President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference following a bilateral meeting in the White House. The anticipated start time for the presser and remarks is approximately 5:30pm EST. Livestream Links Below:
UPDATE: Video Added
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio was again asked about the USAID review pause and the likely impact to the matrix of NGO’s and financial dependents, including the families of DC politicians, if funding is not quickly restarted. WATCH:
WASHINGTON DC – […] Some of these anticipated layoffs have already begun. According to an email obtained by POLITICO, early last week development group Credence Management Solutions sent formal emails to contractors in its global health bureau laying off around 400 employees.
The CEO of DT Global, one of the world’s leading development contractors, reportedly told employees last week that 2,000 to 3,000 positions would likely be eliminated in the sector the first week of February. Both Credence Management Solutions and DT Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Since the end of World War II, the USA has permitted a system of one-way trade rules that allowed Europe to rebuild on the backs of the American economy. A series of trade tariffs against U.S. goods was imposed to raise funds for the reconstruction. Those tariffs never ended; the Marshall Plan continues through today.
Additionally, as a measure to allow the EU to focus internally, the USA provided most of the national security protection for the entire region and the American taxpayer funded U.S. military operations throughout Europe so the EU could spend defense money on their rebuilding. Again, that never really ended; and the USA maintains the largest majority of NATO military spending.
President Trump has stated his intention to reset both dynamics. To lower the USA footprint within NATO, demand every NATO member meet its financial obligations, and to reset the trade and tariff system to create equity and reciprocity; thereby effectively ending the Marshall Plan.
The aggregate European Union does not like this Trump trade agenda, nor are they willing to spend more on their own defense. Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a press briefing where she spoke about the looming negotiations with President Trump, and stated the EU will never permit financial, economic or military equity. The EU will fight any effort to stop the Marshall Plan. WATCH:
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There are trillions at stake.
It is always, always, about the economics of the thing.
Oh, this is rich…. “The lawsuit, which claims violations of First Amendment rights and of the federal Privacy Act, asks to bar the Justice Department from aggregating and disseminating the identities of FBI agents and employees that could tie them to the Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago cases.” [Read Full Article]
The ‘rank and vile’ FBI agents decry violations of their “Free Speech” and “Privacy” after those same FBI agents violated U.S. citizen free speech (see “Twitter files”) and privacy (see FISA-702). [Read Their Lawsuit Here]
Seriously, the arrogance, hubris and sentiment of being above all accountability is just too thick. You just cannot make this stuff up.
WASHINGTON DC – […] “Plaintiffs legitimately fear that the information being compiled will be accessed by persons who are not authorized to have access to it,” they argue. “Plaintiffs further assert that even if they are not targeted for termination, they may face other retaliatory acts such as demotion, denial of job opportunities or denial of promotions in the future.”
The suit was filed in federal court in Washington on Tuesday around the same time as a deadline the Justice Department set for the FBI to identify all its personnel who worked on Jan. 6-related cases or investigations. It’s unclear what DOJ officials plan to do with the names, but some prosecutors and FBI leaders deemed untrustworthy by Trump appointees have already been fired. (more)
As noted in the visible scale of media panic, Washington DC federal officeholders (many in their pajamas as they work from home) are having fits of apoplexy as the Trump administration bears down on accountability.
As Politico puts it, “Congressional Democrats seem flummoxed by the pace, responding to crises from three news cycles ago while new ones keep arising in real time.” Apparently, things continue to proceed according to plan, the DC system is overwhelmed by the pace of President Trump’s administrative deconstruction.
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe appears on CNN to discuss the “utter disarray” as Trump administration officials enter and engage the protected silos from every vulnerable position.
“I’ve talked to more FBI people in the last 4 days than I did in the prior 4 years.” “It is a place in utter disarray right now. People are worried about how am I going to pay the bills? How am I gonna support my family?” “If you get fired, you’re done. That’s the end of your reputation, your ability to get any job, you lose your pay, you lose your chance at a pension, you lose your health insurance.” “This is a moment of terror for these people.” WATCH:
Keep in mind, these are the people who weaponized the NSA database to conduct political surveillance.
The Dept of Justice was weaponized to target their political opposition.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was weaponized to act as the police investigative units for those targets.
The Dept of Homeland Security was weaponized to control the evidence and information about their political targeting and surveillance.
The IRS was weaponized against Obama’s political opposition.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was weaponized to allow the targeting radar to sweep internally against American citizens under the guise of national security and domestic terror threats.
Big Panda has a problem, and his name is President Donald Trump.
CTH went (proactively) directly into the heart of the Chinese Potemkin Village, much like my trip to Russia, to specifically see what the reality is on the ground in the region of all Beijing influence. Where the East meets the West you will find a hot mess of propaganda, kept in place by widespread geopolitical pretending.
Never was that reality clearer, than in the example of the retaliatory tariffs announced in response to President Trump’s trade tariffs.
(Via AP) – China said it would implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the U.S. The tariffs would take effect next Monday. {link}
First, tariffs on energy products are pure propaganda. Coal, LNG and crude oil are fungible. In the case of China the energy products arrive from a global market, there is no identifiable way to tariff American energy products. This is not like Canada where the Candian energy products are entirely dependent on pipelines into the USA, and therefore unavoidably easy to tariff by Trump.
Chairman Xi gets most of the Chinese imported energy resources from Russia, specifically Coal, LNG and Crude Oil. So, this subset of tariffs against American energy products is pure propaganda, essentially moot.
You know who buys USA-made “large-engine cars” (Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Ford Raptors) in China? People well connected to the Chinese Communist Party, that’s who. If you are not a member of the elite ruling class in China, you do not buy large-engine cars. So, what exactly is the intent on this one? The target is a domestic internal political apparatus, in combination with narrative creation that Beijing believes will create the biggest splash headlines in the West. That’s it. Again, pure political propaganda.
Oh, this is a little funny. The vertically challenged Ukrainian president who dresses like a UPS driver, is now likely to make a deal with President Trump where Ukraine puts up their “rare earth minerals” as collateral for taxpayer funds received by the United States.
Previously President Trump remarked that U.S. leadership were “stupid” for not securing Afghanistan future mineral contracts in exchange for U.S. military operations. Talking about the Ukrainian expectation from the oval office earlier today, President Trump outlined his expectations that Volodymyr Zelenskyy put up the rare earth minerals as collateral for continued financial support. WATCH:
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday indicated that he wants to reach an agreement with Ukraine to gain access to the country’s rare earth materials as a condition for continuing U.S. support for its war against Russia.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump complained that the U.S. had sent more in military and economic assistance to Ukraine than its European partners, adding, “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things.”
Earlier today, President Trump signed several executive orders recognizing and structuring ongoing efforts including the creation of a USA “Sovereign Wealth Fund.” Full Video below:
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WASHINGTON DC – […] The new wealth fund, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters could be formed in the next 12 months, could be used to finance major government projects and fund strategic investments in critical areas like supply chains. Sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East and Europe are among the largest institutional investors in the world, providing massive pools of capital for Wall Street firms and the U.S. tech industry.
Both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum have agreed to terms established by President Trump to combat drug trafficking and secure their perspective borders.
Mexico agrees to put 10,000 troops on the USA border to immediately begin security efforts. Canada agrees to bolster their 10,000-border patrol and security officers, establish a joint task force to combat organized crime, create a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl, and appoint a Fentanyl Czar.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling through Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic as he represents President Trump and the new administration. He’s doing great.
Today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered remarks to reporters in El Salvador discussing his role as Acting Director of USAID after President Trump and Elon Musk moved to incorporate USAID into the State Department. Secretary Rubio repeated that USAID must align with U.S. foreign policy and the national interests of the U.S. government.
Citing the “uncooperative” nature of the USAID leadership acting as an independent entity, Secretary Rubio announced he is now Acting Director of USAID with the intention of removing all elements who operate against the direct U.S. interests he outlined. Additionally, Secretary Rubio affirmed the positive nature of President Trump’s call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum [Details soon]. WATCH:
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WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) – The Trump administration over the weekend put on administrative leave dozens more staff at U.S. Agency for International Development, three sources familiar with the move said, as it moves to abolish the agency’s independence and bring it under the control of the State Department.
Nearly 30 career staff in the agency’s Legislative and Public Affairs bureau lost access overnight to their emails, the sources said, bringing the total number of senior USAID career staff who have been put on leave over the past week close to 100.