[IsraelTimes] Terrorists expected to ramp up attacks amid ‘deteriorating situation in Gaza,’ National Security Council says, as lone wolf terrorism inspired by global jihad said on the rise
#1
Ramadan terror attacks in Judea and Samaria drop by 80% in a year During the Muslim month of Ramadan, the IDF, ISA, and Border Police operated throughout the Central Command area of operation to fight terror and protect the area. During the operations, a total of 401 wanted fugitives were arrested, 13 terrorists were eliminated, and 105 weapons were seized.
Last Ramadan, 27 significant terror attacks originated in Judea and Samaria, 22 of them in the Samaria region and five in the Judea region.
[IsraelTimes] Four-day conference this week sees scholars, artists and activists from India to Finland come together to share findings about widespread shunning amid Gaza war
[IsraelTimes] Smotrich signs directive to immediately scrap remaining tariffs on US goods, mainly in agriculture, with US president about to hit trade partners with tit-for-tat duties.
#1
It only took three decades (four if literal) of "Free Trade" before one country out of 195 to lower their tariffs to match ours. And it was the miser jews to boot. Ha!
[IsraelTimes] IDF says troops dispersed ‘violent confrontation’ in Duma after group of Israelis torched property, assaulted residents; defense sources say 5 suspects were briefly held but escaped
A group of some 50 Israelis on Tuesday attacked homes in the northern West Bank village of Duma, with three Paleostinians reportedly injured as the settlers torched property and assaulted residents.
In a statement on the violence, the Israel Defense Forces said it received reports that dozens of Israelis entered Duma and set fire to property.
"Afterward, a violent mostly peaceful confrontation developed between Israeli civilians and Paleostinians in the area, and additional report was received regarding several Paleostinians who were maimed in the incident," the IDF said.
It said troops and coppers reached the scene and worked to "disperse the violent mostly peaceful confrontation."
"The IDF condemns incidents of this type and will continue to act with determination to maintain security and order in the region," the military added.
There were no reports of arrests in the incident. Five suspects were briefly caught by police, but defense sources said they managed to escape.
According to Paleostinian medics, the maimed Paleostinians were taken to a hospital for medical treatment.
In the West Bank, the military has undertaken large-scale counterterrorism operations that have killed hundreds of people — the vast majority of them combatants, according to the IDF — and displaced tens of thousands.
Arrests of Israelis in incidents of settler violence are extremely rare. The head of the police’s West Bank division is currently under investigation for allegedly refusing to crack down on the phenomenon to curry favor in the eyes of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Israel’s failure to prosecute near-daily incidents of settler violence led the previous White House and multiple European governments to begin sanctioning violent mostly peaceful settlers last year. US President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... scrapped his predecessor’s sanctions shortly after taking office in January.
[IsraelTimes] Members of the Abu Samra clan of Deir al-Balah filmed killing an alleged Hamas member in the street, as dissent against terror group grows in the Strip
Members of a prominent Gazook family in Deir al-Balah on Tuesday executed a man who they said was a Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... operative responsible for the deadly shooting of one of their relatives earlier in the day.
The button men were members of the Abu Samra clan of central Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... . They said they killed the Hamas member after he shot their relative Abdulrahman Sha’aban Abu Samra while he was waiting in line for flour in Deir al-Balah.
Members of the family said they managed to track down the Hamas operative responsible and brought him in front of the entrance of Deir al-Balah where several relatives opened fire.
Footage of the execution was shared widely on Paleostinian social media and appeared to highlight growing fury with Hamas among Gaza civilians.
Gaza has dozens of powerful families like the Abu Samra family, who function as well-organized clans. Many do not have formal links to Hamas. They derive their power from controlling businesses and command the loyalty of hundreds or thousands of relatives. Each family has a leader, known as a mukhtar, or chieftain.
Some of the larger clans in Gaza are believed to be well-armed, and have a long history of clashing over rival interests, as well as with Hamas.
Last spring, a conflict arose between Hamas and the Doghmush clan, a powerful family in Gaza City, due to disputes over aid distribution and reports that the family was being contacted by Israel for a possible role in post-war government, an idea that Jerusalem floated at the time.
Hamas reportedly killed the leader of the clan, with reports on Arab media saying that he was "executed" in a family compound along with two others.
A wave of protests against Hamas has swept the Strip for the past week, with thousands participating cumulatively, revealing cracks in the iron grip that the terror group has over the Strip.
Participants have come under threat from Hamas and other Gaza terror groups, who have warned that they will be treated as collaborators with Israel.
A Hamas official commented on the wave of protests last week after a few days of silence from the group but insisted that the protests were directed against Israel and the ongoing war rather than against the terror group ruling the Strip.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told the Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i channel al-Araby that "demonstrations are expected from people facing extermination, against war and destruction."
Despite multiple media reports, images, and videos from protests, as well as media interviews with Gazooks to the contrary, Naim claimed the rallies are being misrepresented as criticizing Hamas’s de facto regime.
The terror group has violent mostly peacefully cracked down on previous protests. However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... this time, no outright intervention was apparent, which some saw as a sign of its waning power in the wake of Israel’s military campaign.
However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... over the weekend, Hamas operatives kidnapped, tortured and executed a 22-year-old Paleostinian man who participated in last week’s protests against the terror group, according to his family.
Oday Nasser Al Rabay’s body was left in front of his family’s home, and on Saturday, many dozens were filmed participating in his funeral procession, shouting, "Hamas out!"
[IsraelTimes] Ivy League school vows to ‘cooperate with the government in combating’ Jew hatred while ‘vigorously defending academic freedom and the due process rights of this university’
Princeton University said on Tuesday the US government froze several dozen research grants to the school, which became the latest academic institution targeted by the Trump administration in a crackdown on antisemitism at campuses amid pro-Palestinian protests against Israel.
Princeton President Chris Eisgruber said government agencies including NASA and the defense and energy departments notified the university of the move. The university, among dozens facing federal investigations into antisemitism, said in a statement it was given no reason for the action and did not provide a dollar value for the grants.
The Trump administration has threatened to slash federal funding for universities over their alleged tolerance of antisemitism and over accusations of failure to protect Jewish students during the pro-Palestinians protests against Israel over the war with Hamas in Gaza, which started by
Both true and a good excuse to review all funding to cull the nonsensical, the counterproductive, and the just plain evil before restarting that which looks worth doing.
“We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism. Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this university,” Eisgruber said in the statement.
A Department of Energy spokesperson said the agency “paused grant funding to Princeton University pending the completion of the Department of Education’s investigation into Princeton regarding antisemitic harassment.” The Education Department, last month, sent a letter to 60 universities, including Princeton, warning it could bring enforcement actions against them.
The other federal agencies had no immediate comment.
Princeton was among 60 universities that received a warning letter from the Education Department in March over accusations of antisemitism. It said the schools could face enforcement action if they didn’t address anti-Jewish bias on campus. All but two Ivy League schools, Penn and Dartmouth, were on the list.
The Education Department launched an investigation at Princeton in April 2024 under the Biden administration. It was in response to a complaint filed by the editor-in-chief of Campus Reform, a conservative news organization, the outlet reported. The complaint cited a pro-Palestinian protest that reportedly included chants of “Intifada” and others described as antisemitic.
The outlet’s editor has filed dozens of other antisemitism complaints with the Education Department.
Princeton’s Eisgruber had came forward as a voice of opposition as the Trump administration ratcheted up pressure on Columbia, calling it the greatest threat to American universities in decades.
And so got the president’s attention. Enjoy!
“The attack on Columbia is a radical threat to scholarly excellence and to America’s leadership in research,” Eisgruber wrote in a March 19 essay in The Atlantic magazine. “Universities and their leaders should speak up and litigate forcefully to protect their rights.”
Oh well, the Atlantic. Nobody of discernment pays any mind to what’s between those covers.
The Trump administration has also targeted schools over other culture war issues like diversity, equity and inclusion programs and suspended $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania over transgender sports policies.
[IsraelTimes] Majority of justices appear inclined to uphold law that would subject the Palestinian bodies to US jurisdiction if they paid relatives of terrorists who killed or hurt Americans
The US Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday on whether American victims of attacks in Israel and the West Bank can sue the Paleostinian authorities for damages in US courts.
The long-running case involves the jurisdiction of US federal courts to hear lawsuits involving the Paleostinian Authority (PA) and the Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Americans killed or injured in attacks in Israel or the West Bank or their relatives have filed a number of suits seeking damages.
In one 2015 case, a jury awarded $654 million to the US victims of attacks which took place in the early 2000s.
Appeals courts dismissed the suits on jurisdiction grounds.
Congress passed a law in 2019 — the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act — that would make the PLO and PA subject to US jurisdiction if they were found to have made payments to the relatives of persons who killed or injured Americans.
Two lower courts ruled that the 2019 law was a violation of the due process rights of the Paleostinian authorities but a majority of the justices on the conservative-majority Supreme Court appeared inclined on Tuesday to uphold it.
"Congress and the president are the ones who make fairness judgments when we’re talking about the national security and foreign policy of the United States," said Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler, representing the Trump administration, agreed, saying the courts should not substitute themselves for Congress or the president.
"Congress and the president made a judgment that is entitled to virtually absolute deference — that it is appropriate to subject the PA and the PLO to jurisdiction," Kneedler said.
"In this case, respondents had a chance to avoid that by just stopping those activities, but they didn’t," he said.
Mitchell Berger, representing the PA and PLO, said assigning jurisdiction is "over and above what Congress can prescribe."
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling before the end of its term in June.
According to Middle East Eye, Turkey is moving to take control of Syria’s strategic Tiyas (T4) airbase near Palmyra, planning to turn it into a forward air defense hub.
A Hisar-type system—likely Hisar-O or Hisar-U—is expected to be deployed to protect the site.
Israeli Security Source: Turkish Base in Syria a “Potential Threat”
An Israeli security official warns that Turkey establishing a military base in Syria would be a “potential threat” to Israel’s freedom of action in the region. The concern follows growing ties between Syrian leader Jolani and Turkish President Erdoğan.
Israel fears Jolani will try to limit its operations in Syria. A recent strike on Syria’s T4 airbase was meant to signal that Israel won’t allow such interference.
The official added: “Julani is a classic Islamist with unchanged long-term goals — he remains our enemy.”
Answering the question we’ve been discussing here.
[Breitbart] ....While the EU has never released a full accounting of all parliamentarians accused of the same misconduct as Le Pen was found guilty of, a 2023 report from the Follow the Money website found that between 2019 and 2022, 139 Members of European Parliament (MEPs), or around one in five members at the time, had been found to have broken the same rules, the Times of London noted on Tuesday.
Yet, according to the report, just one MEP, Eva Kaili, a Greek socialist and former Vice-President of the European Parliament, has faced an actual investigation during the time period studied. However, Kaili was already under heavy scrutiny over her alleged role in the Qatar-gate scandal in which leftist EU parliamentarians have been accused of accepting bribes from the Islamic kingdom, allegedly in exchange for promoting Qatari interests in Strasbourg.
The report found that the other 138 MEPs were merely instructed to return the misused funds to the EU Parliament before criminal charges could be brought.
There have been claims that the rules are enforced selectively, and particularly against politicians who have been critical of the European Union or its Parliament. Indeed, Brexit leader and former MEP Nigel Farage was a notable example of a Eurosceptic politician who had faced investigation for allegedly using EU funds on other expenses and was reportedly ordered to pay back £35,000 to the EU.
Posted by: The Walking Unvaxed ||
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#1
Oh my, EC, how could this be? Selective prosecution in France?
[World Socialist Network] On Sunday, the New York Times published an extensive article on US involvement in the Ukraine war entitled "The Partnership: The Secret History of the War in Ukraine," which admits that "America was woven into the war far more intimately and broadly than previously understood."
"The United States" was "woven into the killing of Russian soldiers on sovereign Russian soil," the Times report asserts.
The article is an admission that the United States waged, and is waging, an undeclared, unauthorized and illegal war against Russia. It makes clear that American officers, some deployed inside Ukraine, have been selecting targets for attack and authorizing individual strikes, making them, for all intents and purposes, combatants.
The article documents how, over the course of the war, the Biden administration systematically violated its own restriction on the conduct of war, up to the point of authorizing the attacks on Russian territory, using American weapons, ordered by American commanders.
The Times report explains that American officers decided what Russian troops and civilian targets would be attacked, transmitted their coordinates to the Ukrainian military, then authorized the attacks using weapons provided by the NATO powers themselves. It reports that American and British soldiers were deployed to Ukraine to personally direct combat operations.
The article presents a picture of the Ukraine war in which the American military planned everything from large-scale strategic troop movements to every individual long-range strike. As the article explains, "American and Ukrainian officers planned Kyiv’s counteroffensives. A vast American intelligence-collection effort both guided big-picture battle strategy and funneled precise targeting information down to Ukrainian soldiers in the field."
The US command center in Wiesbaden, Germany "would oversee each HIMARS [long-range missile] strike" against Russian troops. US officers "would review the Ukrainians’ target lists and advise them on positioning their launchers and timing their strikes."
So tight was the US oversight that "The Ukrainians were supposed to only use coordinates the Americans provided. To fire a warhead, HIMARS [missile] operators needed a special electronic key card, which the Americans could deactivate anytime."
As the Times account explains, "Each morning, U.S. and Ukrainian military officers set targeting priorities—Russian units, pieces of equipment or infrastructure. American and coalition intelligence officers searched satellite imagery, radio emissions and intercepted communications to find Russian positions. Task Force Dragon then gave the Ukrainians the coordinates so they could shoot at them."
As a result of this arrangement, the United States military was, in the words of one European intelligence official quoted in the article, "part of the kill chain," i.e., making decisions about which Russian troops and infrastructure would be attacked.
#1
Sounds like another f**k-up by the US military then.
The NY Slimes article is not really news at all, but the Slimes might be trying to put the Biden Admin. in a better light and shift blame away from the US military and on to the Ukrainians.
#4
Given the reporting is from both thr New York Times and the World Socialist Network, I’d like to know what more reputable sources have to say before deciding what I think about it.
On the other hand, like our more or less paired reports from Russia vs Ukraine, it’s useful to know what that lot think is happening — or what they want us to believe is happening.
#5
TW has a point; it's an odd own, the kind of thing dropped to have people believe and stop asking questions when what really was going on was much worse.
FOLLOW THE MONEY
[Zero] On Tuesday morning, former Biden administration "disinformation czar" Nina Jankowicz repeatedly refused to disclose who's funding her new gig - the 'American Sunlight Project' - which cropped up after a stint at the USAID-funded UK-based Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) - for which she registered as a foreign agent while serving as their Vice President.
To review - Jankowicz, who previously served as a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, advised the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry as part of the Fulbright-Clinton Public Policy Fellowship, and was then selected to head the Biden DHS's newly formed Disinformation Governance Board - which was quickly dismantled amid criticism over censorship under the guise of fighting disinformation.
Four months later, she launched "The Hypatia Project" for CIR - where she was the Vice President until April 2024, at which point she co-founded the American Sunlight Project.
Fast forward to this morning, Jankowicz was evasive when asked by Republicans during a congressional hearing on disinformation about her funding...
[ZeroHedge] Internal FBI chat logs revealed that the bureau imposed a “gag order” on agents regarding the New York Post bombshell story on the Hunter Biden laptop. Along with showing Hunter’s depravity, the laptop revealed Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s foreign business dealings.
The chat logs, published Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee on X, show that the gag order extended to an FBI analyst who attempted to alert social media companies that the laptop was authentic—before these companies moved to censor the story’s spread.
On Oct. 14, 2020, the New York Post released its first story on the laptop’s content. That same day, FBI officials instructed agents, “please do not discuss Biden matter.”
Earlier chats show a group of agents—including Laura Dehmlow, Bradley Benavides and James Dennehy—debating the Post’s story.
“You guys are tracking the coverage of the laptop right?” Dehmlow wrote. Both Benavides and Dennehy replied affirmatively.
Later, agents whose names remain sealed sent messages stating, “right answer – nobody on call is is [sic] authorized to comment upon NY Post story” and “nobody [is] authorized to comment.”
One agent asked if another had “admonished” the colleague who nearly revealed the laptop’s authenticity to Big Tech companies. “yes but he wont [sic] shut up,” one response read.
Hours later, agents reiterated that they were forbidden from commenting on the laptop story, with messages like “official response no commen [sic] and “we cannot comment.”
A previous transcribed interview with Dehmlow revealed that during a Zoom meeting with Big Tech, an FBI agent was interrupted before he could confirm the laptop was real and already in the bureau’s possession.
The FBI had verified the laptop in 2019 by cross-referencing its serial number with Hunter’s iCloud storage, FBI special agent Erika Jensen stated during Hunter’s criminal trial in 2024.
Despite this verification, the bureau remained silent while social media companies debated whether the Post’s story was tied to a Russian disinformation campaign.
Notably, the FBI had warned them weeks earlier of an imminent “hack-and-leak” story about the 2020 election, leading many to mistakenly equate that warning with the laptop exposé.
The laptop revealed that while Hunter failed to pay millions in taxes, he also consumed drugs, paid for prostitutes and launched what Republicans call an “influence-peddling scheme” aimed at selling access—or at least the appearance of access—to Joe Biden in exchange for payments.
According to the laptop, 10% of these payments were earmarked for the “Big Guy,” a term confirmed by former Biden ally Devon Archer to refer to Joe Biden.
Biden went on to win the 2020 election, and before leaving office in 2025, he issued sweeping pardons to his siblings and Hunter, covering offenses committed between 2014 and 2025.
[FoxNews] M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle pulled out of swamp near Pabradė, Lithuania
The fourth and final missing U.S. soldier whose armored vehicle sank in a swamp in Lithuania last week was found deceased Tuesday.
Three American soldiers were declared dead Monday after crews retrieved the M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle from a peat bog near Pabradė, Lithuania. The vehicle disappeared on March 25 "while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle," according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
"The fourth U.S. Army Soldier assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division was found deceased near Pabradė, Lithuania the afternoon of April 1," it announced Tuesday. "The soldier’s identity is being withheld pending confirmation of notification of next of kin."
"First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our soldiers," Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, added in a statement. "I can't say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies -- and our own Sailors, Airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers -- have enabled us to find and bring home our soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the incident is "another stark reminder of the selfless sacrifice of our brave military men and women who risk their lives around the world every day to keep us safe."
"The president, the Secretary of Defense and the entire White House are praying for the victims, friends and family during this unimaginable time," she added.
"I want to personally extend my deepest condolences to the families of all four fallen soldiers," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a statement. "Our hearts are heavy across the Department of Defense. We are deeply grateful to our brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts who labored alongside them. The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen. We will never forget these soldiers – and our prayers are with their families."
U.S. Army Europe and Africa said earlier today that "Police working dogs from the Lithuanian Armed Forces began work yesterday afternoon and NATO ally Estonia joined the recovery efforts early this morning."
"Two Estonian recovery dogs, Tilt and Maik, and their handlers flew from Tallinn, Estonia. They arrived on scene at 2:00 a.m. and began searching at 7:00 a.m. this morning. Handlers have positioned the dogs in a U.S. Navy Rigid Inflatable Boat to locate any trace scents below the surface," it added.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced Monday that the armored vehicle was removed from the swamp "after a six-day-long effort that required tremendous resources from Lithuania, our steadfast ally, and hundreds of service members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Polish Armed Forces – along with other elements from the Lithuanian government and civilian agencies – to solve the engineering challenge of recovering the 63-ton-vehicle from an area surrounded by unstable ground conditions."
[FoxNews] Small Business Committee chairs Sen Joni Ernst, Rep Roger Williams seek to hold fraudsters accountable
The respective chairs of the Small Business Committee in both chambers of Congress are unveiling a plan to address the roughly 2 million "likely fraudulent" pandemic aid applications flagged in a recent government report.
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, both Republicans, plan to introduce the SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act on Wednesday in hopes of corralling the alleged scofflaws who they say broke the law and prevented untold numbers of legitimate U.S. small businesses from receiving crucial aid.
The bill extends the statute of limitations to 10 years for fraud surrounding the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund relief programs instituted in 2020.
In 2022, Williams, Ernst and other lawmakers sought to do the same to identify potential scofflaw violators of the Paycheck Protection Program.
A report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Biden-era Small Business Administration (SBA) either signed or guaranteed more than $1 trillion in loans to more than 10 million small businesses.
While it had instituted a four-step process to manage fraud, that plan reportedly faltered when the SBA inspector general was unable to fully probe two-thirds of the risk referrals because the agency didn’t provide either correct or complete information about those cases.
The GAO then made a formal recommendation to the SBA, which, according to the public watchdog’s website, remains "open" – and it appeared no action had at least been recorded.
The GAO also found that the fraud prevention process had not been fully implemented until "more than half" of aid programs’ funding had been approved.
"I will not allow criminals to run out the clock and escape justice simply because the Biden administration was asleep at the wheel," Ernst told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
"Thousands of hardworking small businesses were deprived of desperately needed relief because swindlers, gang members, and felons cashing in on COVID drained the programs. Every single con artist who stole from taxpayers will be held accountable."
In Ernst’s home state, 1,800 restaurants reportedly qualified for SBA aid but never received it, prompting critics to question how much funding was diverted to fraudulent applicants instead of family-run eateries.
In Williams’ Lone Star State, federal aid allowed tens of thousands of restaurants to stay in business, but others told outlets like Houston PBS that such funding ran out before many could get back on their financial feet.
The Texas Restaurant Association told the station that 12,000 restaurants found themselves in danger of closing by 2022.
Hollywood celebrities had also received some of the SVOG funds and spent them on private jets and parties or cash for themselves, Business Insider reported.
"The SBA distributes millions of dollars to small businesses in need every year. However, where small business owners found the capital needed to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, bad actors saw the opportunity to defraud the government," Williams told Fox News Digital.
"It is imperative that every fraudster who stole and exploited taxpayer dollars during our nation’s utmost hour of need be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
He added that as March marked five years after the first COVID lockdowns, an extension of the SBA and law enforcement’s ability to pursue fraudsters must be realized.
Fox News Digital reached out to the SBA for comment.
When asked about the discrepancies found in the GAO report, an SBA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Administrator Kelly Loeffler has already taken action to enhance fraud prevention efforts.
"The SBA fully supports all efforts to crack down on fraud within its loan programs – in stark contrast to the last administration, which failed to investigate or address more than $200B in estimated pandemic-era fraud," Caitlin O’Dea said.
"[SBA] will continue working to hold pandemic-era fraudsters accountable."
[FoxNews] Wisconsin already required photo ID to vote, but now the law will be enshrined into the state constitution
Wisconsin will enshrine the state's voter ID law in the state constitution after voters approved the proposal on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press' vote call at 9:48 p.m. EST.
The Badger State already requires that voters have photo ID in order to participate at the polls, but that law has now been elevated to a constitutional amendment.
The measure was placed on the ballot by the Republican-controlled legislature in an effort to strengthen election security.
It also protects the law from potentially being overturned in court when Democrats are in control, as constitutional amendments have to be approved in two legislative sessions and by a statewide popular vote.
The proposal's passing was celebrated by GOP lawmakers, President Donald Trump and DOGE leader Elon Musk.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel shares his final message to voters ahead of election on ‘Hannity.’
Nine states, including Wisconsin, require that voters present photo ID, though Wisconsin's requirements are the strictest, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
There are laws in 36 states requiring or requesting that voters show some sort of identification, the NCSL said.
Elon Musk said that an alleged scammer who reportedly ripped off 400,000 Americans by selling their Social Security numbers is facing imminent arrest.
"I believe someone is going to be arrested tomorrow, because there's someone who actually stole 400,000 Social Security numbers and personal information from the Social Security database," Musk said during a tele-town hall with Wisconsin voters Monday evening. Wisconsin is holding a high-stakes state Supreme Court election Tuesday that will determine if the state's highest court will hold a liberal or conservative majority by filing a retiring justice's seat.
The person was "selling Social Security numbers and all the identification information in order for people to basically steal money from Social Security," he continued.
Musk was responding to a phone call from a Wisconsin voter who asked if Attorney General Pam Bondi had plans to investigate and prosecute fraud surrounding Social Security. Musk is helping lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is working to uncover government overspending and fraud, and reported in March that "there's a massive amount of fraud" related to alleged scammers submitting phony Social Security numbers in an attempt to receive federal benefits.
Elon Musk said that an alleged scammer who reportedly ripped off 400,000 Americans by selling their Social Security numbers is facing imminent arrest.
"I believe someone is going to be arrested tomorrow, because there's someone who actually stole 400,000 Social Security numbers and personal information from the Social Security database," Musk said during a tele-town hall with Wisconsin voters Monday evening. Wisconsin is holding a high-stakes state Supreme Court election Tuesday that will determine if the state's highest court will hold a liberal or conservative majority by filing a retiring justice's seat.
The person was "selling Social Security numbers and all the identification information in order for people to basically steal money from Social Security," he continued.
Musk was responding to a phone call from a Wisconsin voter who asked if Attorney General Pam Bondi had plans to investigate and prosecute fraud surrounding Social Security. Musk is helping lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is working to uncover government overspending and fraud, and reported in March that "there's a massive amount of fraud" related to alleged scammers submitting phony Social Security numbers in an attempt to receive federal benefits.
Musk and members of his DOGE team joined Fox News at the end of March to discuss their operation and what they have uncovered since they began investigating federal agencies in the search of fraud and mismanagement. Musk identified Social Security as reportedly chronically vulnerable to fraud.
"They steal people's Social Security, is what happens," Musk said in a Thursday exclusive interview on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier." "They call in, they claim to be a retiree, and they convince the Social Security person on the phone to change where the money is flowing. It actually goes to some fraudster. This is happening all day, every day. And then somebody doesn't receive their Social Security, it's because of all the fraud loopholes in the Social Security system."
DOGE engineer Aram Moghaddassi added in the interview, "At Social Security, one of the first things that we learned is that they get phone calls every day of people trying to change direct deposit information."
"So when you want to change your bank account, you can call Social Security. We learned 40% of the calls that they get are from fraudsters."
Amid DOGE's investigation into the Social Security Administration, President Donald Trump has vowed not to cut Medicare or Social Security benefits for Americans.
[NYPost] Val Kilmer fueled nostalgia in his final Instagram post just weeks before his death at 65.
Kilmer died after a battle with pneumonia on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes confirmed.
In a video shared on his social media account, Kilmer could be seen sitting next to a painting he made of Batman — which served as one of his most successful roles in his decades-long career.
In the clip, shared with his 645,000 followers on Instagram, the actor declares he is “ready” before grabbing a Batman mask and donning it for the last time.
Read the rest at the link
Val Kilmer is part of one of the greatest heist sequences in film history . Everything about Kilmer in this moment in Heat feels so real. Val Kilmer was just that dude: a vintage Hollywood bad-ass. pic.twitter.com/h9mY6tzMgP
#3
I remember when The Doors came out, all the old hippies by the bushels were saying what a great job he did as Morrison. That was before my time, but then us young punks turned up by the cases about his Doc Holiday performance.
And yeah, he wasn't acting in Top Gun: Maverick, as far as being sick was.
[KhaamaPress] As the new academic year begins in Afghanistan, it also marks the third consecutive year that girls above the age of 12 have been denied access to formal education. In response to these ongoing restrictions, Begum Academy, a digital education initiative founded by Afghan entrepreneur Hamida Aman in November 2023, continues to expand its services to support learning opportunities for girls.
Begum Academy was launched to provide free educational content aligned with Afghanistan’s official curriculum for grades 7 through 12. The platform currently hosts more than 8,000 instructional videos in both Dari and Pashto. Thousands of users have joined the platform since its launch, accessing lessons in subjects ranging from mathematics to literature.
To address connectivity issues that limit access to online learning in many parts of the country, the Academy has developed a mobile application that allows students to access content without the need for an internet connection. Supported by the Malala Fund, the app is now available on the App Store and Google Play.
The application also includes interactive features such as student discussion forums, direct messaging with instructors, customizable avatars, and a weekly activity leaderboard. According to project staff, these elements are designed to encourage engagement and create a more connected learning environment.
Elissa Rocheteau, Educational Project Manager for Begum Academy, stated that incorporating interactive elements into the app was intended to improve user experience and help students feel part of a broader learning community.
To enhance support, Begum Academy has also increased its academic team. As of this school year, 20 subject teachers—10 in Dari and 10 in Pashto—are available to assist students with questions and guidance.
In addition to academic courses, the Academy is preparing to introduce vocational training programs within the app. These programs aim to provide learners with practical skills that may contribute to employment opportunities and personal development.
Aman noted that the Academy is also exploring offline technology solutions through a partnership with a French startup. The collaboration is focused on developing portable devices that will allow students in remote or underserved areas to access the Academy’s educational content without requiring an internet connection.
While access to education for girls in Afghanistan remains limited due to current policies, initiatives like Begum Academy are working to provide alternative pathways to learning for those affected.
The Begum Academy app can be downloaded here:
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/begum-academy/id6741149474
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.corvit_mobile_bow
[BREITBART] If you want peace, prepare for war. Germany appears to be embracing this ancient maxim with the country's top general warning Monday that Berlin is ready to bring back conscription.
Carsten Breuer, the German Chief of Defence, told BBC's Radio 4 an additional 100,000 soldiers would be needed to ensure the country's ability to defend itself as a belligerent Russia continues to roil the continent.
Defence chiefs have been looking to increase the size of the armed forces since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but have fallen short of even an initial target of 20,000, as Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... looks ahead to further unrest.
The Daily Mail reports Breuer warned Russia could attack NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... territory in as little as four years and he is calling for a massive troop buildup — achievable, he says, only through compulsory service through conscription.
''We won't get this additional 100,000 soldiers without having one or the other, a model of conscription,'' Germany's highest ranking soldier told the programme.
Asked whether ''some form'' of conscription was ''necessary'' for Germany to defend itself, he concurred: ''Absolutely. Absolutely.''
''We are threatened by Russia,'' Breuer acknowledged in his comments to Radio 4.
''We are threatened by Putin, and we have to do whatever is needed to do to deter, and by building up a strong defence line then you deter best.''
Asked how much time and money was needed to achieve Germany's defence goals, he said it was ''more about how much time Putin gives us to be prepared.''
''The sooner we are prepared, the better it is.''
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius had suggested in December that Germany could increase the size of its armed forces by 50,000 to 230,000 in total. When I first went in the Army, back when dinosaurs ruled the world, it was mostly draftees. When you joined up (by whatever method), you took a battery of aptitude tests, primary of which was "General Technical," which was kinda sorta an IQ test. Score high and there were whole bunches of opportunities available.
Score below a certain cutoff and you were destined for infantry. Those poor guys were known as "McNamara's Morons." Most are dead now, and not from old age. They also accounted for the majority of serious disciplinary problems (fragging, anyone?), and drug problems.
Infantry, in fact any combat arm, takes brains. Filling the ranks with dumbasses gets dumbass performance. The same applies to combat support; those are the jobs that don't involve getting shot at on a regular basis, like military police, intelligence, signals, and engineering. Much better, I think, to use the less than stellar or the draftees to do the combat service support: ordering beans and bullets, delivering same, maintenance, medical and dental, clerks, and so on.
Don't denigrate anybody's service. Obviously combat service support does require brainpower. Obviously recruitment/induction standards need to be tightened. But it could be a separate branch of service, say a two year service obligation, more relaxed physical fitness standard, a lower pay scale to save taxpayer bucks, and more of a garrison orientation.
Anyway, those are just my thoughts, having been there, done that. I think the country worked better when men grew up with the expectation of a couple years' national service.
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[Garowe] The US military confirmed an Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in Somalia’s northern state of Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... , a testament to its continued support in the fight against terrorism, with the Horn of Africa nation pushing for the elimination of terror groups that have wreaked havoc for over two decades.
In what appears to be support for Puntland regional forces, the US military targeted ISIS forces of Evil in the Cal-Miskaad mountains within the Bari region, leading to multiple deaths, the Command confirmed in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
The operation comes about two months after President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... announced the death of a senior ISIS commander who was eliminated following an airstrike within the northern state of Somalia.
"AFRICOM’s initial assessment is that multiple ISIS-Somalia operatives were killed and no civilians were harmed. ISIS-Somalia has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. and partner forces. This group's malicious efforts threaten U.S. security interests," read the statement.
"AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, continues to take action to degrade ISIS-Somalia's ability to plan and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our forces, and our civilians abroad."
The statement further reads that specific details about the operation will not be released to ensure continued operations security. The US is a partner in the fight against both al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... and ISIS forces of Evil within the Horn of Africa nation.
ISIS has continued to expand bases in Puntland but the recent operation dubbed Lightening has helped dislodge them from strategic locations in the Cal-Miskaad mountains. Puntland says its forces and partners have made significant gains in the war.
[NYPOST] A Jetstar flight heading to Melbourne, Australia, from Bali overnight was forced to turn around after a ''nightmare'' situation unfolded when a passenger tried to open the aircraft door.
Flight JQ-34 left Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport at about 5:40 a.m. (8:40 p.m. AST) with more than 200 passengers on board.
It was flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet when a woman tugged at the door, trying to open it about two hours into its journey to Melbourne.
''We had an aircraft return to Denpasar last night after a disruptive passenger attempted to open one of the aircraft doors and was abusive to our crew,'' a Jetstar spokesperson told news.com.au. Beat her ass
''The safety and welfare of our customers and crew is our top priority and we thank them for the way they responded to the situation.
Aussie reality star Brooke Jowett was also on the flight. In an Instagram Story, the “Survivor All Star” alum said she got back to a hotel at about 1 a.m. after “our lovely night, and our scare on the flight.”
“Turns out the reason behind the lady wanting to open the door is because she wanted to sit in a different row and have a chair that could recline,” Brooke explained.
“So she decided to try to open the doors, which apparently triggered something to do with the emergency slide and yeah, it was a big bloody big panic, it was very, very scary but we’re fine.”
Brooke said the woman was arguing with Jetstar staff about her seat, and the situation escalated.
“She was unhappy and wanted to get off. One of the guys who was sitting in front of us was down near the toilets, and he pulled her away from the door as she was trying to open it.
“He was an off-duty police officer, apparently, so he saved the day. Thank God for that.
Professor Doug Drury, head of aviation at Central Queensland University, previously told news.com.au the exit door on a plane could not be opened above an altitude of 10,000 feet as the cabin was pressurized to 8,000 feet — making the door impossible to open.
The difference between the internal cabin pressure and the outside air pressure effectively seals the doors, particularly on modern planes such as the Airbus A330.
It comes after another incident in which two men were involved in a heated argument on a flight from Melbourne to Bali, with other passengers forced to intervene.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:09 Units of the Russian Armed Forces in the Boguslavsky directionimprovedtactical situation in the area of the settlement Zagoruykovka
Despite the active actions of the enemy's UAVs, four strongholds were captured during the offensive operations and up to 30 enemy personnel were incapacitated.
19:31 Russian army expanded control near Panteleimonovka –MAP
19:22 The Russian army approached Katerinovka on the Oskol front –MAP
18:55 Servicemen of the "Center" group of troops describe the progress of the liberation of the settlement of Zaporozhye in the Donetsk People's Republic.
17:59 Defeat of temporary deployment points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by FPV drones of the Russian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Bogatyr in the Shakhtyorsk direction, – MAP.
17:41 Naval infantry of the Northern Fleet of the Dnepr group control the island zone of the Dnieper River delta in the zone of a special military operation.
Military personnel acquire skills and abilities through daily training and drills. This affects the successful completion of combat missions.
17:01 Calculation of TOS-2 "Tosochka" destroyed stronghold of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
In support of the attack aircraft's offensive actions, the servicemen launched thermobaric shells at enemy positions.
16:28 Su-35s crew covered attack aircraft, bombers and helicopters during combat duty in the border areas of the Kursk region.
16:08 Calculation of the 122mm D-30 howitzer of the Dnepr group of forces destroyed the control point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' UAV on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region.
15:23 Slaughter near Pokrovsk: The Ukrainian Armed Forces' attempt to counterattack in Shevchenko turned into a disastrous failure
– The enemy attempted to counterattack the positions of the Russian Armed Forces in the Shevchenko area, but was stopped at the approaches to the settlement.
– After unsuccessful attacks by small groups, the remnants of the enemy forces were driven back.
– The Russian army continues to control the settlement.
14:45 Drone operators of the North group of forces destroyed combat UAVs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov region, –video.
14:42 Kursk region. The Russian army is advancing towards Oleshnya, –MAP.
14:13 Russian Armed Forces are advancing in the direction of Katerinovka in the Krasnolimansky sector –MAP
13:36 Liberation of the village of Razliv in the DPR by assault units of the 36th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 430th Motorized Rifle Regiment, –video.
13:07 Assault units of the 36th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 430th Motorized Rifle Regiment supported by artillery and FPV dronesenteredand consolidated their positions in the village of Razliv in the DPR. Having liberated the village, the servicemen installed the Russian tricolor.
11:34 Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have twice attacked objects of Russian energy infrastructure.
On March 31 at 10:08 in the Zaporizhia region, as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian UAV (at least 4 drops of ammunition) on a 35 kV electrical substation in Novogoryevka (Tavria-Energo State Unitary Enterprise), the power supply to household consumers in two settlements of the Tokmakovsky district was interrupted.
Also at 11:38 in the Belgorod region, as a result of a Ukrainian UAV strike on a complete transformer substation in the village of Smorodino, a 10 kV high-voltage line was disconnected, cutting off power supply to more than 1,200 household consumers in the Grayvoronsky district.
10:46 Drone operators of the 1st Guards Engineer-Sapper Brigade of the Sever group revealed and destroyed military facilities, combat equipment, weapons and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region.
10:11 According to the automatic area calculation on map, in March 2025, the RF Armed Forces released:
Groups of Companies "West", "East", "Center" and "Dnepr" - 172 sq. km.
Group of Companies "North" (Kursk region, Sumy region, Liptsovskoye and Volchanskoye directions) - 464 sq. km.
09:38 The crew of the T-80BVM tank of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade of the Vostok group, carrying out the task of liberating the settlement of Skudnoye in the DPR,ran overon an enemy mine. As a result of damage to the combat vehicle, the tank crews decided to take cover from the impact of drones and artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the nearest forest belt.
08:25 Units of the 98th Guards Airborne Division destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces equipment in the Chasov Yar area in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The scouts discovered the movement of enemy equipment towards our positions, as well as the landing of Ukrainian troops in the area of Chasov Yar.
Drone operators launched FPV drones from several takeoff points and destroyed the targets. As a result of the coordinated actions of the airborne units, the enemy was stopped, suffered heavy losses and retreated.
07:18 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Bryansk region.
06:29 Unmanned aerial vehicle crews of the Southern group of forces destroyed 122mm 2S1 Self-propelled gun "Gvozdika", a dugout with personnel and a pickup truck of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the special operation zone.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Belgorod direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces affected losses on manpower and hardware concentration areas of one mechanized brigade of the AFU and two territorial defense brigades near Ugroyedy, Turya, and Miropolye (Sumy region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 70 troops, one armored fighting vehicle, and four motor vehicles. One field ammunition depot was destroyed.
The Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line. Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of three mechanized brigades of the AFU and one territorial defense brigade near Kamenka, Dvurechnaya, Zagoruykovka, and Kondrashovka (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 210 troops, two US-made M-113 armored personnel carriers, one armored fighting vehicle, four motor vehicles, and six field artillery guns, including two foreign-made guns. Two electronic warfare stations and one US-made AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radar were destroyed.
The Yug Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation. Losses were inflicted on formations of three mechanized brigades, one mountain assault brigade of the AFU, and one special operations brigade near Seversk, Nikolayevka, Pleshcheyevka, Katerinovka, and Novoolenovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 255 troops, two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, two armored fighting vehicles, three pickup trucks, and one artillery gun.
The Tsentr Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of three mechanized brigades, one assault brigade, one infantry brigade, and one jaeger brigade of the AFU near Grishino, Shevchenko, Krasnoarmeysk, Novosergeyevka, and Dimitrov (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 430 troops, one tank, five armored fighting vehicles, eight motor vehicles, and five field artillery guns.
As a result of active and decisive operations, units of the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Razliv (Donetsk People's Republic).
Losses were affected on manpower and hardware of two mechanized brigades, one airmobile brigade of the AFU, and one territorial defense brigade near Bogatyr, Yalta, Zaporozhye, and Zelenoye Pole (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 150 troops, one tank, four motor vehicles, and two field artillery guns.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces took more advantageous positions and inflicted losses on formations of one mechanized brigade and two territorial defense brigades near Pridneprovskoye, Ivanovka, and Antonovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 75 troops, one tank, four motor vehicles, one artillery gun, one electronic warfare station, and two ammunition depots.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces struck ammunition depots and production sites of explosives, as well as engaged temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 142 areas.
Air defense units shot down 67 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the AFU lost 660 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 49,247 unmanned aerial vehicles, 601 anti-aircraft missile systems, 22,622 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,533 MLRS combat vehicles, 23,152 field artillery guns and mortars, 33,572 units of support military vehicles.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the operation to neutralise AFU formations on the territory of Kursk region.
In the course of offensive operations, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on formations of one mechanised brigade, two air assault brigades, and one territorial defence brigade of the AFU near Gornal, Guyevo, and Oleshnya. Two counter-attacks launched by enemy units were repelled.
Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, and Artillery strikes inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Basovka, Belovody, Varachino, Vladimirovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Zapselye, Miropolye, Mogritsa, Novaya Sech, Sadki, Shalygino, Yunakovka, and Yablonovka (Sumy region).
Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses amounted to more than 180 troops, two armoured personnel carriers, four armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one ATV, and two UAV command posts.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the AFU losses amounted to over 71,420 troops, 403 tanks, 329 infantry fighting vehicles, 293 armoured personnel carriers, 2,242 armoured fighting vehicles, 2,583 motor vehicles, 592 artillery guns, 53 MLRS launchers, including 13 of HIMARS and seven of MLRS made by the USA, 26 anti-aircraft missile launchers, one self-propelled anti-aircraft system, ten transport-loading vehicles, 123 EW stations, 18 counter-fire radars, ten air defence radars, 56 units of engineering and other materiel, including 23 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, five bridge launchers, one engineering reconnaissance vehicle as well as 15 armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:51 On Friday, April 4, a meeting of military teams of those countries that will be ready to deploy a contingent in Ukraine will take place. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"As for the issue of the contingent, we will have a meeting on Friday, there will be a meeting of our military teams, several countries, a narrow circle of countries, those who will be ready to deploy a contingent in one form or another," the head of state said.
According to the president, not only the presence of a contingent, but also the Future Force are being discussed. "It is very important what the future of the Ukrainian army will look like as part of the security of the entire continent," he said.
22.35 A man who was wounded in a Russian missile strike on Sumy on March 24 has died in hospital. This was reported by the press service of the city council.
"A man who was wounded on March 24 as a result of an enemy attack died in hospital today," the statement said.
21:50 President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
"I held the Headquarters. The key issue is staffing the teams, providing them with everything necessary," the head of state said in an evening video address.
Zelensky also reported that he had separately spoken with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky, and Chief of the General Staff Andriy Gnatov.
"We are preparing in detail our proposals for contingents of partners that can become part of the new security architecture. In fact, this is one of the guarantees of security," the Ukrainian leader added.
19.05 Ukrainian intelligence officers in Crimea destroyed two Russian landing craft and a TOR-M2 anti-aircraft missile system with drones.
"The drones of the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Prymaru masterfully evade enemy anti-aircraft missiles and hit landing craft 02510 BK-16 and Raptor," the Main Intelligence Directorate reported.
Subsequently, the scouts also attacked the Russian troops' TOR-M2 anti-aircraft missile system.
18.59 The Russian army has significantly increased the use of guided aerial bombs: in just three months of 2025, it dropped more than 10,500 guided bombs on Ukrainian territory. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense.
17.26 The disabling of the ticket sales system of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia was a terrorist attack, during which tactics, techniques and procedures typical of Russian special services were used. This was stated by the head of the State Cyber Defense Center of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection Evgeniya Nakonechnaya, Gosspetssvyazi reports.
16.30 At least one person was killed and one wounded as a result of today's shelling of Donetsk region. This was reported by the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.
"In Pokrovsk, Russians killed a woman - we are establishing the exact circumstances and consequences of this attack. A resident of Aleksandro-Kalinovo, Ilyinovskaya community, was injured - 16 private houses, a store and a warehouse were damaged there," he wrote on Telegram.
In addition, several people were probably killed in Liman in the Mirnograd community - the Russians hit a private house with artillery there, and the search operation at the scene continues.
14.58 Only those companies that have already updated their criticality status in accordance with the new requirements will be able to continue booking their specialists starting in April. However, bookings made under the old rules will become invalid.
14.44 According to the results of March, the Russian invaders have lost more artillery systems and vehicles since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The specific figures were reported by the Ministry of Defense.
14:39 In the Kramatorsk direction, Russian soldiers tried to break through on motorcycles, using the dense fog as cover. However, their plan completely failed - Ukrainian defenders destroyed all the attackers. This was reported by OSGV Khortytsia on Tuesday, April 1.
Despite the rapid breakthrough tactics used by the occupiers, including the use of motorcycles in dense fog, Ukrainian forces responded quickly.
14.00 Russia and the United States continue contacts on the topic of Ukrainian settlement, but the issues under discussion are very complex. That is why there is no particular progress. This statement was made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
13.34 Law enforcement officers have exposed an underground PR agency in the Kiev region that worked for the Russian special services. Two professional PR people who were engaged in information sabotage against Ukraine have been detained. This was reported by the SBU.
13.07 Ukraine has received a new text of the agreement on mineral resources from the United States and is working on signing a "mutually acceptable" document. This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga at a briefing with his Lithuanian counterpart Kestutis Budrys in Kiev.
12:59 The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found a resident of the Zaporizhia region guilty of so-called "assistance to terrorism." The Ukrainian transferred 5 thousand hryvnia in support of the Azov battalion.
12.59 Law enforcement officers have exposed a scheme to transfer servicemen from the front lines to rear units for money. The former deputy chief of staff of one of the commands of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is involved in organizing the deal. This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.
According to the investigation, the "fee" for the transfer was 8 thousand dollars. The organizers used connections in the military leadership, developed a detailed mechanism of interaction and took measures of conspiracy.
12.57 Russia continues to violate the "energy ceasefire". On April 1, an energy facility was damaged in Kherson. This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga during a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Kestusis Budrys. According to him, after negotiations in Riyadh, the Russian Federation damaged energy facilities in Kharkiv, Poltava Oblast, and Kherson. This morning, the enemy attacked another energy facility in the city, leaving 45,000 residents without power.
12.46 The majority of Ukrainians – 64% – consider Europe an ally of Ukraine. In addition, 67% of Ukrainian citizens believe that the US is tired of Ukraine and is pressuring it to make concessions. At the same time, only 24% consider the US an ally striving for an acceptable peace. This is evidenced by the data of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in February-March.
12:29 US President Donald Trump's spiritual advisor, Pastor Mark Burns, visited the Main Military Clinical Hospital in Kiev, where he spoke with Ukrainian military personnel and the institution's leadership. This was reported by Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Reuven Azman.
Together with Burns, they met with wounded soldiers who were undergoing treatment and delivered humanitarian aid.
11:55 The government has allocated UAH 5.2 billion for the repair and restoration of roads in frontline and frontline regions. Thanks to this, it is planned to strengthen strategic logistics routes necessary to ensure Ukraine's defense capability. This was stated by Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction - Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksiy Kuleba, the press service of the department reports. According to him, this concerns the routes along which the military moves daily, soldiers and civilians are evacuated, and humanitarian aid is delivered.
11:30 Only 3% of Ukrainians expect that under US President Donald Trump, Ukraine can count on a completely fair peace. This is evidenced by the data of the KIIS poll conducted in March 2025. Another 15% of respondents are counting on a fair peace, although with the fulfillment of some concessions to the Russian Federation. 21% of Ukrainians believe that the peace will be partly fair, partly not. 32% of Ukrainians are counting on an unfair peace, although with the fulfillment of some of Ukraine's demands. 22% of Ukrainians speak of a completely unfair peace.
11:17 On April 1, Russian occupiers attacked Krasnopolye. As a result of the shelling, a fire broke out, the cultural center was destroyed. This was reported by the TG channel Ryatuvalnyky Sumyshchyna. It is noted that all sources of fire were eliminated. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties.
10:59 During the first quarter of 2025, the Ministry of Defense codified and approved for use in the Defense Forces of Ukraine more than 350 new models of weapons and military equipment. Of these, 87% are domestically produced. The ministry reported this on its official website.
10:14 In Dnipropetrovsk region, two Russian agents were detained who received an "order" from their Russian handlers for at least two explosions. This was reported by the SBU. The first target of the perpetrators was a pickup truck of the mobile fire group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The terrorists were supposed to plant an improvised explosive device (IED) under the car and detonate it using a call to a phone that was attached to the explosive.
9:37 On the night of April 1, the Russian army did not launch "shaheeds" at the territory of Ukraine, but struck with two guided aircraft missiles Kh-59/69. This was reported by the Air Force.
9:26 Attack drones are destroying command posts and armored vehicles of the Russian occupiers. Drones are carrying out precise strikes on important military facilities of the enemy. The corresponding video was published on its YouTube channel by the Main Intelligence Directorate.
8:54 Russia did not launch drones on Ukrainian territory - for the first time in a long period of permanent attacks. This was reported by the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation Andriy Kovalenko.
8:45 Over the past 24 hours, the defense forces repelled Russian attacks along the entire front line. The most difficult situation was in the Pokrovsky and Limansky directions. In total, 216 combat clashes occurred in 24 hours. This is stated in the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
8:34 Over the past 24 hours, March 31, Russia lost another 1,540 of its soldiers in the war against Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers destroyed dozens of enemy vehicles. This is stated in the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
7:56 The meeting on preparations for the elections, which The Economist wrote about, did not take place in the President's Office. This was reported in a commentary to Suspilne by the head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arakhamia.
7:25 The Russian Federation and the United States of America are "working on a possible end to the war in Ukraine," despite the fact that US President Donald Trump said he is "angry" at Russian dictator Putin. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
05:00 The Moscow Times reported on Putin's new tactics. He understands that he cannot seize the four declared regions of Ukraine by military means, and Zelensky does not make territorial concessions. Therefore, the Kremlin has placed its bets on removing Zelensky from power, promoting the topic of the need for elections in Ukraine. The Russian Federation hopes to replace Zelensky with a more negotiable president.
02:30 US President Donald Trump again said that he could impose sanctions on Russian oil if Putin "fails" to do his job, although he would not like that. At the same time, Trump hastened to add that he has no doubt that the Kremlin leader will fulfill his part of the agreement on a ceasefire.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The end date of the Battle of Leningrad, August 9, became the Day of Military Glory of Russia. The corresponding decree was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the document was published on the official portal of legal information on April 1.
The accompanying materials to the law indicated that the initiative would emphasize the significance of the Battle of Leningrad as the longest battle of the Great Patriotic War and would immortalize the feat of the defenders of Leningrad.
The document comes into force on the day of its publication.
The Battle of Leningrad, which lasted from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944, was the longest of the Great Patriotic War. Troops from the Northern, Northwestern, Leningrad, Volkhov, Karelian and 2nd Baltic Fronts participated in the fighting at various times.
The result of a series of military operations and the successful completion of the Battle of Leningrad in August 1944 was the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade, as well as the occupied territories of the Leningrad Region and the Karelo-Finnish SSR from the Nazi and Finnish occupiers.
During the Battle of Leningrad, Soviet troops lost about 980,000 people killed, and about 2 million people were wounded. Over 350,000 soldiers of the Leningrad Front were awarded orders and medals, 226 of them were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Another 1.5 million people were awarded the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad".
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on March 11, Putin introduced a bill to the State Duma to establish the day of the end of the Battle of Leningrad, August 9, as the Day of Military Glory of Russia.
In 2017, the date of August 9 was included in the city law "On holidays and memorable dates in St. Petersburg" as the Day of the end of the Battle of Leningrad in the Great Patriotic War. Every year on this day, in different areas of the city, at cemeteries where the defenders of Leningrad are buried, and at military memorials, solemn mourning ceremonies of laying wreaths and flowers, and memorial events are held.
The FSB of Russia for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol has declassified archival data on the trial and investigation of traitors and collaborators who helped the Nazis in the Kherson region during the Great Patriotic War.
According to the documents, in July 1943, several Soviet paratroopers-scouts landed in the area of the village of Verkhniye Serogozy. Three of them were killed, three were taken prisoner. After a brutal interrogation, they were shot on the outskirts of the village of Nizhniye Serogozy along with two more civilians. Later, the place of execution was identified by witnesses and perpetrators.
The archive contains interrogation data of former employees of the counterintelligence and punitive body of the occupiers. Police officers from several districts of the Kherson region were also involved in the capture of the intelligence officers.
“Based on the testimony of former collaborators, it can be traced how several odious traitors, who were later known for their cruelty and treachery – former citizens of the USSR and deserters from the Red Army, in particular Dubogrey – voluntarily entered the service of the punitive organs,” the materials state.
The trial of the traitors took place in March 1959. Six collaborators were sentenced to capital punishment. They were agents of the Nazi secret field police, fighting partisans and the patriotic underground.
The archival documents were declassified as part of the all-Russian project “No Statute of Limitations”.
Earlier, in November last year, archival materials about the brutality of policemen during the Great Patriotic War were made public. Among the published records are interrogation protocols of residents of the Kherson region after liberation in the spring of 1944, as well as their statements to the state commission for the investigation of the crimes of the Nazi invaders.
🚨 Breaking: Iran's 🇮🇷 IRGC Quds Force commander Gen. Esmail Qaani is confirmed safe in Israel 🇮🇱
It can now be revealed that he was an Israeli asset, providing intelligence that led to elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Hezbollah leaders Nasrallah and Safieddine. pic.twitter.com/hQhonIAeIP
Oh my goodness. This is as good as the pagers and the undercover Mossad agents openly working for the IRGC as their Mossad-hunting unit. And the spy squirrels and spy herons. My mind is blown.
UPDATE: I really, really hope this isn’t an April Fools Day joke — thanks for pointing out the possibility, 3dc.
CONFIRMED: A UWEC unhinged Professor (Chair of the English Dept) has been identified as the man who assaulted UWEC College Republicans and destroyed their table that was in support of Judge Brad Schimel for Wisconsin Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/EHLDNSOw9w
#4
Middle age white male with cis pronouns means he is the Level 1 Boss in Barista Maker...but don't be fooled!! He/His Clown Glasses Flurry unleashes a series of the first eight pronouns of the LGB Code in a mighty panic attack!!
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] At least three employees of the Water Corporation were killed and two others were maimed when the Water Authority building in al-Mansuriyah district, southeast of Hodeidah province, was targeted by Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s launched by US warplanes.
According to a local source, the US fighter jets launched three airstrikes on Tuesday evening targeting the building, killing three workers and wounding several others, all of whom were working during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Open Source Intel
@Osint613
·
14h
White House: “These Houthi strikes have been incredibly successful. Last time I was at this podium, there were more than 100 successful strikes. There have now been over 200 successful strikes -- Iran is incredibly weakened as a result of these attacks.”
[IsraelTimes] Trump promises ‘real pain’ for Iran-backed rebels, who say they used a ‘locally manufactured missile’ to shoot down 16th, $30-million MQ-9 Reaper drone since Oct. 7 attack
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed Tuesday that they shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone, even as the US kept up its campaign of intense airstrikes targeting the group.
The reported shootdown over Yemen’s contested Marib governate came as airstrikes hit around Sanaa, the country’s rebel-held capital, and Saada, a stronghold for the Houthis.
US President Donald Trump issued a new warning to both the Houthis and their main benefactor, Iran, describing the group as having “been decimated” by the campaign of strikes that began March 15.
“Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us,” Trump wrote on his social media website Truth Social.
“We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation,” wrote Trump.
He added: “The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.”
HOUTHIS CLAIM THEY DOWNED ANOTHER US DRONE
The rebels claimed to have shot down a drone in Marib governorate, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government. Footage released on social media showed flames in the night, with a Yemeni man claiming a drone had been shot down.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, separately claimed to have downed the MQ-9 drone in a prerecorded video message.
Saree described the rebels targeting the drone with “a suitable locally manufactured missile.” The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles — such as the Iranian missile known as the 358 — capable of downing aircraft.
Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi rebels despite a United Nations arms embargo.
The US military acknowledged to The Associated Press being aware of reports of the downing of a Reaper, but declined to comment further.
General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes over 40,000 feet (12,100 meters) and remain in the air for over 30 hours. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA for years over Afghanistan, Iraq and now Yemen.
The Houthis claim they’ve shot down 20 MQ-9s over Yemen, 16 of which were shot down amid the rebels’ campaign over the Gaza war. The campaign began roughly a month after the war was sparked on October 7, 2023, when fellow Iran-backed group Hamas carried out an onslaught in southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages.
The US military hasn’t acknowledged the total number of drones it has lost over Yemen.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2025
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#1
Oh, good. They are starting to hit water infrastructure.
[FoxNews] Amid a wave of violence against Tesla vehicles, showrooms and charging stations, Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk labeled the attacks as "wide-scale domestic terrorism" and demanded authorities "go after the generals" behind the violence.
Reports of Tesla-related incidents have been increasing nationwide, ranging from minor vandalism, such as keying or graffiti, to more extreme cases like arson and drive-by shootings allegedly targeting Tesla vehicles.
Over the weekend, anti-Musk protesters saw one of their biggest shows of force as the decentralized movement known as Tesla Takedown planned a "Global Day of Action" targeting more than 500 Tesla locations worldwide.
"This is fundamentally a case of terrorism. It's wide-scale domestic terrorism with the purpose of intimidation, and it's harming innocent people. It's really terrible," Musk said Tuesday on "The Five."
"What we actually have to get to are the people who are organizing and paying for these attacks and protests. That's who we really need to go after, because the people that were actually throwing the Molotov cocktails — they're the foot soldiers, but we need to go after the generals."
Amid a wave of violence against Tesla vehicles, showrooms and charging stations, Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk labeled the attacks as "wide-scale domestic terrorism" and demanded authorities "go after the generals" behind the violence.
Reports of Tesla-related incidents have been increasing nationwide, ranging from minor vandalism, such as keying or graffiti, to more extreme cases like arson and drive-by shootings allegedly targeting Tesla vehicles.
Over the weekend, anti-Musk protesters saw one of their biggest shows of force as the decentralized movement known as Tesla Takedown planned a "Global Day of Action" targeting more than 500 Tesla locations worldwide.
"This is fundamentally a case of terrorism. It's wide-scale domestic terrorism with the purpose of intimidation, and it's harming innocent people. It's really terrible," Musk said Tuesday on "The Five."
"What we actually have to get to are the people who are organizing and paying for these attacks and protests. That's who we really need to go after, because the people that were actually throwing the Molotov cocktails — they're the foot soldiers, but we need to go after the generals."
In response to the nationwide violence, the FBI launched a task force to investigate attacks on Tesla owners. FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the incidents are being treated as "domestic terrorism."
The Tesla chief executive rebuked the "incredible hypocrites" within the legacy media and Democratic Party, arguing that the rhetoric of DOGE critics has fueled anger against Tesla and its supporters.
"I find it ironic and incredibly hypocritical that the same Democrat politicians who would want to throw someone in prison for 20 years simply for watching things at January 6, but not actually doing any violence, you don't hear a single word from them about the actual violence happening against Tesla," he said.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An earthquake of magnitude 5 was recorded on April 1, 16 km from the city of Mandalay in Myanmar. This follows from data from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).
A 5.0 magnitude earthquake was recorded near the city of Mandalay in Myanmar
The tremors began at approximately 14:02 Moscow time. Seismologists estimate them at 5 points on the Richter scale. The earthquake is located at a depth of 10 km.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Russian Emergencies Ministry staff worked at 18 points at the site of destruction in Mandalay. Rescuers also plan to conduct rescue operations after the earthquake outside the city. In addition, on April 1, the Russian Emergencies Ministry airmobile hospital began receiving the first victims in Mandalay. More than 20 doctors provide qualified medical care to those in need.
On March 28, a powerful earthquake occurred in Myanmar, the magnitude of which, according to various sources, was from 7.7 to 7.9. The epicenter of the tremors was located near the second largest city of Myanmar - Mandalay. The first earthquake was followed by a second one with a magnitude of 6.4.
As of April 1, the death toll exceeded 2,700 people, 4,500 were injured to varying degrees of severity. 441 people are listed as missing.
On the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, two Russian Emergencies Ministry planes with a combined team of 120 rescuers were sent to Myanmar. On the night of March 31, they rescued a woman from under the rubble, who had lain under the collapsed structures for two days.
Later, the Russian Emergencies Ministry sent two more special Il-76 aircraft with 95 rescuers on board to earthquake-hit Myanmar. The team included canine teams and medical workers. Specialists from the Russian Federation will work in the most affected areas.
[NYPOST] The Trump administration has deported more than 100,000 migrants since President Trump returned to the White House in January, The Post has learned.
Both ICE and CBP officials have made 113,000 arrests and carried out ''north of'' 100,000 deportations since Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, a Department of Homeland Security official told The Post Monday.
Sources said it shows that Trump is keeping his promise to boot illegal migrants, alleged gangbangers and suspected terrorists from the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2025
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikhail Kirillov
[REGNUM] A court has sentenced Marine Le Pen, France's most popular politician according to polls, to four years in prison and a ban on running in the elections. Her supporters are disappointed but are confident that it will help "revive" the party. Lemons into lemonade is always better than the alternative.
The French nationalist leader calls the Paris court's verdict a "black day for democracy." She has publicly pledged not to allow herself to be "removed" from politics and is preparing to appeal.
The day before, on March 31, the head of the parliamentary faction and informal leader of the National Union was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which are suspended, as well as a fine of 100 thousand euros in the case of embezzlement of funds from the European Parliament.
She has also been banned from holding elective office for the next five years, meaning she will not be able to run for president in 2027, although she will retain her parliamentary mandate.
On the eve of the verdict, Marine Le Pen's electoral rating was 37 percent - twice that of the current French President Emmanuel Macron. In addition, this is also a personal record for Le Pen in the last few years. And, of course, many saw this as a political order.
"Today, millions of French people are outraged, outraged to the extreme. I am being eliminated, but millions of French people are being eliminated along with me," Le Pen assured a few hours after the verdict was announced.
The essence of the accusation boils down to a simple formula: Le Pen and her supporters fictitiously hired assistants to MPs for 12 years, and spent the proceeds on financing their party.
The scheme was devised by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, back in 2004 to supplement the movement's budget. In total, the right managed to save 4.4 million euros, or about 360,000 euros a year - not a huge sum by the standards of French politics.
And although the judges were unable to prove that the money was spent on the personal enrichment of the Le Pen family, this did not stop them from handing down a sentence that was unprecedentedly harsh by French standards.
But while the politician could theoretically challenge the prison sentence and the 100,000 euro fine in a higher court, it seems that the loss of electoral rights cannot be overturned.
"It is impossible to challenge the immediate entry into force of the ban on standing for election," Le Pen's lawyers explain.
In other words, the ban on nomination can only be lifted if the appellate court issues an acquittal.
Now it is time for the National Union to think not only about how to continue the political struggle without its leader, but also, perhaps, about the ways in which they can turn the current crisis to their advantage.
And there really are a lot of options here.
According to polls by the sociological company Elabe, at least 42% of the French are dissatisfied with the court's decision. In their eyes, the court dealt a blow not so much to corruption as to the opposition as a whole.
Such figures are an excellent chance for the right to first rally the protest electorate around itself, and then carry out a soft transition within the party itself.
The most obvious thing the right can do now is to find a new candidate for the presidential seat.
The most likely candidate to succeed Le Pen is considered to be the chairman of the National Rally, 29-year-old Jordan Bardella. However, both he and other party leaders have so far publicly rejected this possibility.
"Justice must hurry. Imagine if I am acquitted after the presidential elections, in which I was unable to participate, what will be the legitimacy of the elected president?" says Marine Le Pen, hinting that she is not ready to give up the fight for the Elysee Palace.
Yes, many foreign right-wingers and Eurosceptics are now speaking out in her support, which adds considerable weight to her words. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and US President Donald Trump have all shown that they are ready to defend their ideological ally. And this could play a decisive role in the future.
Moreover, in a short period of time, Le Pen managed to attract opposition politicians to her side in France itself.
These include former Republican leader Eric Ciotti and the leader of the far-right Reconquest party, Eric Zemmour. Both have criticized the National Rally in the past, but are now united in their defense of the presidential front-runner.
"It is not for judges to decide who people should vote for. I regret that politicians themselves have given these excessive powers to the justice system. All this needs to be changed," Zemmour is sure.
But, and this is the most surprising thing, the voters themselves, although they express dissatisfaction with the verdict, believe that the forced transition could benefit the National Union.
And here lies both a big problem and a great opportunity for the party to win the support of even more people.
According to a poll by Odoxa-Backbone for Le Figaro, around 57% of party supporters consider Bardell as good a candidate for the post of head of state as Marine Le Pen herself. They are convinced that a new leadership could transform the National Rally from a “family” party into a political force with a much broader political representation.
In addition, six out of 10 French people, including supporters of other political forces, are confident that the court's verdict will not ultimately become an obstacle to the victory of nationalists in the next presidential and parliamentary elections.
To put it simply, a significant part of the right-wing electorate already believes that Marine Le Pen and the National Rally are not the same thing.
Some of them, while agreeing with the disproportionate nature of the punishment, openly express disappointment with their leader. “The Le Pen family, including the late Jean-Marie, was involved in dubious schemes and thus set us, their voters, up,” is how many nationalists are now reasoning.
The same applies to other, less public leaders of the National Rally, who, together with Marine Le Pen, were implicated in the thefts. However, as the investigation showed, Bardell was not among them, which only strengthens his sympathy among voters.
True, there is another possible strategy for the National Rally here, through which both the 29-year-old party chairman and his political mentor could come to power at the same time.
If Jordan Bardella wins the election, he will be able to appoint Marine Le Pen as prime minister without violating the court's verdict.
Of course, in this case, the leader of the nationalists will remain under judicial supervision, but she will have no formal obstacles to leading the government.
Although, of course, a convicted prime minister is a very dubious prospect in the eyes of voters.
True, all this will only be possible in one case - the "National Union" will be able to quickly recover from the shock, redistribute power within the party, consolidate the protest electorate, and then keep it in its orbit until 2027. And this looks like, at the very least, a non-trivial task.
But global political practice in recent years shows that this is very, very real.
The story of Donald Trump's shot ear was perceived by voters in the US as an attempt by "liberal globalists" to eliminate a non-systemic competitor and brought him huge political dividends. No legal proceedings against the Republican, which have been dragging on for many years, could beat the media effect of the "heroic" incident in Pennsylvania.
The same applies to the assassination attempt on Robert Fico, which only strengthened the reputation of the leader of the Slovak right.
True, there are also examples of the opposite in the European right-wing camp. For example, this happened to the candidate for the presidency of Romania, Calin Georgescu, for whom the presidential race, judging by everything, will end with a real prison term.
In other words, the “crisis of March 31” will require the National Rally not only to be united in the fight against the biased bureaucracy, but also to undergo a rapid internal transformation. After all, given the instability of the government coalition of the left and the center, the chance to take revenge in this fight may present itself to Le Pen much sooner than many think.
It gives me great pain to say this but I don't believe RT is any less credible than American Main Stream Media. MSM have been caught too many times either withholding pertinent information (Joe Biden's cognitive decline), censoring pertinent information (Hunter Biden's laptop) or outright lying (Covington kids). These are just a few examples of MSM deceit and treachery. They are not the least bit trustworthy. Just like RT, you have to consider the source and take everything you get from them with a grain of salt, especially when the subjects are Donald Trump or Marine Le Pen.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/02/2025 13:05
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#10
In 21st century, press flourished!
[old story: "All Russians Well-Nourished!"]
We, unlike Red West,
Were fed only on best,
From most trustworthy sources! More... booorscht?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Benjamin Netanyahu's government has made a breakthrough in the implementation of judicial reform. One of the central laws was adopted in the third reading, placing judges under the control of the Israeli government and curtailing the independence of the Supreme Court (BAGATS).
The bill was pushed through literally "on the shoulders" of the coalition and sympathetic deputies: it was supported by 67 out of 120 Knesset members. The opposition boycotted the vote almost entirely, while not missing the opportunity to accuse the prime minister's supporters of "deepening the national rift."
They doth protest entirely too much — in both senses
However, from Netanyahu's point of view, his actions are, on the contrary, aimed at gradually overcoming the split in the country. True, not entirely by pleasant methods.
"REPRESSIVE INSTRUMENT"
Netanyahu's war with the High Court goes back to April 2023, when the prime minister sought to weaken the Supreme Court's influence on Israeli politics by taking away from the parliamentary opposition a powerful lever of pressure on the government - even if that meant undermining the court's authority.
It was then that the judicial reform was launched in the country, around which many lances were broken. In particular, the Law on the Status of Judges, which turned the previous mechanism for their selection upside down, caused heated debates.
Under the new model, the judicial commission will consist of nine members: four people will represent the ruling coalition, two will represent the opposition. Previously, an equal number of delegates were introduced to the commission from both camps.
The remaining three members of the commission are the chairman and two judges of the Supreme Court. The majority required to elect judges will be five people, but on the condition that at least one of them is a representative of the coalition and one of the opposition.
The reform will thus make Israel's judicial institutions more dependent on the central government's course and avoid "unnecessary legal fuss," encouraging the High Court and the government to work together. At least, that's what the Netanyahu camp thinks.
The opposition has a different opinion on this matter. It is convinced that with the adoption of the law, the ruling coalition will be able to push its candidates into the Supreme Court and other courts, turning them over time from an independent branch of power into a "repressive instrument."
THE PRIME MINISTER'S MULTI-MOVE
Why did the Israeli Prime Minister need to so rudely violate the balance between the branches of power? Especially at a time when the country is involved in an armed confrontation with Hamas, and any abrupt maneuver could split the Knesset.
There are several reasons for this. The most obvious one is the desire to strengthen the position of the cabinet of ministers as much as possible.
During the current government's tenure, the Supreme Court has at least several times put Netanyahu's ministers in an awkward position by torpedoing decisions already agreed upon at all levels, which did not add to the harmony of the motley coalition. Bringing the judges under control means avoiding losing control over the cabinet.
In addition, the High Court continues to pressure the coalition to conduct an investigation into the causes of the failure on October 7, 2023. The term of his “legal ultimatum” expires in mid-May, and by that time Netanyahu hopes to ease the pressure on the authorities from the families of the hostages through the courts with the help of reforms. And then to conduct a campaign against Hamas within the limits he deems necessary.
Finally, the prime minister himself needs control over the judges in order to extricate himself from a series of high-profile scandals that have followed him throughout his term, be it corruption connections or leaks from the government office.
Considering that it is through the High Court that the opposition is trying to overthrow Netanyahu, the prime minister’s desire to deprive his opponents of their main trump card is entirely natural.
Overall, he positions the shake-up of the Supreme Court as shock therapy that will deprive the opposition of the temptation to disrupt the work of the government using legal loopholes, and discourage the judicial community from playing big politics.
LEGAL RING
It should be noted that Netanyahu also has personal scores to settle with the judicial system.
In the winter of 2023, the prime minister was forced, under pressure from the Supreme Court, to dismiss Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who had an outstanding conviction for corruption.
Given that Deri's post was the result of "inter-party bargaining," the break with him dealt a major blow to the stability of the governing coalition, forcing Netanyahu to move closer to the "hawks" led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, which brought the alliance to the brink of a split at least several times.
For this reason, Netanyahu has recently not been too concerned about maintaining the balance of power between the branches of government and has sometimes taken openly confrontational steps.
Among these, for example, is the dismissal of the government's legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, who was considered a "balancer" between the government and the High Court of Justice.
Of course, in legal sparring the initiative is not entirely with the prime minister's camp. Sometimes his subordinates also take hits, losing their seats.
For example, the Supreme Court managed to torpedo the extension of the term of the director of the Civil Service Administration, Roi Kahlon, Netanyahu's "political valet."
The resignation process of the head of counterintelligence Ronen Bar was also extended as much as possible. And the prime minister's office was inundated with amendments in the hope that the apologists for judicial reform would get lost in the legal nooks and crannies.
However, this tactic apparently did not work - Netanyahu managed to push the law through to the third reading.
COUNTER MOVE
However, even with the controversial law close to being enacted, supporters of Supreme Court independence continue to resist.
The opposition is trying to use its last legal levers to, if not sink, then at least delay the reform as much as possible.
Thus, the Yesh Atid party, the largest opposition force in Israel in terms of the number of mandates, filed a petition with the High Court of Justice criticizing the bill within the first hour after the end of the vote. Later, other opposition and public forces joined it.
At the same time, the opposition is mobilizing protest potential. Doctors' and teachers' unions are threatening mass strikes, and industrialists are preparing an open letter to the Israeli authorities.
The army is wavering. On the one hand, Netanyahu has prudently placed loyal "hawks" in key positions in the army, thereby weakening the influence of the "generals' opposition" sitting in the Knesset. The military is not showing much interest in what will happen to the Supreme Court.
On the other hand, the army still has an unpaid debt. In the summer of 2024, the High Court of Justice, ignoring the position of the Israeli cabinet, lifted the previous ban on the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the armed forces, thereby ensuring an influx of recruits at a time when the army needed fresh blood.
The "shoulder straps" will most likely have to make a choice in the near future.
Be that as it may, the opposition's activities have not had a noticeable impact on the government's course, although they have made quite a lot of noise. Netanyahu and his supporters intend to see the judicial reform through to the end, regardless of image or political losses.
Or, at least, to distract the public from the hackneyed topic of the “October 7 catastrophe.”
Until this date, Netanyahu had been under severe pressure from the streets, but in the conditions of continuous military actions in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Gaza again, the prime minister does not have to worry about this factor. After all, war is not the time for civil protests.
Security forces in Idlib launch an operation against suspected Syrian government collaborators in Jabal al-Zawiya, detaining eight individuals. Read more: [https://t.co/UQ57EhbNXr] #Idlib#Syria#Security
— NORTH PRESS AGENCY - ENGLISH (@NPA_English) April 1, 2025
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2025
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Cant believe (yes i can actually believe it, but damn)... Cant believe USAID was sending charity and aid to Idlib.
A group of US lawmakers, led by Democrats Pramila Jayapal and Rashida Tlaib, introduce legislation to block the Trump administration from proceeding with several major arms sales to Israel https://t.co/f47jAi6gqVpic.twitter.com/f9pikrf35L
[THECENTERSQUARE] U.S. taxpayers have shelled out tens of thousands of dollars in recent years to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for research on LGBT issues, the kind of funding now under scrutiny by the Trump administration.
The research relies on conducting interviews — in one case for $373 per Zoom call — to explore a researcher's hypothesis of widespread discrimination.
For instance, one taxpayer-funded research grant studied ''queer farmers quality of life in Pennsylvania,'' federal records show, one of several grants of its kind.
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Projects — a federally funded research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture — paid $14,997 for the 2018 grant.
While this grant is relatively small, there are others, and critics argue the spending is a distraction from helping farmers and lowering food prices, which soared during the Biden administration alongside this kind of research funding.
The aforementioned 2018 queer farmers grant went to Pennsylvania State University for a project titled: ''Sexuality and Sustainable Agriculture: Examining Queer Farmers' Quality of Life in Pennsylvania.''
The grant proposal says the topic is ''stoopiddumb woefully understudied.''
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2025
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[11171 views]
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#1
Personally, I find the whole idea of queer farming incredibly problematic. I mean, how do you even verify consensuality of the necessary hetero or turkey baster sex in that environment? And then there's the preference selections and cis shredders and prevailing systemic homophobia...
#3
Some of these researches seem very interested in queer stuff. I’m beginning to wonder if some of them might be queer themselves.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/02/2025 8:09
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#4
^ Wonder?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/02/2025 8:30
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#5
^ We would all love to get paid for our hobbies. Plus doing "academic research" means you never have to produce results, just words and more grant applications.
And let's not forget extra-curricular activities:
"Say, what are you doing later after this interview about your sex life?"
#8
Remember that article the other day about how to write grants and proposals using the appropriate buzz words and catch phrases to them the guarantor know you are 'one of our people'?
They are dryer sheets in the money launder - the payouts to local agents.
#9
One of our people? All one need do is read a half dozen publications in the latest issue of the leading journal in the field/subfield to know exactly what the latest grant-getting buzzwords and concepts are.
Even when doing rocket science that part isn’t rocket science.
And you are right, that a key word search by a simple person like myself would show that. What would be interesting, is if key word/phrase combinations, with certain ones receiving a numbered value, which puts together, if you will, a 'riff' or 'fugue' which a find algorithm spots and ranks to eliminate 'trolls'.
#11
*I'm playing off the olde concept of receiving a letter, laying a template with cut-outs, on top of the message to decipher the hidden message. But like in 3-D.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The United Nations (UN) has accused the Israeli army (IDF) of killing 15 medical workers and rescuers in the Gaza Strip. This was reported on March 31 by The Guardian.
Like in Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, or any other totalitarian society, one can’t achieve anything in Gaza without the approval of Hamas — not to mention that Gaza hospitals are command-and-control sites for Hamas, with rest-and-rearming sections in the tunnels below. The UN is being more than a bit disingenuous here.
"According to the UN humanitarian office, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and Civil Defense staff were on a rescue mission for colleagues who had been shot at earlier in the day when their clearly marked vehicles came under heavy Israeli fire in the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah," the publication clarified.
That’s not how the IDF tells it.
The dead medical workers were later buried in a mass grave in southern Gaza, and their ambulances and the UN mission vehicle were covered with sand using a bulldozer, Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine, said. It is noted that the body of one of the doctors was found with his hands tied.
Staged by Hamas.
According to OSNA, the shooting took place on March 23, the day after the Israeli army advanced in the area near the Egyptian border. One Red Crescent worker is currently missing. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the area was considered safe and did not require further approval.
Earlier, Regnum reported that on March 29, the Israeli army launched a ground operation in the area of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. As part of the operation, the IDF eliminated the infrastructure of the Palestinian group.
Here’s one of the 23% — video clip at the link — hattip Snowy Thing:
Jews Fight Back 🇺🇸🇮🇱
@JewsFightBack
Lesley Stahl looked a Jewish hostage in the face—after being starved, tortured, beaten, and dragged through hell—and asked if maybe Hamas didn’t mean to starve him.
Maybe they just didn’t have food.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Shame on 60 Minutes. Shame on CBS. And shame on every apologist who still can’t admit that Hamas is pure evil.
#6
More ACA JOE stupidity and hate under a fake nym
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/02/2025 11:35
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#7
The city of Berlin has started procedures to expel 3 EU citizens (Ireland and Poland) from Germany because they participated in violent pro Hamas "protests" (genocide, you know).
That's not easy because EU citizens are very difficult to remove, but if it works once it will work again (and make idiots think twice).
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/02/2025 11:49
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#8
That is just slightly higher than the positive approval rating of the demoncrat party.
[IsraelTimes] No injuries or damage reported in rocket attack; warning comes a day after military ordered all Palestinians to leave Rafah as fighting intensifies
The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation order for areas in northern Gaza on Tuesday morning, shortly after a rocket was fired from the Strip toward the city of Sderot.
The rocket was successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military said, and there were no reports of injuries. Air raid sirens were set off in Sderot, Ibim and Kibbutz Or Haner.
Two hours after the rocket was fired, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for Palestinians in the city of Beit Hanoun and surrounding areas.
In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, published a map of the area that is to be evacuated, saying that it was a “final warning” before the IDF carries out strikes there.
The map also showed the IDF’s expanded buffer zone along the border with the Strip.
Israel restarted fighting in Gaza on March 18 with a series of heavy airstrikes across the Strip, two weeks after the first phase of a ceasefire-hostage release deal ended.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2025
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[FoxBiz] Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a trade agreement with the state of Mexico – commonly known as Edomex to distinguish it from the country as a whole – during a trip to the country on Monday, aiming to deepen economic cooperation.
Pritzker led the delegation of state officials and business leaders on a trade mission to Mexico, where he signed an addendum to the Illinois-Mexico Sister-State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside the State of Mexico Gov. Delfina Gómez Álvarez.
Pritzker's office confirmed to Fox News Digital that the MOU – a non-binding agreement between two or more parties that expresses an intent to cooperate – was between Illinois and the State of Mexico, one of 31 states that make up Mexico.
"Mexico has been an essential partner to the state of Illinois for decades, and I’m proud to stand alongside Governor Gómez Álvarez and assert the importance of this continuing relationship," Pritzker said in a written statement. "More than ever before, we must reassure our neighbors in Mexico that Illinois will remain a beacon of economic and cultural cooperation and opportunity for our people."
#5
Creating new meaning to the phrase "State of Illinois," J.B. now postures as head of his own independent "country." Unfortunately, this probably plays well in N.E. Illinois.
Posted by: Chicago Lurker ||
04/02/2025 9:52
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#6
Mexico provides illegals/drugs and Illinois provides $$$?
That fat f**king pig. Another one a little too close to Jeffie Epstein, IIRC...or a relative. Maybe our hot-shot AG will dig up his name in that truckload of documents while she's looking for Trump's name.
[DAILYWIRE] White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stood before news hounds on Monday and listed off multiple tariffs imposed on American products by foreign nations, arguing that the ''unfair trade practices'' need to come to an end.
Leavitt pointed to massive tariffs from the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , Japan, India, and Canada, saying, ''It's time for reciprocity.'' President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... is preparing to announce a round of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, a day he has labeled ''Liberation Day in America.''
''If you look at the unfair trade practices that we have: 50% from the European Union on American dairy. You have a 700% tariff from Japan on American rice. You have a 100% tariff from India on American agricultural products. You have nearly a 300% tariff from Canada on American butter and American cheese,'' Leavitt said, holding up a chart on a piece of paper. ''This makes it virtually impossible for American products to be imported into these markets, and it puts a lot of Americans out of business and out of work over the past several decades.''
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2025
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#1
Probably a stretch to say that the Canadian butter tariff is putting a lot of Americans out of work, but I do agree with her.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/02/2025 5:31
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#3
While the EU applies a 10 percent most-favored-nation tariff on cars (US 2.5%), the US levies a 25 percent tariff on pickups – the largest segment of the US car market, accounting for about a third of all vehicle sales. In fact, the best-selling vehicle in the US is a pickup, the Ford F-150.
"Unfairness" goes both ways.
The average EU tariff on imports from non-EU countries is 5.2%. That's above the average US tariff on imports (3.5%). When the product classes are weighted with their different import values, the difference is somewhat smaller (3.0% versus 2.4%).
Nothing that couldn't be solved with amicable trade negotiations. TTIP would have done away with most of these tariffs (and regulations).
Note that services (US has a big surplus here) have no tariffs.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/02/2025 8:41
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#6
VAT is exactly NOT the issue. VAT is levied on ALL goods, domestic or foreign.
Obviously I have to explain that:
If I order a Mercedes built in Germany worth 100,000 euros, I will pay VAT (19%) on top of it. So the German car will cost me 119,000 euros.
If I order a Cadillac from the U.S. worth 100,000, I will also pay VAT (19%) on it (just that this VAT is called Import tax or Einfuhrumsatzsteuer). Thus the Cadillac will cost me 119,000 euros as well.
VAT has nothing to do with tariffs or unfair treatment.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/02/2025 9:00
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#14
My apologies EC, you are correct about the VAT, somewhat.
What I found while I was breaking preparing for the 7"-11" of rain we will experience this week;
The rate of VAT in Germany is 19%, with a limited number of goods being eligible for a lower 7% rate. Goods imported to Germany from outside the EU are subject to a different tax, called Import Turnover Tax, equal to 19% of the value of the items plus other import costs, such as shipping.
Goods imported to Germany from outside the EU are subject to a different tax, called Import Turnover Tax, equal to 19% of the value of the items plus other import costs, such as shipping. Goods imported from within the EU apply VAT at the point of sale.
So as I read this courtesy of Bing, US imports are subject to the VAT and ITT. Are there more taxes you are not disclosing? An EU tax, a German import tax? What else? Local and state tax?
For vehicles imported to Germany from non-EU countries like the United States, the standard import duty structure includes:
Basic Import Duty: 10% of the vehicle's declared value
Value Added Tax (VAT): 19% calculated on the combined total of the vehicle's value, shipping costs, and the 10% import duty
This means that for a vehicle valued at €30,000 with €1,500 in shipping costs, you would pay:
#16
This was 2020. Denmark had very high taxes on cars. Once they were lowered to a reasonable rate, people bought cars. That’s what our tour guide said. It was a really high rate.
Cars are usually not imported by the consumer, but by your car dealer. Let's say the German car dealer sells Mercedes, Peugeot and Cadillac (for the sake of argument). And let's assume that the respective manufacturers sell their car for a value equal to 30,000 Euros.
So we have
1) Producers/exporters in the US, France and Germany
2) Importers/retailers in Germany
3) German consumers
First scenario: The retailer buys a Mercedes from the German Mercedes factory.
He pays 30,000 Euros plus 19% VAT (i.e. 5,700 Euros). He doesn't care about this 5,700 Euros because he is not the end consumer. He gets the 5,700 Euros back with his next VAT return (usually done monthly).
If he sells the Mercedes for 40,000 Euros, the consumer will have to pay 19% VAT (i.e. 7,600 Euros) on top of it, i.e. 47.600 Euros. If he is a private consumer, he won't get this money back. If I buy a Mercedes exclusively for business use, I can deduct this 7,600 from my VAT income. So I don't pay VAT on that Mercedes. If I use it privately, I can't.
Second scenario: The dealer buys a Peugeot from the French Peugeot factory. The factory and the dealer have an international VAT ID, so this is a so-called intra-community acquisition. In this case, no VAT is paid by the importer (and, of course, no VAT is refunded). The tax authorities of the EU work together, so they will know whether this was a business or a private purchase.
Again, if the dealer sells the car for 40,000 Euros, the consumer will have to pay 19% VAT (i.e. 7,600 Euros). Again, the private consumer won't get this money back.
Third scenario: Reseller buys a Cadillac from the American Cadillac factory. Reseller has to pay 10% tariff and 19% VAT (called import VAT) on the price of the car and shipping costs (same would be true for first and second scenario, VAT also has to be paid on shipping costs). The dealer will be reimbursed by the government for the 19% import VAT, just as he is for the German and French cars. If he sells the Cadillac for 40,000 Euros, the consumer will pay 19% VAT (exactly the same amount as in the first two scenarios) on top of it The importer will pay the 10% tariff, but he can deduct it as a business expense.
As you can see, VAT doesn't matter in any of the three scenarios. The consumer always pays the same amount (VAT is always included in the consumer price, so the price is 47.600 euros in all cases.
There are other taxes for the consumer, but again, it doesn't matter where the car comes from. In Germany, the consumer who wants to drive his car pays a vehicle tax based on engine size and CO2 emissions. Currently, electric car owners don't pay this vehicle tax. The amount may vary from country to country (it's much higher in Denmark because Denmark prefers you to drive small cars or - even better - bicycles), but again, it doesn't matter where the car was made.
So VAT (and vehicle tax) have nothing to do with tariffs. VAT doesn't "rip off" the US, it just rips off us poor consumers, no matter what car we buy.
Final thing: VAT varies from country to country, but this doesn't change the argument. Only the end consumer pays VAT - in his own country.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/02/2025 16:08
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#18
I see the Europeans have carefully thought out the VAT. I think it has failed in the US, mostly because it is 'regressive'. Poor folks deserve a lower rate because they're poor - so the story goes. (I like a flat tax, myself.)
Is there a reduction in VAT for the less privileged?
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/02/2025 16:22
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#19
"Is there a reduction in VAT for the less privileged?"
Food in Germany has 7% VAT, not 19%
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/02/2025 16:27
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#20
Well Trump did it. Reciprocal? Hardly.
European Union: Average Most Favored Nation rate of 5.2%; higher on specific goods (26% fish, 22% trucks, 10% vehicles, etc.).
Trump applies 20% (25% on cars). The EU must and will respond. Not good for anyone.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
04/02/2025 16:44
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Lavrov reminds that Russia is observing a moratorium on attacks on Ukraine's energy sector
[Regnum] Russia fully complies with the moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on April 1.
“The Russian army is observing the moratorium, which President [of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin ] ordered to be strictly observed during a telephone conversation with [US President Donald ] Trump on March 18,” the minister said.
It is noted that Russia also handed over to US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz a list of critical facilities that Ukraine attacked during the 30-day ceasefire. Moscow sent the same document to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on March 18, during a telephone conversation, the Russian and American leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine in detail. Putin pointed out that it was necessary to eliminate the root causes of the conflict, as well as to observe Russia's legitimate interests in the security sphere. The head of the Russian state also supported Trump's proposal for a mutual cessation of strikes on energy facilities by Moscow and Kiev for 30 days. Putin gave the military the corresponding order and specified that in order to prevent an escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, it was necessary to completely stop the supply of military aid to Ukraine.
The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, verbally confirmed his participation in Trump's initiative, but then the Ukrainian military launched a drone strike on an oil depot in the Krasnodar region on the night of March 19, causing a major fire. On March 28, the Kiev regime attacked the Sudzha gas metering station with shells from the American HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, causing a large-scale fire at the facility. Later, on March 31, a Ukrainian drone dropped ammunition on an electrical substation in the Zaporizhia region, leaving residents of two settlements without power, and another UAV struck a complete transformer substation in the Belgorod region.
Against the backdrop of attacks on Russian energy facilities, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that the Kiev regime is confirming its inability to negotiate and its complete loss of control over processes in the country, including the actions of its own troops.
According to him, the list of violations was presented by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at a meeting of the Security Council. In the United States, in addition to Waltz, it was also received by American Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“And we sent it to our representatives in the UN and the OSCE so that they could show in their work, using specific facts, what the word of the current Ukrainian government is worth, if you can call it government,” the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry told journalists.
He stressed that Moscow, on the contrary, continues to comply with the agreement, despite systematic violations by the Kyiv regime.
The first attack occurred immediately after negotiations between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, following which the Russian leader agreed to a temporary cessation of strikes on energy facilities, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched three drones at an oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya in the Krasnodar Territory. After that, on March 21, Ukrainian forces blew up the Sudzha gas distribution station in the Kursk Region.
On March 22, the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out two drone strikes on the Valuyka gas distribution station in Shvedunovka, Belgorod Oblast. As a result, the station's technological equipment was damaged.
On the evening of March 23, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked energy facilities in Crimea. Ukrainian forces launched four UAVs at the Glebovskoye gas condensate field on Cape Tarkhankut, which is used to supply gas to residents and economic facilities on the Russian peninsula. Russian air defense systems repelled the attack.
The Kiev regime also violated the agreement on March 31, shelling a facility of the branch of PJSC Rosseti Center - Bryanskenergo in the Bryansk region. As a result, due to a broken wire on a support, the high-voltage line was disconnected, cutting off electricity supply to household consumers in the Suzemsky district. In addition, that same evening, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked a transformer substation in the Bryansk region using a UAV. After that, an emergency power outage occurred in the Sevsky district.
The Kiev regime also attacked energy facilities in the Bryansk, Belgorod, Saratov, Kursk regions, as well as in Crimea.
The Ministry of Defense emphasized that the Kiev regime, contrary to the statements of its head Volodymyr Zelensky, continues to carry out attacks using drones and HIMARS systems on energy infrastructure, including international energy, on Russian territory, thereby once again confirming its inability to negotiate.
[NYPOST] A man accused of Molotov cocktailing a Tesla dealership in Colorado is facing federal charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday.
Cooper Jo Fredrick, 24, was arrested in Plano, Texas, on suspicion of attacking a Tesla dealership on March 7 in Loveland, Colo., Bondi said.
''Let this be a warning. You can run, but you cannot hide,'' Bondi said in a video message. ''Justice is coming.''
Frederick, a resident of Fort Collins, Colo., allegedly ignited an incendiary device and hurled it at the dealership, narrowly missing several parked vehicles.
The device landed between two cars, and created a fire, Loveland police said.
“I’ve made it clear (that) if you take part in the wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, we will find you, arrest you and put you behind bars,” Bondi said.
“All of these cases are a serious threat to public safety. Therefore, there will be no negotiation.”
Frederick was arrested a week after the attack. Federal prosecutors are seeking 20 years in prison, Bondi said.
In addition to the federal charges against him, Frederick is also facing local charges, including second-degree arson and possession of explosives or incendiary devices.
He is one of several suspects charged in connection with attacks on Tesla dealerships and factories in recent weeks.
The attacks appeared to center on Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his role with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Lucy Grace Nelson, 42, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, is also facing charges in connection with a separate Feb. 27 incident at the same Loveland dealership.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2025
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#1
Use of a Destructive Device is no joke.
If this keeps up, we can look forward to tons of antifa doing long prison terms.
The ATF tries to entrap gun owners into DD situations all the time.
[DAILYSIGNAL] A coalition of left-leaning organizations is urging the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to defy President Donald Trump's executive order on election integrity.
Trump on Tuesday issued the order that, among other things, requires federal voter registration forms require proof of citizenship and would cut federal funding to states that count mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day.
The Election Assistance Commission—an executive branch agency created under the 2002 Help America Vote Act—manages federal voter registration forms and federal election grants to states and localities.
The seven-page letter to the commission was led by the liberal Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank aligned with New York University that has consistently opposed voter ID, voter list maintenance, and other election security measures.
Joining the Brennan Center were the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters, the Legal Defense Fund, and the NAACP.
''The order itself is unlawful as it relates to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (the 'Commission'), and it would, in any event, also be unlawful for the commission to take several of the actions directed by the order,'' the letter says.
My book, ''The Myth of Voter Suppression,'' describes these organizations and their funders as comparable to political machines of the past that resisted what were considered election integrity reforms at the time, such as adopting a secret ballot. Similarly, those organizations have consistently opposed election reform proposals, such as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
The letter adds: ''Congress created the commission with the express intent that it be an 'independent' agency, not subject to the president's direction.''
I think that in the end, credit will never be given to the unknown/unidentified non commisioned officers for both sides who taught their riflemen how to survive artillery and drone attacks. They will never be decorated for the lives they have saved. More's the pity. by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] The determination of high-ranking foreign officers created a sense of permissiveness among the Ukrainian authorities and fueled their readiness to fight “to the bitter end.”
This, in turn, prompted the regime of Volodymyr Zelensky to carry out military adventures that have brought the army and economy to the current unenviable state. The room for maneuver in decision-making is rapidly shrinking. Ukraine's main ally, the United States, is itself cutting off the air and issuing an ultimatum to its "friends" to negotiate.
"I see that Zelensky tried to change the terms of the rare earth metals deal. We already prepared this deal. Everything is done. And now I heard from journalists that he is ready to make a deal for NATO membership or something like that. This was never discussed, first of all. Secondly, Putin has been saying for a long time that Ukraine should not join NATO. This is exactly why the war started," said US President Donald Trump.
More details were revealed by American journalists in the article of The New York Times "The Secret History of the Ukraine War: The Untold Tale of America's Hidden Role in Ukrainian Military Operations Against Invading Russian Armies." This article sheds light on the participation of American generals in the war against Russia.
They say that this war could have been won if the Kyiv regime had listened to and fully submitted to the American professionals who knew and understood everything. In reality, everything was not so beautiful and smooth.
There was no "secret history" or "untold tale." Washington's control over Kiev was known and spoken about more than once by all Russian leaders, starting with Vladimir Putin.
“Control over the political leadership of Ukraine was established by the United States of America back in 2014, when Ms. Victoria Nuland (a State Department employee responsible for Russia and Ukraine. — Ed.) placed personnel and determined who would be president, who would be prime minister, and who would be mayor of Kiev,” former Verkhovna Rada deputy Spiridon Kilinkarov explained to Regnum News Agency.
It was with Washington that all further major appointments were coordinated, as well as major arrests of oligarchs - for example, the same Igor Kolomoisky. It was the Americans who controlled anti-corruption investigations in Ukraine.
In 2022, political control was transformed into military control.
"After the start of the SVO, one of the conditions for supporting Kyiv was US control over the country's military leadership. And the Ukrainian side agreed - without American "eyes and ears", as well as money, it was impossible to conduct military operations, and the idea of creating an anti-Russian coalition was tempting," continues Spiridon Kilinkarov.
Experts agree that it was thanks to these “eyes and ears” that the Kiev regime survived the first months of the war.
"Ukraine did not have the intelligence capabilities that were necessary to carry out high-precision strikes. And one of the key advantages of the United States and the NATO bloc as a whole is intelligence technology. Therefore, a decision was made to provide Ukraine with full intelligence support, right up to the coordination of target coordinates," Alexey Naumov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council and an Americanist, explains to Regnum.
Very quickly, control became complete. American generals realized that it was easier and more effective to use their Ukrainian colleagues simply as transmission links.
"The materials from the first months of the operation, including the capture of a number of command bunkers in Ukraine and the capture of high-ranking Ukrainian officers, showed that they play a purely technical role in managing the Ukrainian armed forces. The real instructions come from Western headquarters that plan the main operations," Nikita Mendkovich, head of the Eurasian Analytical Club, explains to Regnum.
According to him, in fact, it was a NATO war against Russia without a declaration of war, where Ukraine was used as a testing ground and one of the weapons against the Russian army.
But then — and this is partly reflected in the New York Times report — the situation began to change. In part because the interests of the United States and Ukraine in the conflict began to diverge.
Initially, both countries sought to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.
"In 2022, the Americans advocated that we needed to fight a little more and see if something would crack in Russia. Especially since the advisers to the then American administration said that Moscow was on the brink, that the government was about to collapse, etc. The Russian opposition, which left the country after the start of the SVO, also broadcast similar thoughts," Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, a senior researcher at the IMEMO RAS, explains to Regnum.
However, already in the second year of the war, it became clear to the Americans that they would not be able to achieve this goal.
"They had great hope that the situation on the battlefield could be changed for the better. However, after the 2023 counteroffensive failed, the Americans clearly came to the conclusion that it was impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield by military means. And then their interest in this matter decreased a little," says Spiridon Kilinkarov.
In fact, the strategy of former US President Joe Biden has come down to prolonging the fighting as much as possible. Not allowing Ukraine to lose – but at the same time not getting drawn into a full-scale war with Russia. And this line was already considered quite risky.
“The US realized that their policy was leading to the risk of a third world war after 2024, after Putin’s ultimatum (that we would consider precision weapons strikes deep into Russian territory as Western countries joining the war. — Ed.) and the warning shot from the Oreshnik missile at Ukraine,” says Nikita Mendkovich.
The Ukrainian side did not like this approach. They thought that they themselves could determine the strategy. And this approach did not end well for Ukrainian-American relations.
"In essence, we see how the Ukrainians were receiving more and more autonomy, which led to a decrease in the quality of this interaction. However, there was a significant amount of mistrust between the Ukrainians and the Americans, which arose both after the counteroffensive and after the invasion of the Kursk region. After all, in essence, the only thing that the Ukrainians are doing effectively is abusing the trust of the United States," says Alexey Naumov.
According to him, when the Ukrainians entered the Kursk region, the Americans were forced to support them, because otherwise the Ukrainians would have been defeated.
Yes, Kyiv had like-minded people in the West - the same British. Who, unlike Washington, tried to escalate the conflict.
"The British, having seized the initiative, concentrated on developing some terrorist acts and special operations - that is, for example, they unleashed a missile-drone war both at sea and on land," says Spiridon Kilinkarov. However, their capabilities were in no way comparable to the Americans.
In 2025, the situation for Kyiv became even more complicated: Trump came to power in the United States, whose vision of the further American presence in Ukraine differed from Biden’s, and not in a way that was better for Zelensky.
"With the arrival of Trump, the situation has changed radically. Not only in the US, but also in other Western countries, they understand that Ukraine has no chance of being successful on the battlefield. So Trump, in order to save face, is trying to engage in mediation functions that will lead him out of the fight without defeat," says Spiridon Kilinkarov.
At the same time, the new American president does not want to get involved in the actual military actions, so as not to turn Biden’s war into Trump’s war.
"Yes, the Americans continue to supply weapons and share intelligence. But these are all remnants of packages and programs adopted under the Biden administration," Kilinkarov continues. And this is in a situation where the Ukrainians are running out of resources to wage war. Those resources that they can replenish only and exclusively at the expense of the United States.
"People are running out there, and it's not about the soldiers. A soldier can be trained in two or three months - so that he doesn't fall to the ground every time he's shot. But you can't train an officer like that, and very few people from the officer corps of 2022 are still alive. That's why the quality of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has dropped compared to mid-2022," says Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky.
Volodymyr Zelensky cannot influence Trump and force him to change his approach. The American president does not share Kiev's vision of the war, does not suffer from hatred towards Russia, and is not obsessed with the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow at any cost. The head of the Kyiv regime is also unable to blackmail him - there is nothing with which to do so.
"Zelensky is behaving so brazenly because he knows perfectly well that he has much more dirt on Western leaders than anyone else. On all the leaders who came to Kyiv and whose actions were recorded on video and audio. However, the problem is that politicians change, and dirt on former officials is no longer so useful - except for memoirs," explains Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky.
Now some of Trump's words - for example, about putting pressure on Putin - may please Ukrainian ears. However, they should not be perceived as some kind of anti-Russian strategy.
“Trump is deliberately sending contradictory signals so that European countries cannot formulate a unified position in relation to the United States – at least until Trump’s vertical power structure in America is finally formed and the system is no longer vulnerable,” says Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky.
Therefore, the Kyiv regime now has only two options. The first is to recognize the new realities. "After Trump came to power, Ukrainians understand that they will no longer be able to abuse America. Therefore, they will have to take the position of a subordinate," says Alexey Naumov. But then Washington will lead Ukraine to a peace treaty with Moscow.
The second is to resist in the hope that British generals will be able to replace the American ones. That Europe will be able to play its own game. But then Brussels, silently ignoring Washington, will lead Ukraine to a complete defeat at the hands of Moscow.
#1
Go figure, the same stumblefucks who lost in Afghanistan despite a trillion dollars spent couldn't win another war, either.
Not on general lost his job after Afghanistan.
#3
Would be Zelenskys the world over should take note. American generals, bureaucrats and politicians might tell you one day that you can win a war if you let them help you. Then when the war is raging, they'll walk away and leave you at the mercy of your enemy.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/02/2025 13:15
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[NYPOST] House Republicans forced a bill through committee Tuesday that would limit the reach of so-called ''rogue'' judges who have paused some of President Trump's executive orders from taking effect — including his invocation of an 18th-century law to deport vicious Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... n gang members without trial.
The GOP-led House Rules Committee voted 9-4 along party lines to send the No Rogue Rulings Act, which would do away with nationwide injunctions unless they apply to specific parties bringing a complaint, to the floor of the lower chamber for a full House vote on Wednesday.
A senior GOP aide said the measure is headed for approval, but it was unlikely the Senate will take it up. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have already introduced their own bills to curtail lower courts' authority.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/02/2025
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#1
Great to see that all the GOP politicians are operating as a well oiled machine.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/02/2025 5:28
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Taliban movement (under UN sanctions for terrorist activity) expressed approval of legal procedures to suspend the ban on activities in Russia. This was stated on April 1 by the official representative of the Taliban government Zabihullah Mujahid.
“We believe that all actions in this area aimed at strengthening relations between Afghanistan and Russia are a good step,” he said in an interview with TASS.
It is noted that such measures will be able to strengthen bilateral ties between Russia and Afghanistan, as well as the peoples of these states.
The day before, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office asked the Supreme Court to suspend the ban on the Taliban. The hearing of this application was scheduled for April 17. In Russia, this movement has been considered a terrorist organization since 2003.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces Contain Russian Attacks in Southern and Eastern Ukraine.
The largest number of battles are taking place in the vicinity of Pokrovsk, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already repelled 33 Russian attacks since the beginning of the day.
Since the beginning of the current day, 111 combat clashes have occurred on the front in 12 directions. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Tuesday, April 1.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, Ukrainian units successfully stopped two Russian attacks near Vovchansk. Two combat clashes continue near Kamyanka and in the direction of Liptsy.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attacked 11 times in the areas of the populated areas of Peschanoye, Stepovaya Novoselovka, Novaya Kruglyakovka and Zagrizovoye. One battle continues.
In the Liman direction, the occupation army carried out 10 attacks towards Novoye and Zelenaya Dolina. Three battles are ongoing.
In the Seversky direction, the enemy attacked in the areas of Belogorovka, Ivano-Daryevka, in the direction of Verkhnekamyanskoye and Serebryanka. In total, 15 clashes occurred, 10 of which were successfully stopped, five are still ongoing.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled three assaults in the areas of Chasovy Yar, Kurdyumovka and towards Predtechino. Currently, one combat clash is ongoing.
In the Toretsk direction, four armed clashes occurred in the areas of the settlements of Shcherbinovka, Toretsk and in the direction of Dilievka. One armed clash is still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian occupiers carried out 35 assaults near the settlements of Alexandropol, Vodyanoye Vtoroy, Elizavetovka, Lysovka, Udachnoye, Novoaleksandrovka, Andreyevka, as well as in the direction of Bogdanovka, Novosergeevka, Romanovka, Pokrovsk. The defense forces repelled 33 attacks, two clashes are ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, four enemy attacks took place in the areas of Constantinople and Razliv.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, four assaults were repelled near Privolnoye and Novopol.
In the Orekhov direction, four attacks towards Novodanilovka and Stepovoye were also stopped.
Three battles took place in the Dnieper direction, one of which is still ongoing.
In the Kursk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 10 enemy attacks, and two more clashes are still ongoing.
We remind you that in the course of 24 hours on March 31, Russia lost more than 1,500 fighters killed and wounded. The total losses of personnel are approaching 1 million since the beginning of the war.
#3
I feel we missed a Tom Cruise/Val Kilmer Space-Western; not Oblivion - no offense to Morgan Freeman - something more like what The Expanse was trying to do, shaved down to a movie length, sequels.
Tom Cruise (Minority Report) and Val Kilmer (Tombstone) do The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence...In Space!!...into an Asia Kate Dillon (John Wick 3) 'Adjudicator' with a Hard Boiled (John Woo) feel.
[NYPOST] A self-confessed Elon Musk hater was filmed issuing a groveling apology after he was tracked down and confronted for allegedly carving a swastika onto a Tesla.
Chadd Ritenbaugh, 55, was slapped with a slew of charges in Pennsylvania after being confronted by the furious Tesla owner over the alleged incident outside a Planet Fitness in Doylestown, cops said.
The vehicle's camera captured a vandal parking next to the Tesla just before 9:30 a.m. March 24 before suddenly jumping out, glancing around and crouching down to mark the car.
The Tesla owner only found out when they got home and found ''scratches in the shape of a swastika'' on the side of the car, leading him to the footage of the vandal at work, police said.
It showed the suspect going to the gym, and ''Planet Fitness staff was able to identify the suspect by his membership'' after he scanned in with his card, cops said.
Before Ritenbaugh was arrested, he was filmed being confronted by the Tesla owner, who repeatedly asked if he scratched a swastika into the car with a key.
''I'm sorry, I have nothing against your car, and I have nothing against you,'' Ritenbaugh could be heard saying meekly.
''Obviously, I have something against Elon Musk,'' he said of the Tesla owner.
At one point, Ritenbaugh denied using a key to etch the markings and instead insisted he'd only used a crayon — blaming it on him being ''misguided.''
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04/02/2025
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[NYPOST] House Speaker Mike Johnson gave a blunt reality check Tuesday to President Trump's musings about pursuing a third term in the White House, telling news hounds that amending the Constitution to allow such an effort would be a ''high bar'' to clear.
''There's a constitutional path. You have to amend the Constitution to do it, and that's a high bar,'' Johnson said when asked if Trump, 78, had an avenue to become the 48th president in addition to the 45th and 47th. "But if it makes liberal's heads explode, keep talking about it"
''The president and I have talked about this, joked about it. He's joked about it with me on stage before,'' added Johnson, 53. ''You know, we take him at his word.''
Speaker Mike Johnson
In this case, the "rule" would have allowed for debate and floor consideration of bills that would have limited district judges' ability to levy nationwide injunctions and would have mandated proof of citizenship to register to vote, respectively.
[ShabelleMedia] Tensions between Somali government forces and al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... murderous Moslems have escalated in the Sabiid area, located near Afgooye town in the Lower Shabelle region, since yesterday.
Residents in the area are living in fear, with some fleeing to Afgooye to escape the potential outbreak of combat, as a conflict between the two sides appears imminent in Sabiid, which is currently under the control of al-Shabaab. The group took over the area a week ago.
Heavy fighting ... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy... has broken out in the region on several occasions, forcing Somali government forces to withdraw after coming under intense pressure from continuous al-Shabaab attacks.
Additionally, Awdheegle, a town close to Sabiid, has witnessed significant displacement of people due to escalating tensions. This followed an attempt by Somali government forces to retake the area, which remains under al-Shabaab control.
During the month of Ramadan, al-Shabaab has intensified its operations in both Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions, successfully regaining several areas, which has dealt a significant blow to the Somali government’s authority in these regions.
[NYPOST] Is it worth it to the United States to enforce freedom of navigation on the seas?
That question was a subplot in the Trump administration's instantly famous leaked Signal chat over an operation to hit Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... targets in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... Vice President JD Vance expressed skepticism, pointing out that more European than US trade passes through the Suez Canal.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz, on the other hand, were strongly in favor. Hegseth, correctly, called freedom of navigation ''a core national interest.''
Open sea lanes are necessary to US commercial shipping and trade (80% of all global trade is carried by ocean), as well as to lines of communication with our allies and US bases overseas.
As a strategy document from US Joint Forces Command put it a few years ago, ''The crucial enabler for America's ability to project its military power for the past six decades has been its almost complete control over the global commons.''
The fact is, President Trump's decision to hit the Houthis toward the goal of fully freeing the Red Sea to shipping again was fundamentally American.
We've long recognized the wisdom of the great 17th-century English adventurer Walter Raleigh when he said, ''For whosoever commands the sea commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.''
We've acted on that insight from the beginning of our existence as a nation.
We fought the Quasi War with La Belle France beginning in 1798 during the John Adams administration over French privateers seizing our shipping in the Caribbean.
A few years later, President Thomas Jefferson reacted similarly to the Barbary states harassing European and American shipping in the Mediterranean.
He ordered US ships to go after the corsairs hammer and tongs, urging our commander to ''chastise their insolence — by sinking, burning or destroying their ships & vessels wherever you shall find them.''
Jefferson's actions were in keeping with his belief that we should be a trading nation, and it'd only be possible with naval protection.
As he had put it earlier in a letter to James Monroe, ''this will require a protecting force on the sea. Otherwise the smallest powers in Europe, every one which possesses a single ship of the line may dictate to us, and enforce their demands by captures on our commerce.''
He concluded that ''naval force then is necessary if we mean to be commercial.''
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
"command the world itself"? Huh?
We DON'T WANT to command the world itself.
That is 100% pure WEF/Davos globalism.
Hard no to globalism.
Gosh, if we didn't have foreign trade we'd have to make our products right here in America.
A sound idea.
Make them obey federal and state laws: no discrimination against non-Moslem buyers, and Sharia law cannot supercede American laws — especially with regard to illegal aliens and residents/mosques/town council supporting jihadi organizations.
[Daily Mail, where America get its news] Opponents of a proposed Muslim city in Texas flooded a public meeting Monday in hopes of stopping a controversial Islamic compound from getting necessary permits to begin construction.
For hours, the Collin County Commissioners Court heard dozens of speakers pleading with them to deny the East Plano Islamic Center or EPIC, permits needed to build a city for Muslims that's meant to be 'the epicenter of Islam in America' by organizers.
EPIC, a sprawling house of worship located in Plano, Texas- just north of Dallas- has recently become a target for Gov. Greg Abbott who has accused the mosque of breaking the law, despite no arrests or charges being made public.
Gov. Abbott has expressed his fears the city will introduce extremist sharia law practices to Texas, which would govern religion, marriage and punishment for crime.
In early 2024, EPIC announced what it called a 'historic project,' EPIC City, a community centered in Islam after buying 402 acres of land just outside of Josephine, Texas.
EPIC City, with a brand new mosque serving as the town center, will feature 1,000 new homes, a schools and even a shopping center.
Many residents of the 2,000-person town of Josephine voiced their concerns, although the Islamic development is outside the city limits.
'They want to install a loud system, a speaker system, that would blast their music to call them to prayer, and they could do it as long as they wanted to because they specifically choose a site just outside the city so they can do that,' Susan Martinez told the commission.
She also shared that her small, rural community is already dealing with water restrictions, even without any new construction.
However, others had concerns there are more sinister intentions behind the construction.
'These are self-segregated communities, and they require...when you buy a lot or build a home, you have to pay into the mosque and you have to build into the Islamic schools,' another local said.
In two hours of public comment, with each speaker getting two minutes, only two men spoke in favor of the EPIC City being granted permits.
Additional speakers waited in an overflow room, as public comment was expected to last late into the evening.
Although the Collin County Commission didn't make a decision Monday, the public comment they heard will be taken into consideration when they make a permitting decision next month.
Additionally, the project may already be dead in the water, as Gov. Abbott issued his own order halting construction Tuesday.
'Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) found that the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) and affiliated entities have not obtained the required authorizations or permits needed for construction and development of the proposed project,' Abbott's office announced via press release.
'TCEQ sent a letter to EPIC and affiliated entities to notify them that any construction would be in violation of state law and ordered them to confirm that they have not engaged in any construction activities.'
The Republican governor has accused the Islamic center of practicing sharia law, an extreme form of the religion, and of violating state law, ordering a criminal investigating into the mosque Monday.
Even if Abbott is successful in stopping the new development, EPIC already has a big footprint in Plano.
The huge mosque is surrounded by schools and a gym.
Across the street, there is also an business called 'EPIC Market' and halal shops catering to the Muslims that live in the streets around the mosque. Needs a liquor store
The large, two story luxury homes with expensive cars in the drive ways were all decorated for Ramadan, with Christmas lights used to celebrate the holy month of fasting.
In what could be a key vote for EPIC City's future, Collin County Commissioners will decide whether to approve a permit on April 14.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Thousands of government health workers were fired on Tuesday in the latest massive crackdown on red tape by Donald Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE.
At the Department of Health and Human Services messages began hitting government inboxes with notices of dismissal.
The scene outside the department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. was somber, with workers hugging and shedding tears as they lined up to pack away their desks.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed last week his plans to cut the workforce by 20,000 – half of those coming from early retirements and voluntary buyouts.
Meanwhile, the other 10,000 are now being let go.
Some 10,000 workers already took early retirement and voluntary separation offers at HHS. Another 10,000 are being fired in the latest round of DOGE-inspired cuts.
In a move inspired by President Trump and Musk's war on government waste, the size of HHS is being cut by nearly a quarter, bringing it from 82,000 down to a total of 62,000.
Most of the gutting will be at the Food and Drug Administration with 3,500 being fired. The FDA is responsible for inspecting, setting and regulating safety standards for food, medications and medical devices in the U.S.
And the second largest number of cuts are being made at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where 2,400 are facing the ax.
Meanwhile, another 1,200 jobs are being slashed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and 300 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to a breakdown of the cuts published on Thursday.
HHS has vowed that no one receiving Medicare or Medicaid benefits will be impacted by the job cuts.
Federal employees at the bloated agency started receiving their dismissal notices to their inboxes on Tuesday just one day after President Trump moved to strip government workers of their collective bargaining rights.
RFK Jr. wants to consolidate divisions of his department that oversee billions in addiction services and community health centers in his newly established Administration for a Healthy America.
Some 10,000 workers already took early retirement and voluntary separation offers at HHS. Another 10,000 are being fired in the latest round of DOGE-inspired cuts.
In a six-minute video posted to X last week, Kennedy says he will reduce the number of HHS divisions to 15 from the current 28 and reduce the number of regional offices from 10 to five.
'We're going to do more with less,' he vowed. 'No American is going to be left behind.'
An HHS press release on the job cuts claims the measure will save the department $1.8 billion annually.
He plans to create a new division within HHS called the Administration for a Healthy America. It will serve key functions and focus on 'safe, wholesome food, clean water, and the elimination of environmental toxins,' according to the HHS release on the overhaul.
#2
Learn to code.
No such sympathy when our working class was being gutted by globalization.
Now they know how it feels to lose your job due to deliberate enemy action.
THis is justice.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
[World Socialist Network] On Sunday, the New York Times published an extensive article on US involvement in the Ukraine war entitled "The Partnership: The Secret History of the War in Ukraine," which admits that "America was woven into the war far more intimately and broadly than previously understood."
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
...
...
...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
... the personification of Somali state failure...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
