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Debt Rattle March 30 2026

Mar 302026
 
 March 30, 2026  Posted by at 8:09 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,  66 Responses »


Leonardo da Vinci Ginevra de’ Benci c. 1474-78

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• US Prepares for ‘Weeks‘ of Ground Raids in Iran – WaPo (RT)
• Iran Warns US Troops Will Be ‘Set On Fire’ In Ground Invasion (RT)
• CENTCOM Announces 3,500 Marines Arrive in Ready Position (CTH)
• Trump Ready To Take US Arms For Ukraine & Divert Them To Middle East (ZH)
• Democrats Should Be Panicking About This (Matt Margolis)
• The Long And Winding Petro-Gold Road (Pepe Escobar)
• Tensions Surface Between Marco Rubio and EU’s Insufferable Kaja Kallas (CTH)
• Aliens are ‘Demons’ – Vance (RT)
• Vance Says The Clock Is Ticking For Ilhan Omar (MN)
• Republic of Somaliland Asks US to Extradite Ilhan Omar (Catherine Salgado)
• Leading Democrat Calls for Reparations for Illegal Immigrants (Turley)
• Ukraine Needs Nukes As Security Guarantee – Zelensky (RT)
• Slovakia Threatens To Block EU’s Russia Sanctions Over Oil Rift With Kiev (RT)
• Project Hail Mary’ Is a Gut Punch to Woke Hollywood (Matt Margolis)

 


 

https://twitter.com/mitchellvii/status/2037964733052055572?s=20 $200 MILLION? Try BILLION. 1,000 times more.

 


 

 


 


“President Donald Trump has yet to approve any of the Department of War’s invasion plans, according to the Washington Post .. ”

• US Prepares for ‘Weeks‘ of Ground Raids in Iran – WaPo (RT)

The US Department of War is reportedly drafting plans for weeks of potential ground operations in Iran, despite US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that Tehran has already lost the month-long war and is begging for a deal to surrender. Any ground mission would not be a “full-scale invasion,” but rather limited raids by Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, several US officials who spoke with the Washington Post on condition of anonymity have insisted.


Potential objectives could include the seizure of Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub, or raids into coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to destroy weapons capable of targeting commercial and military shipping. Trump has yet to approve any of the Department of War’s plans. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it is the Pentagon’s role to make preparations to provide the commander-in-chief with “maximum optionality.”

Earlier on Saturday, the US Central Command said the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship had joined the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the region. The new reinforcements include around 3,500 US sailors and Marines with transport and strike aircraft, as well as amphibious assault assets. Another US amphibious ready group – comprising the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Comstock, and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland – is also reportedly moving to the region.

In the meantime, the Department of War is also deploying a third aircraft carrier group to the US Central Command’s area of responsibility to potentially join combat operations against Iran, according to CBS and CNN reports on Friday. Two carrier strike groups – led by the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln – spearheaded the US attack on Iran last month, until the Ford suffered an alleged “non-combat” fire aboard and retreated for repairs to Crete. It is unclear if the Bush will join or replace the Ford.

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“Our men are waiting for American soldiers to set them on fire..”

• Iran Warns US Troops Will Be ‘Set On Fire’ In Ground Invasion (RT)

As the conflict nears the one-month mark, the prospect of a US ground incursion appears increasingly plausible. In response, Iranian officials have issued stark warnings, with parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf saying the country is prepared for the arrival of American troops and vowing fierce retaliation. Ghalibaf has accused US President Donald Trump of duplicity, saying Washington is publicly signaling talks while covertly preparing for an attack. “Our men are waiting for American soldiers to set them on fire,” he said.


Meanwhile, Iran claims it inflicted major damage on US military assets in the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its Air Force carried out a missile-drone strike on Saudi Arabia’s Al-Kharj Air Base, destroying at least one Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft.


US media reports and circulating images suggest a $270 million aircraft was destroyed, several others damaged, and at least 12 American troops injured, though the Pentagon has not confirmed the scale of the reported losses.At the same time, The Washington Post reported that the US Department of War is drafting plans for weeks of potential ground operations. Officials cited by the outlet said any mission would likely involve limited raids rather than a full-scale invasion, with possible objectives including seizing Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub.

Here are the latest developments:
The IRGC threatened to target two unnamed US- and Israeli-linked educational facilities unless Washington formally condemns Israel by 12:00 PM Tehran time on Monday, March 30, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the US and Israel of deliberately targeting the country’s scientific and cultural infrastructure, citing strikes on major universities in Isfahan and Tehran.Yemen’s Houthis, who only recently declared their entry into the conflict, said they launched a second wave of missile and drone attacks on Israel and vowed to continue operations until Israeli actions cease. Protests against the war were reported in Tel Aviv and cities across the US and Europe, while in Lebanon crowds gathered in Beirut after three journalists were killed in what was described as a targeted Israeli strike.

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To conquer Kharg?

• CENTCOM Announces 3,500 Marines Arrive in Ready Position (CTH)

As the ongoing Operation Epic Fury military engagement continues, CENTCOM announces the arrival of 3.500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit into forward position.


As negotiations with Iranian leadership are reported to be ongoing, it would appear that options are now present for President Trump to make a decision on the potential seizure of Kharg Island, a crucial oil export hub off Iran’s coast. (Via Wall Street Journal) – “The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give President Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Teh ran, Department of Defense officials with knowledge of the planning said.

The force, which would likely include infantry and armored vehicles, would be added to the roughly 5,000 Marines and the thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division who have already been ordered to the region.It is unclear where precisely forces will go in the Middle East, but they will likely be within striking distance of Iran and Kharg Island, a crucial oil export hub off Iran’s coast. Trump has repeatedly said he will open the Strait of Hormuz, with or without the help of U.S. allies. (read more)

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Zelensky is in the way.

• Trump Ready To Take US Arms For Ukraine & Divert Them To Middle East (ZH)

The Iran war has been bad for Ukraine, and President Zelensky knows it. He’s frequently been warning partners not to let the global focus on the latest Middle East war distract from supporting Kiev. But President Trump himself made fresh remarks highlighting just this situation, signaling he’s willing to reroute arms originally tied to Ukraine toward the Middle East theater against Iran, reinforcing the obvious and growing pivot in US priorities.


Pressed on reports that shipments were being redirected on Thursday, Trump shrugged it off as standard practice: “We do that all the time. We have a lot of munitions. Sometimes we take from one and use for another.” He added Washington is no longer directly supplying the Ukrainian government and armed forces, but is instead “selling” weapons to NATO states that then pass them along. This has for many months been the White House’s stated plan.

According to The Washington Post, officials say the Pentagon is weighing whether to divert missile interceptors initially intended for NATO purchase for Ukraine and send them to the Middle East. While a final decision hasn’t been made, or has at least not been publicly declared, this would be reasonable given how much US bases in the region have struggled to intercept Iran’s inbound missiles and drones. On Friday Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia was hit, wounding at least a dozen US troops, with reports of several in serious condition. Expensive US Air Force planes were also hit.

Clearly the US needs more interceptors, and yet Ukraine has for months been raising the alarm over its need for more Patriots and other air defense systems. Russia’s assault on Ukrainian cities has not waned, but has been consistent and devastating. In early March, Zelensky stated that “We understand that a long war–if it is long–and the intensity of the military actions will affect the amount of air defense we receive.” He emphasized: “Everyone understands that, for us, this is a matter of life.”

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“..if they can’t sell this to their own allies in the press..”:

“..This was ABC News, with one of its own anchors walking a Democratic senator through the basic mechanics of the standoff and refusing to accept the spin ..”

• Democrats Should Be Panicking About This (Matt Margolis)

When the liberal media isn’t buying the Democrats’ talking points, you know they’re in trouble. On Sunday’s edition of This Week, host Jonathan Karl walked Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) through the reality of the Democrats blocking funding for the Department of Homeland Security, and things got a little testy when Van Hollen was confronted with some uncomfortable truths “I guess what’s confusing here is you have fought and blocked the funding for the Department of Homeland Security because you object, as you just outlined, to what ICE has been doing, and you wanted to force changes,” Karl said. “And yet, the only thing that has been assured throughout all of this is that ICE already has the money. Because, as you said, $75 billion passed in the budget bill last year.”


This isn’t new information; we’ve known for months now that ICE is funded through 2029, which made this standoff completely pointless, not to mention dangerous and reckless. Karl pressed the point further, spelling it out in plain English. “So you’re holding up the entirety of the Department of Homeland Security because you object to ICE, and you want changes to ICE,” he said. “Through it all, ICE continues to have the money it needs.”

That’s when the senator attempted to reframe the situation: “John, we’re not holding up all of the money for all the Department of Homeland Security. That’s just a false statement. We have said …repeatedly… we should fund TSA, we should fund FEMA, we should fund the Coast Guard. We are not prepared to give ICE another $10 billion …. on top of the monies they already have and are using in many of these lawless operations.” Karl cut in again, bringing the conversation back to consequences: “But fighting over that $10 billion … you’re holding up everything else.”

Then Van Hollen had the audacity to claim, “We’re not holding it up.” Karl wasn’t buying the spin. “And fighting over that additional $10 billion … you are holding up the rest of Department of Homeland Security.” Van Hollen just stuck to the script: “We’re not holding it up.” Karl wasn’t letting that slide: “I mean, but, but you’re saying—” “No, no, John, we’re not holding it up,” he insisted, but Karl kept coming back to the same, irrefutable point. “But you’re holding it up unless it doesn’t include money for ICE. That’s just a fact.”

Remember, this wasn’t a partisan hit from a conservative outlet. This was ABC News, with one of its own anchors walking a Democratic senator through the basic mechanics of the standoff and refusing to accept the spin. We’ve been pointing this out for weeks now, but when a left-wing media outlet points it out, it tells you exactly how the Democrats’ messaging is simply failing to fool anyone. And if the liberal media isn’t even buying it, it’s a clear sign the usual media safety net isn’t there to catch Democrats this time. Their messaging isn’t just weak—it’s collapsing under basic scrutiny in front of a national audience. And if they can’t sell this to their own allies in the press, Democrats should be panicking about this.

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Pepe doesn’t like Trump, who must therefore be a loser. I don’t find that strong.

• The Long And Winding Petro-Gold Road (Pepe Escobar)

The 15-point plan that Team Trump presented to Iran is already D.O.A. It’s an imposed capitulation: a surrender document disguised as “negotiation”. The non-plan plan – imposing demands while begging for a one-month ceasefire – includes zero uranium enrichment on Iranian soil; full dismantlement of Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow installations; all enriched uranium out of Iran; the missile program extremely restricted; no funding for Hezbollah, Ansarallah and Iraqi militias; the Strait of Hormuz totally opened. All that in exchange for a vague “cancelling the threat of reimposing sanctions”.


The only realistic Iranian response to this accumulated wishful thinking might be Mr. Khorramshahr-4 showering his business card across selected targets – consistent with leveraging economic and military deterrence to dictate the real terms. And the real terms are harsh: Closure of ALL US military bases in the Gulf; guarantee of no more wars; end of the war on Hezbollah; lifting of ALL sanctions; war damage reparations; a new order in the Strait of Hormuz (already in effect: collecting fees just like Egypt in Suez); missile program intact. Conclusion: the infernal escalation machine keeps rolling.

A Member’s Club With an Entrance Fee in Petroyuan
Meanwhile, oil and gas prices are mired in a kaleidoscope of volatility, affecting currencies, equities, commodities, supply chains, inflation scares. This is already an out-of-control global economic shock with devastating consequences in progress. Before the war, Iran was producing a little less of 1.1 million barrels of oil a day, sold at $65 a barrel with a $18 discount: thus, in practice only $47. Now, Iran has increased production to 1.5 million barrels a day, selling at $110 (and counting), mostly to China, with a maximum $4 discount.

And that does not even include petrochemical sales: on the up and up, and for an array of extra customers. To round it all up, all payments are conducted via alternative mechanisms. Which brings us to a startling fact: for all practical purposes, this is sanctions relief in effect. Now for the Holy Grail in the war: the Strait of Hormuz. It is de facto open, but with a toll booth controlled by the IRGC. A toll booth with a twist: veto power over the guest list. Like entering an exclusive private club. To get the IRGC clearance, a tanker needs to pay the toll: $2 million per vessel. This is how it works.

You contact an IRGC-linked broker. The broker relays to the IRGC the essential info: vessel ownership, national flag, cargo manifest, destination, crew list, and AIS transponder data. The IRGC runs background checks. If you are not US-linked, not shipping any Israel-linked cargo, and your flag is not part of “aggressor states”, you’re in. Japan and South Korea, for instance, still have not been cleared. Then you pay the toll. In cash – whatever currency you have – but preferably in yuan. Or in crypto. It’s a complex mechanism. The IRGC uses multiple addresses; cross-chain bridges to other networks; over-the-counter desks in jurisdictions way beyond American reach; and integration with all sorts of yuan settlement channels.

After the toll is paid, the IRGC issues a VHF radio clearance – complete with a specific time window linked to a narrow 5-mile nautical corridor through Iranian territorial waters, between Qeshm and little Larak island, where the IRGC Navy can visually identify your vessel. You’re free to go. No need for an escort ship. All of the above applies, for now, to tankers from China, India, Pakistan, Turkiye, Malaysia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Russia. Some don’t need to pay the full toll. Some get exemptions – on government-to-government basis (as in Sri Lanka and Thailand, both described as “friendly nations”). And some don’t pay anything.

So welcome to a member’s club with an entrance fee mostly in petroyuan. It took a single move from Iran to achieve what endless global summits could not: establishing an alternative settlement system – under fire, tested under supreme stress, and on top of it applied in the most consequential chokepoint on the planet. Each toll paid in petroyuan bypasses the petrodollar, SWIFT and US sanctions – all in one go. The Iranian parliament will approve legislation institutionalizing the toll booth as “security compensation.” No one saw this coming – and so fast: legalized chokepoint monetization. Without firing a shot. This is what de-dollarization trade is really all about.

The problem is what is not transiting Hormuz: fertilizers. Over 49% of urea for export comes from the Persian Gulf. Ammonia needs natural gas; but Qatar declared Force Majeure after the Epstein Syndicate attack on South Pars and the Iranian counter-strikes. The IRGC is focused on oil because oil finances the tool booth and long term, is at the heart of the post-dollar energy settlement system, fully supported by the Russia-China strategic partnership. So it’s no wonder the Empire of Chaos and Plunder has gone bonkers.

In a flash, in three weeks, we have the petroyuan ruling over the – de facto privatized – most important naval connectivity corridor on the planet. So CENTCOM will go all out Terminator to demolish the tool booth, attempting everything from bombing IRGC installations along the coast and setting up naval escorts for allied tankers to a tsunami of sanctions on toll booth brokers.

“Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fool’s gold mouthpiece the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves to warn
That he not busy being born is busy dying”
-Bob Dylan

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““We are doing the best we can to end the war. If you think you can do it better, go ahead. We will step aside..”

PS; Kallas was selected BECAUSE she’s insufferable -and because she hates Putin-. Her function is she makes Von der Leyen look less bad.

• Tensions Surface Between Marco Rubio and EU’s Insufferable Kaja Kallas (CTH)

If you’ve ever watched the intrapersonal aspects of the EU as a governing body, you have likely noticed that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, is an annoying person always injecting herself into every discussion. The DEI infected bureaucrats always go along with it. Last month, Kallas came to the USA to meet with members of congress sympathetic to World War Reddit and Zelenskyy. A cashmere dustup was created because Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn’t meet with her on the eve of Operation Epic Fury. Mrs Kallas felt slighted. According to insider reports, during Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent visit to the G7 foreign minister’s assembly in Paris Mrs Kallas took the opportunity to snark at Secretary Rubio.


(Via Axios) – EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio when the U.S. would get tough on Russia during a G7 ministers meeting on Friday, sparking a sharp retort, according to three sources who attended the meeting. She noted that Rubio had said at the same forum a year earlier that if Russia hampered U.S. efforts to end the war, the U.S. would run out of patience and take more steps against the Kremlin. “A year has passed and Russia hasn’t moved,” Kallas told Rubio, according to the sources. “When is your patience going to run out?” Rubio was visibly annoyed, “We are doing the best we can to end the war. If you think you can do it better, go ahead. We will step aside,” he fired back, raising his voice. (read more)

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“The US vice president has vowed to examine the UFO files and “get to the bottom” of the matter with his “tippy top” access..”

• Aliens are ‘Demons’ – Vance (RT)

US Vice President J.D. Vance has said aliens are in fact “demons,” vowing to dig into US government files on UFOs. He made the remarks in an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson released on Friday. Vance discussed the UFO files and government disclosures, saying he is “obsessed” with the topic, but has not had enough time to “get to the bottom of it.” “I’ve already had a couple of times where I’ve said, ‘All right, we’re going to Area 51, we’re going out to New Mexico, we’re going to sort of get to the bottom of this.’ And then the timing of the trip didn’t work out,” he said. “I’m more curious than anybody. And I’ve got three years at the very tippy top of the classification. I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”


Area 51 is a secretive US Air Force facility in southern Nevada that has long been linked to speculation about alien life. Johnson asked Vance about President Donald Trump’s February order directing federal agencies to begin “identifying and releasing” government files related to UFOs and aliens. Trump said he was taking the step “based on the tremendous interest shown,” shortly after former President Barack Obama publicly said that aliens are “real.” Trump later told reporters that Obama “gave classified information, he is not supposed to be doing that.”

In the interview, Vance told Johnson, “I don’t think they’re aliens. I think they’re demons,” describing this as a Christian understanding of “celestial beings who fly around who do weird things to people.” Interest in UFOs and related phenomena has grown in recent years, as the US government has investigated numerous reports, including through the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), and established channels for pilots and the public to report sightings. In March 2024, the Pentagon said it had no proof that any unidentified aerial phenomena are in fact alien technology, adding that many cases involved weather balloons, spy planes, satellites, and other routine activity.

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“… what are the legal remedies now that we know that she’s committed immigration fraud?”

• Vance Says The Clock Is Ticking For Ilhan Omar (MN)

Vice President JD Vance has put Rep. Ilhan Omar squarely in the crosshairs, confirming the White House is actively exploring legal remedies to hold her accountable for immigration fraud. In a direct interview with Benny Johnson, Vance stated the Trump administration believes Omar broke the law to enter and remain in the United States — and they are not letting it slide. “So we actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America,” Vance said. “And I talked to [White House deputy chief of staff] Stephen Miller about this actually recently. We’re trying to look at what the remedies are. That’s the thing that we’re trying to figure out is what are the legal remedies now that we know that she’s committed immigration fraud?”


Vance continued, “How do you go after her? How do you investigate her? How do you actually do the thing? How do you build the case necessary to get some justice for the American people? Vance added that Omar “has been at the center of a lot of the worst fraudsters in the Somali community.” Benny Johnson later reflected on the interview, calling it “the first time on the record that we have absolute and total confirmation that Ilhan Omar did, in fact, commit immigration fraud.”

This latest development builds on years of scrutiny over Omar’s personal and financial dealings. As we reported earlier this year, Omar’s husband’s winery was exposed as a fake shell company allegedly used for money laundering, with revenue exploding from $15,000 in 2024 to $5 million in 2025 despite zero wine production at the listed address. The New York Times reported on a federal investigation into Omar’s finances in January. House Republicans and federal agencies launched a probe.

https://twitter.com/WallStreetApes/status/2035672843485319289

Even Democrat strategist James Carville previously ripped into Omar, calling her attacks on white men “stupid” and urging her to leave the Democratic Party. Omar has long faced accusations of marrying her brother Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009 to help him immigrate, after an earlier marriage to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi. She later reconciled with Hirsi and divorced Elmi years later. Conservatives, including President Trump, have repeatedly highlighted her ties to massive welfare fraud schemes in Minnesota’s Somali community, where dozens were charged in a $1 billion theft from taxpayer-funded programs.

Vance is leading a new anti-fraud task force aimed at cracking down on such abuses, especially in Minnesota. President Trump has also mocked Omar over the Somali fraud scandals in recent remarks. The message from the White House is clear: no one is above the law — not even a sitting member of Congress who has spent years deflecting scrutiny while her community allegedly drained billions in American taxpayer dollars.

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For real?

BTW, new for me: “Somaliland is a self-declared independent republic separate in all but name from the rest of Somalia..”

• Republic of Somaliland Asks US to Extradite Ilhan Omar (Catherine Salgado)

After official confirmation that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) did, in fact, commit immigration fraud, the Republic of Somaliland — which has good reason to be bitter at the crimes of Omar and her Somali family — offered to be the hammer of justice if the United States would extradite Omar there. The tantalizing offer comes after Vice President JD Vance confirmed on Benny Johnson’s show what many of us have thought of Omar for a long time — there is, in fact, solid evidence that the radical Islamist member of Congress committed immigration fraud. “We actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America,” Vance stated.


The vice president explained that he has discussed this with a top Trump administration advisor. “I talked to Stephen Miller about this actually recently. We’re trying to look at what the remedies are,” Vance added. “That’s the thing that we’re trying to figure out is what are the legal remedies now that we know that she’s committed immigration fraud? How do you go after her? How do you investigate her? How do you actually do the thing? How do you build a case necessary to get some, some — some justice for the American people?”

he Republic of Somaliland is happy to help Americans see that justice comes to fruition. America is not the only country that has suffered from crimes committed by Omar and her family. In fact, the Republic of Somaliland shared a fascinating X thread recently exposing Omar’s family for war crimes and fraud and illustrating why the government might wish to see her extradited to their country. Did you know Omar’s father participated in the Isaaq Genocide? Why would we ever have let this family come into our country?

https://twitter.com/RepOfSomaliland/status/2034435436874170758

Speaking of which, Vance connected Omar not only to immigration fraud, of which her “marriage” to her brother is a part, but also to fraudulent networks pulling in taxpayer dollars here in America. “She has been at the center of a lot of the worst fraudsters in the Somalian community,” he argued. The Republic of Somaliland wants independence from Somalia precisely because of the sort of violence and corruption that the people who control Somalia and move to the USA from Somalia perpetrate.

In exchange for recognition, the Republic of Somaliland — which argues that historically and politically its independence from Somalia is legitimate — will give the USA a military base, access to a strategic port, and also access to critical minerals. And let’s be honest, that’s a pretty good deal that secures the United States a foothold in the Horn of Africa with a blow to Somalia, which has been sucking up a lot of U.S. taxpayer money through Somali “migrant” fraud.

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Take away here: Anyone who wants to have borders is a dictator.

• Leading Democrat Calls for Reparations for Illegal Immigrants (Turley)

As Chicago and other blue cities move toward reparations for African Americans, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D, Wa.) wants reparations for illegal immigrants for the trauma caused by immigration enforcement. At the same time, various Democrats are making clear that they want to entirely defund and eliminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement. So, after the Biden Administration allowed in millions over an open border, Democrats would eliminate ICE and some like Jayapal would pay illegal immigrants reparations. Rep. Jayapal declared on Friday:


“They need to be brought before us, and they need to be held account [sic] for the trauma that they have created, and we are going to have to have some form of reparation for the kids and the families that have been traumatized through all of this.” While not calling for reparations, other democrats have picked up the theme that someone has to pay for the trauma caused by immigration enforcement. Rep. Maxine Dexter (D, Or.) echoed the mantra of Democratic members that “The administration has terrorized our communities and mine in the Willamette Valley.”

Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX) told constituents, “I can’t imagine seeing my kid in a jail cell just because of where he was born, just because of what language he speaks at home.” Jayapal fought back tears in her “shadow hearing” on Friday after calling for reparations, stating, “I still cannot believe that we are doing this to our own children.” U.S.-born President Donald Trump is the outsider, Jayapal argued: “When the founders put into the Constitution the idea that Congress would have power, they assumed that the party that was in control of Congress would stand up to a dictatorial, authoritarian president.”

Jayapal did not mention the many American children killed by what she called “our” migrants. The question becomes, if more groups get reparations, when does this become a form of wealth redistribution? Indeed, according to these members, much of the country has been traumatized by the Trump Administration. What is missing in cities like Chicago facing economic meltdowns is any notion of financial limits. Instead, Democrats are pushing tax hikes and wealth taxes to cover bloated budgets and growing deficits.

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Nope. C’mon, we’re going to give the mafia nukes?

• Ukraine Needs Nukes As Security Guarantee – Zelensky (RT)

Vladimir Zelensky has demanded that Kiev’s Western backers either admit Kiev to NATO or supply it with nuclear weapons, arguing that nothing less can protect Ukraine against a nuclear-armed Russia. In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde on Friday, Zelensky lashed out at Ukraine’s critics, who he said did not believe in Kiev’s ultimate victory over Russia due to Moscow’s nuclear arsenal. ”When everyone says that Ukraine will not win this war because Russia is a nuclear power, then tell me, what do you think, what security guarantees should Ukraine have to oppose it? Which? NATO? Nuclear weapons? Well then, people should speak with us in the same way,” he said.


He admitted, though, that “until now, no one has asked us that question,” adding that he found “astonishing” the fact that “no one is talking about Russia, at least in the same terms.”Zelensky’s comments came after he told Reuters earlier this week that Washington’s post-war security guarantees were contingent on Kiev withdrawing from the parts of Russia’s Donbass it still occupies. Donbass, along with two other former Ukrainian regions, overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2022, and Moscow has insisted that Kiev’s full withdrawal from the territory was a key condition for a sustainable peace. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against Zelensky, accusing him of telling a “lie.” “I saw him say that, and it’s unfortunate he would say that, because he knows that’s not true and that’s not what he was told,” Rubio stated.

”What he was told is the obvious: security guarantees are not going to kick in until there’s an end to a war, because otherwise you’re getting yourself involved in the war.” Zelensky has, on numerous occasions, denied that Ukraine was seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, he told Sky News last month that he would accept nuclear weapons from Britain and France “with pleasure, but I didn’t have propositions,” as he responded to Moscow’s accusation that London and Paris had plans to secretly arm Ukraine with atomic capabilities.Russia has repeatedly said it would not allow Ukraine to acquire nuclear weapons under any circumstances. Moscow has also suggested that Zelensky’s openness to getting his hands on nuclear weapons before the escalation of the conflict in 2022 was one of the reasons for the start of the hostilities.

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“.. the bloc has threatened Bratislava with repercussions over its domestic protective measures, including diesel rationing for foreigners..”

• Slovakia Threatens To Block EU’s Russia Sanctions Over Oil Rift With Kiev (RT)

Any attempts to fast-track Ukraine’s bid to join the EU will also be blocked if the issue is not resolved, PM Robert Fico has warned. Bratislava will veto the EU’s proposed 20th package of sanctions against Russia, as well as derail any attempts to simplify the potential accession of Kiev into the bloc, should Brussels continue to favor Ukraine over Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned.


Slovakia, as well as its southern neighbor Hungary, has been locked in a bitter row with Ukraine since late January, when the Druzhba pipeline, which used to carry Russian crude into the two countries, went offline. Kiev has claimed it was damaged in Russian strikes, a charge Moscow has denied.Both Slovakia and Hungary have accused Ukraine of deliberately withholding supplies for political blackmail and threatened retaliatory steps should the pipeline remain out of commission. Kiev has claimed the artery was being repaired but has repeatedly shifted the deadline.

Speaking in a video address posted to his Facebook page late on Saturday, Fico lamented the treatment his country has been receiving from EU bureaucrats. Namely, the bloc has threatened Bratislava with repercussions over its domestic protective measures, including diesel rationing for foreigners, the PM said. “The European Commission immediately sent us a threatening letter within two days, wherein it threatened all possible actions. It is strange that the same language is not used in reference to [Vladimir] Zelensky; those are full of love and understanding,” Fico stated.

Should the attitude remain the same and the EU Commission continue to “favor Ukraine over Slovakia,” Bratislava will block the proposed 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions, as well as no longer show “willingness for Ukraine’s rapid accession to the union,” the PM warned. The sanctions package has already ended up in limbo over the Druzhba row, as the initiative was vetoed by another victim of the pipeline shutdown, Hungary. Budapest has also derailed the proposed €90 billion ($104 billion) EU assistance package for Kiev, agreed to by the member states late last year. Without the emergency loan, Ukraine is projected to run out of money by June, according to Bloomberg.

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Hollywood is back to good movies?

• Project Hail Mary’ Is a Gut Punch to Woke Hollywood (Matt Margolis)

Last night, my family saw Project Hail Mary, and it was exactly the kind of movie more studios should be making. It’s smart, clean, entertaining, and it trusts the audience to enjoy a good story without being preached at. I read the novel when it first came out and have reread it a few times since. So, it’s safe to say that I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a long time and, honestly, kind of dreading it. Would Hollywood make this story woke? Would they take this great story and ruin it for the narrative?


The movie follows Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, a science teacher and biologist who wakes up alone on a mission to save Earth from a sun-dimming threat called astrophage. That setup could easily have turned into another heavy-handed Hollywood lecture, but instead it delivers a genuinely fun, family-friendly sci-fi adventure. And the audience response says plenty. Project Hail Mary has earned a 95% critics score and a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s done some great box office as well. It opened with about $80.6 million domestically and more than $140 million worldwide. That is not the sign of a movie people tolerated because critics told them to. That is a sign of a movie people actually liked.

That matters because Hollywood has been severely lacking in good storytelling for years after forgetting how to make movies people want to see. It’s like they’ve gotten lazy, pushing out endless sequels, remaking a classic with a race swap or a gender swap, or injecting a political lecture into a script and calling it progress. Then they act shocked when audiences roll their eyes and stay home. Heck, even their target audiences don’t seem to want to see the crap they’re churning out. Remember that gay rom-com Bros that tanked? Not even the LGBTQ community bothered to support it.

Project Hail Mary is a reminder that people still show up for original stories when the movie respects them. It also helps that the film appears to have none of the usual baggage that turns a night at the movies into a cause for concern for parents with young kids. There’s no nudity or sexual content, and I don’t even recall there being any profanity. In other words, it’s the rare modern release that parents can actually take seriously as entertainment for a broad audience.

That stands in sharp contrast to the mess Hollywood keeps shoving down our throats. As you know, Disney has made a habit of “updating” classic stories with race-swaps and overt ideological signaling, then pretending that criticism is the problem rather than the execution. Even HBO’s new Harry Potter series has sparked controversy over casting a black actor to portray Severus Snape, a move that fans of the franchise know will create a racial subtext in his backstory, making Harry Potter’s father seem racist.

That’s why the success of Project Hail Mary is so refreshing. It proves that audiences do not need to be lectured, scolded, or re-educated every time they buy a ticket. In the end, we want a good story and great characters. If Hollywood can learn anything from Project Hail Mary, it’s that original movies can still win, family-friendly movies can still draw crowds, and viewers are perfectly capable of rewarding good storytelling without the social-justice sermon attached. Sometimes people just want to be entertained. Imagine that.

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