead people. And it took four years to get done. “Using dead Americans to rip off taxpayers is as low as it gets,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who wrote the bill, said in a statement. “Many Americans have seen these scams play out across the country and are tired of watching these fraudsters game the system—so am I. That’s why I wrote this common-sense bill to end this outrageous abuse permanently, and I’m grateful President Trump signed it into law so we can ensure taxpayer dollars go to living Americans who actually need our help.”

Kennedy appeared on NewsNation this week and discussed the bill. “The idea that we send billions of dollars to dead people, and they get cash. The checks get cashed. It’s obviously a lot of fraud,” Kennedy told NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich. When Pavlich asked if he was specifically talking about Social Security checks, Kennedy clarified: “No, we’re talking about all kind of checks.” The root of the problem lay in bureaucratic turf-guarding. The Social Security Administration maintains a comprehensive list of deceased Americans but refused to share that information with other federal agencies, including the Department of Treasury. Kennedy’s attempts to reason with the agency hit a brick wall of excuses, prompting him to write the bill.
“I went to them, and I said, ‘Why won’t you tell Treasury who the dead people are?’ And Social Security said, ‘Well, we don’t have the legal authority.’ And I said, ‘Sure you do,’ and they said, ‘No, we don’t.’ So I knew I wasn’t gonna get anywhere with them, so I had to go pass a bill,” Kennedy explained. The reason the bill took four years to become law, believe it or not, was that he faced opposition, which Kennedy found hard to believe. But his persistence paid off. Kennedy being Kennedy, he couldn’t resist a dig at the state of American elections while discussing his legislative achievement: “And so far as I can tell, dead people can still vote, but they can’t cash checks … ’cause we’re not gonna be sending them to them anymore, and it’s gonna save billions and billions and billions of dollars.”
Kennedy also delivered some harsh criticism of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. According to Kennedy, state cooperation on fraud prevention varies wildly, and Walz falls into the non-cooperating category. “Well, every state is different,” he said. “Some state governors cooperate, some of them don’t. Governor Walz didn’t cooperate. He knew about this fraud. He knew all about it. And he lied about it.” Then came the trademark Kennedy zinger: “I’m sorry. Uh, no offense to the governor, but he learned to lie before he learned to talk.” I’m not sure what’s worse: the fact that we needed a bill to stop paying dead people or the fact that a bill to stop paying dead people met resistance.

I thought there were 3 million more?!

• Bondi Says ALL Epstein Files Have Been Released (Salgado)

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Sunday morning that all of the Justice Department’s files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein have been released. Bondi made the announcement in a letter first obtained by Fox News, which quoted the letter: “In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and as described in various Department submissions to the courts of the Southern District of New York assigned to the Epstein and Maxwell prosecutions and related orders, the Department released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials in the possession of the Department’ that ‘relate to’ any of nine different categories.”

Among the famous names in the letter are Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill Gates, Prince Harry, Mark Zuckerberg, Woody Allen, Kim Kardashian, Kurt Cobain, and Bruce Springsteen. In accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the list of names includes “all persons where (1) they are or were a government official or politically exposed person and (2) their name appears in the files released under the Act at least once,” the letter said, adding that the names appear in a “wide variety of contexts.”
Amid the bombshells of the recent rounds of files were revelations of billionaire Bill Gates’s ties to Epstein, his STDs from “Russian girls,” and efforts to drug his then-wife Melinda. We also saw a message about the burial of two abused girls at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch through machinations of “Madame G,” probably Ghislaine Maxwell. One of Donald Trump’s major and most popular campaign promises was the release of the Epstein files. Some people have asked the DOJ to re-release some of the files with fewer redactions, which protect the names and details of pedophiles, and perhaps this latest release is that answer.

“What if, instead of continuous microwaves beamed at people, it were a “pulsed” energy weapon?”

• ‘The Search for the Cause of Havana Syndrome’ (Moran)

I made a classic mistake in college by taking a course in “Icelandic and Scandinavian Sagas.” The mistake was that I was told it was an easy “A” and the professor was a soft touch. Instead, I got a Viking of a professor with the temperment of “Ivar the Boneless.” What’s worse, the course was a real gonad-buster. Nevertheless, it was one of the most interesting classes I took in college. “Sagas” aren’t like folk tales or legends. They’re more like prose narratives with a rhythm and meter all their own. Unlike many medieval legends filled with dragons and magic, sagas often read like historical novels. They focus on real people, genealogy, and the legal or social disputes of the time. As I found to my chagrin, the sagas are also endless tellings of unremarkable stories and violent people.

What I took away from that course was that the last person you want to run into in your travels is a 10th-century Viking raider. Steer clear if at all possible. I have been following the “saga” of the search for the cause of the affliction known as Havana syndrome, which the U.S. government refers to as an “Anomalous Health Incident ” (AHI), for much of the last decade. The number of theories about the syndrome nearly matches the number of victims. Bureaucratic infighting, State Department politics, and intelligence agency rivalries have all contributed to confusion and a lack of consensus about the real, serious symptoms our diplomats suffer.
Havana syndrome first appeared in 2016, when several diplomats at the U.S. interests section in Havana began to complain of a host of symptoms, including headaches, nausea, vertigo, and lethargy. Some patients reported severe symptoms that prevented them from performing their jobs. Some were even forced to retire. Not all personnel suffered the same symptoms to the same degree. Therein lies the mystery. Some patients suffered from some of the symptoms, but not all of them. Others reported only mild discomfort.
In 2020, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) released a report on Havana syndrome that concluded: “directed, pulsed radio frequency energy appears to be the most plausible mechanism in explaining these cases.” “It is just a totally incredible explanation for what happened to these diplomats,” said University of Pennsylvania bioengineer Kenneth Foster. “It’s just not possible. The idea that someone could beam huge amounts of microwave energy at people and not have it be obvious defies credibility.
What if, instead of continuous microwaves beamed at people, it were a “pulsed” energy weapon? Such a weapon would be impossible to test on people, right? Who’d volunteer? Enter an unnamed Norwegian scientist who was so skeptical that any device could cause Havana syndrome symptoms that he actually built his own “directed pulse energy” machine and tried it out on himself. Washington Post:
“Working in strict secrecy, a government scientist in Norway built a machine capable of emitting powerful pulses of microwave energy and, in an effort to prove such devices are harmless to humans, in 2024 tested it on himself. He suffered neurological symptoms similar to those of “Havana syndrome,” the unexplained malady that has struck hundreds of U.S. spies and diplomats around the world. The bizarre story, described by four people familiar with the events, is the latest wrinkle in the decade-long quest to find the causes of Havana syndrome, whose sufferers experience long-lasting effects including cognitive challenges, dizziness and nausea. The U.S. government calls the events Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs). The secret test in Norway has not been previously reported. The Norwegian government told the CIA about the results, two of the people said, prompting at least two visits in 2024 to Norway by Pentagon and White House officials.”
The German daily Der Spiegel and 60 Minutes and conducted their own investigation and concluded that it was possible that a directed energy weapon was being used by the shadowy Russian GRU intelligence outfit known as Unit 29155. That group is responsible for sabotage and assassinations. They were in the vicinity of many reported Havana syndrome attacks, according to the investigation. Hardly a smoking gun. But U.S. intelligence did acquire a pulse-directed energy weapon in 2024 for a few million dollars, according to the Post. v Tests are continuing on the device with no definitive answers. The Post reports that the device acquired by the U.S. government is different than the device built by the Norwegian scientist. The story continues. Since it’s not likely that Russia or any other nation is going to fess up and admit they’re targeting our diplomats, the mystery will remain, and our diplomats will continue to be at risk.

“No donations came.” He insisted, “You’re completely wrong. … I did not see anybody.” Hawley countered with video proof of their nearly hour-long sit-down—easy to find online.”

• Senator Unloads On Minnesota AG Ellison Over Fraud Scandal (ZH)

During a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing this week, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) confronted Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. The Missouri Republican exposed Ellison’s ties to the Feeding Our Future scandal, where fraudsters stole $250 million in federal child nutrition funds. Hawley didn’t hold back, charging the Democrat with protecting fraudsters who funneled cash to terrorists and traffickers, as well as Ellison’s own campaign coffers, and telling him he “ought to be in jail.” Hawley opened the confrontation by spotlighting $10,000 in campaign donations Ellison pocketed from players in the Feeding Our Future mess, which the New York Post broke last year, detailing how the money flowed in right after a December 11, 2021, meeting at Ellison’s office.

Ellison repeatedly denied it, calling it a false statement. But Hawley read directly from the meeting transcript, where money was discussed repeatedly. An audio recording of that meeting revealed that Ellison met with members of the Somali community who were later convicted in the scandal. In the recording, the individuals ask Ellison for help securing funding before discussing campaign donations. “The only way that we can protect what we have is by inserting ourselves into the political arena,” a man is heard saying on the audio.“Putting our votes where it needs to be. But most importantly, putting our dollars in the right place. And supporting candidates that will fight to protect our interests.” “That’s right,” Ellison replied.
Ellison accepted $10,000 in campaign contributions from the fraudsters mere days later, as did his son, Minneapolis councilman Jeremiah Ellison. Hawley proceeded to read from that recording, quoting Ellison’s own words back to him. “Send me the names of all these folks who are investigating them,” Ellison said. He promised to call the Education Department and ask what was going on. “I already have my team working on this,” he told them, according to the transcript. “What day should we get together to discuss it again?” Ellison pledged repeatedly to help them fight the investigators. “You have my attention. I’m concerned about this,” he said. “Let’s go fight these people.””Why’d you do it? Was it worth it?” Hawley asked.
“This is what accountability looks like, of which you’ve had none,” Hawley countered. “You helped fraudsters defraud your state and this government of $9 billion, and you got a fat campaign contribution out of it. You ought to be indicted. That’s the truth.” Ellison shot back hard. He denied the donations flat-out: “a lie” and “No donations came.” He insisted, “You’re completely wrong. … I did not see anybody.” Hawley countered with video proof of their nearly hour-long sit-down—easy to find online. Ellison dismissed Hawley’s quotes as “cherry-picked.” As the exchange got heated, Ellison repeatedly talked over Hawley, which the senator didn’t appreciate. “It’s my hearing, pal,” he snapped. “Don’t call me ‘pal,’” Ellison shot back. “Well, I should call you a prisoner because you ought to be in jail.”
He demanded resignation. Ellison flipped it: “I was thinking the same thing about you.” Hawley didn’t stop there. He brought up testimony from the previous day showing where the fraudulent money went: to terrorist groups, transnational criminal organizations, drug trafficking, and child trafficking. “You took $10,000 and helped them do it,” he said. Ellison kept denying everything, but Hawley had receipts. He cited a Minnesota Star Tribune report that Partners in Nutrition raised concerns with the attorney general’s office in 2018 and 2019, but Ellison did nothing. The New York Post reported that Ellison accepted campaign donations from individuals linked to the fraud after meeting with them. “You’ve been right at the center of this fraud thing from the beginning, and you’ve enabled it,” Hawley said. “You should resign.” Ellison shot back, “And, sir, you should resign. I was thinking the same thing about you.”

Not clear why she’s there.

• Hillary’s Script, Interrupted (David Manney)

Hillary Clinton, a former all-star American leader, took the stage in Munich expecting a stroll on familiar ground. The setting felt friendly, the crowd leaned globalist, and the talking points seemed well-rehearsed. Then a Czech politician, calmly stepping outside the approved script, asked a question that didn’t flatter the room. It was as if a thousand voices in the Force suddenly vanished; the room’s temperature changed. Czech Deputy Prime Minister Petr Macinka challenged prevailing narratives on sovereignty, migration, and Western leadership. He spoke; he didn’t shout. He didn’t posture, he simply disagreed. Clinton’s composure tightened as her facial expression stiffened. Her infamous temper flickered across her face in full public view.

The exchange quickly spread online, showing Clinton sharply reacting while Macinka remains measured. It was a contrast that told the story better than any summary could dream of.A widely shared Facebook clip captured the moment from a different angle, showing how visibly irritated Clinton grew as her preferred narrative met resistance. Clinton has well over 40 years of navigating hostile interviews and political storms; few situations publicly rattle her. Yet the Munich moment felt different: Macinka didn’t attack her character; he questioned her assumptions in a calm, rational voice.That alone proved disruptive.
Western elites have gathered in European conferences for years to reinforce shared assumptions about global governance, open borders, and centralized authority. Dissent rarely appears in those halls without first being filtered, because when it isn’t, tension quickly rises, offering a glimpse into the human nature hidden behind long-built façades.Macinka spoke as an elected official representing voters who increasingly resist top-down mandates from Brussels and beyond, arguing for national sovereignty and accountability to his country. Clinton appeared completely off guard, as if the ground she felt safe standing on had shifted.
Let me be the first to express grave concern for Macinka’s well-being. Given recent political history, he may want to publicly confirm he’s enjoying excellent health and has no plans to be found in mysterious circumstances anytime soon. Purely a precaution, of course. This incident exposed something deeper: Democratic figures for years have accused President Donald Trump of destabilizing Western alliances and eroding global cooperation. Yet in Munich, frustration erupted not from chaos, but from calm contradiction. When agreements fill the air, Clinton appears comfortable, but when respectful disagreement entered the conversation, she clearly bristled.
Her reaction undercut the image of seasoned steadiness she often projects on global stages. Clinton wasn’t the only Democrat in Munich struggling with optics. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and California Governor Gavin Newsom also faced criticism during their appearances. Both tried to present themselves as seasoned global leaders, but drew scrutiny for remarks that appeared tone-deaf and disconnected from global realities. mThe contrast between confident branding and uneven performance created friction. Munich has long been intended as a platform for polished leadership, but it has also been a stage for awkward exchanges.
Global politics demands agility and tolerance for dissent. Leaders seeking authority need to have thick skin to withstand questions without visible irritation. A raised eyebrow, or a wrinkled face that suddenly appears smooth, speaks louder than a thousand words. As we’ve seen from Democrats the past few weeks, they work from prepared frameworks, where talking points guide conversations in friendly venues that reinforce comfort. But when somebody interrupts the rhythm, their ability—or, in this case, inability—to keep it together matters. Clinton’s body language suggested she wasn’t happy with Macinka’s calm, reasoned approach. I imagine that in her mind’s eye, she was wishing for a little Darth Vader dark side to squeeze Macinka into a sugar cube.
Political leaders regularly insist that democracy thrives on debate, but debate loses its meaning when only one side fails to respect the other. Hillary’s Munich moment reminded us that the elites don’t appreciate it when the unwashed speak up. People across Europe and America have increasingly questioned centralized power structures, voting for leaders who promise to prioritize national interests. Those voters expect representation, not lectures from on high. When a representative from that moment speaks plainly on an open stage, dismissing alternative views doesn’t work.
Until somebody ignored it, Hillary’s script ran smoothly. The interruptions showed something more than policy differences; they revealed the moment when Clinton ran into legitimate opposition to the soup she’s been dealing out. Confidence requires calm under pressure, and leadership demands composure when challenged. Hillary failed in both accounts. Munich offered a brief snapshot of that reality. As global politics grows increasingly volatile, moments like this matter: when a steady, shrieking voice, sharing talking points discussed in safe forums, gets interrupted by a dose of reality, we get to see the real person behind the mask. It’s in moments like this that the 2016 presidential election reminds us of just how close we came to, well, you know, living in Hell.

https://twitter.com/WyattCatarina/status/2023029449315504573?s=20 Read more …

Dalio

“In 1945, the US had 80% of the world’s money. Gold was money at the time. It had half the world's GDP. It had a monopoly on military power. So the US set the world order”

– Ray Dalio

This is a very important point to understand right now.

pic.twitter.com/vHaws9UBIH
— Gold Telegraph ⚡ (@GoldTelegraph_) February 14, 2026

X https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/2023034863545376817?s=20 Homan https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2023039139005047267?s=20 Swan

Swans have one of the coolest water landing techniques everpic.twitter.com/gfXUruVs1Z
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) February 15, 2026

Muslim

Europe will never recover from this

“50 million Muslims now live in Europe. At the turn of the century, that number was less than 500,000 and more are arriving every day — Muslims are now running major cities across the country for the first time in history”

“As the people who… pic.twitter.com/ZxzilsgFQ5
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) February 15, 2026

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Debt Rattle May 9 2024

May 092024

May 9, 2024 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:17 am Finance Tagged with: AP, Fani Willis, MTG, RFK Jr., RICO, Stormy Daniels, Ursula, Victory Day, Zuckerberg 56 Responses »

Pieter Bruegel the Elder Dulle Griet, also known as Mad Meg 1563

• How May 9th Became The Chief National Holiday In Modern Russia (RT)

• Stormy Daniels Day: Alvin Bragg Lights Dumpster Fire in Manhattan

• Keeping Fani On RICO Trial Under Scrutiny By Appeals Court (ZH)

• RFK Jr. Had ‘Dead Worm’ In Brain in 2010– NYT (RT)

• Von der Leyen Facing Growing Discontent In EU Capitals – Media (RT)

• A tale of Two Sovereigns, a Lackey and a Nanny (Pepe Escobar)

• Being An US “Ally” Means Silently Watching Your Own Destruction (Dionísio)

• Zuckerberg Considered Buying Associated Press (RT)

• MTG Initiates Ouster of US House Speaker (RT)

• Hapless President Biden Caught Between Unhappy Base, Unrepentant Israel (Sp.)

Stormy
https://twitter.com/i/status/1788059772513619972

CNN Stormy
https://twitter.com/i/status/1788062188688580682

Supercharger

The first Tesla Supercharger station was built on September 24, 2012, it’s pretty wild that Elon was able to foresee the future and thus build +50,000 of these things when a majority thought it was a crazy endeavor since an EV future was such a distant dream pic.twitter.com/dmMeRjEEVh

— Teslaconomics (@Teslaconomics) May 8, 2024

It’s been 79 years.

• How May 9th Became The Chief National Holiday In Modern Russia (RT)

WWII Victory Day, celebrated in Russia on May 9, has become a special holiday. The war was both the greatest trial and the greatest triumph in Russia’s modern history. However, the celebrations acquired their current shape and form not so long ago, and some important traditions were established quite recently. The Act of Unconditional Surrender of the German Third Reich was signed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel on May 8, 1945, at 22:43 Central European Time. In Moscow, it was already the early hours of May 9th. That very morning, Russians found out that the war, which had claimed 27 million Soviet lives, was finally over and the enemy had surrendered. The first celebration of victory in WWII – or the Great Patriotic War, as it is known in Russia – took place that very day.

Army reports instantly dropped their official tone and described how the residents of Prague pulled the troops off their armored vehicles to dance and drink together. In the provinces, people ran out on the streets and congratulated each other. Indeed, some fanatical Nazis continued to put up resistance, Europe was full of mines, and reports stated that there were many losses throughout the month of May. But the big war was over, and to the sound of fireworks, people returned home. No one doubted that victory in WWII was an incredibly important event. However, people were grieving the deaths of their relatives and friends, and their pain was great. May 9 was immediately designated a national holiday. However, lavish celebrations seemed out of place as the country was in ruins, and mentally and physically crippled soldiers, concentration camp prisoners, ‘ostarbeiters’ and refugees returned home.

In Western Ukraine and the Baltic States, battles against nationalist partisans continued. In those years, the Victory Day Parade was held only once, in the summer of 1945. During this grand spectacle, Wehrmacht and SS banners seized in Germany were thrown in front of the Kremlin. But in the following years, the celebrations became more modest. Every year on May 9th there was a fireworks display, but otherwise, from 1947 it was a regular workday (even though a festive one), and veterans usually celebrated it with friends. Things changed in 1965. By that time, 20 years had passed since the end of the war. New Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, himself a WWII veteran, decided to once again make May 9 a day off. From then on, military parades were held on Victory Day jubilees, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial was opened by the Kremlin wall, and the tradition of laying wreaths at the memorials was established. In short, the holiday acquired a grand scale and became quite solemn after the nation’s pain had somewhat subsided.

The country is gone, but the memory remains . The annual large-scale celebration of Victory Day, with parades held across the country and a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square, is a fairly new tradition. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, an obvious question arose – what should be done with the country’s communist legacy and symbology? For example, the Day of the 1917 Revolution was observed on November 7. It was replaced by another holiday, associated with Russian national heroes Minin and Pozharsky, who lived in the 17th century. But no one ever considered revising May 9th as Victory Day.

However, the authorities wanted to separate the holiday from socialist ideology. In the Soviet Union, ideology and victory were inseparable. But in the 90s, a new era had dawned. The USSR had collapsed. Moreover, many war heroes fell prey to new conflicts. For example, Vladimir Bochkovsky, a hero of the battles in Ukraine and Germany, became a citizen of the unrecognized Republic of Transnistria, which started a bloody uprising against the former Soviet Republic of Moldova. Meliton Kantaria – the standard-bearer who had hoisted the Soviet flag over the Reichstag – was forced to flee from Abkhazia when an ethnic conflict broke out between the Abkhazians and Georgians, even though by that time, he was a very old man. At that time, a question arose – what does Victory Day mean for the new republics?

Opinions differed. In the Baltic states, national elites believed that in the 40s their countries had been held hostage by two totalitarian regimes. Moreover, unofficially, the Nazis were preferred over the communists – for example, in Latvia, the memorial day of the Latvian SS Legion was officially celebrated for some time. In many other former USSR republics, Victory Day is celebrated in one way or another. In Russia, Victory Day has remained one of the most important national holidays, and a key moment in Russian history. However, the holiday has lost some of its political meaning. For example, Lenin’s Mausoleum is draped on May 9 in order to avoid ideological ties, and a new symbol has been added to the celebrations – the black and orange St. George ribbon, which resembles both the ribbon of the Order of St. George (the highest military decoration in Imperial Russia) and the ribbon of the Order of Glory – a WWII soldier’s award.

Russian communists and leftists didn’t like the fact that the Soviet symbols were replaced. However, for the majority of Russian people, other aspects turned out to be more important. WWII impacted almost every family in Russia, and most people consider the Soviet era as simply one period in the country’s history. Therefore, national motives are considered more important than Soviet symbology.

“The court was told that this would happen, it happened, and now the court wants to ask the jury to pretend that it did not happen..”

• Stormy Daniels Day: Alvin Bragg Lights Dumpster Fire in Manhattan

Before the start of the Manhattan prosecution of former president Donald Trump, I characterized the case of District Attorney Alvin Bragg as based on a type of obscenity standard. In a 1984 pornography case, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote “I shall not today attempt further to define [obscenity]. . . . But I know it when I see it.” Bragg has refused to clearly define the crime that Trump was seeking to conceal when payments for a non-disclosure agreement were listed as a legal expense. We would just know it when we saw it at trial. We are still waiting, but this week, Bragg seems to be prosecuting an actual obscenity case. The prosecution fought with Trump’s defense counsel to not only call porn star Stormy Daniels to the stand, but to ask her for lurid details on her alleged tryst with Trump. The only assurance that they would make to Judge Juan Merchan was that they would “not go into details of genitalia.”

For Merchan, who has largely ruled against Trump on such motions, that was enough. He allowed the prosecutors to get into the details of the affair despite the immateriality of the evidence to any criminal theory. Neither the NDA nor the payment to Daniels is being contested. It is also uncontested that Trump wanted to pay to get the story (and other stories, including untrue allegations) from being published. The value of the testimony was entirely sensational and gratuitous, yet Merchan was fine with humiliating Trump. Daniels’ testimony was a dumpster fire in the courtroom. The most maddening moment for the defense came at the lunch break when Merchan stated, “I agree that it would have been better if some of these things had been left unsaid.” He then denied a motion for a mistrial based on the testimony and blamed the defense for not objecting more.

That, of course, ignores the standing objection of the defense to Daniels even appearing, and specific objections to the broad scope allowed by the court. This is precisely what the defense said would happen when the prosecutors only agreed to avoid “genitalia.” There was no reason for Daniels to appear at all in the trial. Even if he was adamant in allowing her, Merchan could have imposed a much more limited scope for her testimony. He could also have enforced the limits that he did place on the testimony when it was being ignored by both the prosecutors and the witness. Merchan said that he is considering a limiting instruction for the jury to ignore aspects of the testimony.

But that is little comfort for the defendant. The court was told that this would happen, it happened, and now the court wants to ask the jury to pretend that it did not happen. Merchan knows that there is no way for the jury to unhear the testimony. More importantly, the prosecution knew that from the outset. Daniels appeared eager to share the stories for the same reason that she was eager to sell her story. While she said that she “hates” Trump and wants him “held accountable,” Daniels is no victim.

Alan Dershowitz breaks down why Stormy Daniel's disastrous testimony yesterday could have just doomed the prosecution's entire case in NYC:

"There was clear reversible error today committed by the judge and by the prosecution."

"I can't imagine how the Court of Appeals in New… pic.twitter.com/9TWpWkLDiX

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 8, 2024

“..Trump and other defendants argued that McAfee was wrong not to remove both WIllis and Wade, writing that “providing DA Willis with the option to simply remove Wade confounds logic and is contrary to Georgia law.”

• Keeping Fani On RICO Trial Under Scrutiny By Appeals Court (ZH)

One day after former President Donald Trump’s classified documents trial was postponed indefinitely after we learned that the DOJ mishandled evidence in the case (with Judge Aileen M. Cannon citing a mountain of ‘outstanding’ pre-trial matters that would make a May 20 trial ‘imprudent’), another Trump case appears to have no chance of going to trial before the 2024 election. On Wednesday, a Georgia appeals court agreed to review a lower court ruling which allowed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the Trump RICO prosecution despite being highly conflicted. To review, Atlanta Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton Superior Court, who donated to Fani Willis when she was running for office, ruled in March that the Fani simply had to kick her lover, Nathan Wade, off the case after she paid him more than $600,000. The two notoriously took several lavish vacations together on Wade’s dime (which Fani swears she repaid in cash).

According to McAfee, while he found the “appearance of impropriety,” no “disqualification of a constitutional officer necessary when a less drastic and sufficiently remedial option is available,” adding “that the prosecution of this case cannot proceed until the State selects one of two options.” And now, the Atlanta Court of Appeals has agreed to hear an appeal from the defendants over whether McAfee erred in his decision. Willis indicted Trump and 18 other defendants last August, accusing them of a wide-ranging scheme to attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. All of the defendants were charged under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law. Trump and most of the other defendants have pleaded not guilty. In their appeal application, Trump and other defendants argued that McAfee was wrong not to remove both WIllis and Wade, writing that “providing DA Willis with the option to simply remove Wade confounds logic and is contrary to Georgia law.”

Most recently, Willis has defiantly refused to appear before a Georgia Senate Investigative Committee, telling reporters earlier this week (via RedState): REPORTER: Would you appear before a Georgia Senate committee without a subpoena? WILLIS: Well first of all I don’t even think they have the authority to subpoena me, but they didn’t learn the law. REPORTER: Will you appear, yes or no? WILLIS: I will not appear to anything that is unlawful. I have not broken the law in any way. I’ve said it, you know, I’ll say it amongst these leaders—I’m sorry folks get p***ed off that everybody gets treated even. FAITH LEADER STANDING NEXT TO HER: I think she answered that very well.

Is it still there?

• RFK Jr. Had ‘Dead Worm’ In Brain in 2010– NYT (RT)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once thought he had a brain tumor but the dark spot on the scans turned out to be a dead parasitic worm, the New York Times has reported citing legal documents. President John Kennedy’s nephew, who is currently running an independent presidential campaign, has argued that he is both younger and healthier than incumbent President Joe Biden and his chief rival Donald Trump. In 2010, however, RFK Jr. was experiencing “brain fog” and memory loss so severe, he turned to top neurologists for advice about a possible tumor, according to the Times. One New York doctor gave him a different opinion, however: a dead parasite. The anomaly seen on the scans “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died,” Kennedy said in a 2012 deposition.

In the same legal interview, Kennedy said he “clearly” had cognitive problems, including short-term and longer-term memory loss. In a subsequent interview with the Times, however, he attributed those to mercury poisoning, caused by his fish-heavy diet at the time. Blood tests found mercury levels 10 times higher than the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers safe, Kennedy said, adding that he fully recovered after undergoing chelation therapy to remove the heavy metal from his body. According to the Times article, the cyst containing the dead worm remained in Kennedy’s brain and did not require treatment, nor did he have any aftereffects from it. He said he did not know what type of parasite it may have been or how he contracted it, though he suspected it was on a trip to South Asia.

The 2012 document was related to divorce proceedings from Mary Richardson Kennedy, RFK Jr’s second wife. Kennedy argued at the time that his earnings potential had been diminished by cognitive struggles. Kennedy has been outspoken about another obvious mental condition, a neurological disorder called spasmodic dysphonia that causes his voice to become hoarse and strained. RFK Jr. initially launched a primary challenge to Biden within the Democratic Party, but switched to an independent bid after several months of stonewalling from the party apparatus. Biden, 81, is widely believed to suffer from several cognitive impairments due to his age and prior medical conditions – though his doctors have insisted that the oldest US president ever to be inaugurated was just fine.

Another dead worm.

• Von der Leyen Facing Growing Discontent In EU Capitals – Media (RT)

EU elites are growing increasingly disenchanted with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung has claimed. Bloomberg reported last month that French President Emmanuel Macron, widely regarded as a key backer in von der Leyen’s rise, is eyeing a replacement for her. Although she is unelected, von der Leyen’s fate still indirectly depends on the outcome of the European parliamentary elections scheduled for next month. She remains the main candidate for the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has the most seats in the European Parliament. Despite an expected right wing surge in the upcoming votes, it is expected to reinforce its dominant position in June. Any EPP nominee would still require the backing from an absolute majority of MEPs and von der Leyen has refused to rule out a coalition with right wing groups in order to secure another five-year term.

In an article on Wednesday, Neue Zurcher Zeitung claimed that “in the capitals, many are dissatisfied with [von der Leyen’s] record, with her excessive climate policy [and] the weakening economy.” The media outlet added that “accusations of nepotism and non-transparency” have also cast a shadow on her prospects. According to the Swiss newspaper, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, along with French President Macron, are considering alternatives to von der Leyen, including former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi. Citing anonymous sources, Bloomberg also claimed in April that Macron was discussing potential replacements with other EU leaders. The media outlet likewise named Draghi as a possible candidate.

Macron has taken several thinly veiled swipes at von der Leyen in recent months. In March, he complained that while the “commission presidency is there to defend the general interest,” it has become “over-politicized.” Von der Leyen’s standing has also been shaken by several high-profile scandals. Last month, the commission president found herself in hot water after giving fellow German MEP Markus Pieper the lucrative job of “special adviser” on a reported salary of €17,000 ($18,000) a month. EU heavyweights such as the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, and Commissioner Thierry Breton have sounded the alarm over “questions about the transparency and impartiality of the nomination process.”The commission, however, insisted that the “process [to appoint Pieper] took place in full compliance with procedures.”

“..it’s idle to dwell on what can only be described as suicidal stupidity..”

• A tale of Two Sovereigns, a Lackey and a Nanny (Pepe Escobar)

Startling mirror images swirl around two major developments this week directly inbuilt in the Grand Narrative that shapes my latest book, Eurasia v. NATOstan, recently published in the U.S.: Xi Jinping’s visit to Paris and the inauguration of Vladimir Putin’s new term in Moscow. Inevitably, this is a contrasting tale of Sovereigns – the comprehensive Russia-China strategic partnership – and lackeys: the NATOstan/EU vassals. Xi, the quintessential hermetic guest, is quite sharp at reading a table – and we’re not talking about Gallic gastronomic finesse. The minute he sat at the Paris table he got the Big Picture. This was not a tete-a-tete with Le Petit Roi, Emmanuel Macron. This was a threesome because Toxic Medusa Ursula von der Leyen, more appropriately defined as Pustula von der Lugen, had inserted herself in the plot.

Nothing was lost in translation for Xi: this was graphic illustration that Le Petit Roi, the leader of a third-rate former Western colonial power, enjoys zero “strategic autonomy”. The decisions that matter come from the Kafkaesque Eurocracy of the European Commission (EC), led by his Nanny, the Medusa, and directly relayed by the Hegemon. Le Petit Roi spent the whole of Xi’s Gallic time babbling like an infant on Putin’s “destabilizations” and trying to “engage China, which objectively enjoys sufficient levers to change Moscow’s calculus in its war in Ukraine”. Obviously no pubescent adviser at the Elysee Palace – and there’s quite a crowd – dared to break the news to Le Petit Roi about the strength, depth and reach of the Russia-China strategic partnership.

So it was up to his Nanny to volunteer out loud the fine print on the “Monsieur Xi comes to France” adventure. Faithfully parroting Treasure Secretary Janet Yellen in her recent, disastrous Beijing incursion, the Nanny directly threatened the superpowered hermetic guest: you are exceeding in “over-capacity”, you are over-producing; and if you don’t stop it, we will sanction you to death. So much for European “strategic autonomy”. Moreover, it’s idle to dwell on what can only be described as suicidal stupidity.

“..if anything is falling, it’s American hegemony, whose containment strategies have so far only resulted in even stronger and more capable opponents..”

• Being An US “Ally” Means Silently Watching Your Own Destruction (Dionísio)

The Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, once said that the formula used by the European Union to manage its relations with China is “impractical”, “it’s like driving a car to an intersection and looking at the traffic light and seeing the yellow, green and red lights on at the same time”. I would say more… In addition to the confusion with the traffic light indications, the driver — for the Chinese only — still has to watch out for nails, oil and potholes in the road, which can lead to a crash or damage to the vehicle.

And who would cause such dangers along the way? Given the desperation of the actors involved and the unidirectional nature of the actions… Consequently, the exasperated and catastrophic tone that we find in the Western press, as opposed to a more triumphalist tone that was still in force six months ago (maybe even less than that), tells us everything we need to know. It’s incredible how Western emotions run riot, going from one extreme to the other in very short periods of time. From certain victory in Ukraine against Russia, we move on to widespread panic, in which Sullivan, Biden, Borrell or Macron, who as recently as September were already bathing in the good waters of Crimea, have now moved on to the certainty that Russian troops will not stop at the Dnepr and perhaps not even at the Danube, Rhine or Elbe.

During 2023 we all watched the unstoppable succession of predictions of the fall of the Chinese economy — remember, the Russian one was already “in taters — only now to be panicked by the flood of high-quality, low-cost products that the lazy West can’t even dream of competing with. It’s happening in cars, as well as semiconductors and agricultural machinery, and we’re gradually discovering, from the hysterical tone of Janet Yellen and Blinken, that if anything is falling, it’s American hegemony, whose containment strategies have so far only resulted in even stronger and more capable opponents. After all, it’s hard work that shapes character. The rentier capitalist elite of the West is too used to the easy money of royalties to be able to compete with those who have never abandoned industry, agriculture and truly productive activities.

The fact is that, in the Washington Post, David Ignatius, a researcher linked to the U.S.’s largest think thank, based on work by the Rand Corporation itself, says that analysts say the U.S. is entering a decline from which few powers have recovered; it is also RAND that provides us with an article entitled “U.S.-China rivalry in a new middle age”, pointing to the need for decision-makers to develop a neo-medieval mentality, namely by having to wage war in the knowledge that the “public” doesn’t want it; Borrell says that the U.S. is no longer hegemonic and that China has already become a superpower, something that Brzezinski had promised would never happen again; or the statistics on the U.S. economy, which say that it grew by only 1.6% in the first quarter of 2024, which shows a slowdown compared to the forecast. A big slowdown, considering the 2.7% predicted by U.S. broadcasting networks such as the IMF.

To speed up its demise?!

• Zuckerberg Considered Buying Associated Press (RT)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg considered acquiring or taking a major stake in the Associated Press news agency, Business Insider reported on Tuesday, citing sources. The potential deal was mooted after the social media giant faced accusations of influencing the 2016 US presidential election. Now known as Meta, the company’s role in the election, in which Donald Trump was voted into power, faced intense scrutiny from Washington amid claims that the platform had helped spread fake news. The moral panic worsened after Facebook disclosed that a Russian agency had spent $100,000 on social network ads that allegedly attempted to incite divisions during the presidential campaign.

Moscow has denied any attempt to interfere in the US election, while Facebook’s vice president for advertising, Rob Goldman, later revealed that the Russian spending had in fact come after the election. Zuckerberg, however, was still forced to make significant changes to Facebook’s services and privacy policies, and even officially apologized to the US Congress in 2018 for his management of the platform. According to Business Insider, the CEO had the idea of acquiring a news outlet around the same time. Sources said Zuckerberg had planned to use it as a reliable source of information to create high-quality news posts and tackle controversy over the platform’s content. The billionaire reportedly discussed the idea extensively within Facebook. While Zuckerberg is said to have considered several media outlets for acquisition, he eventually focused on the Associated Press (AP), the major international news agency based in New York.

The AP is a news cooperative, which made an outright acquisition difficult, sources claimed. Instead, Zuckerberg reportedly focused on the potential permanent subsidization of the agency. According to the report, the tech boss was set on acquiring the AP and even involved Facebook’s mergers and acquisitions team in his plans. He ultimately dropped the idea, however, supposedly fearing even more regulatory scrutiny over the move. Later, Zuckerberg reportedly mulled the idea of launching Facebook’s own news organization to produce original content, and considered luring top journalists from other outlets with financial incentives. This idea was also said to have been abandoned amid concerns about the lack of public trust in the social media giant at the time.

Too late now.

• MTG Initiates Ouster of US House Speaker (RT)

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has filed a motion to vacate the chair of the US House of Representatives, accusing Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana of betraying his party. According to the text of the resolution, made public by fellow Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Johnson “has not lived up to a single one” of the seven tenets he announced when he was elected speaker last October. Johnson’s tenure “is defined by one self-serving characteristic: When given a choice between advancing Republican priorities or allying with Democrats to preserve his own personal power, Johnson regularly chooses to ally himself with Democrats,” Greene said. The House leadership responded to Greene’s proposal with a motion to dismiss the resolution. The final vote was 359 in favor (196 Republicans and 163 Democrats) to 43 opposed, saving Johnson’s speakership.

Only 11 Republicans and 32 Democrats voted to support Greene’s resolution, indirectly proving Greene’s point that the speaker is aligned with the “uniparty” in Washington. Among the things Greene and Massie – who backed her proposal – blamed Johnson for was the expulsion of Congressman George Santos in December. His seat was taken over by a Democrat in a special election. Johnson counted on Democrats to pass the omnibus government funding bill in March and the $61 billion funding package for Ukraine in April; on both occasions, the majority of House Republicans voted against. “By passing the Democrats’ agenda and handcuffing Republicans’ ability to influence legislation, our elected Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has aided and abetted the Democrats and the Biden administration in destroying our country,” Greene added.

Bills that Johnson worked to pass funded all of President Joe Biden and the Democrats’ agenda, Greene argued, including the “deadly border invasion,” the “energy-killing Green New Deal climate agenda,” the “weaponized” FBI and the Department of Justice, the “trans agenda on kids,” continued full term abortions, and the “fueling of foreign forever wars.” Greene’s resolution called Johnson’s excuses for these actions “pathetic, weak, and unacceptable,” noting that even with a razor-thin majority in the House, the GOP still has the power of the purse. Johnson also trampled his previous record as a defender of civil liberties to vote against requiring a warrant for FISA spying on Americans, Greene said, and funded the Democrats’ “witch hunt” against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

They never expected the blowback.

• Hapless President Biden Caught Between Unhappy Base, Unrepentant Israel (Sp.)

Six months out from November’s election, US President Joe Biden continues to flounder on a key foreign policy issue. “We’ve made clear our views about operations in Rafah that could potentially put more than a million innocent people at greater risk,” said White House spokesman John Kirby Monday. “[Biden] also made clear that we continue to believe that the hostage deal was the best way to avoid that sort of an outcome while securing the release of those hostages.” Days later, the IDF’s operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah continues with no apparent progress on a deal to bring it to an end. The incident is characteristic of the White House’s relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed analyst Hasan Unal, which leaves the US president with the impossible task of attempting to please both pro-Palestine elements in his party and Israel’s far-right leadership. The professor of political science and international relations at Bashkent University joined Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Wednesday to discuss these latest developments and their strategic and humanitarian implications.

“I think Israel would’ve wanted to see Hamas rejecting any deal on that,” said Unal after reports emerged the Palestinian group had accepted a proposal negotiated with the help of the US, Egypt and Qatar. “That would have cleared the way for Israel, particularly the Netanyahu government, to undertake that awful military operation in Rafah… It has certainly placed Israel in a very difficult corner in that sense. So Hamas has won the tactical game.” “That doesn’t mean that that is going to stop Israel,” he explained. “Don’t forget, the United States is the only country perhaps in the world that has so much leverage over Israel. On the one hand, yes, there is the Israeli lobby, which is very powerful in the United States. But at the same time the United States has enormous influence and leverage over Israel.”

Unal recounted the United States’ efforts to rein in Israel in the past, such as during 1956’s Suez Crisis in which the US, the Soviet Union, and international authorities ordered Israel to end its occupation of Egyptian territory in the Sinai Desert. The US again forced Israel into a compromise during the 1978 signing of the Camp David Accords and once again when former President Ronald Reagan ordered the country to end its bombing of Beirut in 1982. In 1991 US Secretary of State James Baker succeeded in delaying US loan guarantees to Israel until it agreed to pause illegal settlement building in Gaza and the West Bank. Baker and former President George H.W. Bush faced strident opposition for the move from AIPAC and other pro-Israel interests. Bush lost reelection the following year, and US leaders have shown little willingness to challenge Israel ever since.