# entry

guid: 1031320 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: You Get A Deal And YOU Get A Deal And YOU Get A Deal
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/you-get-deal-and-you-get-deal-and-you-get-deal
hash: ���GP�묅�Fف�0�
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">You Get A Deal And YOU Get A Deal And YOU Get A Deal</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>By Maartie Wiiffelaars, Senior Economist At Rabobank</em></p>

<p><strong>You get a deal and YOU get a deal and YOU get a deal. </strong>Trump seems to be making deals these days as Oprah once gave away cars. The UK, China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have all signed some kind of deal with the US in a week’s time – while Syria may be granted sanctions relief and Iran basically has to choose between a nuclear deal or stricter enforced sanctions on its oil exports. </p>

<p>Yet mutual benefit is not obvious in all of the above cases, and in any case skewed. The 10% universal tariff is still in place, with Chinese goods still being subject to a 20% to 30% import tariff hike – with the risk of much higher rates in 90 days if a conclusive deal cannot be reached in the meantime. Meanwhile, it has been rather silent recently on the front of Japan and Korean talks, while talks with India are still ongoing, and talks with South-East Asian countries and the EU off to a slow start. Although Scott Bessent recently said that talks with Japan had been “very productive”, conversations with Indonesia “very forthcoming” and the proposal from Taiwan to be “very good”. </p>

<p>So, <strong>essentially, half-way the 90-day reciprocal tariff pause, lots and lots of work still needs to be done to prevent the reciprocal rate increasing back again from 10% to 20% for the EU, to 26% for India, to 46% for Vietnam – China’s regional gateway to the US – and, perhaps, 54% for China itself</strong>. That is absent an extension of the pause of course. </p>

<p>With respect to US-India talks, India has so far lowered import tariffs on US Bourbon and motorcycles, among other things and Trump claimed India had "offered us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariff". To which India’s foreign minister replied by saying “nothing is decided till everything is" and that the deal would have to be mutually beneficial. One of the stumbling blocks highlighted in yesterday’s news was the US requests for India to open up its market for US ethanol – as the UK did. It will be difficult for India to accommodate, however, given its ambitions to reduce dependence on foreign energy and stimulate domestic ethanol production which would benefit domestic farmers – with farmers clearly being hurt if if doors for US ethanol and other agriculture products would open. Meanwhile, <strong>Trump made clear the US doesn’t want India to replace China as the hub for large-scale manufacturing production, telling iPhone’s Tim Cook to invest in US iPhone manufacturing rather than in India. </strong></p>

<p>So, while India will be very happy to work with the US to counter China – although China’s export curbs on equipment necessary to produce anything from electronics to electric vehicles shows how difficult it actually is to cut out China –, <strong>this doesn’t ensure easy dealmaking. </strong></p>

<p>Over to South-East Asia, where countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia are trying to discuss a deal at the APEC meeting in South Korea this week, where the US trade representative Greer is present and which concludes today. Apart from tariff reductions on US goods, the main issue will be the countries’ gateway for Chinese stuff to be re-exported through the countries to the US. There are multiple ways through which the region is supporting such flows. One is by means of ‘rules-of-origin washing’ at its ports, basically relabelling Chinese manufacturing without adding value. This is illegal, and hardly beneficial to any of the countries involved – though hard to track. Yet another route is through importing Chinese inputs and parts to be used in manufacturing, which is profitably and very difficult if not impossible to eliminate at all. </p>

<p>Recent port data show that imports into the region surged over the past two months, as did exports out of it from some ports in the region, providing Trump with ammunition. As we underscored before, for these countries to secure a deal or not, it will come down very much to how tough the Trump administration’s stance will be.. Vietnam’s Prime Minister stressed this week that the US top priority is countering illegal transshipment, which bodes some hope for an agreement down the line. Although officials have expressed doubt to <a href="https://public-eur.mkt.dynamics.com/api/orgs/285245b1-7c6f-ef11-a66d-000d3a4b6c6a/r/A2SCGXEa6kq3CPvQ0PIDAAAAAAA?target=%7B%22TargetUrl%22%3A%22https%253A%252F%252Fwww.reuters.com%252Fworld%252Fchina%252Fus-tariffs-take-centre-stage-apec-trade-gathering-joint-statement-doubt-2025-05-15%252F%22%2C%22RedirectOptions%22%3A%7B%225%22%3Anull%2C%221%22%3Anull%2C%222%22%3A%7B%22utm_medium%22%3A%22email%22%2C%22utm_term%22%3A%22N%2FA%22%2C%22utm_source%22%3A%22dynamics-rr%22%2C%22utm_campaign%22%3A%221%22%7D%7D%7D&amp;digest=64QwUi8XTJwxfHdGL6sH1UL49tymOWjDoGzlol%2B22bA%3D&amp;secretVersion=7c13c22c20aa46a1b2fc8b71fde4d19a"><strong>Reuters</strong></a> if the APEC meeting would actually be able to formulate a joint statement today. </p>

<p>Finally, <strong>EU-US talks have been moving really slow so far</strong>. EU offers to buy more US LNG and weapons and to lower tariffs on US industrial goods, if the US does the same, have so far been rejected. Talks are arguably moving to the next phase, but we don’t expect anything soon, if at all.</p>

<p><strong>Bessent earlier this week claimed the EU “suffers from a collective action problem</strong>”, with different countries wanting different things. Yesterday’s meeting of EU trade ministers confirmed the EU doesn’t want to settle for a deal keeping the 10% universal tariff in place, as is the case for the UK. This seems to be non-negotiable for the US and more sectoral tariffs are in the pipeline. Especially a tariff on pharmaceuticals would be very painful for the EU, as it comprises about 20% of trade with the US.</p>

<p>The EU has circulated a term sheet among its member states with possible offers to be made to the US to come to a deal. Yet at the same time it has created a list with additional US goods to be hit with rebalancing tariffs and export curbs absent a deal. Both the sheet and list are currently up for stakeholder review, which should be concluded in the first half of June. According to Bloomberg, among the offers on the sheet are investment in LNG and AI, EU-US cooperation in sectors like metals, cars, semiconductors, critical minerals and aviation. In general, the EU is still willing to look at tariffs on industrial goods, but agriculture is something really different. Furthermore, it wants to cooperate to tackle Chinese overcapacity and dumping, but doesn’t want to cut China loose. Finally, tax, environment and safety regulations seem non-negotiable. All in all, for the time being, we still expect more tariffs to hit the EU, be it the return of the country-specific add-on and/ or more sector-specific tariffs. If so, the EU will put into force a partial tariff rebalancing package. </p>

<p>In other news we learned yesterday that the UK economy grew by 0.7% q/q in the first quarter of the year, outperforming expectations (0.6% q/q) and peers such as the US and Eurozone. UK growth was driven by increases in gross fixed capital formation, net trade, and household consumption. Net trade contributed 36 basis points to growth, largely due to a rise in manufactured goods exports, which was itself mainly the result of front-loading. However, both private and public spending also edged higher. In terms of output, industrial production grew by 1.1%, while the construction sector showed no growth. The services sector, however, expanded by 0.7% and was the largest contributor to overall output growth. </p>

<p>This confirms that growth is not solely being driven by front-loading. And it suggests businesses and consumers held up well before Labour’s tax rises took effect and Trump’s trade war began to hit confidence. There are signs of underlying resilience in this report, but recent data such as PMIs and labour market surveys since the April tax and trade changes point to a sharp slowdown in Q2.</p>

<p>Very strong Eurozone industrial production figures for March out yesterday were probably also driven by front-loading, but possibly also a reflection of a stabilization in the manufacturing sector after the industrial recession in 2024. More interesting in that respect is the 0.3% q/q gain in Eurozone employment, an acceleration from 0.1% q/q in Q4. Remarkable because it took place against the backdrop of geopolitical and tariff uncertainty and despite that, businesses increased employment. This could point at confidence effects being not as big as feared, or at least a contrast between what businesses fear/think and how they act. </p>

<p>The second reading of the Q1 Eurozone GDP figure of 0.3% q/q was slightly lower than the first estimate of 0.4% q/q, but at first glance still looks solid. Yet while positive that consumption likely contributed positively, the largest driving force seems to have been inventory building, which is expected to turn negative again this quarter. Furthermore, export growth seems to have been weak, despite clear signs of frontloading. Going forward, consumption is likely to continue to support the economy, but trade war related weakness and uncertainty are likely to supress investment growth and export growth – although some frontloading could persist in sectors such as pharmaceuticals. From next year we should see the first material positive GDP impact from more defense spending – with Germany yesterday confirming it will increase military spending to 5% of GDP in the coming years, as Trump requests.</p>

<p>In the US producer prices fell in April by 0.5% m/m, not yet showing the impact of tariffs, which matches earlier CPI figures. Impact will come, though, with for example Walmart saying yesterday that it expects price hikes to become really visible this month. Retail sales by the control group showed weak personal growth in April, but that was also the case in January after which sales turned out ok in Q1 overall. So weakness is visible, but it’s not yet alarming. Finally, initial jobless claims were stable, so nothing shocking to see there by the 10th of May yet. </p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T14:30:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 10:30</span>


guid: https://www.whitehouse.gov/?p=12559
title: One, Big, Beautiful Bill PROTECTS Medicaid by REMOVING Illegals from the Program
author: ;The White House
hash: �݀�E5k�&G��Y
tags: #Articles
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/WH47-Social-Share-Card.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>The One, Big, Beautiful Bill is a generational chance to protect Medicaid for Americans by removing at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants from the program.</p>
<p><strong>Read more in</strong> <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/05/15/democrat-messaging-falters-as-they-ask-constituents-to-foot-medicaid-costs-for-1-4-million-illegal-aliens/"><strong>Breitbart</strong></a><strong>:</strong></p>
<p><em>“House Republicans are moving to block an estimated 1.4 million illegal aliens from receiving American taxpayer-funded Medicaid as Democrats struggle to message their support for the unpopular position.</em></p>
<p><em>The House Energy and Commerce Committee completed its markup of its portion of the budget reconciliation bill Wednesday morning after an all-night session which included a provision blocking anyone unable to verify citizenship, nationality, or satisfactory immigration status from coverage.</em></p>
<p><em>The committee projects 1.4 million illegal aliens will be removed from the program due to those requirements.”</em></p>

link:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/05/one-big-beautiful-bill-protects-medicaid-by-removing-illegals-from-the-program/


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747385703
title: FA Cup final 2025: Man City vs Crystal Palace – Start time, team news, form
hash: ���}�b#8�.t#dq�
tags: #Sport
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at England's showpiece cup final as Man City look to end a terrible year on a high.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2025/5/16/man-city-vs-crystal-palace-fa-cup-final-preview-team-news-kick-off?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747395280
title: Trump calls on Iran to ‘move quickly’ on nuclear proposal
hash: ��v8�@�OѦ�py# �
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
The US president has repeatedly threatened to unleash air strikes targeting Iran’s programme if a deal isn’t reached.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/trump-calls-on-iran-to-move-quickly-on-nuclear-proposal?traffic_source=rss


guid: 1031329 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Trump Still Pressing Forward On Meeting Putin 'As Soon As We Can'
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-still-pressing-forward-meeting-putin-soon-we-can
hash: �,���tӦ��G-<
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Trump Still Pressing Forward On Meeting Putin 'As Soon As We Can'</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>President Donald Trump said Friday as he wrapped up his four-day visit to the Middle East that the White House is still moving forward on setting up direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that this will happen as soon as possible.</p>

<p xmlns="http://iptc.org/std/NITF/2006-10-18/"><strong>"I think it’s time for us to just do it," </strong>Trump <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/globaltalk/trump-putin-meeting/2025/05/16/id/1211186/">told</a> reporters, addressing whether an in-person meeting will still happen. He added that a meeting with Putin will happen <strong>"as soon as we can set it up"</strong>. He suggested that peace will ultimately only be possible if the two leaders sit at the same table.</p>

<p xmlns="http://iptc.org/std/NITF/2006-10-18/">That's when he said, interestingly that <strong>"I would actually leave here and go"</strong> - an apparent reference to Istanbul where rare Russia-Ukraine talks are being held Friday. But he referenced his daughter Tiffany having given birth to her first child. "I do want to see my beautiful grandson," he said.</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/trumpandputin_1.jpg?itok=gw5le8tR" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/trumpandputin_1.jpg?itok=gw5le8tR"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ade8d21b-2ccb-45c8-8f93-3803c5370fb2" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="281" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/trumpandputin_1.jpg?itok=gw5le8tR" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Via Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p xmlns="http://iptc.org/std/NITF/2006-10-18/">"I don’t believe anything’s going to happen whether you like it or not, until he and I get together," Trump said further, in reference to his Russian counterpart. "But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying."</p>

<p xmlns="http://iptc.org/std/NITF/2006-10-18/">As we reported earlier, there are no signs of any breakthrough toward peace coming from the Istanbul meeting, which lasted less than two-hours; however, each side is signaling that it could lead to more talks.</p>

<p xmlns="http://iptc.org/std/NITF/2006-10-18/">On Putin's absence for the meeting, which was to be expected, Trump described, <strong>"He didn’t go, and I understand that,"</strong> and that "We’re going to get it done. We got to get it done. Five thousand young people are being killed every single week on average, and we’re going to get it done."</p>

<p xmlns="http://iptc.org/std/NITF/2006-10-18/">But Ukraine is now trying to make the case that Putin was never interested in peace talks, and is using the process to string Washington along as its forces try to solidify greater hold over Ukraine's east.</p>

<p xmlns="http://iptc.org/std/NITF/2006-10-18/">One Amsterdam-based publication and Russia monitor writes of the less than prominent man Putin tapped to head Russia's <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/05/16/who-is-vladimir-medinsky-the-kremlins-key-negotiator-in-istanbul-a89094">delegation</a>--</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>Medinsky was joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.</em></p>

<p><em>Experts have <a href="https://t.me/baunovhaus/1822">described</a> Moscow’s revival of direct talks within the Istanbul framework as <strong>a symbolic gesture not intended to seek a real solution to the war</strong>.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Meanwhile, Trump has said while en route back to the United States from the Middle East that he'll likely phone Putin soon:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>Trump later told reporters after boarding Air Force One to begin the journey back to Washington that he may call Putin soon.</em></p>

<p><em><strong>“He and I will meet, and I think we’ll solve it or maybe not,” </strong>Trump said. “At least we’ll know. And if we don’t solve it, it’ll be very interesting.”</em></p>
</blockquote>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">🚨PRES. TRUMP: "Nothing's going to happen until Putin &amp; I get together, OK?"<br><br>
"I don't believe anything's gonna happen, whether you like it or not, until he &amp; I get together." <a href="https://t.co/TXeTrLp3yy">pic.twitter.com/TXeTrLp3yy</a></p>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1923095289654591909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>An actual Putin-Trump sit-down would be bad news for Kiev, which has seethed at being cut out of US-Russia bilateral engagement, given much of this engagement is related to the fate of Ukraine.</p>

<p>With the minerals deal signed, Zelensky is attempting to reset the rocky relationship with Trump. A lot of pressure has been coming from the US administration, urging Kiev to be willing to negotiate peace, which would require some level of significant concessions.</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T14:50:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 10:50</span>


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747407346
title: The US can help Syria with “democratic political transition”
hash: �|N�٦���O��g�
tags: #Show Types
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Lifting sanctions in Syria has rare bipartisan support in the US, according to Richard Weitz at Nato Defense College.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/video/quotable/2025/5/16/the-us-can-help-syria-with-democratic-political?traffic_source=rss


guid: 1031317 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Rickards To Bannon: Petrodollar 2.0 Is Coming
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/rickards-bannon-petrodollar-20-coming
hash: �ڞ���Iz���Au
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Rickards To Bannon: Petrodollar 2.0 Is Coming</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://dailyreckoning.com/rickards-to-bannon-petrodollar-2-0-is-coming/"><em>Authored by Adam Sharp via DailyReckoning.com,</em></a></p>

<p>Our friend and colleague Jim Rickards was on Steve Bannon’s <a href="https://rumble.com/v6tbpap-its-time-for-petrodollar-accord-2.0.-rickards-on-trumps-saudi-meeting-to-st.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp">War Room show Tuesday</a>, and it may be the most important interview Jim has done this year.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/dr-hero-img-05-15-25-650x360.jpg?itok=nZBn7oar" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/dr-hero-img-05-15-25-650x360.jpg?itok=nZBn7oar"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="eb8d9619-8adc-4200-8ba4-deac5448e209" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="277" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/dr-hero-img-05-15-25-650x360.jpg?itok=nZBn7oar" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>In this fascinating discussion, Jim starts with the history of the original <a href="https://dailyreckoning.com/did-the-saudis-just-kill-the-dollar/">petrodollar system</a>. And he knows the subject well, having helped create it.</p>

<p><strong>The premise of the 1974 petrodollar agreement was that Saudi Arabia would only sell oil in dollars, which would stimulate demand for greenbacks as a reserve currency. </strong></p>

<p>Here’s Jim explaining the basics to Steve Bannon’s audience:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>“We had a carrot and stick approach. Bill Simon, who was Secretary of the Treasury, went to the Saudis and said ‘everybody in the world needs oil, and if you price oil in dollars, then everybody needs dollars.’</em></p>

<p><em>And that basically underpins the role of the dollar today as the world’s reserve currency.</em></p>

<p><em>The stick was, if you don’t do it we’re going to invade Saudi Arabia and take over oil production.</em></p>

<p><em>The carrot was, if you price oil in dollars, we’ll give you a security umbrella.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>It’s rare to hear such candor coming from someone who was directly involved in the formation of the petrodollar system.</p>

<p>Needless to say, the petrodollar system was successful and led to a resurgence in the American dollar as the world’s key reserve currency (<em>despite Nixon ditching the gold standard just 3 years earlier</em>).</p>

<p>At this point, Steve Bannon interrupted with an insightful question (<em>paraphrased</em>):</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>“Wait, you say the petrodollar system is still in place, but the Saudis are now selling oil to China for yuan. Aren’t cracks showing in the petrodollar system?”</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Jim responded that yes, cracks are starting to show in the system, and that’s why Trump was in Saudi Arabia, to seal a “Petrodollar 2.0” agreement. Jim also points out that, at least for now, the amount of oil Saudi Arabia is selling for yuan and other currencies is miniscule compared to dollar-based sales.</p>

<p>Jim proceeds to lay out the purpose of Petrodollar 2.0:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><strong><em>“The U.S., by strengthening its relationship with Saudi Arabia, and creating Petrodollar 2.0, puts the pressure on China to reduce their tariffs and meet Trump’s requirements. Otherwise they don’t have a source of dollars.”</em></strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>This time around, Trump is using a strictly carrot-based approach. He’s on a charm offensive and looking to build strong, lasting ties with Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East. This is a smart approach and we expect it will bear fruit in the near future.</p>

<p>Had President Trump taken a threatening approach to Saudi Arabia, it almost certainly would have driven the country into China’s waiting arms. And America can’t afford to let that happen.</p>

<p>It’s an excellent interview, and you can <a href="https://rumble.com/v6tbpap-its-time-for-petrodollar-accord-2.0.-rickards-on-trumps-saudi-meeting-to-st.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp">watch the entire thing here (free) on Rumble</a>. Jim also gets into Russia vs. Ukraine with Steve, and brings an insightful and unique perspective as always.</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://rumble.com/embed/v6r4t1v/?pub=4" width="640" data-sanitized-class="rumble" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin"></iframe></p>

<p>Also, be sure to follow <a href="https://x.com/RealJimRickards">Jim’s new account on X</a> (<em>formerly Twitter</em>)!</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T15:00:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 11:00</span>


guid: 6165d5e4ab2c8b5f79b5d82e:6165f805cc4a70035862ada3:6827554428981b6e2f7f2fc4
title: Alberta severance award for COVID vaccine non-compliance may be a first, lawyer says
author: ;Lisa P
hash: _�c K�P� ����j)
content:
<p data-sanitized-class="">By John Schofield | Law360 Canada</p><p data-sanitized-class="">Article behind paywall</p><p data-sanitized-class=""><strong>In Brief</strong></p><p data-sanitized-class="">An Alberta court has ordered WestJet to pay over $65,000 in compensation to a former employee for wrongful dismissal. The ruling is being hailed as a landmark in Canadian employment law, with legal experts noting it sets a significant precedent by addressing gaps in how courts assess damages in such cases, particularly regarding employer obligations and employee protections.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">Duong Yee, a remote accounting employee for 11 years, was dismissed in December 2021 after her religious exemption request (citing vaccine safety concerns intertwined with her beliefs) was denied under WestJet’s federally aligned vaccination policy.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">Justice Aldo Argento found WestJet’s rejection of Yee’s exemption unreasonable, noting her religious objections were sincere and not overridden by safety concerns.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">Termination was deemed excessive, as remote work posed no operational risk. The termination clause in her contract was invalid for failing statutory minimums.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">This is the first case granting severance to a non-unionized remote employee terminated for vaccine refusal, diverging from prior rulings that invoked <em>frustration of contract</em> to deny payouts.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">In a <a href="https://x.com/PardyBruce/status/1922357761708306521"><span>post</span></a> on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Queen’s University law professor <a href="https://www.rightsprobe.org/about"><span>Bruce Pardy</span></a> agreed that the decision may be the first in Canada to award severance to a non-unionized employee for being terminated (rather than being placed on indefinite leave) for refusing to be vaccinated.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">Pardy said the most intriguing aspect of the decision was the court’s finding that Yee’s termination was unjustified, even absent the request for religious accommodation.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">“There was no evidence that her refusal to vaccinate would have affected the operation of her department or WestJet’s other employees,” he wrote. “The Court concluded that ‘dismissal for cause was not a proportional response even if the Plaintiff should not have been granted a religious exemption.’ ”</p><p data-sanitized-class=""><a href="https://www.law360.ca/ca/articles/2340904?scroll=1&amp;related=1"><span>The full text for this article is available at the publisher’s website here</span></a>.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">Image credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/41526580520" target="_blank">Ken Fielding</a></p>





















  
  



<hr>


  <p data-sanitized-class="">Follow our journey.</p><p data-sanitized-class="">Subscribe to our newsletter: <a href="mailto:rightsprobe@protonmail.com?" target="_blank">rightsprobe@protonmail.com</a></p>

link:
https://www.rightsprobe.org/read/alberta-severance-award-for-covid-vaccine-non-compliance-may-be-a-first-lawyer-says

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guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747408145
title: Israel kills hundreds of Palestinians as it escalates attacks in Gaza
hash: _�����W,G`+�j��
tags: #Show Types
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Israel has killed at least 100 Palestinians in what’s reported to be some of the heaviest bombing since the war began.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2025/5/16/israel-kills-hundreds-of-palestinians-as-it-escalates-attacks-in-gaza?traffic_source=rss


guid: 1031345 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Trump Tax Bill Fails To Advance As Conservative Holdouts Double Down On 'No'
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: �W'�g�^% ���e
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Trump Tax Bill Fails To Advance As Conservative Holdouts Double Down On 'No'</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong><em>Update (1210ET): </em></strong>The House Budget Committee has voted down the reconciliation bill by a vote of 16-21 - with GOP Reps. Clyde, Roy, Breechen, Norman and Smucker (who flipped his vote) all voting "no".</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/682745efc9283.image_jpg_92a.jpg?itok=UZblLmxP" data-link-option="0" href="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/682745efc9283.image_jpg_92a.jpg?itok=UZblLmxP"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="85adf98a-d8d6-4233-ac82-fd4f18daaa4a" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="276" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/682745efc9283.image_jpg_92a.jpg?itok=UZblLmxP" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Speaker Mike Johnson (L), President Donald Trump, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX)</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p>"This bill falls profoundly short. It does not do what we say it does with respect to deficits," said Rep. Chip Roy.</p>

<p>Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) said "I am unable to support this package in its current form, but I look forward to strengthening this bill to ensure that it does pass, so that we full all of our America First promises to the American people."</p>

<p>Whilst Ralph Norman (R-SC) said "Sadly, I’m a hard no until we get this ironed out."</p>

<p><a href="https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/1923408934880129298">According to</a> <em>Punchbowl</em>'s Jake Sherman, Smucker likely flipped "no" to preserve the ability to reconsider the bill at a later time.</p>

<p>House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jody Arrington (R-TX) said after the vote "<strong>I do not anticipate us coming back today."</strong></p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="https://store.zerohedge.com/rancher-direct-clean-food/" data-image-href="https://store.zerohedge.com/rancher-direct-clean-food/" data-link-option="2" href="https://store.zerohedge.com/rancher-direct-clean-food/"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1c502438-2483-4372-9198-9d948129aa52" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="134" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/TBI_Ad_1500x400px_MemorialDay_1%282%29_0.jpg?itok=rJyu5k8g" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>*  *  *</p>

<p><strong>A fiery intra-party fight exploded on Capitol Hill Friday </strong>as House Republicans clashed over President Donald Trump's mammoth "One Big Beautiful Bill," with Trump himself jumping into the fray to torch conservative holdouts as attention-hungry "grandstanders."</p>

<p>As the House Budget Committee met to advance the 1,116-plus-page megabill - packed with Trump’s signature proposals on taxes, Medicaid, and immigration - chaos broke out behind the scenes, and in front of the cameras, as hardline conservatives threatened to blow up the entire process.</p>

<p>"Republicans MUST UNITE behind ‘THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!’" Trump posted on Truth Social. "We don’t need ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE!"</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/114517897638237566/embed" width="600" data-sanitized-class="truthsocial-embed" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin"></iframe></p>

<p>The scorched-earth post came as the House Budget Committee met down to mark up the massive reconciliation bill, which bundles together much of Trump’s second-term policy wishlist: tax cuts, welfare reform, immigration crackdowns, and the death of Biden’s green energy subsidies.</p>

<p><strong>But what was supposed to be a legislative victory lap turned into a high-stakes hostage crisis</strong>, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) caught between warring GOP factions, each demanding major changes and threatening to sink the bill if they don’t get their way.</p>

<p>Conservatives on the committee -<strong> Reps. Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Andrew Clyde, and Josh Brecheen - signaled they were ready to vote against the bill </strong>unless major changes were made. Their demands include a faster phase-in of Medicaid work requirements, a ban on undocumented immigrants receiving federal benefits, and immediate termination of Inflation Reduction Act clean energy provisions.</p>

<p>"If they don’t [change it], I’m gonna vote no. <strong>We’ll kill it,</strong>" Norman warned Thursday. "I don’t want to. But I will."</p>

<p>The vote is ongoing, with <strong>Roy and Norman both using their time during committee to voice their opposition, </strong><em>CNN</em>'s Sarah Farris reports.</p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Ok we're now at TWO no votes: Roy and Norman both used their time during committee to say they're opposed<br><br>
Both Brecheen and Clyde supposed to speak now but neither are there to speak. If either opposes, it's done for today. <a href="https://t.co/pDIwEaw6zT">https://t.co/pDIwEaw6zT</a></p>
— Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahnferris/status/1923392582962266479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>The tension spilled into full view Friday morning when <strong>Norman, Roy, and Clyde abruptly left the committee room moments before the markup was scheduled to begin</strong>, prompting immediate speculation they were staging a walkout. All three returned shortly afterward, saying little, but still signaling deep frustration.</p>

<p>Norman told reporters the situation was “very disappointing," adding “<strong>I hope they recess</strong>.”</p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Rep. Roy: “I'm not going home this weekend. I'm staying here all weekend and we're going to get this damn thing done but the right way.<br><br>
I'm not going to vote for a bad bill. I didn't come here to raise debt. I didn't come here to increase deficits. I didn't come here to cement… <a href="https://t.co/0jcqR9cgz3">pic.twitter.com/0jcqR9cgz3</a></p>
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepChipRoy/status/1923218817229946912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p><strong>Johnson, for his part, is trying to keep the circus moving</strong>. He has pledged to make some concessions - such as speeding up work requirement timelines and possibly harmonizing those across both Medicaid and SNAP - but every adjustment risks triggering a backlash from the other side of the GOP spectrum.</p>

<p>"<strong>If you push too hard on one side, the other side bulges out,</strong>" opines <a href="https://punchbowl.news/archive/51625-am/"><em>Punchbowl News</em></a>. "That’s exactly what’s happening here."</p>

<h2>Very SALTy</h2>

<p>Moderates are already howling over cuts to safety net programs and demanding changes of their own. Blue-state Republicans want the SALT deduction cap raised above the $30,000 ceiling currently in the bill. <strong>Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) wants to remove language that would block legal refugees from getting food aid.</strong> And Florida Republicans are furious over a provision that clamps down on provider taxes - a method states use to draw more federal Medicaid dollars.</p>

<p>The markup itself became a theater of dysfunction - with Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) joking about the fact that <strong>he went viral earlier this week for falling asleep during a late-night hearing.</strong> “I also appreciate that you schedule the markup during daylight hours,” he said. Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) fired back: “<strong>Some of the staff decided to chip in and equip your chair with an electric shocking mechanism... I hope that is also a bipartisan proposal</strong>.”</p>

<blockquote data-media-max-width="560" data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Unbelievable. Rep. Blake Moore falls asleep during a committee meeting and had to be woken up. <a href="https://t.co/xSKPKkP628">pic.twitter.com/xSKPKkP628</a></p>
— Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasSowell/status/1922749729131073790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>But behind the laughs, the reality is grim. <strong>With Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) absent for the birth of his child, Johnson can’t afford even a single Republican defection</strong> if he wants the bill to make it out of committee.</p>

<p>Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) tried to downplay the drama, telling reporters, “The goal is to get it out of the committee today... because <strong>failure is not an option</strong>.”</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>How did we get here? These speed bumps aren’t surprising. This is a gigantic legislative grab-bag with lots of disparate priorities. We get that. It reminds us a bit of Build Back Better – which failed and led to the IRA, for what it’s worth. -Punchbowl News</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Indeed, Speaker Johnson has tried to do what many before him could not: push through a comprehensive, everything-at-once bill that pleases both fire-breathing conservatives and centrist pragmatists. But by skipping the usual slow walk through committee education and member negotiations, he may have created a legislative trap for himself.</p>

<p>And of course, after all of this - the bill still has to get through the Senate...</p>

<p><em>Stay tuned for updates...</em></p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T21:00:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 17:00</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-torches-gop-grandstanders-house-republicans-brawl-over-one-big-beautiful-bill


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747319657
title: Istanbul talks highlight Turkiye’s balancing act between Russia and Ukraine
hash: ��F��!'���c5�:s
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Since the outbreak of the war, Turkiye has weighed its support for Ukraine against maintaining its ties to Russia.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/istanbul-talks-highlight-turkiyes-balancing-act-between-russia-and-ukraine?traffic_source=rss


title: Québec a imposé un PDG sans expérience numérique juste avant le lancement de SAAQclic
hash: �|�t��g�o�k��5�
guid:
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165613/commission-gallant-saaqclic-konrad-sioui-denis-marsolais

content:
<p>Denis Marsolais a pris les rênes de la SAAQ en 2022, en plein projet de transition numérique.</p>

link:
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165613/commission-gallant-saaqclic-konrad-sioui-denis-marsolais

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guid: yt:video:N9sL_17rW-s
title: Rep. Celeste Maloy on Republican Budget and Legislation to Sell Federal Lands
author: ;C-SPAN
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9sL_17rW-s
hash: z>W$[R� eM`O��P
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guid: yt:video:GqN5RqZpaew
title: Rep. Gwen Moore on Republican Budget
author: ;C-SPAN
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqN5RqZpaew
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{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/v/GqN5RqZpaew?version=3","title":"Rep. Gwen Moore on Republican Budget","description":"Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI), a member of the Ways and Means Committee and Progressive Caucus, talked about the Republican budget and impact on tax policy and social safety net programs. Full video here: https://www.c-span.org/program/washington-journal/rep-gwen-moore-on-republican-budget/659978\n\nDownload the FREE C-SPAN Now App. https://www.c-span.org/c-spanNow/\n\nDiscover the C-SPAN Video Library at https://www.c-span.org/quickguide/\n\nExplore C-SPAN's Free Educational Resources at https://www.c-span.org/classroom/\n\nC-SPAN: Created by Cable in 1979. Offered as a public service.\n\nSupport C-SPAN by Donating Today: https://donorbox.org/support-c-span?utm_source=YouTube&amp;utm_medium=Video_Description&amp;utm_campaign=Donations&amp;utm_content=Donate\n\nSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSPAN \n\nFollow us:\nFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSPAN\nTwitter: https://twitter.com/cspan\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cspan/\n\nSubscribe:\nC-SPAN Podcasts: https://www.c-span.org/podcasts/\nNewsletters: https://www.c-span.org/connect/\nVisit the C-SPAN Shop: https://c-spanshop.org/\n#cspan","type":"application/x-shockwave-flash","height":390,"width":640,"thumbnails":["https://i4.ytimg.com/vi/GqN5RqZpaew/hqdefault.jpg"]}]}


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747404727
title: Russia, Ukraine agree prisoner swap as talks end without major breakthrough
content: Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, heads of delegations say.
hash: ���p�<��v�1����
tags: #News
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link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/russia-ukraine-talks-end-in-less-than-two-hours-with-no-ceasefire-deal?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747406876
title: In surprise move Wegovy-maker Novo Nordisk ousts CEO amid sagging sales
hash: ��/�&��w�y,#�6Q
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Days earlier, Novo Nordisk cut its sales and profit forecast for first time since the launch of Wegovy four years ago.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/5/16/in-surprise-move-wegovy-maker-novo-nordisk-ousts-ceo-amid-sagging-sales?traffic_source=rss


guid: 1031353 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Boeing Set To Avoid Prosecution In Twin Fatal 737 Max Crashes
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/boeing-set-avoid-prosecution-twin-fatal-737-max-crashes
hash: ��DZ�J��zdr�� �#
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Boeing Set To Avoid Prosecution In Twin Fatal 737 Max Crashes </span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Boeing has tentatively reached a nonprosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to avoid a June 23 trial over allegations it misled federal regulators about a flight control system tied to two fatal 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/boeing-near-deal-avoid-guilty-plea-prosecution-fatal-crashes-case-sources-say-2025-05-16/">Reuters</a>, citing people familiar with the matter. </p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/max-mcas-overview.png?itok=sAaFYv8z" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/max-mcas-overview.png?itok=sAaFYv8z"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0059f81c-b155-47bd-a7fe-cb01b6e9bb1a" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="247" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/max-mcas-overview.png?itok=sAaFYv8z" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>Sources said the deal requires a judge's approval and would allow the Seattle-based planemaker to avoid entering a guilty plea in the case.</p>

<p>Here are more details from the report: </p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>Boeing has no longer agreed to plead guilty in the case, prosecutors told family members of crash victims during a Friday meeting, the sources said. The company's posture changed after a judge rejected a previous plea agreement in December, prosecutors told the family members.</em></p>

<p><em>DOJ officials are still weighing whether to proceed with a nonprosecution agreement or take Boeing to trial, a DOJ official said during the meeting. No final decision has been made, and Boeing and DOJ officials have not yet exchanged papers to negotiate final details of any nonprosecution agreement, the official told family members.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>In April, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the planemaker was negotiating with the DoJ to reach a revised plea deal in the criminal fraud case.</p>

<p>"I want this resolved as quickly as anyone," Ortberg said at a U.S. Senate hearing, referring to the timeline for settling the case. He added, "Hopefully, we'll have a new agreement here soon."</p>

<p>Last month, Boeing reached settlements with the families of two victims killed in the March 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX.</p>

<p>In 2021, Boeing accepted responsibility for compensatory damages to the families of the 157 victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash.</p>

<p>Boeing apologized for both crashes last month, saying it "made an upfront commitment to fully and fairly compensate the families and accepted legal responsibility for the accidents. We will continue to work to fairly resolve the claims of the family members."</p>

<p>Reuters notes that the planemaker has "settled more than 90% of claims from the two 737 MAX accidents and paid billions of dollars in compensation to the families through lawsuits, a deferred prosecution agreement, and other payments."</p>

<p>Of course, the nonprosecution agreement still requires a judge's approval and could force Boeing to pay additional fines, implement further internal reforms, or strengthen compliance measures, among other conditions. Those conditions have not yet been released. </p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T15:40:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 11:40</span>


guid: yt:video:jCdbR58vKzw
title: A LaRouchian Shock Wave-Driven U.S. Economic Recovery
author: ;The LaRouche Organization
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCdbR58vKzw
hash: �l��@Oy������#
attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/v/jCdbR58vKzw?version=3","title":"A LaRouchian Shock Wave-Driven U.S. Economic Recovery","description":"This week, I will be joined by EIR economics researcher Richard Freeman to discuss an exciting perspective for a REAL American economic recovery. In Mr. Freeman's words:\n   \n&quot;A U.S. Economic recovery depends, above all, on the method employed to create it. We will look at eight transformative projects, applied and interacting together, which will create what Mr.LaRouche calls and comic shockwave.\n   \n&quot;Such a shockwave, which will create more than 40 million new productive jobs by 2045, will be undertaken within the context of building a new global security and development architecture. Local, regional and state projects are necessary and will be built. But they, by themselves, will not produce the necessary change to overcome an ongoing, deepening U.S. physical economic collapse.\n      \n&quot;The LaRouche method discussed here will produce an outstanding anti-entropic growth that would be appreciated by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, who are the last two American System Presidents whose policy produced astounding productivity and shockwave economic growth.&quot;\n\nPlease join us tonight for this exciting discussion.","type":"application/x-shockwave-flash","height":390,"width":640,"thumbnails":["https://i3.ytimg.com/vi/jCdbR58vKzw/hqdefault.jpg"]}]}


guid: https://gript.ie/?p=330772
title: DOJ survey: ‘Should we fight terrorism or sex crime?’
author: ;Ben Scallan
link: https://gript.ie/doj-survey-should-we-fight-terrorism-or-sex-crime/
hash: K�$΅ n�v 9�q�
tags: #Comment Ireland #Featured #Premium #Ben Scallan #Department of Justice #Public Consultation
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content:
<div><img src="https://gript.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Consultation.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p><strong>Dear Reader,</strong></p>
<p>It is a simple statement of fact that if you are looking for diversity of thought in the Irish media, you will struggle to find it. That is why we founded Gript – to serve the gap in the market left by so many of our colleagues, when they decided that the job of journalists was not to challenge consensus thought, but to herd around it, and defend it fiercely.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a media outlet that blames everything on the “far right” in Ireland, then you don’t have to go far to find one. If, by contrast, you are looking for a media outlet that looks beyond that cheap sloganeering, and tries to understand and report on the real concerns held by ordinary people – and a good few prominent people, albeit privately – then that is what we try to do here.</p>
<p>But we cannot do it without your support, and your subscription.</p>
<p>We reject Government funding, because, in our view, that would be the end of our independence. The moment we did so, we would begin looking over our shoulder, and wondering if our coverage of a particular issue might lead to that money being taken away. In time – not all at once, but slowly and inexorably – we would become just another safe, consensus, state-funded voice.</p>
<p>But there’s a bargain to be struck here: If you value our independence, then you must support it. If you want us to be answerable to you, then you must take a stake in our work.</p>
<p>What we try to do here is to be open, honest, and brave. That does not mean that you will always agree with us. It does mean that there will be times when we will annoy you, and publish things you disagree with: That’s part of the deal. We are independent, not servants of one cause, or another.</p>
<p>That is what media is supposed to be, but too often in Ireland no longer is. We are trying to change that, and we need your help. I am, therefore, asking for it, and would deeply appreciate a subscription at the level you can afford.</p>
<p>With gratitude,</p>
<p><strong>John</strong></p>


guid: 1031127 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: RFK Jr. Defends His Comments On Vaccines: "I'm Going To Tell The Truth"
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/rfk-jr-defends-his-comments-vaccines-im-going-tell-truth
hash: ����p��d֨��[ �
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">RFK Jr. Defends His Comments On Vaccines: "I'm Going To Tell The Truth"</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em><a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/rfk-jr-defends-his-comments-on-vaccines-im-going-to-tell-the-truth-5857914?utm_source=partner&amp;utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&amp;src_src=partner&amp;src_cmp=ZeroHedge">Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times</a> (emphasis ours),</em></p>

<p><strong>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his recent statements about vaccines</strong> during a congressional hearing on May 14.</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2843%29_0.jpg?itok=l8xbPid4" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2843%29_0.jpg?itok=l8xbPid4"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="333e44a1-8b07-47da-95f7-23213fe6368a" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="333" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image_92%2843%29_0.jpg?itok=l8xbPid4" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 14, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p>“<strong>I’m going to tell the truth about everything we know and we don’t know about vaccines</strong>,” Kennedy told Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) while testifying before the Senate Health Committee. “I am not going to just tell people that everything is safe and effective if I know there are issues. I need to respect people’s intelligence.”</p>

<p>Several lawmakers expressed concern about Kennedy’s recent comments, which include saying that the protection conferred by the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine wanes over time.</p>

<p>“<strong>The result is to undermine faith in the vaccine</strong>,” Murphy said.</p>

<p>“It’s kind of like saying, ‘Listen, I think you should swim in that lake, but you know, the lake is probably toxic, and there’s probably a ton of snakes and alligators in that lake, but I think you should swim in it.’ Nobody is going to swim that lake if that’s what you say. I want you to acknowledge that when you say you support the measles vaccine, and then you go out and repeatedly undermine the vaccine, with information that is contested by public health experts, that is not supporting the vaccine.”</p>

<p>Kennedy responded, “<strong>If I advise you to swim in a lake that I knew there to be alligators in, wouldn’t you want me to tell you there were alligators in it?</strong></p>

<p>“The reason people have lost faith in this program is that they’ve been lied to by public officials for year after year after year.”</p>

<p>Several outbreaks of measles have appeared in the United States in 2025, including an outbreak in Texas that has spread to hundreds of people. Texas officials say most patients are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.</p>

<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccines/index.html">says</a> the administration of two doses of the MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective against measles.</p>

<p>Studies, including <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X23009507">a paper</a> from French researchers, have found that the protection wanes slowly over time.</p>

<p>“<strong>We’re always going to have measles, as the vaccine wanes very quickly,</strong>” Kennedy said recently at a town hall.</p>

<p>He has also said that the MMR vaccine has side effects and that many vaccines on the childhood vaccination schedule <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/not-all-vaccines-in-us-tested-against-placebos-top-vaccine-inventor-acknowledges-5359862">have not been</a> tested in randomized, controlled trials against placebos.</p>

<p>“[That] means we don’t understand the risk profile for those products and that’s something that I intend to remedy,” Kennedy told lawmakers on May 14, referring to the Department of Health and Human Services’ <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/hhs-to-require-placebo-controlled-trials-for-new-vaccines-5850077">announcement</a> that all new vaccines must be tested against placebos before being licensed.</p>

<p>Kennedy testified before the Senate panel and the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee. It was the first time he appeared before Congress since being confirmed in February.</p>

<p>Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) asked Kennedy, who has said his children received the typical vaccines in their childhood, if he had a child today, would he get that child vaccinated with the MMR shot?</p>

<p>“Probably,” Kennedy said. “<strong>I would say my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.</strong></p>

<p>“I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me. I think if I answer that question directly, that it will seem that I’m giving advice to other people, and I don’t want to be doing that,” Kennedy said, adding that health officials were going to try to outline the pros and cons, or the risks and benefits, of each vaccine.</p>

<p>Pocan tried to get Kennedy to answer the same question for the chickenpox and polio vaccines. The health secretary demurred.</p>

<p>Republicans largely steered clear of vaccines during the hearings. A number of them praised developments under Kennedy, including the banning of some artificial dyes and the focus on cutting costs at the health agency.</p>

<p>“You’ve done more to shine the light on things that average Americans can do to make themselves healthier than almost any secretary that I can recall,” Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) said, “so thank you for that service.”</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T16:00:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 12:00</span>


guid: https://gript.ie/?p=330798
title: Simion Warns Dublin: Stop Big Tech Censorship
author: ;Gript Video
link: https://gript.ie/simion-warns-dublin-stop-big-tech-censorship/
hash: %��D��wAh+N
tags: #Videos #World News #AUR party #George Simion #Romanian presidential election
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://gript.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/THUMBNAIL_-copy-5.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p><strong>Dear Reader,</strong></p>
<p>It is a simple statement of fact that if you are looking for diversity of thought in the Irish media, you will struggle to find it. That is why we founded Gript – to serve the gap in the market left by so many of our colleagues, when they decided that the job of journalists was not to challenge consensus thought, but to herd around it, and defend it fiercely.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a media outlet that blames everything on the “far right” in Ireland, then you don’t have to go far to find one. If, by contrast, you are looking for a media outlet that looks beyond that cheap sloganeering, and tries to understand and report on the real concerns held by ordinary people – and a good few prominent people, albeit privately – then that is what we try to do here.</p>
<p>But we cannot do it without your support, and your subscription.</p>
<p>We reject Government funding, because, in our view, that would be the end of our independence. The moment we did so, we would begin looking over our shoulder, and wondering if our coverage of a particular issue might lead to that money being taken away. In time – not all at once, but slowly and inexorably – we would become just another safe, consensus, state-funded voice.</p>
<p>But there’s a bargain to be struck here: If you value our independence, then you must support it. If you want us to be answerable to you, then you must take a stake in our work.</p>
<p>What we try to do here is to be open, honest, and brave. That does not mean that you will always agree with us. It does mean that there will be times when we will annoy you, and publish things you disagree with: That’s part of the deal. We are independent, not servants of one cause, or another.</p>
<p>That is what media is supposed to be, but too often in Ireland no longer is. We are trying to change that, and we need your help. I am, therefore, asking for it, and would deeply appreciate a subscription at the level you can afford.</p>
<p>With gratitude,</p>
<p><strong>John</strong></p>


guid: https://karlof1.substack.com/p/fun-with-pictures
title: Fun with Pictures
author: ;Karl Sanchez
link: https://karlof1.substack.com/p/fun-with-pictures
hash: �X�� &�L�G9(�r
content:
<div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd66c678c-612c-44c2-afaf-02454c454d73_546x299.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd66c678c-612c-44c2-afaf-02454c454d73_546x299.jpeg" width="546" height="299" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d66c678c-612c-44c2-afaf-02454c454d73_546x299.jpeg","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":299,"width":546,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":139875,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/jpeg","href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":true,"internalRedirect":"https://karlof1.substack.com/i/163720758?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd66c678c-612c-44c2-afaf-02454c454d73_546x299.jpeg","isProcessing":false,"align":null}' alt="" fetchpriority="high" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This was found at <a href="https://t.me/rocknrollgeopolitics/15442">Pepe Escobar’s telegram</a> produced by an unknown artist. IMO, it’s open to interpretation. I don’t see events happening as this is depicted. I’d show Putin throwing the life ring to Trump but not pulling him to safety. </p><p>*<br>*<br>*<br><em>Like what you’ve been reading at Karlof1’s Substack? Then please consider subscribing and choosing to make a <strong>monthly/yearly pledge</strong> to enable my efforts in this challenging realm. Thank You!</em></p><p></p><p data-attrs='{"url":"https://karlof1.substack.com/subscribe?","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}' data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton" data-sanitized-class="button-wrapper"><a href="https://karlof1.substack.com/subscribe?" data-sanitized-class="button primary"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>

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guid: 1031362 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Judge Dismisses Charges Against Illegal Immigrants Accused Of Crossing Into Military Zone
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: �m2s{�V����W�E
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Judge Dismisses Charges Against Illegal Immigrants Accused Of Crossing Into Military Zone</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/judge-dismisses-charges-against-illegal-immigrants-accused-of-crossing-into-military-zone-5858812?utm_source=partner&amp;utm_campaign=ZeroHedge"><em>Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,</em></a></p>

<p>A federal judge in New Mexico has dismissed the charges against dozens of illegal immigrants who were accused of violating security regulations by trespassing on a military zone along the U.S.–Mexico border, according to court documents filed this week.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image%20%284%29_11.jpg?itok=a4HsS4xK" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image%20%284%29_11.jpg?itok=a4HsS4xK"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6dd058aa-c140-4792-959e-4e6c7f7d4754" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="333" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image%20%284%29_11.jpg?itok=a4HsS4xK" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Wormuth ruled that the federal government had failed to demonstrate that the illegal immigrants knew they were entering the restricted New Mexico National Defense Area (NMNDA).</p>

<p>According to <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70276017/5/united-states-v-castruita-carrillo/">court</a> <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70263431/4/united-states-v-pinzon-santiago/">filings</a> dated May 14 and 15, the government argued that it had placed signs in both English and Spanish to declare that the area is a military zone and that any unauthorized entry is prohibited.</p>

<p>But Wormuth stated that this was insufficient to prove that the illegal immigrants knew they were violating security regulations when they entered the areas, as the defendants may have missed the signs.</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>“As the United States concedes, the NMNDA spans over 180 miles of ‘often difficult and mountainous terrain,'” the judge stated.<strong> </strong></em></p>

<p><em><strong>“The mere fact that some ‘signs’ were posted in the NMNDA provides no basis on which to conclude that the defendant could have seen, let alone did see, the signs.”</strong></em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Assistant Federal Public Defender Amanda Skinner said that Wormuth dismissed the trespassing charges against all illegal immigrants who made initial court appearances on May 15. They still face charges for crossing the border illegally.</p>

<p>The Epoch Times sought comment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, which filed the charges against the illegal immigrants last month, but did not hear back by publication time.</p>

<p>The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/us-makes-first-prosecutions-of-illegal-immigrants-for-entering-military-zone-at-border-5850016">began charging</a> illegal immigrants with violating security regulations for crossing into the restricted military zone on April 28, on top of illegal border crossing charges. At least 339 people have been charged for entering the military zone as of May 9, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/us-attorneys-office-district-new-mexico-weekly-immigration-and-border-crimes-report-8">according</a> to the attorney’s office.</p>

<p><strong>The military zone includes the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot-wide corridor owned by the federal government running along the border in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.</strong></p>

<p>The Interior Department <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-admin-hands-control-of-federal-land-along-us-mexico-border-to-army-5842701">transferred</a> control of nearly 110,000 acres of federal land along the border to the U.S. Army on April 15, granting the military control of the border zone for three years.</p>

<p>The U.S. Northern Command <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/us-creates-new-military-zone-along-southern-border-5851636">announced</a> on May 1 a second military zone dubbed the Texas National Defense Area, a 63-mile stretch that runs east from the Texas–New Mexico state line in El Paso.</p>

<p>Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has previously warned that any unauthorized attempt to enter the national defense areas would lead to an arrest.</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em><strong>“Any illegal attempting to enter that zone is entering a military base—a federal, protected area,”</strong></em> Hegseth said in a <a href="https://x.com/DeptofDefense/status/1915866498544939168">video</a> message on April 25. </p>

<p><em>“You will be detained. You will be interdicted by U.S. troops and Border Patrol working together.”</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Hegseth said that this marked only the first phase, as the Defense Department plans to expand military zones along the U.S. border to further strengthen border security.</p>

<p><em><strong>“If you have attempted to evade, that’s evading law enforcement, just like you would any other military base. You add up the charges of what you can be charged with misdemeanors and felonies, you can be looking at up to 10 years in prison when prosecuted,”</strong></em> he said.</p>

<p>President Donald Trump issued a <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-authorizes-military-to-take-control-of-federal-land-along-southern-border-5840808">memorandum</a> on April 11 authorizing the military to take control of the land to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking.</p>

<p><em><strong>“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats,” </strong></em>Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/military-mission-for-sealing-the-southern-border-of-the-united-states-and-repelling-invasions/">wrote</a> in the April 11 memo. “The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past.”</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T16:40:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 12:40</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/judge-dismisses-charges-against-illegal-immigrants-accused-crossing-military-zone


guid: https://strategic-culture.su/?post_type=article&amp;p=885338
title: ‘Public humiliation’: MEPs call for political consequences after Pfizergate verdict
author: ;A A
hash: ��4�^�F�y;nZ�
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div data-sanitized-class="code-block code-block-2">
<p><strong><em>Von der Leyen should be “pushed out by the Parliament,” conservative MEPs commented while calling on the mainstream parties to support a full inquiry.</em></strong></p>
<p><em>Tamás ORBAN</em></p>
<p><strong><span>Join us on </span><a href="https://t.me/strategic_culture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Telegram</a><a href="https://t.me/strategic_culture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tlg.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875659"></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/twitter.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875661"></a><span>, and</span> <a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VK</a><a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wk.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875662"></a>.</strong></p>
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<p><strong><span>Contact us:</span> </strong><a href="mailto:info@strategic-culture.su" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><u><strong>info@strategic-culture.su</strong></u></a></p>
<p>After two and a half years of fighting both the EU and Belgian courts tooth and nail so that she won’t have to disclose her text messages with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla about vaccine negotiations—presumably to hide evidence in “<a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/analysis/pfizergate-chronicles-the-texts-that-could-unravel-von-der-leyens-empire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the biggest corruption scandal in human history</a>”—EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was delivered a painful blow by the EU Court of Justice on Wednesday, when it <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/pfizergate-von-der-leyen-texts-european-court-of-justice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled that she did break transparency laws</a> and annulled her decision to withhold the documents.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/analysis/pfizergate-chronicles-the-texts-that-could-unravel-von-der-leyens-empire/">reminder</a>, the texts were used to negotiate the procurement of 1.8 billion doses of Pfizer vaccines for around €35 billion, in addition to the purchase of another 2.8 billion doses from other manufacturers. That’s over 10 shots for every single European, worth over €70 billion in total. Barely more than one-fifth of those were ever administered, meaning the vast majority will inevitably end up in landfills.</p>
<p>Yet, despite the fact that it could be key to understanding this unimaginable waste of taxpayer funds, the ECJ ruling holds no immediate consequence with regard to the disclosure of the Pfizer texts. The Commission already <a href="https://x.com/MariekeEhlers/status/1922653194464768226" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> that it won’t release them. Von der Leyen has two months to appeal the decision, and the process for a final ruling typically takes another 15 to 24 months. In other words, the public is not likely to see any of the texts for at least another one or two years—if ever.</p>
<p>Similarly, as even mainstream media were quick <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/opinion/the-brief-ursula-von-deletion-doesnt-care/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to point out</a>, this “serious scratch” on von der Leyen’s image will have “no real-world political fallout” either, simply because there’s no mechanism to hold von der Leyen accountable, nor is there any real desire among the establishment parties of the Parliament’s ‘Ursula coalition’ to do so.</p>
<p>Of course, this doesn’t mean that those outside her political camp will stop fighting for transparency and accountability, and to finally put an end to the endless abuse of power at the heart of the EU.</p>
<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><img role="img" draggable="false" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/svg/1f4e2.svg" alt="📢" data-sanitized-class="emoji"> | The EU Court confirmed it: Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission broke transparency laws over secret Pfizer vaccine deals. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Patriots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Patriots</a> demand a full inquiry. Brussels corruption must have consequences. <a href="https://t.co/bgQAwXtiuF">pic.twitter.com/bgQAwXtiuF</a></p>
<p>— Patriots for Europe (@PatriotsEP) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatriotsEP/status/1922655988881985787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>If von der Leyen “has nothing to hide, then she has nothing to be afraid of,” Danish MEP Anders Vistisen, chief whip of the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, told <em>europeanconservative.com</em>. “But, it is clear by her refusal to make public her text messages exchanged with the Pfizer CEO that she indeed has a reason to conceal her actions.”</p>
<p>Vistisen noted that von der Leyen has a history of deleting phone messages to hide evidence of large-scale corruption, as something very similar happened when she was facing serious allegations involving public procurement fraud while serving as German defense minister. She escaped accountability in that case by being appointed as the EU Commission president for the first time in 2019.</p>
<p>According to Vistisen, the “public humiliation” of the ECJ ruling should be followed by immediate political consequences, and it’s up to each group in the European Parliament to pick a side.</p>
<p>“If she is unwilling to fully disclose these text messages, she must be pushed out by the European Parliament. That would put the whole Commission on the line,” he said. “Let’s see how the different political groups divide on this issue.”</p>
<p>Others, like Dutch MEP <a href="https://x.com/MariekeEhlers/status/1922653194464768226" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marieke Ehlers</a> (PfE) and former French MEP Patricia Chagnon (RN), conveyed similar views, saying Europeans deserve to know the truth, and that letting von der Leyen off without any consequence would be a violation of basic democratic principles.</p>
<p>“The only guarantee of democracy is transparency. When you start hiding stuff, that’s no longer a democracy,” Chagnon told <em>europeanconservative.com</em>. “Politicians get their mandate from their electorate, and therefore must remain accountable to them. I despise any politician who doesn’t want to be accountable for what they’ve done.”</p>
<p>Rob Roos, another former MEP from ECR, wrote about how absurd it is that <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/analysis/pfizergate-chronicles-the-texts-that-could-unravel-von-der-leyens-empire/">a separate lawsuit</a> that was lodged against von der Leyen over her refusal to release the texts was declared “inadmissible” by a Belgian court earlier this year due to the plaintiff’s failure to demonstrate “personal harm” or “sufficient interest”—despite over 1,000 co-complainants joining the case, including MEPs, transparency watchdogs, and even member states—while the ECJ ruled in favor of <em>The New York Times</em>.</p>
<p>“This decision raises a fundamental question: why should a foreign newspaper possess stronger transparency rights than a MEP, than European citizens and Member States themselves?” Roos <a href="https://x.com/Rob_Roos/status/1922568162916106278" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X.</p>
<p>The same argument was made by German MEP Christine Anderson (ESN), who <a href="https://x.com/AndersonAfDMdEP/status/1922774745478725980" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented</a> that it’s unacceptable in a democracy that the <em>NYT</em> “has achieved what parliamentarians and citizens have been denied.”</p>
<p>That’s why Anderson, along with Vistisen, Ehlers, and most MEPs on the national conservative side—the PfE, ECR, and ESN groups—once again called for the establishment of an inquiry committee to properly investigate corruption allegations in the EU, such as Pfizergate.</p>
<p>The Patriots <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/eu-inquiry-committee-patriots-proposal-signatures-secured-qatargate-ngos/">finished collecting the required signatures</a> for the proposed Transparency and Accountability Committee (TRAC) earlier this month, and now it’s up to the chairmen of the mainstream parties to allow the initiative to move for a plenary vote. They will probably try to block it, like in other similar cases, and instead offer a working group in the budgetary control committee—knowing full well that it won’t have the power to make any meaningful difference.</p>
<p>“We need a committee of inquiry. Not just any committee, but one with real powers. Powers to summon Ursula von der Leyen, to access Commission documents, and to establish political accountability,” Anderson stated. “Only a real inquiry with subpoena powers can bring truth to light.”</p>
<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><img role="img" draggable="false" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/svg/1f1ec-1f1e7.svg" alt="🇬🇧" data-sanitized-class="emoji"> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PfizerGate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PfizerGate</a> verdict – a resounding slap in the face for EU corruption-president <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UrsulavonderLeyen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UrsulavonderLeyen</a> .</p>
<p><img role="img" draggable="false" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/svg/1f489.svg" alt="💉" data-sanitized-class="emoji"><img role="img" draggable="false" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.1.0/svg/1f4b0.svg" alt="💰" data-sanitized-class="emoji"> 1.8 billion doses of corona “vaccine” with a contract volume of 35 billion euros. Negotiated between Ursula von der Leyen and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pfizer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pfizer</a> CEO Albert Bourla. Not through… <a href="https://t.co/stwu6Kn5Ow">pic.twitter.com/stwu6Kn5Ow</a></p>
<p>— Christine Anderson (@AndersonAfDMdEP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndersonAfDMdEP/status/1922774745478725980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><em>Original article: </em><strong><a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/public-humiliation-meps-call-for-political-consequences-after-pfizergate-verdict/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The European Conservative</a></strong></p>

link:
https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/05/16/public-humiliation-meps-call-for-political-consequences-after-pfizergate-verdict/

tags:
#Editor's Choice #Big Pharma #Corruption #European Commission #European Union #Pfizer #Ursula von der Leyen


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747412299
title: Chemical spill turns Brazilian lake blue and kills fish
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tags: #Show Types
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A chemical spill in the city of Jundiaí has turned a lake bright blue, killing fish and dyeing local wildlife.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/5/16/chemical-spill-turns-brazilian-lake-blue-and-kills-fish?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747398878
title: In Istanbul, Russia plays chess while the West is stuck in make-believe
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tags: #Opinions
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The war can only end on Moscow’s terms. The West’s inability to accept this harsh reality keeps Ukraine bleeding.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/5/16/in-istanbul-russia-plays-chess-while-the-west-is-stuck-in-make-believe?traffic_source=rss


guid: yt:video:NzBNVGNY_FA
title: Joe Rogan Experience #2323 - Guy Fieri
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guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747410845
title: Charter Communications to buy rival Cox for $21.9bn
hash: ���3��,gM�� ��!
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The proposed merger, which would create the largest cable provider in the US, could face antitrust hurdles.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/5/16/charter-communications-to-buy-rival-cox-for-21-9bn?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747410112
title: ICC prosecutor to step aside until probe into alleged misconduct ends
content: ICC says Karim Khan will take a leave of absence pending the conclusion of UN-led investigation.
hash: ��Y�ߠL4�-w�D͚
tags: #News
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/icc-prosecutor-to-step-aside-until-probe-into-alleged-misconduct-ends?traffic_source=rss


guid: 1031359 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: A Fraction Of Proposed Data Centers Will Get Built: Utilities Are Wising Up
author: ;Tyler Durden
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<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">A Fraction Of Proposed Data Centers Will Get Built: Utilities Are Wising Up</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>By Brian Martucci of <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/a-fraction-of-proposed-data-centers-will-get-built-utilities-are-wising-up/748214/">UtilityDive</a></em></p>

<p>The U.S. grid is flooded with data center proposals that will never get built. That’s making it much more difficult for utilities and grid operators to plan for the future.</p>

<p>“<strong>Conservatively, you’re seeing five to 10 times more interconnection requests than data centers actually being built</strong>,” said Astrid Atkinson, a former Google senior director of software engineering and now co-founder and CEO of grid optimization software provider Camus Energy.</p>

<p>Even relatively short-term data center load growth forecasts are all over the map. </p>

<p>Last year, RAND Corporation’s “upper confidence” forecast projected 347 GW of AI-sector power consumption by 2030. But Schneider Electric called that prediction “extreme” in a <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/sustainable-ai-requires-close-collaboration-between-data-centers-grid-st/747014/">whitepaper on AI’s potential grid impacts</a> last month, <strong>which cited more down-to-earth forecasts — under 100 GW — from other reputable observers. </strong></p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/data%20center%20construction.jpg?itok=EKeo7gtU" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/data%20center%20construction.jpg?itok=EKeo7gtU"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6faecf6e-1466-4f11-99e8-9951b5840c4c" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="281" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/data%20center%20construction.jpg?itok=EKeo7gtU" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>Schneider’s own 2030 AI power demand scenarios range from 16.5 GW to 65.3 GW, with 33.8 GW the optimal outcome under a sustainable AI framework that balances AI growth with grid stability.</p>

<p>The wild divergence in near-term AI power demand forecasts hints at a fundamental challenge facing utilities, grid operators and power system regulators today: speculative load interconnection requests, or what Bianca Giacobone of Latitude Media in March called “<a href="https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/phantom-data-centers-are-flooding-the-load-queue/">phantom data centers</a>.”</p>

<p>Experts like Atkinson advise power system stakeholders to take utility forecasts, like Exelon’s expectation for <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/exelon-data-center-load-co-location-pjm-capacity-earnings/731581/">11 GW of “high-probability” data center load</a> over 10 years, with a grain of salt. </p>

<p>A 2018 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421518302751?via%3Dihub">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study</a> that <strong>compared load forecasts and actual growth for 12 Western U.S. utilities in the mid-2000s and found most overestimated future demand.</strong></p>

<p>But experts say it’s very difficult for utilities to tell in advance which data center interconnection requests will pan out, or how much potential load to discount in the aggregate. This is a problem because, as Giacobone noted, excess requests sap utilities’ limited study resources, cause delays for others in the interconnection queue and distort long-range resource planning, raising the risk of costly system overbuilding. </p>

<p>Utilities are trying a few tactics to mitigate the risk.  Some have rolled out standardized large-load interconnection processes. Others are asking data center developers for bigger financial commitments upfront. In some cases, utilities have asked state policymakers for help.</p>

<h3>A problem of transparency</h3>

<p>The phantom load problem is, in part, a problem of transparency. </p>

<p>Loath to tip off competitors or local NIMBYs, data center developers and their agents conceal land acquisitions and other early development activities behind vaguely-named LLCs and non-disclosure agreements. Developers relentlessly winnow early-stage projects, but not to the point that every publicly-announced proposal is a done deal, Atkinson said.</p>

<p>Microsoft, for example<strong>, <a href="https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-cancels-up-to-2gw-of-data-center-projects-says-td-cowen/">abandoned up to 2 GW</a> of data center capacity reservations since January, </strong>while Tract killed a <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2024/04/29/tract-data-center-phoenix-buckeye-withdraw.html">30-building Phoenix-area proposal</a> last year amid local opposition.</p>

<p>Even seasoned data center customers like Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Google propose several times more projects than they’re likely to need due to uncertainty around power availability and permitting at any given site, Atkinson said. Less sophisticated developers abandon proposed projects at an even higher rate, she added.</p>

<p>Accurately assessing future data center power demand could get harder in the near future as lengthy waits for grid interconnection push developers and operators toward behind-the-meter primary power generation sources, Atkinson said. </p>

<p>Elon Musk’s Memphis-area xAI hub, where its Grok model trains, runs 35 gas turbines behind the meter, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/10/elon-musks-xai-accused-polluting-air-in-memphis-selc-says-in-letter.html">according to a lawsuit</a> filed in April by an environmental group. Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s former company, Liberty Energy, could eventually deliver <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/liberty-energy-modular-gas-fired-pennsylvania-industrial-marcellus-shale/744854/">1 GW of off-grid gas-fired generation</a> to data centers and other large industrial loads at a planned business park near Pittsburgh. Data center customers account for about a third of gas turbine manufacturer GE Vernova’s 21-GW reservation pipeline, <a href="https://www.power-eng.com/business/ge-vernova-reports-positive-earnings-discusses-tariff-impacts/">CEO Scott Strazik said in April</a>.</p>

<p>Zachary Ruzycki, the director of resource planning for Minnesota-based cooperative Great River Energy, said the utility has received “more than a handful” of large-load interconnection requests recently, but he worries about sinking staff time into projects that might not materialize.</p>

<p>“How much work we want to undertake on it is something we’ve been thinking about,” Ruzycki said. </p>

<p>Still, the potential investment is driving plans for more generation. Great River Energy will use a $812 million federal grant to procure nearly 1.3 GW of renewable power to serve new load in the coming years, CEO David Saggau <a href="https://greatriverenergy.com/company-news/great-river-energy-secures-hundreds-of-millions-in-federal-funding/">said in January</a>.</p>

<p>The cooperative isn’t alone in facing this issue. Great River Energy shares its home state with investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy. Together, Xcel and Great River Energy member cooperatives near the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area have drawn proposals for at least 11 data center campuses since 2020, including one each from Amazon, Microsoft and Meta and three 500-MW schemes from Tract. </p>

<p>Some requests could be duplicates, but there’s no good way to tell which, Ruzycki said. Of the 11 proposals in or near its territory, only Meta’s had begun construction as of earlier this year, according to the <a href="https://www.startribune.com/dfl-backed-bill-takes-a-harder-line-on-the-data-center-boom/601314730">Minnesota Star Tribune</a>.  </p>

<p>“This is a challenge across the industry,”  said Patricia Taylor, director of policy and research at the American Public Power Association. Data center developers are “shopping around both within your community and next door.”</p>

<h3>When it’s cheaper, “You’ll buy queue positions all day long”</h3>

<p>Some load-serving entities are trying to keep data center power demand expectations in check, according to the Electric Power Research Institute.</p>

<p>Of 25 large utilities <a href="https://www.epri.com/research/products/000000003002030643">EPRI surveyed in September 2024</a>, 48% expected data centers to account for at least 10% of peak load by 2030. Twenty-six percent expected double that share. </p>

<p>But the EPRI respondents were generally skeptical that all proposed data center load — or even close to all — would materialize. Of the 10 utilities that said aggregate data center requests accounted for 50% or more of present peak load, none expected an actual five-year share above 35% of peak load. That included respondents with the highest proportion of data center requests. </p>

<p>Utilities take different approaches to derating proposed data center loads, or assuming that they would use less than their proposed nameplate capacity, EPRI found. About 30% of respondents took proposed loads at face value but assumed they would ramp over time. Another 30% derated loads based on apparent project maturity, using benchmarks such as public announcements, land acquisitions, permitting progress, company maturity and signed load-serving agreements. </p>

<p>Those factors can help determine how “quote-unquote ‘real’ a project is,” said Great River Energy’s Ruzycki. </p>

<p>”But in a sense, it doesn’t matter [because] we have an obligation to serve,” he continued.  “If they have the land and the ability to build and ramp, they can do that and we have to find the assets to serve them.”</p>

<p>Great River Energy also bills petitioners for the staff work related to vetting large-load requests so the cost doesn’t fall on members. APPA’s Taylor said utilities can protect existing customers by taking substantial deposits for interconnection studies and inking service agreements that ensure data centers pay their fair share for infrastructure upgrades — and even new generation resources — while guaranteeing minimum load. </p>

<p>Former Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Allison Clements and former Meta Director of Energy Strategy Peter Freed, in a <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/data-center-large-load-interconnection-process-clements/740272/">February op-ed for Utility Dive</a>, argued for a standardized process across the country that could reduce speculative data center requests and shorten interconnection wait times.</p>

<p>The process proposed by Clements and Freed could involve standardized interconnection queues across utilities within the same planning region and anonymized visibility into queued projects’ attributes and status. It could also require developers to meet commercial readiness tests, pay phased fees that increase as projects progress and include a mechanism for removing nonviable projects from the queue.</p>

<p>But even that may not be enough. </p>

<p>Data center developers are adept at playing utilities off one another to manufacture price elasticity, said Karl Rábago, principal at Rábago Energy and a former commissioner at the Texas Public Utility Commission. </p>

<p>“The phantom load problem arises because the cost of getting in a queue is lower than the weighted likelihood that they’ll want to use their position,” Rábago said. “When it’s cheaper to buy a queue position than not to use your queue position, you’ll buy queue positions all day long.”</p>

<p>He was also skeptical of some state legislative efforts to address the issue. </p>

<p>A <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/SB6/2025">high-profile Texas bill</a> that would require data center developers to pay some interconnection costs and disclose certain duplicative requests is not specific enough to have much impact, Rábago said.  Instead, he favors a “reverse auction” framework to determine which data center “needs the fewest goodies” to connect to the grid, he said.</p>

<p>Recent moves by three utilities in Virginia, the country’s biggest data center market, hint at a possible path forward. </p>

<p>This year, Dominion Energy, Appalachian Power and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative all proposed new large-load rate classes that would apply to data centers. Dominion’s and Appalachian Power would require data centers to pay at least 60% and 80% of contracted demand, insulating existing ratepayers, according to the <a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/04/25/will-special-rate-classes-protect-va-residents-from-the-costs-of-serving-data-centers/">Virginia Mercury</a>. </p>

<p>Member-owned Rappahannock’s proposal would require new data centers to put up collateral, cover some infrastructure upgrades, pay up to 100% of contracted load and <a href="https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/to-meet-massive-data-center-load-one-virginia-electric-co-op-is-proposing-an-entirely-new-business-model/">deal directly with special-purpose subsidiaries</a> to protect existing customers.</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T17:20:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 13:20</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/fraction-proposed-data-centers-will-get-built-utilities-are-wising


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747407937
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Lawyers for New Jersey man Hadi Matar said they planned to appeal the sentence, which was the maximum possible.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/suspect-in-attack-on-author-salman-rushdie-sentenced-to-25-years-in-prison?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165605/maureen-breau-cnesst-inaction-surete-quebec
title: Mort de Maureen Breau : la CNESST somme la SQ de changer ses pratiques policières
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hash: c/�E���t%�\،�
content:
<p>La CNESST reproche à la SQ de demeurer « réactive » et de se tenir « loin d'une culture de prévention ».</p>

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guid: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165607/chef-giovanni-apollo-agression-sexuelle-mineure
title: Le chef Jean-Claude « Giovanni » Apollo accusé d’agressions sexuelles sur sa fille
link: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165607/chef-giovanni-apollo-agression-sexuelle-mineure
hash: �.�$�c��E��#M
content:
<p>Giovanni Apollo aurait commis des crimes sexuels sur sa fille alors qu'elle était mineure, entre 2011 et 2017.</p>

attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://images.radio-canada.ca/q_auto,w_635,h_357/v1/ici-info/16x9/giovanni-apollo.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","length":0}]}


guid: yt:video:Yln2oEifFzQ
title: Alberta invests $6.5M to study Canada-U.S. relationship – May 16, 2025
author: ;cpac
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yln2oEifFzQ
hash: -J ���Aj1Y��(SX�
attributes:
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guid: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/sports/2165651/chronique-martin-leclerc-f1-lewis-hamilton-ferrari
title: Chronique | Lewis Hamilton est-il arrivé au bout du chemin?
link: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/sports/2165651/chronique-martin-leclerc-f1-lewis-hamilton-ferrari
hash: �L�G L�S�]�
content:
<p>Que fera Ferrari si son pilote vedette n'arrive pas à redresser la barre? se demande Martin Leclerc.</p>

attributes:
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guid: yt:video:SyYRNFUeAC8
title: Swearing-in ceremony for new Alberta cabinet ministers – May 16, 2025
author: ;cpac
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyYRNFUeAC8
hash: �}-/Eȕs-ý��A\
attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/v/SyYRNFUeAC8?version=3","title":"Swearing-in ceremony for new Alberta cabinet ministers – May 16, 2025","description":"Alberta Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani presides over the swearing-in ceremony for new members of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's cabinet.","type":"application/x-shockwave-flash","height":390,"width":640,"thumbnails":["https://i4.ytimg.com/vi/SyYRNFUeAC8/hqdefault.jpg"]}]}


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747414514
title: Slain Mexican TikTok influencer remembered at funeral
hash: J�C'��8TQKD��f�
tags: #Show Types
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
A funeral was held for 23-year-old Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez, who was shot dead during TikTok livestream.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2025/5/16/slain-mexican-tiktok-influencer-remembered-at-funeral?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747413050
title: NJ Transit workers go on strike after wage increase talks stall
hash: ��y��&P�;M���P
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
The strike leaves hundreds of thousands of commuters in New Jersey and New York without rail access.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/5/16/nj-transit-workers-go-on-strike-after-wage-increase-talks-stall?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.mondialisation.ca/?p=5698639
author: ;The Cradle
hash: �`0nāӵnos��2@�
tags: #Francais @fr #Mobile
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
title:
Les chars israéliens déployés dans le nord de Gaza frappée par les bombes “toutes les quatre minutes”

content:
<p>Des chars israéliens ont progressé vers la ville de Beit Lahia, au nord de Gaza, le 16 mai, alors que des bombardements incessants ont déplacé des dizaines de familles et tué des dizaines d’autres personnes, faisant craindre que le plan …</p>

link:
https://www.mondialisation.ca/les-chars-israeliens-deployes-dans-le-nord-de-gaza-frappee-par-les-bombes-toutes-les-quatre-minutes/5698639


guid: yt:video:dt49ggW8Ohg
title: CeaseFire: A New C-SPAN Series Premiering Fall 2025
author: ;C-SPAN
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt49ggW8Ohg
hash: s#���X��$B��Iy
attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/v/dt49ggW8Ohg?version=3","title":"CeaseFire: A New C-SPAN Series Premiering Fall 2025","description":"This fall, C-SPAN introduces CeaseFire, a new weekly series that takes a different approach to political conversation. In an era when conflict often grabs the spotlight, CeaseFire creates space for something quieter but no less important: thoughtful dialogue between leaders who don’t always agree, but are willing to listen.\n\nC-SPAN’s mission is to show the full picture of American democracy—from fiery floor debates to measured committee work. CeaseFire builds on that commitment by focusing on the kind of cross-party conversations that often happen behind the scenes, but rarely get airtime. The network that doesn't take sides, is producing CeaseFire to showcase what often gets overlooked in politics: the quiet, serious work of governing across differences.\n\nNo shouting matches, no viral takedowns – just two leaders, committed to listening, understanding, and finding common ground, united by a shared commitment to the country’s future.\n\nIt’s not about pretending there aren’t differences. It’s about showing that even in disagreement, dialogue is possible. The aim is simple: to show the country that Americans wearing different political “jerseys” can still sit down together, listen, learn, and work toward shared goals. These leaders may disagree on policy, but they agree on something more fundamental—the belief that our democracy works best when we work together.\n\nIt’s a fresh take on political television—grounded in respect, driven by substance, and focused on what connects us.\n\nCeaseFire offers a front-row seat to the kind of conversations that remind us what's possible when leaders choose to engage thoughtfully.\n\nhttps://www.c-span.org/ceasefire\n\nDownload the FREE C-SPAN Now App. https://www.c-span.org/c-spanNow/\n\nDiscover the C-SPAN Video Library at https://www.c-span.org/quickguide/\n\nExplore C-SPAN's Free Educational Resources at https://www.c-span.org/classroom/\n\nC-SPAN: Created by Cable in 1979. Offered as a public service.\n\nSupport C-SPAN by Donating Today: https://donorbox.org/support-c-span?utm_source=YouTube&amp;utm_medium=Video_Description&amp;utm_campaign=Donations&amp;utm_content=Donate\n\nSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSPAN \n\nFollow us:\nFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSPAN\nTwitter: https://twitter.com/cspan\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cspan/\n\nSubscribe:\nC-SPAN Podcasts: https://www.c-span.org/podcasts/\nNewsletters: https://www.c-span.org/connect/\nVisit the C-SPAN Shop: https://c-spanshop.org/\n#cspan","type":"application/x-shockwave-flash","height":390,"width":640,"thumbnails":["https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/dt49ggW8Ohg/hqdefault.jpg"]}]}


guid: yt:video:bzwYPQSW3Js
title: Trump's Gulf Visit
author: ;Middle Nation
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzwYPQSW3Js
hash: W�+Yw ;&�W�U
attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/v/bzwYPQSW3Js?version=3","title":"Trump's Gulf Visit","type":"application/x-shockwave-flash","height":390,"width":640,"thumbnails":["https://i3.ytimg.com/vi/bzwYPQSW3Js/hqdefault.jpg"]}]}


guid: 1031372 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Democrats Are Digging Their Political Graves... And Trump Is Selling Them The Shovel
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: �Rv�S�c�8�!�R N
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Democrats Are Digging Their Political Graves... And Trump Is Selling Them The Shovel</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2025/05/15/democrats_are_digging_their_political_graves_--_and_trump_is_selling_them_the_shovel_152796.html"><em>Authored by Larry Kudlow via RealClearPolitics.com,</em></a></p>

<p><strong>While Democrats are busy defending criminal gang members and terrorists from Tren De Aragua and MS-13, President Trump is putting on a command performance in the Middle East.</strong></p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/686722_6.jpg?itok=GHELmVgM" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/686722_6.jpg?itok=GHELmVgM"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8bbd54a8-3b7b-42ca-b33c-154b43bb039c" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="333" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/686722_6.jpg?itok=GHELmVgM" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>In a blockbuster speech yesterday at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mr. Trump said this: “Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos.”</p>

<p><strong>Then, he urged the Saudis to join the Abraham Accords,</strong> telling them: </p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>“It’s my fervent hope, wish, and even my dream, that Saudi Arabia — a place I have such respect for — will soon be joining the Abraham Accords. … You will be greatly honoring me and you will be greatly honoring all those people that have fought so hard for the Middle East.”</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>Then, he stunned the audience and drew a standing ovation by announcing that he’s lifting American sanctions on Syria.</strong></p>

<p>Today, he met with the Syrian president, the first time an American president has done so in 25 years.</p>

<p>In between all of this, Mr. Trump has probably raised something around $2 trillion of investment from the Saudis and the Qataris.</p>

<p><strong>Yet he also made it clear that Iran could never have a nuclear weapon.</strong></p>

<p>Let me quote:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>“Iran can have a much brighter future — but we will never allow them to threaten America and our allies with terrorism or a nuclear attack. The time is right now for them to choose.”</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Plus, all that money Mr. Trump is raising to invest in America will be the beneficiary of the lowest taxes and regulations of any major country in the world.</p>

<p>That’s because another Trump success is the big, beautiful tax cut bill that just passed the House Ways and Means Committee under the excellent stewardship of its chairman, Congressman Jason Smith.</p>

<p><strong>Of course, Democrats are gnashing their teeth at Mr. Trump’s flurry of new successes.</strong></p>

<p>Not only his tax policies — but a number of trade and tariff deals, rock-bottom consumer inflation, a resilient economy, and a huge rebound in the stock market.</p>

<p>Democrats thought they could pound Mr. Trump with tariffs, but he has turned the tables on them with his adroit dealmaking.</p>

<p><strong>And, as mentioned before, Democrats backing criminals and gangsters in their crusade to stop deportations are digging a deeper and deeper political grave for themselves.</strong></p>

<p>And Mr. Trump is selling them the shovel.</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T18:00:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 14:00</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/democrats-are-digging-their-political-graves-and-trump-selling-them-shovel


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747411561
title: Breaking down a deadly week in Gaza as Israel kills hundreds
hash: � O+����I=�3 �
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
More than 370 Palestinians have been killed by Israel this week, as the UN continues to warn of imminent mass starvation

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/breaking-down-a-deadly-week-in-gaza-as-israel-kills-hundreds?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://strategic-culture.su/?post_type=article&amp;p=885340
author: ;A A
hash: �&�Ą:��9�i���R�
tags: #Español #Fascism #Genocide #Germany #USSR #War Crimes #World War II
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
title:
Ochenta años desde la victoria. ¿Por qué necesitamos recordar las atrocidades alemanas durante la II Guerra Mundial?

content:
<p><strong><em>El Día de la Victoria representa no solamente una conmemoración militar, ni una celebración ideológica del comunismo, sino más bien el triunfo de la vida sobre el exterminio planificado.</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><span>Únete a nosotros en </span><a href="https://t.me/SCF_Spanish" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Telegram </a><a href="https://t.me/SCF_Spanish" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tlg.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25"></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/twitter.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25"></a> <span>y </span><a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VK</a> <a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wk.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25"></a>.</strong></p>
<p><span><strong>Escríbenos: </strong></span><a href="mailto:info@strategic-culture.su"><strong>info@strategic-culture.su</strong></a></p>
<p>En la medida que nos aproximamos a la conmemoración del Día de la Victoria, vale la pena reflexionar sobre lo que el pueblo soviético –junto a otras naciones – luchó en contra durante la II Guerra Mundial. El comprender los aspectos más oscuros de este conflicto, podría contribuir a explicar porqué el Día de la Victoria mantiene semejante y profunda significación para los rusos actuales.</p>
<p>En la medida que la II Guerra Mundial se desarrollaba, particularmente después del lanzamiento de la Operación Barbarrosa en 1941 (la invasión de la Unión Soviética) esta evolucionó hacia una guerra total. Este carácter totalmente envolvente del conflicto fue en gran medida predeterminado por las condiciones mismas en que los alemanes lo habían encuadrado desde el mismo comienzo.</p>
<p>Al apreciar la guerra fundamentalmente a través de una óptica racial e interpretarla como una lucha de “vida o muerte” los alemanes abrieron las compuertas a una escalada catastrófica de atrocidades.</p>
<p>Los crímenes que cometieron los alemanes contra los judíos son actualmente bien conocidos por el público occidental –particularmente aquellos cometidos en los campos de concentración en Polonia: Auschwitz, Majdanek, Sobibor, Belzec, Treblinka y Chelmo. Donde masas de vidas judías fueron extinguidas, como también las aniquilaciones en el Gheto de Varsovia donde miles de personas perecieron y miles más fueron deportados a campos de concentración vecinos.</p>
<p>Menos conocidas por los observadores occidentales son las atrocidades cometidas más allá del territorio polaco, en territorios que ahora pertenecen a los estados bálticos, Bielorrusia, Ucrania y la Federación de Rusia.</p>
<p>Para comprender las raíces de esta catástrofe, debemos recordar cómo las oligarquías políticas alemanas groseramente distorsionaron los conceptos geopolíticos de Friedrich Razel y de Karl Haushofer (este último incluso abogó por una alianza germano-soviética) transformándolos en justificaciones teóricas para la expansión territorial y la guerra racista.</p>
<p>En este contexto el gobierno nazi utilizó el “Lebensraum” (espacio vital) seguido por una lógica brutal: los alemanes como un pueblo “sano” y demográficamente en crecimiento necesitaba asegurar suficiente territorio en la Europa Oriental para desarrollar su potencial. Ya que estos territorios estaban ya ocupados, los alemanes necesitaron destruir o expulsar a esos habitantes y en consecuencia demostrar y asegurar su “superioridad biológica.”</p>
<p>Esta teoría fue aplicada mediante un plan concreto –Generalplan Ost (General Plan para el Este) – un proyecto para la expropiación, esclavización y destrucción de los pueblos eslavos (a través de masacres, trabajo forzado y muerte y deportación a Siberia) esto seguido por la colonización de sus territorios por parte de colonos alemanes.</p>
<p>Es en este contexto que podremos comprender, por ejemplo, el tratamiento de los alemanes de los prisioneros de guerra soviéticos. Los soldados soviéticos capturados por los nazis soportaron condiciones inhumanas. Aproximadamente 3,3 millones de prisioneros de guerra soviéticos perdieron la vida en los campos alemanes, muchos por hambruna, enfermedades o ejecuciones sumarias. En agudo contraste al tratamiento de los prisioneros occidentales, los cautivos soviéticos fueron a menudo expuestos a los elementos sin refugios o alimento. Todo esto en abierta violación de las convenciones internacionales.</p>
<p>La misma lógica del Generalplan Ost explica uno de los crímenes más horribles pero menos conocidos de la Alemania Nazi: la deliberada política de hambruna impuesta en los territorios ocupados, particularmente en Ucrania y partes de Rusia. El plan sistemáticamente, desviaba los suministros alimenticios hacia las tropas alemanas y hacia el Reich dejando que las poblaciones locales murieran de hambre.</p>
<p>Ciudades como Leningrado (actualmente San Petersburgo) soportaron alrededor de 900 días de asedio, lo cual produjo más de un millón de civiles muertos, muchos de hambre. En consecuencia surgieron informes de canibalismo a consecuencia de la extrema desesperación. En otras regiones, aldeas completas fueron quemadas y sus habitantes ejecutados (como en Koryukivka y Jatín) como parte de las operaciones de represalia contra los partisanos bajo la doctrina de Bandenbekampfung (represión al bandolerismo).</p>
<p>Siguiendo la Directiva 46 firmada personalmente por Hitler, la conducta de las SS en el Frente Oriental escaló dramáticamente. Los alemanes comenzaron a definir áreas completas como “territorios de bandoleros” objetivo que luego se calificó como “pacificación” o la completa aniquilación de todos los habitantes para asegurar la “seguridad” de las tropas alemanas, como lo atestigua Zhestianaya Gorka.</p>
<p>La mayoría de estas masacres, junto con otras operaciones específicamente apuntando contra los comunistas y judíos fueron llevadas a cabo por las Einzatsgruppen (unidades móviles de exterminio). Estos escuadrones de la muerte se especializaron en rodear a sus víctimas en bosques, quebradas y refugios anti tanques para la matanza masiva. El más infame ejemplo sigue siendo Babi Yar donde los nazis asesinaron durante varios días a más de cien mil civiles, seguido por la Masacre de Odesa donde las fuerzas alemanas y rumanas asesinaron aproximadamente a cuarenta mil civiles rusos y ucranianos el año 1941.</p>
<p>Previamente hemos mencionado el trabajo esclavo como parte del Generalplan Ost, es muy importante mencionar la específica deportación de entre cuatro y cinco millones de civiles eslavos hacia territorio alemán como trabajadores forzados. Estos Ostarbeiter (trabajadores orientales) recibían menos de mil calorías diarias, trabajando principalmente en fábricas de armas como Siemens y Krupp. Debido al abuso y a la subalimentación, cientos de miles perecieron antes del fin de la guerra.</p>
<p>Igualmente significativo fue el sistema de trabajo esclavo aplicado por la Organización Todt, enorme corporación estatal supervisora de proyectos infraestructurales a través de la Europa ocupada por los nazis. Notorios ejemplos incluyen al campo Dora-Mittelbau para pruebas experimentales de armamento y construcción de ferrocarriles en Bielorrusia, donde miles murieron debido a las brutales condiciones de trabajo.</p>
<p>La evidencia frente a nosotros, claramente nos demuestra que a través de la hambruna, el excesivo trabajo forzado, los fusilamientos masivos y los diferentes métodos represivos, la Alemania Nazi buscó erradicar a las poblaciones de la Europa del Este para abrir paso a la colonización alemana.</p>
<p>Esto es precisamente por qué el Día de la Victoria importa. Este representa no solo una conmemoración militar, tampoco una celebración ideológica del comunismo sino más bien el triunfo de la vida sobre el exterminio planificado.</p>
<p><em>Traducción desde el inglés por Sergio R. Anacona</em></p>
<p></p>

link:
https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/05/16/ochenta-anos-desde-la-victoria-por-que-necesitamos-recordar-las-atrocidades-alemanas-durante-la-ii-guerra-mundial/


guid: https://strategic-culture.su/?post_type=article&amp;p=885341
title: O que Leão XIV representa para a identidade estadunidense
author: ;A A
hash: �W��&7� f�3� Q
tags: #Português #Christianity #Leo XIV #Neoliberalism #Religion #Society #Vatican
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p><strong><em>Esperemos que o seu apreço pela Doutrina Social da Igreja sirva para abalar o malthusianismo liberal ao qual os anglófonos chamam de “conservadorismo”.</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><span>Junte-se a nós no</span> <a href="https://t.me/SCF_Portuguese" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><u>Telegram</u></a></strong><strong><u><a href="https://t.me/SCF_Portuguese" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tlg.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875659"></a></u>, <u><a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/twitter.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875661"></a></u><span>e </span></strong><strong><u><a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VK</a><a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wk.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875662"></a></u>.</strong></p>
<p><strong><span>Escreva para nós:</span> <a href="mailto:info@strategic-culture.su" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><u>info@strategic-culture.su</u></a></strong></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Se os cardeais tivessem eleito um papa chinês, muitos textos teriam aparecido na imprensa tratando da importância histórica de eleger uma minoria religiosa perseguida no país. O problema é que nos acostumamos a uma espécie de retórica pan-cristã que opõe o Ocidente livre ao Oriente totalitário. Nesse enquadramento, a oposição entre católicos e protestantes aparece como um assunto histórico já encerrado; e, mesmo ao se apresentar esse antagonismo, a Igreja Católica figura sempre como opressora e os protestantes, como oprimidos.</span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">No entanto, exitem dois países importantes no Ocidente em que o protestantismo foi inequivocamente o opressor e os católicos, os oprimidos. Esses dois países são a Inglaterra e os Estados Unidos. Se na Inglaterra a perseguição aos católicos foi duríssima e sangrenta (porque a questão religiosa era também uma questão sucessória, com o divórcio de Henrique VIII), nos EUA a tolerância religiosa não impediu que o anticatolicismo fosse uma ideologia formadora da identidade nacional. Assim, a mera eleição de um papa estadunidense foi importante para abalar a identidade forjada pela elite WASP (branca, anglo-saxã e protestante, no acrônimo em inglês).</span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><b><span lang="PT-BR">O Unamerican, inimigo do American</span></b></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Em seu trabalho <i>Liberal Suppression</i>, o jurista Philip Hamburger também revisita a história dos EUA de uma maneira atípica. Todos sabem que o Ku Klux Klan era raivosamente racista, mas poucos lembram que a organização era, acima de tudo, anticatólica – e que seu anticatolicismo advinha tanto da sua forma de nativismo como do “liberalismo teológico”. Os protestantes dos EUA se dividiam em fundamentalistas, que se apegavam à letra da Bíblia, que aos seus olhos não tinha uma interpretação sujeita a muitas controvérsias, e os liberais, que rejeitavam toda forma de autoridade e pretendiam que cada homem ou mulher deveria interpretar a Bíblia por si só. Pois bem, esse subjetivismo radical está intimamente ligado ao liberalismo político, já que preconiza a atomização. Toda instituição com autoridade intelectual é abominável, porque isso é um indício de que os indivíduos que a compõem não têm pensamento crítico. A coisa vai tão longe que, para algum dos seus defensores, nem mesmo devem existir igrejas protestantes; em vez disso, há associações de pessoas que chegaram sozinhas às mesmas conclusões.<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Assim, a crítica dos nativistas (Klan incluso) aos católicos era que eles não tinham pensamento crítico, pois repetiam os dogmas da Igreja, e que eram <i>Unamerican</i>, tanto porque se submetiam a uma autoridade estrangeira (o Papa) quanto porque ser <i>American</i> era pensar por si só, ser livre etc. (Já tratei mais detidamente desse assunto <a href="https://strategic-culture.su/news/2024/07/31/o-liberalismo-teologico-a-ideologia-de-estado-dos-eua/"><span>aqui</span></a>.)<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Essa concepção estava longe de ser exclusiva de radicais como o KKK. Desde o século XIX Harvard era dominada por protestantes da denominação que promoveu o liberalismo nos EUA, o Unitarismo. Imbuída dessa visão, a elite dos EUA criou uma legislação que impunha censura e omissão da participação política às organizações filantrópicas isentas – que tipicamente incluíam escolas confessionais. Tratou-se de uma guerra à “doutrinação católica” que, de um lado, incluía tirar a isenção fiscal de escolas confessionais e promover a escola pública dos protestantes como essencial à formação de cidadãos verdadeiramente <i>American</i>. Philip Hamburger chega a mencionar que as campanhas de dessegregação miravam mais a segregação entre católicos e protestantes (promovida pelas escolas confessionais católicas) do que a segregação racial (que, aliás, não existia nas escolas católicas…).<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Com o advento do comunismo, todo o maquinário anticatólico pôde ser empregado contra os comunistas, os novos <i>Unamerican</i> da vez.<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><b><span lang="PT-BR">É <i>créole</i>, mas é <i>American</i></span></b></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">É famosa <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Rock_integration_protest.jpg"><span>a foto</span></a> de placas com a frase “<i>Race mixing is communism</i>”, “Mistura de raças é comunismo”, num protesto contra a dessegregação racial nos EUA.<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Uma das poucas coisas que o comunismo tem em comum com o catolicismo é o senso universalista de uma comunidade humana. Tal como o católico, o comunista não divide o mundo em grupos raciais com destinos distintos. Em vez disso, o comunismo histórico implicou o apoio a nacionalismos terceiromundistas durante a descolonização da África e da Ásia. De um ponto de vista filosófico e doutrinário, o catolicismo foi mais longe em sua oposição ao racismo do que o comunismo, pois topou assumir a pecha de “obscurantista” quando a ciência, em uníssono, legitimava o racismo e a eugenia.<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Outro jeito de aproximar a visão do comunismo à do catolicismo, contrastando-a com a do calvinismo, é comparando a maneira como tais grupos tratam os judeus: os primeiros os tratam como gente a ser convertida e assimilada ao corpo político, ao passo que os calvinistas (assim como os judeus religiosos) os enxergam como um grupo racial distinto, com direito a uma nação à parte. Historicamente, os EUA não viram os negros e os judeus como pertencentes à nacionalidade; em vez disso, se entusiasmaram (assim como os ingleses) com a perspectiva de mandá-los “de volta” para a África (vide a Libéria e Serra Leoa) ou para a Terra Santa (com o projeto sionista). Consoante com essa visão profundamente racista, um descendente de negros jamais seria <i>American</i> como os WASP. Em vez disso, uma única gota de sangue negro faria de um mestiço para sempre um negro e, portanto, um cidadão de segunda classe.<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">As contestações da parte dos negros de formação protestante incluíram o panafricanismo, que nada mais é que um “voltar para a África”, e o separatismo negro, um projeto em consonância com o dos supremacistas brancos. O Pr. Martin Luther King foi, de fato, um raio em céu azul. (Quanto aos comunistas, os Panteras Negras eram uma instável salada mista ideológica que teve seus períodos de aproximação com mais de uma vertente do comunismo – até norte-coreana! No entanto, podemos dizer que a única coisa duradoura foi o caráter racial, coisa que o aproxima do sionismo, que já foi alinhado com a URSS mesmo sem ser comunista.)<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Pois bem: a tez morena de Leão XIV se deve à sua ancestralidade <i>créole</i>, mulata, da Louisiana. Pelo sistema Jim Crow, perpetuado na era politicamente correta, Leão XIV seria negro ou<i> African-American</i>.<i> </i>O <i>New York Times</i> chegou a cobrar do irmão mais velho do papa uma autoclassificação como negro, mas foi rejeitada. E o papa se tornou simplesmente <i>American</i> dentro dos Estados Unidos, mesmo com seu longo tempo no Peru e saudação em espanhol.<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><b><span lang="PT-BR">Uma nova identidade não-WASP</span></b></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Robert Prevost é <i>American </i>porque ele nasceu nos Estados Unidos, e pronto. Ele não é branco, não é protestante, e é um<i> American</i> sem hífen.<i> </i>De supetão os EUA aceitaram esse critério de nacionalidade que é comum pela América Latina com a qual ele tanto se identifica: uma América de formação católica e mestiça, porque em seus fundamentos acreditou que o destino nacional é compartilhado por todos, sem distinção de raças.<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><span lang="PT-BR">Essa identidade estadunidense não-WASP é um avanço humanitário, porque é contrária ao Destino Manifesto, que profetiza o crescimento dos EUA à base da limpeza étnica e do supremacismo racial. Esse tipo de pensamento é tão entranhado na cultura dos EUA que até mesmo um pai do Evangelho Social, Josiah Strong, acreditava que os EUA cumpririam o desígnio de Deus de repovoar a terra com um estoque racial superior, e que o protestantismo era indício de superioridade racial. (Essas ideias constam no 14º capítulo de <i>Our Country</i>, de 1885.) Ou seja, até mesmo o movimento cristão que se preocupava com a condição material do trabalhador só o fazia dentro do particularismo da raça – bem nos moldes do sionismo de esquerda e do nazismo.<b></b></span></p>
<p data-sanitized-class="Standard"><i><span lang="PT-BR">Last, but not least</span></i><span lang="PT-BR">, Leão XIV será uma força conservadora que preza pela justiça social, coisa que, dentro das tradição intelectual anglófona dos EUA, é como um círculo quadrado (não custa lembrar que Chesterton falava dos conservadores na terceira pessoa, e falava mal). Esperemos que o seu apreço pela Doutrina Social da Igreja sirva para abalar o malthusianismo liberal ao qual os anglófonos chamam de “conservadorismo”.<b></b></span></p>
<p> <br>
</p>

link:
https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/05/16/o-que-leao-xiv-representa-para-identidade-estadunidense/


guid: 1031382 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Nightmare New Jersey Transit Strike Cripples Rail Service
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/nightmare-new-jersey-transit-strike-cripples-rail-service
hash: 3�����B �:�ϵ
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Nightmare New Jersey Transit Strike Cripples Rail Service</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New Jersey was hit by its first statewide transit strike in over 40 years early Friday morning, as 450 unionized locomotive engineers walked off the job amid a contract dispute about pay. The strike brought NJ Transit's rail network to a halt and disrupted service for 350,000 commuters.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/GrCqfvxXAAA9rG6.jpg?itok=BhBJjBie" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/GrCqfvxXAAA9rG6.jpg?itok=BhBJjBie"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="63009d4c-3365-406f-ade3-43e7f5a001b4" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="688" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/GrCqfvxXAAA9rG6.jpg?itok=BhBJjBie" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) <a href="https://ble-t.org/news/njt-locomotive-engineers-on-strike/">announced</a> the strike late Thursday night on X, sharing a post that included a link detailing the breakdown in contract negotiations between its negotiators and NJ Transit negotiators over terms of the new contract for locomotive engineers. </p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">BLET locomotive engineers on strike at NJ Transit. Read more here: <a href="https://t.co/DdRhKTf8bh">https://t.co/DdRhKTf8bh</a> <a href="https://t.co/4SR1PqUDIO">pic.twitter.com/4SR1PqUDIO</a></p>
— Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (@BLET) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLET/status/1923226639317578094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>"After 15-hours of non-stop contract talks today, no agreement on a wage increase was reached this evening between BLET and NJ Transit managers," the union wrote in a press release, adding, "NJ Transit managers walked out of the talks shortly before 10 p.m. and through their actions have forced a strike despite the transit agency having the funds for a raise." </p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Rail Teamsters from the <a href="https://twitter.com/BLET?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BLET</a> are on strike at New Jersey Transit and picketing major terminals in Newark, New York Penn Station, and Atlantic City.<br><br>
If NJT can spend half-a-billion dollars on lavish penthouse offices, they can come back to the table with a fair deal for their… <a href="https://t.co/HXvPC4BHcC">pic.twitter.com/HXvPC4BHcC</a></p>
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) <a href="https://twitter.com/Teamsters/status/1923387430314426662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>BLET members have been in talks with NJ Transit since 2019 about a new labor contract, but have failed to reach a deal every time. </p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/FRw6y_vn.jpg?itok=YavRD0oy" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/FRw6y_vn.jpg?itok=YavRD0oy"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ff3e21c3-253b-4053-ace3-e8ff130e69ef" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="250" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/FRw6y_vn.jpg?itok=YavRD0oy" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>"In August 2023, the members of the local union voted unanimously to grant the BLET National President the authority to call a strike when it became lawful to do so and if a deal had not been reached," the union said. </p>

<p>BLET National President Mark Wallace blasted NJ Transit: </p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>"NJ Transit has a half-billion dollars for a swanky new headquarters and $53 million for decorating the interior of that unnecessary building. They gave away $20 million in revenue during a fare holiday last year. They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, just not for their front-line workers. Enough is enough. We will stay out until our members receive the fair pay that they deserve."</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Wallace was quoted by the local media outlet <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-jersey/live-updates-nj-transit-strike-train-service-how-to-travel/6265552/">NBC 4 New York</a> as saying that engineers are committed to the strike until a fair deal is reached. </p>

<p>NBC 4 New York provided a breakdown of key points of the contract dispute:</p>

<ul><li>
	<p><em>The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Friday, leaving some 350K NJ Transit riders impacted</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><em>The nation's third-largest transit system, NJ Transit, provides nearly 1 million weekday trips, including into New York City. More NJ Transit buses are being added, but supplemental service can only accommodate about 20% of the people who could be accommodated if the trains were running</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><em>The MTA and other transit agencies are also adding service to help mitigate impacts</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><em>Wages have been the main sticking point. The union claims its members earn an average of $113,000 a year and says an agreement could be reached if that went to $170,000. NJ Transit leadership disputes the union's data, saying engineers have average total earnings of $135,000 annually</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong><em>The last time there was a transit strike was in 1983. That one lasted about a month</em></strong></p>
	</li>
</ul><p>A BLET spokesman said the union "is ready to bargain" and "returns to the table now." Talks are now scheduled for Sunday and will include federal mediators.</p>

<p>Earlier, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy apologized to commuters whose daily commutes to work were abruptly disrupted and called the labor action a "slap in the face of every commuter." </p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said, “the contract being negotiated at this moment is about the long-term future of NJ Transit,” but the state will not “cave” in order to end the first railroad strike in more than 40 years for the agency <a href="https://t.co/RoqnQYu4jk">https://t.co/RoqnQYu4jk</a> <a href="https://t.co/gp0a7hp0hk">pic.twitter.com/gp0a7hp0hk</a></p>
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/BloombergTV/status/1923398036501209323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>The New York Times noted: "The abrupt suspension of all of New Jersey Transit's train service on Friday will make it harder for Gov. Philip D. Murphy to claim that he rescued the troubled transit agency."</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T18:20:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 14:20</span>


guid: 1031381 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: New College Grads Not Working Out, Most Hiring Managers Say: Survey
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: 46Vz{�_� aX��
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">New College Grads Not Working Out, Most Hiring Managers Say: Survey</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/new-college-grads-not-working-out-most-hiring-managers-say-survey-5858473?utm_source=partner&amp;utm_campaign=ZeroHedge"><em>Authored by Mary Prenon via The Epoch Times,</em></a></p>

<p><strong>Inappropriate attire, excessive use of cell phones, poor quality of work, and foul language are just a few of the reasons 65 percent of U.S. hiring managers gave for firing college graduates who had recently started their first job.</strong></p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image%20%285%29_9.jpg?itok=hQlbxNzo" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image%20%285%29_9.jpg?itok=hQlbxNzo"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="62dad0d2-f66c-4679-be2f-55b55b03d5b1" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="333" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image%20%285%29_9.jpg?itok=hQlbxNzo" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>A Pollfish <a href="https://www.resume.org/recent-college-grads-are-hard-to-manage-and-always-on-their-phones-many-managers-avoid-hiring-them/">survey</a> of 1,000 managers across America, reported by Resume.com, revealed the reasons that eight in 10 managers said newly hired college graduates did not work out during their first year on the job.</p>

<p>Excessive use of cell phones ranked as the top pet peeve of managers, at 78 percent. Some 61 percent of managers found their new hires were entitled or easily offended, while 57 percent noted these new employees were unprepared for the workplace. Lack of a work ethic scored 54 percent, followed by poor communication skills at 48 percent and lack of technical skills at 27 percent.</p>

<p>Other concerns managers had about the graduates included lateness, failure to turn in assignments on time, unprofessional behavior, and inappropriate dress and language. Seventy percent of companies surveyed noted that some hires had to be placed on performance improvement plans.</p>

<p>“Colleges don’t teach students how to behave in the workplace, and there is a lack of transitional support from both universities and employers,” Resume.org’s career coach Irina Pichura stated in the report.</p>

<p>“Most students graduate with little exposure to professional environments, so when they arrive at their first job, they’re often learning basic workplace norms for the first time. Colleges should have a workplace training program to support graduates’ transition to the workplace.”</p>

<p>Clark Lowe, CEO of O'Connor Company, a leading national commercial construction firm, agrees.</p>

<p>“Colleges do a disservice to students in not preparing them for work,” he told The Epoch Times. “Parenting has also been pushed off to the schools, and building of character has been pushed off to the workplace. That’s very frustrating!”</p>

<p>Lowe served as an adjunct professor for Mercy University in Dobbs Ferry, New York, for many years, teaching graduate business courses.</p>

<p><em><strong>“A lot of professors have no work experience beyond teaching,”</strong></em> he said.</p>

<p><em>“They grow up in academia and stay there, but all of those degrees and certificates are not going to replace work experience.”</em></p>

<p>Based in Pinehurst, North Carolina, the O’Connor Company is a remote company with about 60 employees, including skilled construction workers, project managers, and staff in accounting, marketing, and administration. It develops nonresidential structures such as public and educational buildings.</p>

<p>Last year, the company hired 30 new employees and plans to add 10 more this year.</p>

<p><em><strong>“The latest generation seems to be getting more and more entitled,” </strong></em>Lowe said.</p>

<p>He and his team have also had some problems with recent college graduates, especially those who had never held any type of job.</p>

<p><em><strong>“In our experience, those people tend to be difficult to work with since the work ethic is not there and they have never learned what it’s like to earn their own paycheck,”</strong></em> he said.</p>

<h2>Previous Work Experience Is a Must</h2>

<p>Lowe looks for individuals who show initiative and drive and are excited about coming to work. Previous work experience is a must for his firm.</p>

<p><em><strong>“We don’t care what type of work they did, whether it was in a gas station or retail store,” </strong></em>he said.<em><strong> “What’s important is that jobs teach them responsibility, time management, and a work ethic.”</strong></em></p>

<p>Only 58 percent of companies responding to the Pollfish survey indicated they plan to hire from the class of 2025, and one in six hiring managers admit they’re hesitant to hire recent graduates at all. Of those managers who are open to hiring new Generation Z graduates, more than 50 percent are seeking qualities such as initiative, a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, adaptability, and openness to feedback.</p>

<p>Pichura also shared advice for recent graduates on how to demonstrate initiative during and after the hiring process.</p>

<p>“During the interview, candidates should come prepared with research and ideas,” she said.</p>

<p>She recommends using real examples, such as stories where the individual stepped up without being asked to solve a problem. She refers to the “Situation, Task, Action, Result” method as the “STAR” method.</p>

<p>Once hired, Pichura noted, a new employee should look for ways to take ownership of tasks, ask for feedback, and go beyond their role.</p>

<p><em>“Even in an entry-level role, new hires can stand out by looking for small ways to own tasks, solve problems, and offer solutions before being asked,” she said.</em></p>

<p><em><strong>“Being reliable, meeting deadlines, and treating every task with care and intention builds trust and credibility early on.”</strong></em></p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T18:40:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 14:40</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/new-college-grads-not-working-out-most-hiring-managers-say-survey


guid: 1031335 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Trump's Trade War Lit A Fire Under YETI Coolers
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trumps-trade-war-lit-fire-under-yeti-coolers
hash: *���x�B �����
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Trump's Trade War Lit A Fire Under YETI Coolers</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Our previous supply chain analysis <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/tariff-shockwave-these-apparel-brands-retailers-most-risk-price-hikes">revealed</a> a list of major US brands that remained heavily exposed to China. The ongoing trade war has lit a fire under U.S. management teams, accelerating efforts to shift production—either through friend-shoring or reshoring—as it appears likely that some level of tariffs on Chinese goods will remain through the second half of the year. </p>

<p>The latest U.S. company highlighting its China exposure is drinkware brand YETI, which disclosed at an investor conference this week that <strong>shifting production out of China has become a top priority</strong>.</p>

<p><em>Goldman analysts Brooke Roach, Evan Dorschner, and others</em> wrote in a note on Thursday about the top takeaways from their visit to YETI's headquarters in Austin, Texas, for an investor meeting. </p>

<p>Roach said their conversations with management revolved around :</p>

<ol><li>
	<p><em>U.S. growth;</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><em>Drinkware; </em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><em>Product innovation and portfolio extension;</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong><em>Supply chain transformation and tariffs;</em></strong></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><em>International expansion</em></p>
	</li>
</ol><p>On US growth, the drinkware business, and the innovation pipeline, the analyst summarized their conversations with management:</p>

<ul><li>
	<p><strong><em>U.S. growth opportunity</em></strong><em>: YETI continues to see immense growth opportunity in its core U.S. market. Within this, management expects growth to be driven by three components: (1) Stoking brand heat; (2) Continuing to build out the product portfolio; and (3) Expanding the depth of their channels. On product, management's tone was especially positive on the bags category as a driver, but they also highlighted continued extensions of their core hard cooler and drinkware portfolios through new form factors, use cases, sizes, and other diversification.</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong><em>Drinkware</em></strong><em>: While drinkware remains an area of pressure for the business overall given headwinds in specific SKUs, the company continues to see growth opportunity for the category as a result of innovation and new form factors. Management sounded particularly constructive on improving upon core products (such as stackable products vs. original items in the same family), as well as ceramic coated drinkware items and the upcoming sports jug launch. The food and cooking categories are also an area of opportunity, with management noting that several recent launches (food storage and bowls) were top requested items from ambassadors and customers. The company also pointed out its historical ability to weather other drinkware cycles in the past. Looking ahead, the company remains focused on driving relevancy in the core through innovation, though SKU productivity remains a key priority as well.</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong><em>Approach to innovation</em></strong><em>: The company is accelerating its innovation pipeline, with plans to launch 30 products this year and sustain the faster pace of innovation recently reached, while simultaneously building brand stories around new product launches. YETI discussed its approach to innovation, noting they have dedicated senior leaders who focus on each of their core growth opportunities: (1) softgoods; (2) C&amp;E, and (3) food and beverage. The company highlighted that its current product portfolio provides opportunities for significant expansion in the shoulder areas of where they currently play, with products having connections to the core brand. Importantly, all products must have durability, performance, and design as core principles, as well as offer relevance to the consumer in multiple aspects of their life. YETI is thus focused on broader use cases outside of core outdoor categories (i.e. bags and backpacks rather than just the subcategory of hydration bags). Management noted several new innovations are on the horizon, including a broader rollout of their small soft coolers / lunchbag category and additional SKUs in the backpack category.</em></p>
	</li>
</ul><p>Here's where <strong>analysts and YETI management discussed tariffs</strong>, sourcing, and international strategy.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/2025-05-16_10-16-35.png?itok=rQuD-ROx" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2025-05-16_10-16-35.png?itok=rQuD-ROx"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9df71089-266b-4580-9521-8ceb1bd9fd06" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="328" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/2025-05-16_10-16-35.png?itok=rQuD-ROx" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p><strong>The key takeaway</strong>: tariff pressures have accelerated YETI's supply chain shift out of China, with production increasingly moving to Thailand, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries equipped with full-scale manufacturing capabilities.</p>

<ul><li>
	<p><strong><em>Tariff commentary</em></strong><em>: YETI highlighted </em><strong><em>tariff disruption did drive the company to rework its product development process</em></strong><em>, driving a faster innovation cycle and speed to market. The company noted that the tariff impact will depend on timing of purchases and capitalization of inventory on the balance sheet (with constraints focused on new launches with production in China), but that it can recapture a lot of the pressures as they continue to diversify and optimize their supply chain.</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong><em>Sourcing</em></strong><em>: </em><strong><em>Shifting production out of China remains a key priority for YETI. The company clarified that its top partners have been building manufacturing facilities in Thailand and Malaysia which are now ramping.</em></strong><em> Beyond this, tertiary partners are also shifting production outside of China but are in earlier stages of the transition, with factories set to open in SE Asia. Net, the company expects to have four key partners and five factory facilities outside of China in their first wave of diversification which leverages existing suppliers. Importantly, management noted these facilities have full manufacturing capabilities (not just finishing and testing), are efficient (strong labor force / robotics capabilities), and have competitive costing to China sourcing (following initial start-up inefficiencies).</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong><em>International</em></strong><em>: Management reiterated the Australian and Canadian markets continue to perform well overall, and struck a constructive tone regarding the company's potential in the UK. Germany is also a high-potential market but is in earlier stages of scaling compared to the UK. YETI also highlighted the whitespace it has in Asia which is largely an untapped market for the company.</em></p>
	</li>
</ul><p>Roach has a "Neutral" rating on YETI shares with a 12-month price target of $28. </p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/2025-05-16_10-11-03.png?itok=kx8P62Ll" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2025-05-16_10-11-03.png?itok=kx8P62Ll"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="52c9599f-8a3e-4086-a78f-6ccf22901e35" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="314" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/2025-05-16_10-11-03.png?itok=kx8P62Ll" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>On Tuesday, Aaron Jagdfeld, CEO of Generac Holdings, appeared on Bloomberg Television to discuss the company's long-term strategy to <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/generac-ceo-will-slash-reliance-chinese-supply-chains-within-18-months">reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains</a>. He outlined that <strong>Generac has been reducing its supply chain exposure to China</strong> since President Trump's first term and will reduce its 10% exposure to 5% in 18 months. </p>

<p>Seattle, Washington-based Wyze Labs, a popular seller on Amazon of smart home and wireless camera products, <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/out-60-days-us-firm-plans-china-exit-accelerated">revealed</a> on X earlier this month that their <strong>"first tariff bill" has "accelerated" efforts to leave China in two months, with serious consideration of restoring supply chains in the United States.</strong></p>

<p><strong>Trump's tariff shock is working</strong>. It has always been about pressuring corporate America to detach from cheap China supply chains and either friend-shore or re-shore.  </p>

<p>.   .   . </p>

<p>Just a reminder...</p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">In Hot Water: YETI Bars Conservative Group from Customizing Cups <a href="https://t.co/1EGUoSSiY1">https://t.co/1EGUoSSiY1</a></p>
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) <a href="https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1905625973850059155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T19:00:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 15:00</span>


guid: https://www.whitehouse.gov/?p=12590
title: The One, Big, Beautiful Bill is a Once-in-a-Generation Chance
author: ;The White House
hash: �"��\ͷRu��s,
tags: #Articles
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<p>Here are five reasons why President Donald J. Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill is a generational opportunity to deliver the long-term changes Americans voted for:</p>
<h3 data-sanitized-class="wp-block-heading"><strong>1. It’s the largest tax cut in American history.</strong></h3>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>It delivers PERMANENT tax cuts and bigger paychecks.</strong> This means an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Economic-Impact-of-Extending-TCJA-Provisions.pdf">extra $5,000</a> in Americans’ pockets with a DOUBLE-DIGIT percent <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/x-23-25.pdf">DECREASE</a> to their tax bills<em>.</em> Americans earning between $30,000 and $80,000 will pay around <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/13/congress/average-taxpayers-tax-bills-set-to-fall-under-house-tax-package-forecasters-say-00347318">15% less in taxes</a>.</li>
<li><strong>It includes NO TAX ON TIPS and NO TAX ON OVERTIME.</strong> This makes good on two of President Trump’s cornerstone campaign promises and benefits hardworking Americans where they need it the most — their paychecks.</li>
<li><strong>It provides historic tax relief to Social Security recipients.</strong> It slashes taxes on seniors’ Social Security benefits.</li>
</ul><h3 data-sanitized-class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2. It protects Medicaid for Americans by removing 1.4 million illegals.</strong></h3>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>It kicks illegal immigrants off taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits.</strong> This bill eliminates waste, fraud, and abuse by ending benefits for at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants who are gaming the system.</li>
</ul><h3 data-sanitized-class="wp-block-heading"><strong>3. It makes President Trump’s border security permanent.</strong></h3>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>It funds President Trump’s border wall.</strong> As a result, 701 miles of primary wall, 900 miles of river barriers, 629 miles of secondary barriers, and 141 miles of vehicle and pedestrian barriers will be <a href="https://homeland.house.gov/2025/04/29/homeland-republicans-advance-funding-recommendations-to-continue-president-trumps-border-security-victory-bolster-frontline-personnel-for-years-to-come/">constructed</a> — along with cutting-edge technology that will secure our homeland for generations to come.</li>
<li><strong>It boosts Border Patrol and ICE agents on the frontlines.</strong> It will empower border officials with adequate resources to finally carry out their core mission by funding at least one million annual removals and hiring 10,000 new ICE personnel, 5,000 new customs officers, and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents.</li>
</ul><h3 data-sanitized-class="wp-block-heading"><strong>4. It finally modernizes air traffic control.</strong></h3>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>It fulfills President Trump’s </strong><a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-unveils-plan-build-brand-new-state-art-air"><strong>plan</strong></a><strong> to completely</strong> <a href="https://transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=408584"><strong>overhaul</strong></a> <strong>the systems that keep Americans flying safely and efficiently.</strong> This will allow President Trump to update our air traffic control systems and act where the Biden Administration failed (despite repeated <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107001">warnings</a>).</li>
</ul><h3 data-sanitized-class="wp-block-heading"><strong>5. It ends taxpayer-funded sex changes for minors.</strong></h3>
<ul data-sanitized-class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>The One, Big, Beautiful Bill restores sanity to government.</strong> It <a href="https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/05_13_2025_FCMU_Memorandum_UPDATED_55a74a132a.pdf">prohibits</a> Medicaid funding for gender transition procedures for minors.</li>
</ul><figure data-sanitized-class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1319" height="1153" src="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GrE4AeWXYAA45Xb.jpeg" alt data-sanitized-class="wp-image-12592"></figure>

link:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/05/one-big-beautiful-bill-is-a-once-in-a-generation-chance/


guid: https://antonchaitkin.substack.com/p/kirkus-review-of-anton-chaitkins
author: ;Magdalena Therrien
link: https://antonchaitkin.substack.com/p/kirkus-review-of-anton-chaitkins
hash: �Ȥ��f���&c����e
title:
Kirkus Review of Anton Chaitkin&amp;#039;s Book: Who We Are - America&amp;#039;s Fight for Universal Progress,

content:
<h3 data-sanitized-class="subtitle">From Franklin to Kennedy: Volume II - 1830s to 1890s</h3><div dir="auto" data-sanitized-class="body markup">
<p><span>We are very pleased to inform our readers that Anton Chaitkin’s most recent book</span> <em><strong>Who We Are - America's Fight for Universal Progress, From Franklin to Kennedy: Volume II - 1830s to 1890s</strong></em> <span>has been reviewed by</span> <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/pdf/who-we-are-2/" rel>Kirkus Reviews</a><span>.</span></p>
<p><em><strong>Kirkus Reviews</strong></em> <span>is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher,</span> <strong>Kirkus Media</strong><span>, is headquartered in New York City.</span> <em>Kirkus Reviews</em> <span>confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature.</span></p>

<p><em>Kirkus Reviews</em><span>, published on the first and 15th of each month, previews books before their publication.</span> <em>Kirkus</em> <span>reviews over 10,000 titles per year.</span></p>
<p>Here is a copy of the review:</p>
<p>TITLE INFORMATION</p>
<p>WHO WE ARE</p>
<p>America's Fight for Universal Progress, from Franklin to Kennedy: Volume II 1830s to 1890s</p>
<p>Anton Chaitkin</p>
<p>$25.00 paperback</p>
<p>ISBN: 9798314482810</p>
<p>April 10, 2025</p>
<p>BOOK REVIEW</p>
<p>The second volume in a trilogy of histories exploring seismic shifts in U.S. culture.</p>
<p>Chaitkin concentrates the second volume of his series largely on the administration of President Abraham Lincoln and his chief economic adviser, Henry C. Carey. “The two men, from very different backgrounds, both devoted their lives to advancing the American System of economics, to elevate and equalize the condition of man throughout the world,” he writes. “Their paths would intersect in Lincoln’s presidency, when their initiatives would enable escape from conditions that had oppressed mankind since the dawn of time.” Chaitkin preserves this shuttling between broadscale and minute observation throughout the book. He’s as interested in the specific workings of 19th-century agricultural reform as he is in wide-ranging, current geopolitics: “In our era, Anglo-American globalists condemn that successful system of national sovereignty,” he writes. “They demand instead subservience to powerful private interests, under a ‘rules-based international order’ which seeks to prevent any nation from rising to great-power status.” He carefully and extensively annotates his chapters, as well as providing pictures, footnotes, and Dramatis Personae, in order to keep his sprawling narrative as accessible as possible to readers unfamiliar with the time period. Chaitkin is equally conscientious when extending his narrative well beyond the American Civil War and through the country’s westward expansion, Progressive Era, McKinley administration, and industrialization. Government reports and a host of other primary documents are heavily excerpted many times in every chapter.</p>

<p>Readers encountering Chaitkin’s opening sentiments might be concerned about signing on for the book’s long haul. He begins by saying “My country is terribly misguided, misled by those serving the interests not of the nation but of a global clique.” This, plus the worrying mentions of “globalists,” might remind readers of the fascist wordplay of using the term “globalists” when referring to Jews, something prevalent in MAGA government and social media. Fortunately, Chaitkin never actually substantiates his narrative’s concern over “the transatlantic imperial system.” Instead, the bulk of his book primarily (and intriguingly) considers the Lincoln administration and its aftermath through a financial rather than a social or political lens. With refreshing objectivity, Chaitkin looks at such modern hot-button issues as tariffs and protectionism, noting that the strong protectionism of the Lincoln administration seemed to result in financial strengthening and an improvement of the “modern living standards.” In fact, although the majority of the book dwells on the details of economic and governmental growth in the 19th century, the author often widens the scope in order to assess the long-term consequences of those developments. “Private power – oligarchy – has become the source of the greatest threat to human civilization,” he writes. “The public good has required governmental measures to tame private power, as well as to utilize it.” Chaitkin frequently strikes a defensive note that obscures his points; he says that “only one who cherishes the highest human cultural and spiritual attainments” will be able to “illuminate our tragic failure to live up to that identity.” But readers who can untangle these moments will find a good deal of food for thought in these pages.</p>
<p>A powerful, if occasionally muddled, account of economic transformation in 19th-century America.</p>
<div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container">
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<div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e0f865-e195-4e5d-a9da-6b1c565304a9_451x664.png" width="327" height="481.4368070953437" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/28e0f865-e195-4e5d-a9da-6b1c565304a9_451x664.png","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":664,"width":451,"resizeWidth":327,"bytes":301091,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/png","href":null,"belowTheFold":true,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":"https://antonchaitkin.substack.com/i/163726774?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e0f865-e195-4e5d-a9da-6b1c565304a9_451x664.png","isProcessing":false,"align":null}' alt loading="lazy" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand">
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attributes:
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guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747411430
title: Israel launches strikes on two Yemen ports
hash: �� 0 �) �W�n^-�
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promises more strikes if the group continues to launch attacks on Israel.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/israel-vows-to-kill-houthi-leader-after-striking-yemeni-ports?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747419783
title: Malcolm X at 100: Ibram X Kendi looks to the future
hash: =k&�tF�@�!�r[�V
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Author Ibram X Kendi on what still needs to be learned about Malcolm X’s legacy and race in the United States.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/the-take-2/2025/5/16/aje-onl-usa_ibramxkendi_av_v2-160525?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.mondialisation.ca/?p=5698644
title: Syrie: Le prix payé par les islamistes pour l’annonce de la levée des sanctions américaines
author: ;Naram Sarjoun
hash: 1 ?���OPm�X��5
tags: #Francais @fr #Mobile
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Personne ne s’attendait à l’approche généreuse de Trump envers Al-Joulani... Mais le fait est qu’il obtiendra tout ce qu’il voudra de lui et des Arabes sans accorder aucune concession. En effet, son annonce dit clairement que la Syrie d'Al-Joulani a accepté un traité de paix avec Israël et qu’elle s'est retirée du conflit arabo-sioniste. 

link:
https://www.mondialisation.ca/syrie-le-prix-paye-par-les-islamistes-pour-lannonce-de-la-levee-des-sanctions-par-trump/5698644


guid: https://www.whitehouse.gov/?p=12584
title: WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Trillions in Great Deals Secured for America Thanks to President Trump
author: ;The White House
hash: �����3�0�?ڈF�q
tags: #Articles
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/WH47-Social-Share-Card.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p>President Donald J. Trump’s first official trip was a huge success, locking in over $2 trillion in great deals—including a $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia, a $1.2 trillion economic exchange agreement with Qatar, $243.5 billion in U.S.-Qatar commercial and defense deals, and $200 billion in U.S.-United Arab Emirates commercial deals.</p>
<p>President Trump’s historic collaboration with these Middle Eastern nations not only strengthens America’s economy but also fosters greater safety and stability in the region, paving the way for a more prosperous and secure future.</p>
<p>The companies securing these landmark deals are grateful for the Trump Administration’s leadership and the economic climate President Trump has fostered to make these agreements possible:</p>
<h3 data-sanitized-id="h-u-s-saudi-arabia-deals" data-sanitized-class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>U.S.-Saudi Arabia Deals</u></strong></h3>
<p><strong>Alphabet and Google President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat:</strong> “We acknowledge and are grateful for the engagement and policies of the Trump Administration and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who are enabling strong execution to accelerate AI innovation in both countries. We are proud of the partnership with PIF for a global AI hub that will deliver innovation, economic growth and societal benefits not only to Saudi Arabia, but also to American and global companies doing business in the region. Together, we will create highly-skilled jobs and deliver AI training programs to open new, rewarding career pathways.”</p>
<p><strong>Amazon CEO Andy Jassy:</strong> “We appreciate President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman convening business leaders in Saudi Arabia to strengthen economic ties and drive innovation between our two countries. Amazon is excited to partner with HUMAIN, Saudi Arabia’s newly created AI innovation company, to collectively invest more than $5 billion to build a groundbreaking ‘AI Zone’ there, which will bring multiple innovative AWS AI capabilities to Saudi Arabia along with skills training for 100,000 citizens from the Kingdom.”</p>
<p><strong>DataVolt CEO Rajit Nanda:</strong> “This partnership was made possible in large part due to the enabling technology and trade frameworks advanced during the Trump Administration—policies that championed high-tech exports, strengthened U.S.-Saudi strategic ties, which have empowered entrepreneurial collaboration in the digital era.”</p>
<p><strong>Oracle CEO Safra Catz:</strong> “Thanks to the decisive actions and strong leadership of President Trump and his administration, Oracle is providing the world’s most advanced cloud and AI technology to Saudi Arabia. Our expanded partnership with the Kingdom will create new opportunities for its economy, deliver better health outcomes for its people, and fortify its alliance with the United States, which will create a ripple effect of peace and prosperity across the Middle East and around the world.”</p>
<p><strong>GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik:</strong> “As the world’s energy equipment manufacturer, GE Vernova is proud to deploy world class technology to help deepen the longstanding relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, advance energy security, and strengthen the economic prosperity and competitiveness of both nations. We are thankful for the leadership of both governments for putting energy manufacturing, innovation, and technology front and center, setting the strongest possible precedent for the role of equipment to unlock more solutions globally. We are committed to continuing our work to grow capacity and jobs in the U.S. and beyond to meet these critical needs.”</p>
<p><strong>Shamekh IV Solutions, LLC Chairman and Founder Stephen Shaya, M.D.:</strong> “We extend our profound gratitude to President Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Administrations of the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and our future partner Alturki Holding for their unwavering support and shared vision in making this endeavor possible. The Trump Administration’s policies and engagements have shown leadership and laid the groundwork for international partnerships and investment opportunities. As we embark on this transformative journey, we are committed to generating employment, stimulating industrial growth, and contributing to the development of a robust pharmaceutical industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Together with our esteemed partners, we are fortifying global competitiveness and positioning ourselves as leaders in the healthcare sector. This venture represents a monumental leap forward in our mission to deliver innovative healthcare solutions. By leveraging advanced technologies and fostering international collaborations, we aim to set new standards in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and research, ultimately improving patient outcomes worldwide.”</p>
<p><strong>Saudi Excellence Co. Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Zaid Al-Meleihi on the Energy Investment Fund:</strong> “This vehicle represents more than capital—it is a bridge of trust and ambition between two great nations. We are proud to recognize the legacy of President Trump, which positioned the United States as a magnet for innovation and opportunity and elevated the conditions necessary for meaningful bilateral engagement.”</p>
<p><strong>New Era Fund and New Vista Capital General Partners Adam Kaplan and Kirsten Bartok Touw, along with Saudi Excellence Co. Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Zaid Al-Meleihi:</strong> “We extend our gratitude to President Donald J. Trump and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud for their exceptional leadership and support in making this initiative possible. The launch of the New Era Fund reflects a shared vision of investing in industrial capability and innovation to build a stronger and more resilient future together.”</p>
<p><strong>Palantir Co-Founder and CEO Alex Karp:</strong> “This historic visit builds on decades of strategic cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Palantir is proud to play a role in forging the next generation of that alliance by enhancing U.S.-Saudi cooperation on AI and defense.”</p>
<p><strong>Lockheed Martin Chairman, President, and CEO Jim Taiclet:</strong> “At Lockheed Martin, we build the world’s best air defense systems, powerful radars, and most lethal fighter aircraft and we thank President Trump for including us in this groundbreaking defense partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We look forward to working with his administration to support a pathway to fifth generation air dominance capabilities while further strengthening the Kingdom’s defenses against air and missile threats.”</p>
<p><strong>L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher E. Kubasik:</strong> “L3Harris was proud to enter a defense-focused joint venture with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) in 2019 under the first Trump administration, and today’s agreement represents another significant step forward in our collaboration in the Kingdom. We look forward to expanding our partnership in communications; datalinks; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to protect the joint security interests of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.”</p>
<p><strong>Jacobs Chair and CEO Bob Pragada:</strong> “Jacobs is honored to have participated in the Saudi–U.S. Investment Forum, held this week, which reinforces the strength of the commercial partnership between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The signing of our Memorandum of Understanding with Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) reflects Jacobs’ continued commitment to delivering sustainable infrastructure that supports Vision 2030 and contributes to long term prosperity and job creation in the Kingdom.” </p>
<p><strong>Bechtel Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel:</strong> “Bechtel’s announcement to deliver three new terminals at King Salman International Airport marks a significant new chapter in our more than 80-year partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This project reflects our shared commitment to advancing world-class infrastructure that fuels long-term economic growth and underscores the enduring strength of U.S.-Saudi economic and development ties. We appreciate the leadership of President Trump and the vision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made together—including more than 300 projects across Saudi Arabia, such as the recently opened Riyadh Metro—and we’re energized by the opportunities ahead.” </p>
<p><strong>Franklin Templeton CEO and President Jenny Johnson:</strong> “President Trump is visiting the Middle East to build on historic progress made in his first term to bring peace and stability to the region by brokering the Abraham accords. His focus on enhanced economic and military cooperation advances the interests of the US, our partners in the region, and all who rely on the benefits of a more stable region and safe passage of critical resources and services. The United States is home to the leading global asset managers. For over 75 years, Franklin Templeton has been one of the largest, most innovative, and truly global firms; having maintained a physical presence in the Gulf region more than 25 years, we are renowned for our pioneering approach to emerging market investments, as we were one of the first global asset managers to invest in the Saudi capital market and now we offer a suite of investment and research services from our Riyadh location, in addition to our leadership in global Sukuk and Sharia-compliant investing. Our USA-based teams manage many of our global portfolios in close collaboration with our local teams on the ground in Saudi Arabia and around the world. The Trump Administration’s policies, including those designed to open foreign markets to US-based global leaders like us – have already helped Franklin Templeton to export more of our world-class services. And the Administration’s bilateral approach to trade in both goods and services is a welcome, direct approach that allows for quick and meaningful successes like those we have announced this week with our Saudi partners.”</p>
<p><strong>Edrevel Founder and CEO Anita Selwyn:</strong> “President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia and the announcement of more than $600 billion in U.S.–Saudi investment agreements mark a major step forward in global economic partnership. Edrevel thanks the U.S. Department of Commerce for bringing together innovative startups and enterprises to power the dialogue at the forum, and set the stage for long term investments in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. The investments in both countries generate a surging demand for talent, requiring fast, scalable upskilling. AI-powered learning delivers speed, precision, and measurable ROI. Edrevel is proud to advance workforce development through strategic partnerships with the Saudi Entertainment Academy, Alfaisal Center for Research and Consultancy Studies, and Aosha Training and Consulting in Saudi Arabia. We look forward to expanding Edrevel’s role in building capacity, driving innovation, and unlocking opportunity across both nations.” </p>
<p><strong>Mitchell Rubber Arabia Founder, Chairman, and CEO Stephen J. Lautenschlager:</strong>  “President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia represents a historic affirmation of the enduring strength and strategic importance of the U.S.–Saudi relationship. Mitchell Rubber exemplifies the kind of industrial collaboration that advances Vision 2030 while delivering real economic value back to the United States—through expanded trade, advanced technology integration, and the growth of U.S.-based engineering and services exports. This partnership is made possible by forward-looking policies from both governments and the coordinated support of the Ministry of Investment, the Royal Commission for Yanbu, the U.S. Embassy, and the U.S.–Saudi Business Council—all of whom have played a vital role in enabling this cross-border investment and industrial localization initiative.” </p>
<p><strong>I Squared Capital Chairman and Managing Partner Sadek Wahba:</strong> “Today’s forum represents the best of U.S.-Saudi cooperation—built on a long-standing partnership and poised for future growth. The MoU I Squared Capital signed with the Public Investment Fund highlights the vital role of private capital, particularly in infrastructure, and reflects what’s possible when two nations share a commitment to innovation, investment, and economic progress. We are especially grateful to the U.S. and Saudi leadership for their vision and collaboration in setting the stage for high-impact partnerships like ours. As part of our commitment to the Kingdom, I Squared Capital hopes to invest roughly $1 billion in Saudi Arabia over the coming years, supporting the ambitions of Vision 2030 and contributing to a more connected, sustainable, and prosperous future.”</p>
<p><strong>Armada CEO Dan Wright:</strong> “We’re grateful for President Trump’s focus on American leadership in enhancing global economic prosperity and look forward to continuing to strengthen key international partnerships through collaboration, technology, and innovation. This visit marks a significant moment in the historic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Aligned with this milestone, we are proud to announce that Armada is partnering with Alturki Holding to bring real-world AI and edge infrastructure to the region and help advance Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. This $30 million investment will accelerate American and Saudi innovators, create highly-skilled jobs, and expand opportunities for collaboration between our nations.” </p>
<p><strong>Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon:</strong> “This marks a pivotal time for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it makes significant strides in becoming a global hub for digital and AI innovation. As a long-standing American innovator and semiconductor company, we are proud to work with HUMAIN, Aramco and ALAT to deploy our leading technologies in 5G, AI and next generation edge and cloud computing. The Saudi-US Investment Forum showcased the importance of collaboration between leading enterprises of two great nations, and we applaud President Trump and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for their leadership.” </p>
<p><strong>Doroni Aerospace CEO and Founder Doron Merdinger:</strong> “It was an honor to represent Doroni Aerospace at the U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh — a historic moment where American innovation met global collaboration. This partnership, to develop and manufacture the H1-X, next generation personal eVTOL, will directly support U.S. job creation, help alleviate traffic through advanced personal air mobility, and unlock new economic opportunities by reimagining how we move. This milestone would not have been possible without President Trump’s leadership, fostering a business environment that welcomes international investment and accelerates next-generation technologies.”</p>
<p><strong>Parsons Corporation Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer Carey Smith:</strong> “Parsons is proud to be a part of President Trump’s initiatives to strengthen strategic relations in Saudi Arabia. As a global infrastructure leader with a presence in the Kingdom spanning more than six decades, Parsons has leveraged our global experience to build trusted partnerships and deliver critical infrastructure, supported by over 3,000 employees across the country with 50 active projects in the Kingdom, including mega and giga projects. We are working on some of the Kingdom’s premiere projects including the world’s largest urban park; King Salman Park, NEOM’s THE LINE and Oxagon projects, Soudah Peaks and Riyadh Metro, the largest driverless metro system in the world. Our unwavering focus on the country’s future is underlined by a combination of a dedicated team of experts and our understanding of the local environment and vision, reinforcing our commitment to building this nation and supporting its transformation.”</p>
<p><strong>Hill International Global CEO Raouf Ghali:</strong> “We extend our profound gratitude to President Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Administrations of the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and our future partner National Water Company and Lucid Motor for their unwavering support and shared vision in making this endeavor possible. The Trump Administration’s policies and engagements have shown leadership and laid the groundwork for international partnerships and investment opportunities. As we embark on this transformative journey, we are committed to generating employment, stimulating industrial growth, and contributing to the development of a robust infrastructure industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Together with our esteemed partners, we are fortifying global competitiveness and positioning ourselves as leaders in the infrastructure sector. This represents a monumental leap forward in our mission to deliver infrastructure top notch services.”</p>
<p><strong>Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill:</strong> “Woodside was pleased to sign a collaboration agreement with Aramco today as part of the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, which is focused on building economic ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia as part of the President’s goal to build a long-term economic partnership between the two countries. Under the collaboration agreement, Woodside and Aramco will explore global opportunities, including Aramco’s potential acquisition of an equity interest in and LNG offtake from the Louisiana LNG project as well as exploring opportunities for a potential collaboration in lower-carbon ammonia.”</p>
<p><strong>Global AI Director and CEO Sami Issa:</strong> “The Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum has exceeded our expectations. We are deeply grateful to President Trump for his remarkable efforts to strengthen cooperation with our close ally, Saudi Arabia, and to promote mutual investment in AI between our two nations. We would be honored to invite President Trump and Secretary Lutnick to tour our state-of-the-art, water-cooled data center located in his home state of New York.”</p>
<p><strong>Intelligent Security Systems Chairman Richard Burns:</strong> “We were delighted to close our deal at the Summit. No question at all that President Trump’s visit was the major accelerant. Our deal is proof that you don’t need to be Fortune 500 to do well in Saudi if you have the right products and services.”</p>
<p><strong>Phosphorus Cybersecurity CEO and Founder Chris Rouland:</strong> “President Trump’s historic visit to Saudi Arabia marks a significant milestone in the enduring partnership between our countries. We are proud to support this shared commitment to economic growth and innovation by providing advanced cybersecurity technologies that empower the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 while also driving technological leadership here in the United States. We thank the Trump administration for its policies that promote global collaboration and open new opportunities for American technology companies to contribute to critical digital infrastructure projects around the world.”</p>
<p><strong>Hydrotech CEO Tarek Khouri:</strong> “President Donald Trump’s historic visit to Saudi Arabia marks a significant milestone in the enduring partnership between the United States and the Kingdom. At HydroTech Environmental Engineering and Geology DPC, we take immense pride in contributing to this collaboration by delivering innovative environmental and infrastructure solutions that drive economic growth and sustainability. We sincerely appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his administration’s commitment to fostering international cooperation, foreign investment, and technological advancement. These policies have paved the way for strengthened economic ties and new opportunities that benefit industries across both nations. We remain dedicated to leveraging our US and international expertise to support this evolving partnership and to create lasting positive impacts for a sustainable future. Thank you, President Trump, for upholding your commitment to Make America Great Again and for implementing policies that have reinforced America’s global leadership toward a new golden age.”</p>
<p><strong>Science Technology Co CEO Eng. Idris Al-Zakari:</strong> “The unprecedented opportunity provided by President Trump’s historic visit to the Kingdom underscores and surpasses the evolutionary relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.  The spectacular investment package negotiated between the two allies is the most significant step forward for the two nations since the meeting between Franklin Roosevelt and King Abdualaziz aboard the USS Quincy during WW-II.”</p>
<p><strong>Cimcor, Inc. President and CEO Robert E. Johnson, III:</strong> “This moment marks more than a business milestone—it’s a symbol of what’s possible when American innovation aligns with visionary leadership in the Gulf. Through this partnership, we are helping to build a digital future that’s more secure, more resilient, and deeply connected across borders. We’re proud to contribute to Vision 2030 and thank the Administration for fostering global cooperation that drives real progress.”</p>
<p><strong>Enfield Investment Partners Chairman and Co-Founder Jake Silverstein:</strong> “It is an extraordinary honor to be part of President Trump’s historic visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to witness the collaboration between President Trump and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Enfield Investment Partners is built on the belief that sports is a universal language. Enfield invests in sports teams, leagues, and sports-focused real estate that drive economic value, uplift communities, and bring people together around the shared experience of sports. The sports ecosystem in the United States is the strongest and best in the world because core to our national identity are the traits that make sports so compelling: competition, meritocracy, and constantly seeking the leading edge of excellence. A portion of our Fund is directed to developing the Saudi Arabian sports ecosystem. I would like to thank President Trump for leading a transformation and ushering in a new Golden Age and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a once-in-history visionary leader whose bravery and determination has rapidly propelled the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our two countries have been friends for eighty years, but this visit marks the start of a new chapter, built on mutual trust, shared vision, and an exciting new path.”</p>
<p><strong>Tricion Defense Group President and CEO Eng. Nasr al-Ghrairi:</strong> “We extend our sincere congratulations to President Trump on his historic visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a moment that marks a renewed and elevated chapter in U.S.–Saudi relations. We deeply appreciate the Administration’s vision and policies that continue to foster bilateral engagement, unlock economic opportunity, and reinforce America’s global industrial leadership. Tricion Defense Group is proud to stand at the forefront of this strategic transformation. As one of the largest private U.S. direct investment in Saudi Arabia’s defense sector, we are not only enabling the Kingdom to localize critical capabilities in electronic warfare, air defense, and C4I—but we are also contributing to U.S. economic growth by injecting capital into innovation, technology development, and advanced manufacturing across both nations. This SR4 billion ($1.06 billion) commitment—announced in partnership with NESMA Information and Technologies (NIT)—represents more than an MOU; it is a declaration of our belief that Saudi Arabia must lead from the front—not follow. It is also a bold affirmation of our support for the American innovation engine, which remains the most valuable strategic asset of the United States. President Trump’s visit has reignited a new era of industrial alignment between our two nations. Through this investment, we are laying the foundation for a next-generation model of defense collaboration: faster, bolder, and unapologetically strategic. We thank the leadership of both nations, especially Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, for enabling a partnership of this scale and consequence.”</p>
<h3 data-sanitized-id="h-u-s-qatar-deals" data-sanitized-class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>U.S.-Qatar Deals</u></strong></h3>
<p><strong>Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg:</strong> “We are grateful for the trust Qatar Airways has placed in us with this historic order, the largest-ever for Boeing’s widebody planes, including the largest-ever purchase of 787 Dreamliners and more 777X jets. Thank you to President Trump for supporting the agreement, which grows our longstanding partnership with the airline. As one of America’s top exporters, Boeing is proud that our aircraft sales to global customers strengthen U.S. manufacturing and sustain jobs in our factories and at suppliers across the United States.”</p>
<p><strong>GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr.:</strong> “We are extremely honored to deepen our relationship with Qatar Airways and grateful to them for placing their trust in us with our largest ever widebody engine deal. Our widebody engines – the GE9X and GEnx – are marvels of modern engineering, with the durability and reliability to power flight across the longest distances. We appreciate President Trump’s support for this historic agreement.”</p>
<p><strong>Northrop Grumman Spokesperson:</strong> “Northrop Grumman has a long history of delivering advanced defense technologies to Qatar. Thanks to the President’s leadership, we have a historic opportunity to accelerate security cooperation and defense technology sales that will greatly expand U.S. jobs and economic strength.”</p>
<p><strong>Quantinuum President and CEO Dr. Rajeeb Hazra:</strong> “Quantinuum is deeply committed to advancing quantum capabilities with partners like Qatar to further solidify U.S. innovation and global leadership in a technology critical to our collective future. We are honored to be highlighted as part of this historic visit by the President of the United States to Qatar and look forward to helping create the future of our industry.”</p>
<p><strong>Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Jim Taiclet:</strong> “At Lockheed Martin, supporting American armed forces and our international defense partners drives everything we do. We build the most advanced integrated air and missile defense systems with cutting-edge radars. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we will help accelerate Qatar’s next-generation air and missile defense capabilities, enabling a more secure and stable region, sustaining American manufacturing jobs, and reinforcing our defense industrial base.”</p>
<p><strong>Parsons Corporation Chair, President, and CEO Carey Smith:</strong> “I’m proud to be here on behalf of Parsons, and to be a part of President Trump’s initiatives to strengthen strategic relations in Qatar. As a global infrastructure leader with over six decades of experience in the region, including two-plus decades in Qatar, Parsons has partnered with organizations across the country to deliver on many of its premier infrastructure projects in Doha, Lusail, and beyond.”</p>
<p><strong>McDermott International President and CEO Michael McKelvy:</strong> “The partnership between McDermott, Qatar Energy and The State of Qatar has been developed over decades. We remain committed to bringing McDermott’s +100 years of experience to support Qatar’s energy development plans for decades to come and were honored to be part of this historic visit by the President.”</p>
<h3 data-sanitized-id="h-u-s-united-arab-emirates-deals" data-sanitized-class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>U.S.-United Arab Emirates Deals</u></strong></h3>
<p><strong>Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins:</strong> “This groundbreaking deal unites the best of American innovation with a partner committed to regional security and stability. We are proud to play our part in President Trump’s vision, for regional maritime superiority, to enable the safe passage of trade and the interception of illegal or destabilizing activity, throughout the Middle East region.”</p>
<p><strong>Occidental President and CEO Vicki Hollub</strong>: “We are proud to participate in President Trump’s visit to the UAE, where we signed a strategic energy enhancing agreement with our longstanding partner ADNOC, whose investment company XRG will consider making a $500 million investment in the United States, alongside a grant award from the U.S. DOE, to advance Occidental’s South Texas Direct Air Capture Hub, Development of DAC is essential for ensuring our country’s long-term energy security. We also signed an agreement with ADNOC to examine the expansion of production at our successful joint venture energy development project in the UAE’s Shah Gas field, using U.S. technologies.”</p>
<p><strong>Oracle CEO Safra Catz:</strong> “In support of President Trump’s vision and commitment to peace through prosperity and the Abraham Accords, the greatest diplomatic accomplishment in modern history, we are pleased to continue to invest in and deliver cloud and AI technology to power the UAE’s most important systems. Our Oracle Cloud Infrastructure footprint, Oracle Alloy sovereign cloud partnerships, and groundbreaking work in healthcare will help accelerate the UAE’s technology modernization efforts and advance patient health outcomes. Together, the UAE and U.S. will redefine what is possible in technology, business, and healthcare.”</p>
<p><strong>Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg</strong>: “As one of the launch customers for the 777X, Etihad is a valued customer, and we are grateful for the airline’s continued confidence in Boeing. We appreciate the support of the President and his administration as we partner with Etihad to enable their growth while sustaining highly skilled U.S. manufacturing jobs.”</p>
<p><strong>Northrop Grumman Spokesperson:</strong> “Just as we have invested in the UAE, such as Northrop Grumman’s grant to the American Community School in Abu Dhabi, we welcome increased partnership and investment by the UAE in our world-class defense sector. This historic trip will increase U.S. jobs and economic strength.”</p>
<p><strong>Lockheed Martin Chairman, President, and CEO Jim Taiclet:</strong> “Through President Trump’s leadership, Lockheed Martin and the United Arab Emirates are building on 50 years of partnership to strengthen regional defense with advanced airpower, integrated air and missile defense, precision radars, and next-generation command and control. Our high-tech innovation benefits both nations by sustaining American manufacturing jobs and driving industrial growth.”</p>
<p><strong>Parsons Chair, President, and CEO Carey Smith:</strong> “Parsons is proud to be a part of President Trump’s initiatives to strengthen strategic relations in the UAE. As a global infrastructure leader with a presence in the Emirates spanning nearly five decades, Parsons has leveraged our global experience to build trusted partnerships and deliver critical infrastructure, supported by 2,700 employees across the country and have successfully completed more than 3,000 projects. We have worked on some of the UAE’s premiere projects including the region’s first metro line in Dubai, the iconic Infinity Bridge, Dubai Municipality’s Strategic Sewerage Tunnel project, the Sharjah and Abu Dhabi International Airports and Etihad Rail, the region’s first high speed rail network. Our unwavering focus on the country’s future is underlined by a combination of a dedicated team of experts and our understanding of the local environment and vision, reinforcing our commitment to building this nation and supporting its transformation.”</p>
<p><strong>Baker Hughes CEO Lorenzo Simonelli</strong>: “We congratulate President Trump on his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates — A key moment that underscores the enduring partnership between two nations committed to innovation, progress, and shared prosperity. As we look to the future, energy will remain central to economic growth and broader cooperation that supports stability and opportunity for both countries, and Baker Hughes remains steadfast in our dedication to help both nations meet their goals.”</p>

link:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/05/what-they-are-saying-trillions-in-great-deals-secured-for-america-thanks-to-president-trump/


guid: yt:video:fKlwktTvr2Q
title: U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra speaks at B7 Summit – May 16, 2025
author: ;cpac
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guid: 1031360 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Israel Waited For Trump To Depart Gulf Before Launching Biggest Anti-Houthi Strikes Yet
author: ;Tyler Durden
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<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Israel Waited For Trump To Depart Gulf Before Launching Biggest Anti-Houthi Strikes Yet</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Following more Houthi ballistic missile attacks targeting Israel in recent days, the IDF conducted a wave of new airstrikes in Yemen on Friday, and crucially as the US military has stepped back amid the Trump-declared ceasefire.</p>

<p>The IDF announced that its airstrikes destroyed infrastructure at the Houthi-controlled ports of Hodeidah and Salif, following missile and drone attacks on Israel. Several dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft were involved, in a <strong>major operation that included not just fighter jets, but refueler and surveillance planes</strong>.</p>

<p>This operation appears significantly bigger and more expansive in scope than all prior rounds of Israeli attacks on Yemen. The strikes will likely continue in the coming days, especially if the Houthis respond with more attacks on Israel. The timing of Trump having just wrapped up his Gulf Arab states tour is interesting, to say the least.</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/newyemenstrikes.jpg?itok=XupyMWcc" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/newyemenstrikes.jpg?itok=XupyMWcc"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bd6ec5ff-c71f-4bcc-b332-e262712bb519" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="313" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/newyemenstrikes.jpg?itok=XupyMWcc" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Via X/Times of Israel</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p>"These ports are used for the transfer of weapons and are another example of the cynical exploitation of civilian infrastructure by the Houthi terror regime to advance terror," the IDF aid.</p>

<p><strong>Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport was targeted by Israel for the second time</strong>, and much of it, including commercial aircraft, has already been destroyed.</p>

<p>The IDF said further that its goal is to "deepen the damage to the Houthis’ terror capabilities." Interestingly all of this comes as President Trump departs the Middle East, after his four-day Gulf tour, which made little mention of Israel or of the Houthis - at least in public comments.</p>

<p>According to Times of Israel, these attacks were delayed so as not to disrupt <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-may-16-2025/">Trump's Gulf visit</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em><strong>Israel waited until the end of US President Trump’s visit to the region before launching its reprisal strikes on the Houthis</strong>, a defense source tells Army Radio. Since the IDF’s last strike on Yemen, on May 6, the Houthis launched at least seven missiles and two drones at Israel.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>"The IDF now struck and severely damaged the ports in Yemen that are under the control of the Houthi terror group. The airport in Sanaa also remains destroyed," Defense Minister Katz has also described on X.</p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">⚡️ From the bombing of Ras Issa port, northwest Yemen <a href="https://t.co/a50AGfjlIj">pic.twitter.com/a50AGfjlIj</a></p>
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) <a href="https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1923389098321944790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>"As we said, if the Houthis continue to fire missiles on Israel, they will suffer painful blows, and we will also strike the heads of terror just as we did to Deif and the Sinwars in Gaza, to Nasrallah in Beirut and Haniyeh in Tehran," he added.</p>

<p>Underscoring just what a major and important operation this is, the Israeli government issued images of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his security cabinet leaders and top military commanders <strong>huddling in a command bunker</strong>:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir are huddled in the Israeli Air Force underground command center during the strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>This is clearly Bibi 'at war'... ironically as Trump wrapped up his regional tour emphasizing <em>peace through deal-making, not chaos</em></strong>.</p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in the situation room as Air Force jets attack infrastructure of the Houthi terrorist regime in Yemen.<br><br>
📷 - Shira Keinan/Defense Ministry <a href="https://t.co/gfnhIwTrBM">pic.twitter.com/gfnhIwTrBM</a></p>
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) <a href="https://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/1923398801273897276?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>Israel is further vowing to decapitate Houthi leadership. "We will hunt down and eliminate Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Yemen as well. We will defend ourselves by our own strength against any enemy,” Katz added.</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T19:40:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 15:40</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israel-waited-trump-depart-gulf-launching-biggest-anti-houthi-strikes-yet


guid: https://gript.ie/?p=330800
title: Sinn Féin banned from transgender march, say organisers
author: ;Ben Scallan
link: https://gript.ie/sinn-fein-banned-from-transgender-march-say-organisers/
hash: `Ud n��ܫ9�ы.�
tags: #Featured #Irish News #Ben Scallan #LGBTI #Sinn Féin #Transgender
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div><img src="https://gript.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Mary-Lou-McDonald.jpg" data-sanitized-class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div><p><strong>Dear Reader,</strong></p>
<p>It is a simple statement of fact that if you are looking for diversity of thought in the Irish media, you will struggle to find it. That is why we founded Gript – to serve the gap in the market left by so many of our colleagues, when they decided that the job of journalists was not to challenge consensus thought, but to herd around it, and defend it fiercely.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a media outlet that blames everything on the “far right” in Ireland, then you don’t have to go far to find one. If, by contrast, you are looking for a media outlet that looks beyond that cheap sloganeering, and tries to understand and report on the real concerns held by ordinary people – and a good few prominent people, albeit privately – then that is what we try to do here.</p>
<p>But we cannot do it without your support, and your subscription.</p>
<p>We reject Government funding, because, in our view, that would be the end of our independence. The moment we did so, we would begin looking over our shoulder, and wondering if our coverage of a particular issue might lead to that money being taken away. In time – not all at once, but slowly and inexorably – we would become just another safe, consensus, state-funded voice.</p>
<p>But there’s a bargain to be struck here: If you value our independence, then you must support it. If you want us to be answerable to you, then you must take a stake in our work.</p>
<p>What we try to do here is to be open, honest, and brave. That does not mean that you will always agree with us. It does mean that there will be times when we will annoy you, and publish things you disagree with: That’s part of the deal. We are independent, not servants of one cause, or another.</p>
<p>That is what media is supposed to be, but too often in Ireland no longer is. We are trying to change that, and we need your help. I am, therefore, asking for it, and would deeply appreciate a subscription at the level you can afford.</p>
<p>With gratitude,</p>
<p><strong>John</strong></p>


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747423667
title: Can Trump end birthright citizenship? The US Supreme Court could decide
hash: �"\���W��(��e[ 
tags: #Show Types
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Al Jazeera’s Joseph Stepansky explains how the US Supreme Court may decide whether birthright citizenship stays or goes.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/video/2025/5/16/can-trump-end-birthright-citizenship-the-us-supreme-court-could-decide?traffic_source=rss


guid: yt:video:YQI_PslO1XY
title: B7 Summit: Attendees speak with reporters – May 16, 2025
author: ;cpac
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQI_PslO1XY
hash: T�m4�{����-@Uy�1
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guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747415714
title: Five key takeaways from US President Donald Trump’s Middle East trip
hash: � �k�r��m�F�ј��
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
The president has secured massive investments deals, appeared to snub Israel and scolded US interventionists.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/five-key-takeaways-from-us-president-donald-trumps-middle-east-trip?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://strategic-culture.su/?post_type=article&amp;p=885343
title: Preliminary talks in Istanbul are a start… the real show to come is Trump and Putin
author: ;A A
hash: �Y|�lN���9.v��
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<div data-sanitized-class="code-block code-block-2">
<p><strong><em>If the talks have any chance of succeeding, the American side must take responsibility for the war it started and fueled.</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><span>Join us on </span><a href="https://t.me/strategic_culture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Telegram</a><a href="https://t.me/strategic_culture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tlg.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875659"></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/twitter.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875661"></a><span>, and</span> <a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VK</a><a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wk.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875662"></a>.</strong></p>
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<p>The talks in Istanbul this week provide a prospect for peace. It bears emphasizing that the three-year proxy war could have been avoided if diplomacy had been permitted by Washington in early 2022 instead of being sabotaged.</p>
<p>Three years on, we have a new president in the White House, and there appears to be a more enlightened policy. Or maybe it’s an implicit admission that the U.S. proxy war agenda is a failure and can’t go on.</p>
<p>In any case, Trump and his envoys are unequivocally saying that they want to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine. That’s a big change from his predecessor, Joe Biden, who vowed to back Ukraine for as long as it takes in a fantastical, reckless pursuit to strategically defeat Russia.</p>
<p>It was the Biden administration, along with the British government, that intervened to scupper nascent peace talks in March 2022 between Russia and Ukraine for a peace deal. Washington and London coaxed the Kiev regime to fight on with promises of more weapons.</p>
<p>The result: three more years of intense conflict, which have caused millions of casualties, mainly on the Ukrainian side. The proxy war has come perilously close to provoking an all-out world war between nuclear powers.</p>
<p>Trump appears to want peace. If he is genuine in that intention, then the American president will have to address the root causes of the conflict. Russia has consistently explained the deeper causes of NATO aggression and the militarization of Ukraine as a hostile bridgehead on its borders since the CIA-orchestrated coup in Kiev in 2014.</p>
<p>The American president has shown petulance at times, urging Ukraine and Russia to get down to a peace deal. He has even threatened Russia with more (futile) economic sanctions. What the Trump administration needs to understand is that resolving deep causes of conflict requires commensurate negotiations and a realistic commitment to lasting geopolitical security arrangements.</p>
<p>The talks in Istanbul this week to explore a peaceful resolution were initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in an announcement last week.</p>
<p>Russia’s delegation was led by Putin’s senior aide, Vladimir Medinsky. That speaks of consistency and commitment. Medinsky led the peace talks three years ago in Istanbul, which were then sabotaged in April 2022 by the American and British intervention.</p>
<p>This week, the Russian side held preliminary bilateral talks with the Americans led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Subsequently, the Russian and Ukrainian delegates engaged in a meeting convened by Turkish diplomats. It was the first direct encounter between Russian and Ukrainian officials since the March 2022 negotiations.</p>
<p>It is not clear if follow-up meetings will take place. But at least one might say that talks took place.</p>
<p>The key to any prospect of ending the conflict depends on Washington demonstrating the requisite commitment. Trump said this week again that he would like to hold a summit with Putin as “soon as possible.” The Kremlin has also said that a formal presidential meeting is desirable.</p>
<p>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that there must first be adequate preparation for meaningful discussions. That implies that any top-level meeting must be cognizant of Russia’s demands for a resolution, one that deals with the historic, systematic causes of the proxy war.</p>
<p>Western politicians and media denying Russia’s perspective are delusional or duplicitous. To claim that the conflict is all about “unprovoked Russian aggression” against “democratic Ukraine” and “Russian expansionism” towards Europe is a travesty. It’s a bogus narrative that precludes peaceful resolution. Trump seems to be aware of that. But he needs to go beyond a superficial “peace broker” charade.</p>
<p>If Trump wants a gimmicky big summit with Putin for PR ratings, as his tour of the Middle East this week illustrates his egotistical wont, he can forget it.</p>
<p>The meetings this week in Turkey can be seen as preliminary technical discussions.</p>
<p>However, President Trump needs to take the lead. Appropriately, a peaceful resolution will only happen at the senior level of the U.S. and Russian governments. That’s because the United States is the primary protagonist in the proxy war against Russia.</p>
<p>It is clear from the antics and theatrics of the Kiev regime this week that there is no prospect of a meaningful, lasting peace if negotiations are confined to that level. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky does not even have constitutional legitimacy after cancelling elections last year. His erratic behavior of grandstanding and mudslinging at the Russian diplomatic efforts proves that he is not capable of substantive negotiations.</p>
<p>The European leaders are also an impediment to achieving an authentic peace settlement. Even before delegations met this week in Istanbul, various non-entity European politicians were disparaging Russia’s diplomatic initiative. Macron, Starmer, Merz, Von der Leyen and Kallas were desperately trying to insult the Russian president, indulging Zelensky’s PR stunt demanding a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Istanbul.</p>
<p>The European Union also timed an announcement this week to double its supply of heavy-calibre munitions to Ukraine. Another provocation.</p>
<p>France’s Macron sought to impose a precondition for the talks by demanding a 30-day ceasefire. That was a flagrant attempt to sabotage the negotiations before they even started.</p>
<p>These people are not honest about ending the worst war in Europe since the end of World War Two. Disgracefully, they want the bloodshed to continue for their political survival and gratifying their obsessive Russophobic fantasies.</p>
<p>If Trump wants to end NATO’s proxy war against Russia, he will have to sideline the European naysayers and the Kiev puppet regime. Their involvement is counterproductive. One suspects that Trump already knows that.</p>
<p>An American and Russian agreement at the highest level is the only way to bring the war to an end. It is no use for the American side pretending that they are mere peace brokers. They are the main protagonist, not the European lapdogs nor the Kiev regime.</p>
<p>Preliminary talks are all very well. But they are just that. Preliminary. If the talks have any chance of succeeding, the American side must take responsibility for the war it started and fueled.</p>
<p></p>

link:
https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/05/16/preliminary-talks-istanbul-start-real-show-come-is-trump-and-putin/

tags:
#Editorial #Security #War and Conflict #Diplomacy #Donald Trump #Russia #United States #Vladimir Putin


guid: 1031406 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: "There Will Be Consequences" For Those Govt Officials Who Waged War Against The People Of This Land
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: �'��v��� �x�N�M�
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content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">"There Will Be Consequences" For Those Govt Officials Who Waged War Against The People Of This Land</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://www.kunstler.com/p/cool"><em>Authored by James Howard Kunstler,</em></a></p>

<h2><strong>Cool?</strong></h2>

<blockquote>
<p><em>“I’m very concerned for [the president's] life. And James Comey, in my view, should be held accountable and put behind bars for this."</em></p>

<p><em>- DNI Tulsi Gabbard</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><em><strong>“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” </strong></em>Jim Comey, former FBI Director wrote on Instagram about the message “86 47” laid out in seashells on the sand that he came across, innocently.</p>

<p>You’d have to ask yourself: <em><strong>what was “cool” about that, exactly?</strong></em> Especially if, as Mr. Comey claimed on X soon after, that he didn’t know what it meant. </p>

<p>Are things that you don’t understand “cool”? Is it just “cool” to learn that you can spell stuff out with seashells? (Who knew?)</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20%283%29_7.jpg?itok=8YcfOQ-2" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20%283%29_7.jpg?itok=8YcfOQ-2"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7932f00-1eca-4fd6-9659-44afc94b6f16" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="634" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20%283%29_7.jpg?itok=8YcfOQ-2" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p><strong>Maybe he was surprised to learn that people other than Jim Comey fans might see his cute coded clip and conclude that it wasn’t such an innocent little gag.</strong> “47,” of course, refers to Donald Trump in the cavalcade of US presidents. Among the not-strrictly-fans was DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who went on TV hours later and said that Mr. Comey should go to prison for it — in so many words. You must suppose she meant after the appropriate procedures: an FBI deposition, a grand jury, an indictment, a trial. After all that, we’d probably get to the bottom of what JC meant by “cool.”</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20%284%29_7.jpg?itok=6FXCutS5" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20%284%29_7.jpg?itok=6FXCutS5"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1b495deb-e923-40e7-9d0d-efa24b4e93f3" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="235" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/httpssubstack-post-media.s3.amaz%20%284%29_7.jpg?itok=6FXCutS5" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>Now, it happens that in this new milieu of memes flying around every which way, the code “86 47” is not a complete mystery.<strong> It is apparently employed casually in settings where angry citizens gather to denounce the president.</strong> “86” is a term in restaurant kitchens when there is no more of an item that a waiter just brought in an order for. “Eighty-six on the monkfish, Carla,” the line-cook might yell. Apparently, mobsters like the phrase, too, for its pithiness: “Ay, somebody, go eighty-six that <em>stronzo</em> Rocco Vaselino, already! He ain’t paid da vig in a munt.” Soon, there will be <em>no more</em> of Rocco, you see. He will be food for the hellgrammites in the soil of the Jersey pine barrens. . . .</p>

<p>As DNI Gabbard pointed out — in case no one noticed — there have been two recent assassination attempts on Mr. Trump. <strong>It is a fact well-known to police psychologists that would-be assassins are curiously suggestible to prompts floating around in the zeitgeist.</strong> They tend to take them as commands. <em>Go do this</em>. And if anyone was a commanding figure, it would be Jim Comey, towering hero of the early anti-Trump <em>resistance</em>. Thus, it appears that Mr. Comey called for there to be <em>no more</em> of Mr. Trump. Not cool.</p>

<p>Also, not so cool, in the grand annals of the <em>resistance</em>, is the new book <em>Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again</em>, by journalists (cough cough) Jake Tapper (of CNN) and Alex Thompson (Axios). <strong>The book purports to explain how the entire governance apparatus of the USA hid the mental decline of “Joe Biden,” the phantom president. </strong>Realize, please, that the news media is a vital part of that apparatus, and has been since the invention of the printing press, with its crucial role (until lately) as a regulating mechanism on the engine of public affairs.</p>

<p><strong>In fact, it is precisely the role of the news media to notice things that public officials try to hide, so as to keep citizens apprised of what is really going on.</strong> And that is exactly what the news media intentionally declined to do during the four years of “Joe Biden.” But then, at least half the country, seeing “Joe Biden” in action on video, did not fail to notice his ever-worsening feeble bewilderment. Tapper and Thompson seek to shift the blame for this game of <em>Pretend</em> onto the gremlins behind the scenes in the White House who ran the “Joe Biden” show.</p>

<p><strong>Tapper and Thompson are lying, of course, and in exactly the same brazen way as the bigwigs in the Democratic Party who sponsored this treasonous fraud.</strong> Jake Tapper, for one, stated repeatedly on-the-air from 2021 onward that “Joe Biden” was a capable and effective chief executive and denounced anybody who tried to argue otherwise. Just as Thompson, while accepting the Award for Overall Excellence at the White House Correspondents’ Annual Dinner in April, lied saying, “We, myself included, missed a lot of this story.” Really? Then what, exactly, was “excellent” about his reporting?</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/10/18/sotu-lara-trump-full.cnn" data-image-href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/10/18/sotu-lara-trump-full.cnn" data-link-option="2" href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/10/18/sotu-lara-trump-full.cnn"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="28724343-e77b-4fb5-8646-3d485c3c8210" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="275" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/2025-05-16_11-28-16.jpg?itok=i40mrr2W" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p><strong>They also missed the story as to how the White House gremlins behind “Joe Biden” were wrecking the country</strong> with open borders, election fraud, drag queens in kindergarten, censorship, lawfare, and a colossal stream of secret grift from taxpayers through USAID-linked NGO’s to Democratic Party foot-soldiers like Stacey Abrams. The more plausible story — the truth, actually — is that the companies many reporters worked for, the old big newspapers like <em>The New York Times</em> and the <em>WashPo</em>, and the cable-news channels such as (especially) CNN and MSNBC were losing their audiences until they discovered that Trump Derangement was the only way to stave off complete failure.</p>

<p><strong>Once they got going with that business model in 2016, they wrecked the news media’s credibility. And virtually everything after that has been an ongoing cover-up for their dishonorable malfeasance and the crimes of the party they fronted for. </strong>But the levers of power are in other hands now. There will be consequences for government officials who go to war against the people of this land, committing sedition and treason. Suggesting the murder of a president on social media is no light matter. By the time this blog is up, officers of the Secret Service may be visiting Mr. Comey at home. No need to batter down the front door with guns drawn, though. That would be so un-cool.</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T20:20:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 16:20</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/there-will-be-consequences-those-govt-officials-who-waged-war-against-people-land


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747419236
title: Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ at a crucial juncture
hash: |�� I���g��#
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
The bill proposes sweeping changes, including Trump's 2017 tax cuts and enacting deep cuts to social programmes.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/5/16/trumps-big-beautiful-bill-at-a-crucial-juncture?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747421503
title: World Bank says Syria eligible for new loans after debts cleared
content: Saudi and Qatari payments settle Syria’s arrears, allowing World Bank and IMF to re-engage.
hash: a�|a�Tx ��֐���
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/5/16/world-bank-says-syria-eligible-for-new-loans-after-debts-cleared?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://strategic-culture.su/?post_type=article&amp;p=885345
title: Where are the most fertile seeds of Trumpism in Europe?
author: ;A A
link: https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/05/16/where-are-most-fertile-seeds-of-trumpism-in-europe/
hash: ���yJ݅ߝ<�1}G8�
tags: #Editor's Choice #Donald Trump #Establishment #European Union #United States #West
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<div data-sanitized-class="code-block code-block-2">
<p><strong><em>By Gérald PAPY</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><span>Join us on </span><a href="https://t.me/strategic_culture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Telegram</a><a href="https://t.me/strategic_culture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/tlg.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875659"></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/SCJournalOnline" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/twitter.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875661"></a><span>, and</span> <a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VK</a><a href="https://vk.com/strategicculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" src="https://strategic-culture.su/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wk.jpg" alt="" width="25" height="25" data-sanitized-class="alignnone wp-image-875662"></a>.</strong></p>
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<p>Many French people subscribe to the core ideas of Trumpism, a study reveals. The right wing—more so than the far right—could reap the benefits.</p>
<p>Through his handling of the war in Ukraine and his approach to transatlantic trade relations, Donald Trump has made new enemies in Europe since the start of his new term. But could Trumpism itself take root within the European Union?</p>
<p>The Center for Political Research at Sciences Po (Cevipof) in Paris and the Guido Carli Free International University of Social Studies (Luiss) in Rome tested key tenets of the new U.S. administration’s political agenda on samples of citizens in France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands between mid-January and early February, as part of the 16th wave of the <em>Political Confidence Barometer</em>. The study examined distrust of political elites, disillusionment with democracy, demands for stronger authority, skepticism toward the justice system, support for economic liberalism, and resistance to government interference in private life. The poll results suggest that Europe has fertile ground for Trumpism to grow.</p>
<p><strong>A Crisis of Democracy</strong></p>
<p>According to Luc Rouban, a CNRS research director and member of Cevipof who authored the report <em>“French Trumpism”</em> (1), France is the most receptive to Trumpist ideas among the four countries studied.</p>
<p><em>“France shows the strongest convergence with these ideas. Of course, there are differences between France and the U.S., notably because the latter is a federal country. But notions of sovereignty, national assertiveness, and a strong state have always been widespread in France, even on the left. We shouldn’t forget that,”</em> Rouban explains.</p>
<p>Three key markers of Trumpism—distrust in the justice system, a fraught relationship with political elites, and a crisis of democratic efficiency—reveal this French affinity with American voters’ concerns.</p>
<p><em>“The belief that democracy isn’t working well and that less democracy but more efficiency would be better truly sets France apart from Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands,”</em> Rouban notes. He attributes this partly to the current political instability following Macron’s dissolution of parliament, the legislative elections, and the difficulties in forming a government. But it’s also a long-standing trend.</p>
<p><em>“France has been in this situation for years. Remember the Yellow Vests’ rhetoric: ‘I played by the rules, did everything I was asked to do, and yet I’m still struggling.’ Many citizens feel either indifference or ineptitude in addressing their problems.”</em></p>
<p>Distrust in the judiciary is another distinctly French trait: only 44% trust the justice system (the same as in Italy), compared to 63% in the Netherlands and 66% in Germany. France also has the highest proportion of respondents who find the justice system <em>“too lenient”</em> (69%), <em>“biased”</em> (77%), and <em>“politicized”</em> (69%). The recent conviction of Marine Le Pen for embezzlement of public funds—and its political exploitation—will likely reinforce this sentiment.</p>
<p><strong>Support for Public Services</strong></p>
<p>On the other hand, the French, Germans, Italians, and Dutch express strong trust in their healthcare systems, police, and military (between 64% and 80%). Overall, satisfaction with public services in Europe sets it apart from the U.S.</p>
<p><em>“Some aspects of Trumpism are unique to the U.S. and other countries like Brazil under Bolsonaro or Argentina under Milei,”</em> says Benjamin Biard, a researcher at the Centre for Sociopolitical Research and Information (Crisp). <em>“They combine far-right messaging with neoliberal or even libertarian policies aimed at gutting the state. In Europe, far-right parties don’t prioritize dismantling public services. Some, like France’s National Rally and Belgium’s Vlaams Belang, even adopt social rhetoric to broaden their appeal.”</em></p>
<p>Given Europeans’ attachment to public services, it’s harder for Trumpism’s <em>“natural heirs”</em> to replicate the same policies. Yet, the number of respondents who believe <em>“the number of civil servants should be reduced”</em>—a hallmark of Trump’s agenda—has never been higher in the four countries surveyed (53% since 2017).</p>
<p><strong>The Far Right Isn’t the Only Vessel</strong></p>
<p>While far-right movements—which Trump, Vice President Vance, and advisor Musk have openly supported—seem like natural vehicles for Trumpism in Europe, they may not be the only ones.</p>
<p><em>“Trump’s return to the White House has undeniably fascinated much of the French right and far right, proving that a radical, authoritarian right can take power in a flagship Western democracy,”</em> says Rouban. But Trumpist ideas are spreading beyond the far right, influencing Les Républicains, parts of Macron’s camp, and even the left.</p>
<p><em>“The reception of Trumpism in France could significantly reshape the right. It might not benefit the National Rally, which may not be best positioned to deliver the liberalism and social mobility Trumpism advocates. The real winner could be Les Républicains.”</em></p>
<p><strong>A Clash of Nationalisms</strong></p>
<p>Within the far right, support for Trumpism varies depending on ideological leanings. In the European Parliament, the movement is split across at least three political groups. Currently, Italian Prime Minister <strong>Giorgia Meloni</strong> (Fratelli d’Italia) best embodies the convergence between Europe’s far right and Trump’s administration.</p>
<p><em>“But she’s in an awkward position,”</em> Biard notes. <em>“She has close ties to Trump, yet his trade policies are harmful to the EU—including Italy. That’s the paradox of such alliances.”</em></p>
<p>It’s also the paradox of nationalist parties clashing with like-minded movements in other countries. Optimists may take comfort in seeing them fight among themselves. But as Rouban warns, the underlying reality remains troubling: many European voters now share the same grievances that propelled Trump to victory in November 2024.</p>
<p>(1) <em>“French Trumpism,”</em> by Luc Rouban, Political Confidence Barometer, Sciences Po Cevipof, March 2025.</p>
<p><strong>Originally published by </strong><a href="https://www.levif.be/international/europe/trumpisme-ou-sont-les-germes-les-plus-feconds-du-trumpisme-en-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Le vif</strong></a></p>


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747408036
title: FA Cup Final 2025: Guardiola sees win as ‘massively important’ to Man City
content: Pep Guardiola admits FA Cup is not the first choice but final is 'massively important' to Man City.
hash: ��IU���XGY{7=š�
tags: #Sport
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guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747426733
title: Ukraine, Russia agree to mass POW swap
hash: z�� <r�n�V���
tags: #Show Types
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Ukraine and Russia agreed to a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap — the war’s largest — at direct peace talks in Istanbul.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2025/5/16/ukraine-russia-agree-to-mass-pow-swap?traffic_source=rss


guid: 1031432 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Trump Fumes After Supreme Court Rules Venezuelan Illegals Can't Be Deported (For Now)
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/supreme-court-rules-trump-cant-deport-venezuelans-now
hash: ^�_[�x�բO�7��W�
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Trump Fumes After Supreme Court Rules Venezuelan Illegals Can't Be Deported (For Now)</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Update (1715ET)</strong>: President Trump took to <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/114519567610751944">TruthSocial </a>to issue his brief but terse statement:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em><strong>"THE SUPREME COURT WON’T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!"</strong></em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>*  *  *</p>

<p>The Supreme Court ruled this afternoon to <strong>keep in place its block on President Trump's deportations of (alleged) Venezuelan gang members under a 1798 law historically used only in wartime </strong>after their ACLU lawyers said the government was set to remove the men without judicial review in violation of a prior order by the justices.</p>

<p>The Supreme Court has previously issued two orders stemming from those cases.</p>

<p>Justices agreed that the president could rely on the centuries-old wartime law to remove immigrants from the country - provided they first have an opportunity to challenge those claims in court - and then temporarily blocked the government from deporting another group of Venezuelans in Texas while their lawyers scrambled to challenge the allegations against them.</p>

<p><strong>In his proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act, Trump stated that “all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older who are members of [Tren de Aragua], are within the United States, and are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the United States are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies.”</strong></p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/AP25112615066855-e1745810526383.jpg?itok=0T9HWqkm" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/AP25112615066855-e1745810526383.jpg?itok=0T9HWqkm"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="33eae544-450a-430e-b1b0-503e1465eb4d" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="281" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/AP25112615066855-e1745810526383.jpg?itok=0T9HWqkm" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>The 7-2 decision clarified an unusual order issued by the justices in the early hours of April 19 that hit pause on any government plans to deport people held in northern Texas.</p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">The Supreme Court delivered a blow to the Trump Administration in blocking deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. However, the Court only did so based on the lack of notice (24 hours) afforded by the Administration. It did not rule on the legality of the use of the AEA...</p>
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTurley/status/1923487809299435676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p><strong>Over the dissents of conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito,</strong> the justices in the latest unsigned decision <strong>slammed the Trump admin for only giving the detainees 24 hours to launch legal challenges.</strong></p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>“Notice roughly 24 hours before removal, devoid of information about how to exercise due process rights to contest that removal, surely does not pass muster,” the court wrote in its unsigned opinion.  </em></p>

<p><em>“But it is not optimal for this Court, far removed from the circumstances on the ground, to determine in the first instance the precise process necessary to satisfy the Constitution in this case. We remand the case to the Fifth Circuit for that purpose,” the opinion continued.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>However,<a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5304654-supreme-court-alien-enemies-act-deportations/"> as The Hill reports,</a> the justices declined the ACLU’s additional request to leapfrog the lower courts to immediately take up the issue of whether President Trump can invoke the rarely used law outside of wartime.</p>

<p>Instead,<strong> the case will return to the lower courts alongside a handful of other challenges being brought by the civil rights group around the country. </strong></p>

<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">So it’s legal for a president to ship millions of illegal aliens into our country but it’s illegal to send them home?<br><br>
The system is broken. The Supreme Court failed us.<br><br>
Whose country is this anymore?</p>
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMikeCollins/status/1923477098141802909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>The issue could ultimately return to the justices, who directed the lower courts to act “expeditiously.”</p>

<p>Now, we all anxiously await President Trump's response to this decision...</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="https://store.zerohedge.com/10lb-premium-wagyu-ground-beef-bundle-zero-hedge/?c_id=98&amp;m=category&amp;c=Rancher-Direct%20Clean%20Food" data-image-href="https://store.zerohedge.com/10lb-premium-wagyu-ground-beef-bundle-zero-hedge/?c_id=98&amp;m=category&amp;c=Rancher-Direct%20Clean%20Food" data-link-option="2" href="https://store.zerohedge.com/10lb-premium-wagyu-ground-beef-bundle-zero-hedge/?c_id=98&amp;m=category&amp;c=Rancher-Direct%20Clean%20Food"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5d3cf544-de37-4c77-b5d4-850da768885e" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="134" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/TBI_Ad_1500x400px_MemorialDay_2.jpg?itok=rZ0dock1" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T22:51:11+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 18:51</span>


guid: 1031435 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Moody's Downgrades USA Credit Rating From Aaa
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/moodys-downgrades-usa-credit-rating-aaa
hash: p�S �Q���x9W�
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Moody's Downgrades USA Credit Rating From Aaa</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Earlier this week, we noted that short-dated <strong>USA sovereign CDS were trading wider than China and Greece</strong> as trade policy uncertainty and the debt ceiling 'X-date' loomed...</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/bfmB649_0.jpg?itok=plQNyLGY" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/bfmB649_0.jpg?itok=plQNyLGY"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8c47f9ef-8b79-4598-9715-9709a7508575" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="277" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/bfmB649_0.jpg?itok=plQNyLGY" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>...well, it appears Moody's Rating Agency noted it too... because they just downgraded the Government of United States of America's (US) long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings to Aa1 from Aaa and changed the outlook to stable from negative.</p>

<p><strong>The one-notch cut comes more than a year after Moody’s changed its outlook</strong> on the US rating to negative, with Moody's joining Fitch Ratings and S&amp;P Global Ratings in grading the world’s biggest economy below the top, triple-A position.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/230807-U.-Debt-flag.jpg?itok=gHLT3tlV" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/230807-U.-Debt-flag.jpg?itok=gHLT3tlV"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9e202cfe-65af-4f54-a8a6-1a9c05ba25a0" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="231" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/230807-U.-Debt-flag.jpg?itok=gHLT3tlV" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p><strong>This one-notch downgrade on our 21-notch rating scale reflects the increase over more than a decade in government debt and interest payment ratios to levels that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns.</strong></p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>Successive US administrations and Congress have failed to agree on measures to reverse the trend of large annual fiscal deficits and growing interest costs. </em></p>

<p><strong><em>We do not believe that material multi-year reductions in mandatory spending and deficits will result from current fiscal proposals under consideration. </em></strong></p>

<p><strong><em>Over the next decade, we expect larger deficits as entitlement spending rises while government revenue remains broadly flat. </em></strong></p>

<p><em>In turn, persistent, large fiscal deficits will drive the government's debt and interest burden higher. </em></p>

<p><em>The US' fiscal performance is likely to deteriorate relative to its own past and compared to other highly-rated sovereigns.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>The stable outlook reflects balanced risks at Aa1.</strong> </p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>The US retains exceptional credit strengths such as the size, resilience and dynamism of its economy and the role of the US dollar as global reserve currency. In addition, while recent months have been characterized by a degree of policy uncertainty, we expect that the US will continue its long history of very effective monetary policy led by an independent Federal Reserve. </em></p>

<p><strong><em>The stable outlook also takes into account institutional features, including the constitutional separation of powers among the three branches of government that contributes to policy effectiveness over time and is relatively insensitive to events over a short period. </em></strong></p>

<p><em>While these institutional arrangements can be tested at times, we expect them to remain strong and resilient.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>The US' long-term local- and foreign-currency country ceilings remain at Aaa. </strong></p>

<p>The Aaa local-currency ceiling reflects a small government footprint in the economy and extremely low risk of currency and balance of payment crises. </p>

<p>The foreign-currency ceiling at Aaa reflects the country's strong policy effectiveness and an open capital account, reducing transfer and convertibility risks.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="https://store.zerohedge.com/10lb-premium-wagyu-ground-beef-bundle-zero-hedge/?c_id=98&amp;m=category&amp;c=Rancher-Direct%20Clean%20Food" data-image-href="https://store.zerohedge.com/10lb-premium-wagyu-ground-beef-bundle-zero-hedge/?c_id=98&amp;m=category&amp;c=Rancher-Direct%20Clean%20Food" data-link-option="2" href="https://store.zerohedge.com/10lb-premium-wagyu-ground-beef-bundle-zero-hedge/?c_id=98&amp;m=category&amp;c=Rancher-Direct%20Clean%20Food"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5d3cf544-de37-4c77-b5d4-850da768885e" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="134" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/TBI_Ad_1500x400px_MemorialDay_2.jpg?itok=rZ0dock1" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<h2>RATIONALE FOR THE RATINGS DOWNGRADE TO Aa1</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>Over more than a decade, US federal debt has risen sharply due to continuous fiscal deficits. </p>

<p><strong>During that time, federal spending has increased while tax cuts have reduced government revenues. </strong></p>

<p>As deficits and debt have grown, and interest rates have risen, interest payments on government debt have increased markedly.</p>

<p>Without adjustments to taxation and spending, we expect budget flexibility to remain limited, with mandatory spending, including interest expense, projected to rise to around 78% of total spending by 2035 from about 73% in 2024.</p>

<p><strong>If the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is extended, which is our base case, it will add around $4 trillion to the federal fiscal primary (excluding interest payments) deficit over the next decade.</strong></p>

<p>As a result, we expect federal deficits to widen, reaching nearly 9% of GDP by 2035, up from 6.4% in 2024, driven mainly by increased interest payments on debt, rising entitlement spending, and relatively low revenue generation. </p>

<p>We anticipate that the federal debt burden will rise to about 134% of GDP by 2035, compared to 98% in 2024.</p>

<p><strong>Despite high demand for US Treasury assets, higher Treasury yields since 2021 have contributed to a decline in debt affordability. </strong></p>

<p>Federal interest payments are likely to absorb around 30% of revenue by 2035, up from about 18% in 2024 and 9% in 2021. The US general government interest burden, which takes into account federal, state and local debt, absorbed 12% of revenue in 2024, compared to 1.6% for Aaa-rated sovereigns.</p>

<p><strong>While we recognize the US' significant economic and financial strengths, we believe these no longer fully counterbalance the decline in fiscal metrics.</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Moody's couldn't help but take a shot at Trump's tariffs:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>The US economy is unique among the sovereigns we rate.</em></p>

<p><em>It combines very large scale, high average incomes, strong growth potential and a track-record of innovation that supports productivity and GDP growth. </em></p>

<p><em>While<strong> GDP growth is likely to slow in the short term as the economy adjusts to higher tariffs,</strong> we do not expect that the US' long-term growth will be significantly affected.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>But they did say something positive...</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>Despite reserve diversification by central banks globally over the past twenty years, <strong>we expect the US dollar to remain the dominant global reserve currency for the foreseeable future.</strong></em></p>

<p><em>...</em></p>

<p><em>Moreover, the resilience of the US sovereign rating to shocks is supported by strong monetary and macroeconomic policy institutions. </em></p>

<p><em><strong>Although policy has been less predictable in recent months, relative to what has typically been the case in the US and other highly-rated sovereigns, </strong>we expect that monetary and macroeconomic policy effectiveness will remain very strong, preserving macroeconomic and financial stability through business cycles.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>The timing is exceptional,</strong> as Republicans try to get Trump's 'big beautiful bill' out of committee... and as everyone knows,<strong> there's no such thing as a coincidence in Washington.</strong></p>
<blockquote data-sanitized-class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr" xml:lang="en">Here's what actually happened <a href="https://t.co/XovNd0bIwu">https://t.co/XovNd0bIwu</a> <a href="https://t.co/0v4fFYgQtP">pic.twitter.com/0v4fFYgQtP</a></p>— zerohedge (@zerohedge) <a href="https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1923805544608862600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <p>US equity markets are trading down after hours on the news:</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/2025-05-16_14-03-07.jpg?itok=Zia4ecNp" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2025-05-16_14-03-07.jpg?itok=Zia4ecNp"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="623682eb-b54f-4f14-a084-3e695a231995" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="319" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/2025-05-16_14-03-07.jpg?itok=Zia4ecNp" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>Trump's gonna be pissed!!</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-17T15:00:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Sat, 05/17/2025 - 11:00</span>


guid: -993769011
title: Le SPVG vous invite à sa journée portes ouvertes le 7 juin!
content: Le SPVG vous invite à sa journée portes ouvertes le 7 juin!
hash: ��|O��l�#���
link:
https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=police/actualites/communiques/communique&amp;id=-1097164363

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guid: 1601584785
title: Réaménagement de la rue Notre-Dame : poursuite des travaux dès la semaine prochaine
content: Réaménagement de la rue Notre-Dame : poursuite des travaux dès la semaine prochaine
hash: H���T0�gʡ�E�
link:
https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=nouvelles_annonces/infoeclairs/infoeclair&amp;id=286439994

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guid: -115411925
title: Mise à jour inondations : La décrue est commencée
content: Mise à jour inondations : La décrue est commencée
hash: ��}�ŭ��!����
link:
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guid: 1031434 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: US Drug Overdose Deaths Fall Nearly 27 Percent To Lowest Level In 5 Years
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: E\�V� ��Ҏ�\�
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">US Drug Overdose Deaths Fall Nearly 27 Percent To Lowest Level In 5 Years</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em><a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/us-drug-overdose-deaths-fall-nearly-27-percent-to-lowest-level-in-5-years-5857747?utm_source=partner&amp;utm_campaign=ZeroHedge">Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times</a> (emphasis ours),</em></p>

<p><strong>Drug overdose deaths in the United States dropped sharply in 2024</strong>, falling to their lowest level since before the pandemic, according to provisional <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm">data</a> released on May 14 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2851%29_0.jpg?itok=464lK2GA" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2851%29_0.jpg?itok=464lK2GA"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bb45ed89-eff7-4420-9fff-cc9422e47486" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="333" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image_92%2851%29_0.jpg?itok=464lK2GA" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Packets of fentanyl and methamphetamine seized from a truck crossing into Arizona from Mexico are displayed during a news conference at the Port of Nogales, Ariz., on Jan. 31, 2019. U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p>The report estimates that <strong>80,391 people died of a drug overdose in 2024—a 26.9 percent decline from 110,037 in 2023, </strong>marking the largest one-year drop since the agency began collecting comparable data more than four decades ago.</p>

<p>It’s the second consecutive annual decrease after overdose deaths surged during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation, disruptions to treatment, and other factors helped push fatalities to a peak of nearly 115,000 in 2023.</p>

<p>All but two states—Nevada and South Dakota—recorded declines last year, with especially steep drops in hard-hit areas such as West Virginia, which reported a 43.5 percent decrease. While the final figures may shift slightly as data are finalized, the CDC data indicate an unmistakable downward trend.</p>

<p><strong>The decline was driven almost entirely by a reduction in fentanyl-related deaths</strong>. The synthetic opioid—at least 50 times more potent than heroin—was linked to more than 76,000 deaths in 2023, but that number dropped to just over 48,000 in 2024.</p>

<p>Experts have cited several possible reasons for the downturn, including expanded access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone—sold as Narcan—which became available over the counter in 2023. It is now carried by most first responders. Increased use of addiction treatment medications and changes in drug supply patterns may also be factors.</p>

<p>Despite the improvement, the new data revealed troubling increases in deaths tied to stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine.</p>

<p>Fatalities involving meth rose from 29,456 to 37,096, while cocaine-related deaths jumped by about 8,000, reaching 30,833. Since overdose statistics often overlap—many deaths involve multiple substances—it remains unclear how many of these fatalities involved stimulants alone.</p>

<p><strong>The Trump administration has intensified efforts to choke off the international supply chain responsible for flooding the country with synthetic opioids.</strong></p>

<p>While most fentanyl consumed in the United States is manufactured in Mexico, the raw chemicals used to make it overwhelmingly come from China. A Pulitzer Prize-winning <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/section/fentanyl-express/">investigation</a> by Reuters last year exposed how Chinese chemical suppliers and Mexican cartels continue to enable the epidemic.</p>

<p>Reporters were able to legally purchase all the chemicals and equipment needed to produce $3 million worth of fentanyl for just $3,600—exploiting a since-closed customs loophole known as the “de minimis” rule. That exemption had allowed goods valued at or under $800 to be imported duty-free.</p>

<p>A recent <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/chinese-communist-party-subsidizing-fentanyl-precursors-for-export-to-us-report-5630505">report</a> from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) found that Beijing is not only failing to stop the export of fentanyl precursors but is actively encouraging it.</p>

<p>According to the report, the Chinese regime offers tax rebates and state subsidies to companies producing illegal synthetic opioid components, fueling what lawmakers call a deliberate assault on the United States.</p>

<p>“<strong>Through its actions, as our report has revealed, the Chinese Communist Party is telling us that it wants more fentanyl entering our country</strong>,” Select Committee Chair Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) said during an April 16, 2024, hearing. “It wants the chaos and devastation that has resulted from this epidemic. And yes, that means more dead Americans.”</p>

<p>In response, the Trump administration in February <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/imposing-duties-to-address-the-synthetic-opioid-supply-chain-in-the-peoples-republic-of-china/">announced</a> a new round of targeted tariffs on China’s synthetic drug supply chain, aiming to disrupt the production and export of fentanyl precursors.</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T21:25:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 17:25</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/us-drug-overdose-deaths-fall-nearly-27-percent-lowest-level-5-years


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747431206
title: ‘No soap, no morphine’: Gaza volunteer on life under intensified bombing
hash: B���̥4�'Xyn��e
tags: #Show Types
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Gaza volunteer calls Israel’s intensified bombardment “shocking” as Palestinians face severe food and medical shortages.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/5/16/no-soap-no-morphine-gaza-aide-worker-describes-life-under-intensified-b?traffic_source=rss


guid: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165708/recrues-armee-canadienne-quittent-retention
title: Plusieurs recrues quittent l’armée canadienne dès leur première année, selon un rapport
link: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165708/recrues-armee-canadienne-quittent-retention
hash: _'*1�!�6�-�'u�
content:
<p>Le taux d'attrition chez les recrues est deux fois plus élevé que dans la moyenne des Forces canadiennes.</p>

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guid: 1031378 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: America's Next Top Migrant: White House Denies Noem Backing DHS Citizenship Game Show
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: �.�vw����aKZ[f�
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">America's Next Top Migrant: White House Denies Noem Backing DHS Citizenship Game Show</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>The White House has denied a report </strong>that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is backing a proposal for a reality TV series that pits immigrants against each other for the grand prize: a fast-track to U.S. citizenship.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/ellis%20fight%20cluba_0.jpg?itok=gUJMJYQ4" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/ellis%20fight%20cluba_0.jpg?itok=gUJMJYQ4"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f1b4feb8-9b28-43c5-859c-3e13c7f698ad" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="320" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/ellis%20fight%20cluba_0.jpg?itok=gUJMJYQ4" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>According to a 35-page pitch obtained by <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14713113/DHS-Secretary-Kristi-Noem-reality-TV-immigrants-compete-US-citizenship.html"><em>DailyMail.com</em></a>, <strong>the Department of Homeland Security has been in contact with reality TV producer Rob Worsoff </strong>- known for <em>Duck Dynasty</em> and <em>Millionaire Matchmaker</em> - on a show called <em>The American</em>. The show would take a dozen pre-vetted immigrants on a cross-country journey aboard a train, competing in “cultural” challenges like <strong>assembling a Model T Ford in Detroit, rolling logs in Wisconsin, and digging clams in Maine.</strong></p>

<p><strong>Contestants would be greeted in New York City at Ellis Island by “a famous, naturalized American who was also born in another </strong><strong>country,”</strong> the pitch reads, with names like Sofia Vergara, Ryan Reynolds, and Mila Kunis floated as possible hosts. <strong>Each contestant would receive a personalized baseball glove before hitting the rails aboard “The Citizen Ship.”</strong></p>

<p>"<strong>Along the way, we will be reminded what it means to be American </strong>– through the eyes of the people who want it most," Worsoff’s pitch says.</p>

<p><strong>There’d be elimination rounds, dramatic town halls, and viewer voting tallied by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services </strong><strong>staff</strong> - yes, actual DHS employees, according to the proposal. The live finale would see the train stop in Washington, D.C., with the winner sworn in on Capitol Hill as Thunderbird jets roar overhead. "There won't be a dry eye within 10 miles!" the pitch promises.</p>

<p><strong>Game show prizes? Think red-white-and-blue Americana: 1 million American Airlines points, a $10,000 Starbucks gift card, or a lifetime supply of 76 gasoline.</strong></p>

<p>Tricia McLaughlin, DHS’s top spokesperson, confirmed the department had a call with Worsoff last week. "I think it's a good idea," she said. Though she claimed Noem “is yet to be briefed,” <em>DailyMail.com</em> reports Noem supports the show and wants to move forward.</p>

<h2>DHS Distances</h2>

<p>That said, <strong>DHS on Friday confirmed that it had <em>received</em> the pitch - </strong>but a spokesperson denied the <em>Mail</em>'s report that Noem was involved. In a statement to the <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/dhs-denies-reports-noem-is-collaborating-on-immigration-reality-tv-show-5859041">Epoch Times</a>, DHS Assistan Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the <em>Mail</em>'s reporting "completely false," and denied claims that Noem had either "backed" or "reviewed" the plan.</p>

<p>"The Department of Homeland Security receives hundreds of television show pitches a year, ranging from documentaries surrounding ICE and CBP border operation to white collar investigations by HSI," she said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations.</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>TV show proposals undergo “a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval,” McLaughlin said, adding that the reality TV “show in question is in the very beginning stages of that vetting process and has not received approval or denial by staff.”</em></p>

<p><em>Separately, <strong>McLaughlin told news outlets that she had spoken with the producer of the proposed reality show</strong>. -Epoch Times</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Worsoff, a Canadian-born producer, said, “<strong>I’m not affiliated with any political ideology. As an immigrant myself, I am merely trying to make a show that celebrates the immigration </strong><strong>process.</strong>”</p>

<p>The proposal also includes <strong>themed challenges like mining for gold in San Francisco, launching rockets in Cape Canaveral, and rafting down the Arkansas River.</strong> “We'll join in the laughter, tears, frustration, and joy – hearing their backstories – as we are reminded how amazing it is to be American,” the pitch reads.</p>

<p>Even the losers would have “a leg-up” in the naturalization process, the proposal notes.</p>

<p>For a secretary already accused of turning immigration enforcement into a branding exercise, <em>The American</em> is on-brand. Whether the public buys into her vision — or sees it as one more cringe photo op — remains to be seen.</p>

<p><strong>Side note - the book 'Running Man' takes place in 2025... </strong></p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T21:50:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 17:50</span>

link:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/americas-next-top-migrant-noem-backs-dhs-citizenship-game-show-featuring-immigrant


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747417269
title: ‘I cannot stand by’: Former ambassador denounces Ukraine shift under Trump
hash: ���Aޛ�3�g�z#
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
Bridget Brink has written an op-ed accusing Trump of putting 'pressure on the victim', Ukraine, instead of Russia.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/i-cannot-stand-by-former-ambassador-denounces-ukraine-shift-under-trump?traffic_source=rss


guid: -1432725762
title: Un nouveau souffle pour Pointe-Gatineau grâce à l'art public
content: Un nouveau souffle pour Pointe-Gatineau grâce à l'art public
hash: �8"�=�ӕ��p�b"C
link:
https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=nouvelles_annonces/communiques/communique&amp;id=224148895

attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=nouvelles_annonces/communiques/communique&amp;id=224148895"}]}


guid: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165704/remaniement-ministeriel-en-alberta
title: Remaniement ministériel : l’Alberta scinde son ministère de la Santé en deux
content: <p>La session parlementaire a pris fin jeudi, dans la nuit.</p>
link: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2165704/remaniement-ministeriel-en-alberta
hash: ڤ��F؈�R ʿ
attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://images.radio-canada.ca/q_auto,w_635,h_357/v1/ici-info/16x9/alberta-legislature-assemble-legislative-printemps.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","length":0}]}


guid: 1031398 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Hapag-Lloyd Sees 50% Surge In Container Bookings From China To The US
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hapag-lloyd-sees-50-surge-containers-booking-china-us
hash: ��N���Ot?�s�� �
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Hapag-Lloyd Sees 50% Surge In Container Bookings From China To The US</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Bt Stuart Chirls of <a href="https://www.freightwaves.com/news/hapag-lloyd-expects-swift-china-ramp-up-after-bookings-jump-50">Freightwaves</a></em></p>

<p>Hapag-Lloyd saw container bookings from China to the United States jump by 50% following the break in the tariff battle between the trading partners. </p>

<p>In comments during an earnings call, Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen explained that while recent bookings were down 20%-30%, there has been <strong>“a surge of over 50% in recent days</strong>,” though he noted the difficulty in predicting exact growth patterns.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/containership%20rates%201.jpg?itok=DVPQNhXb" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/containership%20rates%201.jpg?itok=DVPQNhXb"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a0012baf-f599-48a1-9a17-7b49d120aa6f" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="309" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/containership%20rates%201.jpg?itok=DVPQNhXb" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>“We expect capacity to return fairly swiftly. We have deployed smaller ships instead of doing blanks [canceled sailings], and we will reverse that soon. Within the next couple of weeks, we will deploy bigger ships again, and others may also increase capacity as the quarter progresses.”</p>

<p>The CEO also confirmed that upsizing vessels can be accomplished without significant disruption due to the simplified Gemini network with Maersk, and that it “won’t materially change overall costs,” with no current issues regarding mispositioning of containers.</p>

<p>Profit increased 45% to $469 million on revenue that was up 15% year over year to $5.3 billion in the first quarter, driven by a 9% increase in liner shipping volumes, marking the highest year-on-year growth in several years. </p>

<p>Liner shipping saw<strong> </strong>revenues of $5.2 billion on volume of 3.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units and an average freight rate of $1,480 per TEU, both of which were 9% higher y/y on strong demand. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose by 18%, to $1.1 billion, and earnings before interest and taxes were up by 25%, to $472 million.</p>

<p>The successful launch of the Gemini network saw schedule reliability of 90%, a remarkable figure in an industry that is usually around 65%.</p>

<p>The carrier faced operational challenges during the quarter, including ongoing rerouting of ships away from the Red Sea and around the Cape of Good Hope, as well as disruptions at various ports. These challenges increased operational costs and impacted efficiency but were effectively managed to minimize adverse effects on overall performance.</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T22:15:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 18:15</span>


guid: https://www.aljazeera.com/?t=1747422604
title: European leaders consult Trump to align response to Russia-Ukraine talks
hash: ����S��G3B�b���
tags: #News
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
European leaders speak to US president after Russia-Ukraine talks fail to achieve major breakthrough.

link:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/16/europe-and-us-closely-align-in-bid-to-push-russia-towards-ukraine-truce?traffic_source=rss


guid: yt:video:I6lrB5KNLPM
author: ;C-SPAN
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6lrB5KNLPM
hash: ��s -84}���
title:
Washington Today (5-16-25): Budget Reconciliation fails in committee after some House GOP 'no' votes

attributes:
{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/v/I6lrB5KNLPM?version=3","title":"Washington Today (5-16-25): Budget Reconciliation fails in committee after some House GOP 'no' votes","description":"House Budget Committee votes down the Republican tax cut, spending cut, border and defense Budget Reconciliation, the one they call the One Big Beautiful Bill, after four Republicans join Democrats in voting no.\n\nPresident Donald Trump finishes up his Middle East trip at a business breakfast in the United Arab Emirates, saying UAE could buy advanced computer chips for AI development.\n\nRussian &amp; Ukrainian officials hold peace talks in Turkey, with no ceasefire announced. President Trump is asked about his desire to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to settle the matter for good.\n\nThe Republican chair of the FCC and a Democratic Commissioner both speak today at separate events in Washington about the agency's role in preserving freedom of speech, but with very different conclusions about the problems and solutions.\n\nC-SPAN's CEO Sam Feist previews a new program coming to C-SPAN this fall called 'CeaseFire'. \n\nDownload the FREE C-SPAN Now App. https://www.c-span.org/c-spanNow/\n\nDiscover the C-SPAN Video Library at https://www.c-span.org/quickguide/\n\nExplore C-SPAN's Free Educational Resources at https://www.c-span.org/classroom/\n\nC-SPAN: Created by Cable in 1979. Offered as a public service.\n\nSupport C-SPAN by Donating Today: https://donorbox.org/support-c-span?utm_source=YouTube&amp;utm_medium=Video_Description&amp;utm_campaign=Donations&amp;utm_content=Donate\n\nSubscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSPAN \n\nFollow us:\nFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSPAN\nTwitter: https://twitter.com/cspan\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cspan/\n\nSubscribe:\nC-SPAN Podcasts: https://www.c-span.org/podcasts/\nNewsletters: https://www.c-span.org/connect/\nVisit the C-SPAN Shop: https://c-spanshop.org/\n#cspan","type":"application/x-shockwave-flash","height":390,"width":640,"thumbnails":["https://i2.ytimg.com/vi/I6lrB5KNLPM/hqdefault.jpg"]}]}


guid: 1031129 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Bees Are Behind Our Food And Natural Medicines - And They're Disappearing
author: ;Tyler Durden
hash: �X��R�o��l�T6
attributes: {"enclosures":[]}
content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Bees Are Behind Our Food And Natural Medicines - And They're Disappearing</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em><a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/bees-are-behind-our-food-and-natural-medicines-and-theyre-disappearing-5840569?utm_source=partner&amp;utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&amp;src_src=partner&amp;src_cmp=ZeroHedge">Authored by Emma Suttie via The Epoch Times</a> (emphasis ours),</em></p>

<p><strong>Bees are dying—and at an alarming rate.</strong></p>

<p>Between 2023 and 2024, US beekeepers lost an estimated <a href="https://apiaryinspectors.org/US-beekeeping-survey-23-24">55.1 percent</a> of their colonies—the worst loss in more than a decade and nearly 15 percent higher than the previous 13-year average.</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2844%29_0.jpg?itok=HWa15moU" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2844%29_0.jpg?itok=HWa15moU"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e582b82e-4a2b-4c29-9e0c-7b554317c538" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="333" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image_92%2844%29_0.jpg?itok=HWa15moU" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Lisa Schaetzle/Getty Images</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p>Bees pollinate three-quarters of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts we eat, and many of us rely on bee products for their nutrition and health-promoting gifts. <strong>If bees vanish, it’s scary to think of all we stand to lose. And some say that if the bees go, we go too.</strong></p>

<p>Jeff Pettis, president of Apimondia—The International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations—sums up the health benefits that bees offer humans in one word: huge.</p>

<p>Although two-thirds of our diet comes from carbohydrates—crops like rice, wheat, and corn—which are pollinated by wind rather than insects, many other important foods require bees.</p>

<p>“<strong>So we’re not going to starve if we don’t have bees. But literally, everything you can think of that’s nutritious—fruits, nuts, and vegetables—all of those are, we'll call it, animal-pollinated.</strong> The vast majority of those are pollinated by honey bees or other wild bees,” he told The Epoch Times.</p>

<h2>Bees Pollinate</h2>

<p>Ryan Burris is a third-generation beekeeper and the president of the California State Beekeepers Association. He points out that many people don’t realize how many fruits and vegetables we eat depend on bees for pollination.</p>

<p>“<strong>The biggest one, obviously, for beekeepers, is almonds</strong>. And then you have things like blueberries, watermelons, and stuff you don’t think about, like onions and carrots—all require pollination. There’s an estimated 100 crops that require pollination,” he told the Epoch Times.</p>

<p>Twenty thousand species of bees grace our planet, and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/bio/daniel-raichel/no-bees-are-not-okay">4000 species</a> are native to the United States. Bees are some of our most well-known and beloved pollinators. <a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/general-information/initiatives-and-highlighted-programs/peoples-garden/importance-pollinators">One in every three</a> bites of food you eat depends on pollinators to produce, and bees pollinate one in every four bites.</p>

<p>Beyond their critical role as pollinators, bees also gift us powerful products like honey, bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly—each packed with nutritional and medicinal benefits.</p>

<h2>Honey</h2>

<p>The Ancient Egyptians may have been the world’s first beekeepers. They crafted clay hives and transported them on rafts along the Nile, allowing bees to pollinate whatever flowers were in season. Bees were deeply revered, and honey was considered sacred.</p>

<p>Throughout history, honey has played many roles—it was used in religious rituals, medicine, currency, and offerings to the gods. When archaeologists uncovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb, they found a sealed jar of honey more than 2,000 years old. Because honey doesn’t spoil, it was still safe to eat.</p>

<p><strong><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318717858_Honey_Propolis_and_Royal_Jelly_A_Comprehensive_Review_of_Their_Biological_Actions_and_Health_Benefits">Honey</a> offers a treasure trove of healing properties. It soothes a cough, benefits digestion and oral health, treats constipation and diarrhea, protects the heart, and has anticancer properties—in addition to being antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-54679-w">antifungal</a>, and a powerful antioxidant.</strong></p>

<p>Jana Schmidt is a board-certified naturopathic doctor and master herbalist who keeps bees. She says not all honey is created equal, and knowing where your honey comes from is crucial, as many store-bought varieties are synthetically made or artificial. If you want the good stuff, go for raw, local honey—ideally straight from a beekeeper.</p>

<p>“Darker varieties have higher antioxidants than the lighter varieties,” she noted, saying bees make the darker types in the winter months when it’s cold, and they need more nutrition—which is passed to us when we eat it.</p>

<p>She says that honey added to tea before bed can help you sleep—something she did for her children when they were little.</p>

<p>“<strong>It helps regulate your sleep, but it also protects the teeth from the bacteria that causes cavities, which seems crazy because it’s sweet. You think, oh, that’s going to cause cavities, but actually, it protects the teeth</strong>,” she told The Epoch Times.</p>

<p>Studies have found that honey’s antibacterial properties fight harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. coli. In addition, honey has been studied for its potential benefits against <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6270987/#:~:text=Honey%20is%20highly%20cytotoxic%20against,further%20experimental%20and%20clinical%20studies.">cancer</a>—including breast, liver, and colorectal cancers, where it has shown cytotoxic effects on cancer cells, the ability to inhibit cancer cell growth, and prevent the formation of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow.</p>

<p>Raw honey is a potential <a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/foodborne-illness-and-disease/illnesses-and-pathogens/botulism">source</a> of Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause botulism—especially in babies. Therefore, it’s generally recommended that infants under one year of age should not be fed raw honey.</p>

<p>Bees are prolific producers of a diverse array of products with numerous potential health benefits, according to experts.</p>

<h2>Bee Pollen</h2>

<p>Honeybees collect pollen from flowers and mix it with their saliva, which contains special enzymes. They then store it in comb cells inside their hives. Once the pollen is stored and processed in the hive, it is called <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7697837/#:~:text=The%20processed%20pollen%20is%20called,microbiome%2C%20functional%20food%2C%20antibiotic%20resistance">beebread</a>, or ambrosia—a vital food for the bees—containing proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals they need. When beebread is stored, it undergoes a natural fermentation process, which preserves it and makes its nutrients easier to absorb.</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2845%29_0.jpg?itok=sGtRs3mn" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2845%29_0.jpg?itok=sGtRs3mn"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="62448d83-2d34-426d-af1f-8c36cbab2c9e" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="334" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image_92%2845%29_0.jpg?itok=sGtRs3mn" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Bee pollen. hanif66/Shutterstock</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p>“To me, it’s God’s perfect multivitamin because it has every vitamin and mineral known for human nutrition. It has approximately 96 different <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7070389/#:~:text=Honey%20contains%20about%20180%20different,of%20cardiovascular%20diseases%20%5B1%5D.">nutrients</a> and bioavailable energy. It’s <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1319562X20304952">antibacterial</a>, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mmy/article-abstract/44/3/289/970394?redirectedFrom=fulltext">antifungal</a>, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7672575/#:~:text=Several%20studies%20showed%20antiviral%20activity,29%2C30%2C31%5D.">antiviral</a>, and the most digestible protein per ounce than anything else out there,” Schmidt said.</p>

<p>Bee pollen offers a source of sustained energy throughout the day and not a spike like you might get from sugar or caffeine, she said.</p>

<p>“<strong>I don’t drink coffee or anything like that. I just take my bee pollen in the morning, and I’m good to go</strong>,” she beamed.</p>

<p>There is growing scientific interest in bee pollen, particularly because of its antimicrobial properties, which can fight a wide variety of pathogens, including bacteria and fungi. This ability is notable because some bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Bee pollen (beebread) seems able to fight microbes without creating resistance, which some scientists believe is because it contains several different natural compounds that work synergistically. Bee pollen also supports the body’s good bacteria, benefiting healthy gut microbes—behaving like a prebiotic.</p>

<p>Schmidt adds that as a natural fertility specialist, bee pollen is her number one fertility supplement.</p>

<p>“If you think about it, it’s the fertility for the plants. Why wouldn’t it be fertility for us, too? So sometimes that’s all it takes. The couple start taking bee pollen, and bam, they’re fertile. So that’s been pretty fun to be a part of.”</p>

<p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8230257/#B53-nutrients-13-01876">Studies</a> have found that bee pollen has other wide-ranging medicinal benefits to humans, including:</p>

<ul><li>Benefiting metabolic syndrome disorders</li>
	<li>Preventing obesity</li>
	<li>Combating liver disorders</li>
	<li>Cardioprotective effects</li>
	<li>Lowering uric acid</li>
	<li>Detoxifying (based on animal studies)</li>
	<li>Regulating ovarian functions</li>
	<li>Alleviating allergic reactions</li>
	<li>Improving digestion and absorption</li>
	<li>Stimulating the immune system</li>
	<li>Improving cognitive dysfunction</li>
</ul><p>“It takes bees working eight hours a day, two to four weeks, to gather one teaspoon of pollen, Schmidt said. They work so hard. They visit over 2 million flowers to get one teaspoon of pollen. It’s pretty amazing.”</p>

<h2>Propolis</h2>

<p><strong>Propolis, also known as “bee glue,” is a resinous substance bees gather from different types of plants.</strong> Bees use it as a type of construction material for the hive. It seals holes and cracks, improves structural integrity, smooths the inner surface of the hive, maintains a constant internal temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and protects the hive from the elements, predators, and pathogens. Once hardened, it helps create an antiseptic internal environment.</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2846%29_0.jpg?itok=IoCY_p6Z" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2846%29_0.jpg?itok=IoCY_p6Z"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="14b82d8e-df7e-4df4-b46a-5ca47e80889b" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="333" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image_92%2846%29_0.jpg?itok=IoCY_p6Z" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Bee propolis. Ihor Hvozdetskyi/Shutterstock</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p>Schmidt offers a long list of propolis’s benefits, particularly to the brain. These include reducing inflammation in the brain and oxidative stress, helping reduce the toxic effects of methylmercury—a highly toxic form of mercury—and aluminum in the brain, increasing synaptic efficiency, and protecting against neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment.</p>

<p>She adds that it is a great prebiotic and excellent for gut health.</p>

<p>“<strong>Anytime there’s an infection, and you’re not quite sure what it is, I usually go to propolis—it just boosts your immune system like nothing else I’ve ever used</strong>,” she said.</p>

<p>Studies have revealed that this amazing substance has many applications for human health and has the following medicinal properties:</p>

<ul><li>Antioxidant</li>
	<li>Anti-inflammatory</li>
	<li>Antiulcer</li>
	<li>Anticancer</li>
	<li>Immunomodulatory</li>
	<li>Neuroprotective</li>
	<li>Anti-allergic</li>
	<li>Cardioprotective</li>
	<li>Antidiabetic</li>
</ul><p>Studies in humans and animals have shown propolis to possess powerful healing properties beneficial in multiple acute and chronic diseases—from autoimmune diseases like <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31086222/">Type 2 diabetes</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35432965/">rheumatoid arthritis</a> to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28261310/">cardiovascular disease</a>, cancer, and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32890967/">COVID-19</a>.</p>

<p>In a 2021 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332221003115">randomized, controlled clinical trial</a>, 124 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were split into three groups. T<strong>wo groups received Brazilian green propolis—400 or 800 milligrams daily—in addition to regular treatment—while the third group did not receive propolis.</strong></p>

<p>The researchers found that patients who received propolis were released from the hospital five to six days sooner, and those who received 800 mg of daily propolis had less kidney damage associated with COVID-19. Thus, the study authors concluded that propolis is a safe and effective adjunct treatment for patients with COVID-19.</p>

<h2>Royal Jelly</h2>

<p><strong>Humans have used royal jelly as a powerful medicine for millennia. </strong>It is extremely popular and highly regarded in <a href="https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/honey/">Chinese medicine</a>—in ancient times and today. Royal jelly is an overall tonic that promotes the robust development of bones, teeth, and the brain. It also helps boost fertility for women and soothe the symptoms of menopause.</p>
<a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2847%29_0.jpg?itok=hg7UmJQT" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/image_92%2847%29_0.jpg?itok=hg7UmJQT"><picture><figure role="group" data-sanitized-class="caption caption-img inline-images image-style-inline-images"><img alt="" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d3a9091f-64fa-47ff-b1a4-f1950f75d0de" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="332" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/image_92%2847%29_0.jpg?itok=hg7UmJQT" typeof="foaf:Image" width="500"><figcaption><em>Royal jelly. Bin Zhu/Shutterstock</em></figcaption></figure></picture></a>

<p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7915653/#:~:text=RJ%20is%20formed%20by%20different%20substances%2C%20mainly,phenolic%20or%20volatile%20compounds%20in%20lower%20proportion.&amp;text=Royal%20jelly%20(RJ)%20is%20a%20yellowish-white%2C%20creamy%2C,bees%20of%20the%20Apis%20mellifera%20species%20%5B1%2C2%2C3%5D.">Royal jelly</a> is a white milky substance secreted by worker bees to feed the queen bee larvae. Worker bee larvae get a different type—called worker jelly that contains fewer nutrients. According to one <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7915653/#:~:text=RJ%20is%20formed%20by%20different%20substances%2C%20mainly,phenolic%20or%20volatile%20compounds%20in%20lower%20proportion.&amp;text=Royal%20jelly%20(RJ)%20is%20a%20yellowish-white%2C%20creamy%2C,bees%20of%20the%20Apis%20mellifera%20species%20%5B1%2C2%2C3%5D.">study</a>, the higher quality royal jelly fed to the queen allows her to live a long life (up to five years) and lay 2,500 eggs daily. In comparison, worker bees only live about 45 days and, although female, do not reproduce.</p>

<p>Rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals, royal jelly is a vital food source for bees. Today, humans use it as a dietary supplement, medicine, and ingredient in cosmetic and skincare products.</p>

<p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7915653/#:~:text=RJ%20is%20formed%20by%20different%20substances%2C%20mainly,phenolic%20or%20volatile%20compounds%20in%20lower%20proportion.&amp;text=Royal%20jelly%20(RJ)%20is%20a%20yellowish-white%2C%20creamy%2C,bees%20of%20the%20Apis%20mellifera%20species%20%5B1%2C2%2C3%5D.">Studies</a> have shown royal jelly to have the following medicinal properties:</p>

<ul><li>Antioxidant</li>
	<li>Anti-lipidemic</li>
	<li>Antiproliferative</li>
	<li>Antimicrobial</li>
	<li>Neuroprotective</li>
	<li>Anti-inflammatory</li>
	<li>Immunomodulatory</li>
	<li>Antiaging</li>
	<li>Estrogenic activities</li>
</ul><p>Despite its medicinal benefits, Schmidt says that she does not recommend royal jelly because of how it is harvested, as it hurts the bees and the hive only to collect a tiny amount.</p>

<p>“I just don’t like the practice overall ... I feel like it takes it a step beyond what we should be doing to live well with the bees,” she said.</p>

<p>A 2023 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229923000614#aep-article-footnote-id1">study</a> investigated the effect of royal jelly on liver enzymes and glycemic indices. The researchers found that royal jelly did not significantly affect adults’ glycemic profile or liver function. However, in trials with a longer duration of 8 or more weeks, and those conducted in “non-healthy” populations, there was a significant reduction in serum fasting blood glucose —a measurement of glucose in the blood after fasting. Higher fasting blood glucose levels are a characteristic sign of both prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.</p>

<h2>Why Bees Are Dying</h2>

<p>We have all heard about the alarming decline in bee numbers in recent years.</p>

<p>Pettis says the reasons that bees are dying is such huge numbers are multifaceted and complex.</p>

<p>The first, he says, is that bees are losing their natural habitat. A significant reason for this is the rise of monoculture—when farmers plant only one kind of crop in their fields. This lack of diversity limits the flowers available for bees, making it harder for them to get all the nutrients they need to stay healthy and thrive.</p>

<p>“<strong>Roundup Ready crops, like corn, soybeans, all these—they create very sterile fields so there are no weeds—and a lot of those weeds are really good for bees</strong>,” he said.</p>

<p>Pettis says the second reason is pesticide exposure and the third is pests and diseases affecting bees. He says they all combine in different ways to affect bees and reduce their numbers, making beekeeping more challenging.</p>

<p>“We’ve had a number of exotic things come into the U.S.—two parasitic mites, and then the beetle from Africa, and now we have some invasive hornets coming in from Asia. It’s just one thing after another,” he said.</p>

<p>“<strong>It’s really hard to survive when you have all these stressors lining up, one right behind the other.</strong>”</p>

<p>Some readers may be wondering about colony collapse disorder.</p>

<p>“I was actually very involved in <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder">colony collapse disorder</a>, which is now 20 years old, and we never came up with a single definitive thing. It was just a combination of things that were killing managed honeybees,” Pettis said.</p>

<p>Mites, particularly the varroa mite—which is aptly named Varroa destructor—have become an enormous challenge for beekeepers.</p>

<p>“<strong>The varroa mite—Varroa destructor—is the main killer of honey bees because they feed on the bee as it’s growing</strong>,” Burris said.</p>

<p>These tiny parasitic mites feed on bee fat and blood, which bees need for energy and a healthy immune system. They also spread viruses, particularly the deformed wing virus, which causes bees to be born with shriveled wings that will never fly.</p>

<p>Burris adds that federal and state regulators do not want honeybees on public lands as they fear they may hurt native pollinators, though he notes they don’t have evidence to support those concerns.</p>

<p>He says they’re arguing about food supply and demand problems without considering that native pollinators and honey bees have different feeding habits.</p>

<p>“<strong>They’re not taking into account the size of the honeybee, the size of a native pollinator, the size of their tongues, and how they extract nectar—how they obtain pollen</strong>,” he said.</p>

<p>Pesticides, which include insecticides and herbicides, are also detrimental to bees.</p>

<p>“Roundup and other weed killers that contain glyphosate are incredibly harmful to our bodies, but also the bees,” Schmidt said.</p>

<p>A relatively recent class of insecticides called neonicotinoids, or neonics, are the world’s most widely used insecticides and possibly one of the most deadly. They work by making every part of the treated plant toxic while poisoning the soil, surrounding water, and wildlife. They affect the bees’ nervous system, interfering with their ability to learn, remember, and navigate, meaning many exposed bees can’t find their way back to the hive and eventually die.</p>

<p>Since their introduction in the last two decades, neonicotinoids’ widespread use has made U.S. agriculture increasingly destructive to insect life. Neonicotinoids are responsible for 92 percent of this increase in danger to insects.</p>

<p>These deadly insecticides don’t just kill bees. Neonics are linked to losses of birds and fish and birth defects in white-tailed deer. Increasing evidence has also shown that neonics affect human health, especially children. One <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31288196/">study</a> found neonics in the urine of half of children 3 to 5 years old, and a 2020 Swiss <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35016674/">study</a> found neonics in every sample of plasma and spinal fluid of children receiving treatment for leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.</p>

<h2>How We Can Help Bees</h2>

<p>Thankfully, there are things we can all do to help bees and support these essential pollinators.</p>

<ul><li>Plant native flowers and trees, especially ones that bloom through summer, as bees need food from spring through fall.</li>
	<li>Buy local honey, and honey made 100 percent in the United States to support U.S. beekeepers.</li>
	<li>Avoid using insecticides or pesticides around your yard and use natural methods instead. Schmidt says using vinegar and water with a bit of salt kills weeds without harming anything else.</li>
	<li>Allow an area of your yard or garden to be overgrown or less cut back to provide food and nesting habitats for bees.</li>
	<li>Plant a bee garden with native flowers to attract bees and other pollinators.</li>
	<li>Create a bee watering station with filtered water using a deep plate with pebbles or marbles near flowering plants to give bees a safe place to drink.</li>
	<li>Create a bee house you can hang in your yard to give bees a place to live.</li>
	<li>Keep hives away from sources of wifi radiation and EMFs, which adversely affect bees.</li>
	<li>If you notice a swarm of bees on your property, contact a local beekeeping association, university agriculture department, or local beekeeper to collect them, not an exterminator.</li>
	<li>Encourage state legislators to support laws that support and protect bees.</li>
	<li>Spread awareness about bees and how we can support them.</li>
</ul><p>Schmidt reveres the tiny pollinators that provide us with so much.</p>

<p>“You know, we use the term beekeeping, but I really feel like they keep us—like they know what to do, we just need to provide a nice habitat for them, and they do all the work—they just give and give.”</p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T22:40:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 18:40</span>

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https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/bees-are-behind-our-food-and-natural-medicines-and-theyre-disappearing


guid: https://karlof1.substack.com/p/sergey-lavrovs-remarks-and-media
title: Sergey Lavrov's Remarks &amp; Media Answers at the Diplomatic Club, Moscow, 15 May
author: ;Karl Sanchez
link: https://karlof1.substack.com/p/sergey-lavrovs-remarks-and-media
hash: !950p���L������
content:
<div data-sanitized-class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597c0b8c-5874-4139-86a8-115194c5a51d_720x480.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM" data-sanitized-class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"><div data-sanitized-class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597c0b8c-5874-4139-86a8-115194c5a51d_720x480.jpeg" width="720" height="480" data-attrs='{"src":"https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/597c0b8c-5874-4139-86a8-115194c5a51d_720x480.jpeg","srcNoWatermark":null,"fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":480,"width":720,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":124696,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/jpeg","href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":true,"internalRedirect":"https://karlof1.substack.com/i/163718036?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F597c0b8c-5874-4139-86a8-115194c5a51d_720x480.jpeg","isProcessing":false,"align":null}' alt="" fetchpriority="high" data-sanitized-class="sizing-normal"></picture><div data-sanitized-class="image-link-expand"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container restack-image"><path d="M3 12a9 9 0 0 1 9-9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1 6.74 2.74L21 8"></path><path d="M21 3v5h-5"></path><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 0 1-9 9 9.75 9.75 0 0 1-6.74-2.74L3 16"></path><path d="M8 16H3v5"></path></div><div data-sanitized-class="pencraft pc-reset icon-container view-image"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></div></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>As Lavrov notes in his opening remarks, The Diplomatic Club was an ongoing annual event prior to the Covid-19 crisis and languished until yesterday. <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/2017684/">The event </a>is about an hour and twenty minutes long, so be prepared for a long read. </p><blockquote><p>Dear Colleagues,</p><p>Your Excellency,</p><p>Friends</p><p>I am happy to welcome you on the wonderful occasion – the resumption of the work of the Diplomatic Club.</p><p>We have been using this format for quite a long time. It was very popular. Then the pandemic began. After the pandemic, there was inertia. And when the <a href="http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67843/videos">special military operation</a> began, we introduced the practice of meeting the Minister with ambassadors to explain our actions in connection with the Ukrainian crisis.<em><strong> Eight such meetings have already taken place</strong></em> (<a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1904634/">1</a>, <a href="https://www.mid.ru/ru/press_service/minister_speeches/1913921/">2</a>, <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1928541/">3</a>, <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1942532/">4</a>, <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1953464/">5</a>, <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1969360/">6</a>, <a href="https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1984504/">7</a>, <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1994830/">8</a>). The next one is planned for the very near future.</p><p>I am glad that we are now resuming the full-fledged work of the Diplomatic Club, which will be devoted to the consideration of all the problems of interest to you, including with the involvement of our expert community, academics, cultural figures, artists and, of course, representatives of the Russian regions. I am glad to see here the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Georgy Nikitin, who pays a lot of attention to the external factors of the development of his region and the strengthening of ties in the context of our foreign policy.</p><p>We are also interested in the involvement of those who work with <a href="https://dipacademy.ru/">the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy</a>. It was on this platform that the traditions of the Diplomatic Club were born. I would like to thank Acting Rector Sergey Shitkov, all the other organisers, and, of course, VEB.RF for the opportunity. Russian business is also a very important part of your work here in the Russian capital. And we will do everything we can to ensure that business diplomacy allows you to better understand the tasks set before you by your leaders and to determine the most effective ways to implement them.</p><p>I want to make a brief introductory speech, and then there will be an interactive dialogue–-this is the most interesting thing in terms of communicating with the audience.</p><p>Contrary to all the forecasts of futurologists, the profession of a diplomat remains in demand. We are more and more convinced of this. Yes, they say that artificial intelligence is stepping on its heels. But the heels of a diplomat are strong, and it is certainly not the "Achilles' heel" in our body. <em><strong>If you are a normal diplomat, then no artificial intelligence can replace your natural intelligence, intuition, experience and erudition. The erudition of artificial intelligence is a little different; we have come across it.</strong></em></p><p>Creative solutions can only be found by a living person with erudition experience. <em><strong>This is what diplomacy is all about. There are a huge number of such solutions today-–inventive, creative, based on stable principles, on a balance of interests so that crises do not break out again later</strong></em>. Everyone is now hearing about Ukraine in connection with the intrigue unfolding in Istanbul literally in these hours and minutes. <em><strong>But let's not forget about the tragedy of Gaza, the tragedy of the Palestinian territories in general, and other problems in the Middle East, which were created as a result of the absolutely reckless and aggressive policy of NATO countries, which resort to armed force without any hesitation, when they dislike something or someone.</strong></em></p><p>Remember how they destroyed Iraq, and then it turned out that they destroyed it in vain, because there were no weapons of mass destruction there. What to do? In his memoirs, Tony Blair lamented and that's it. Libya was destroyed simply in order to take revenge on Muammar Gaddafi for his independent policy and at the same time to hide the well-known facts that he financed one of the candidates in the presidential elections in France. This candidate, who later became president, was very reluctant to disclose the facts that he received money from a foreign country. There are a huge number of such examples. <em><strong>All this was done under the pretentious statements about the need to protect democracy, human rights and much more.</strong></em></p><p>In addition to the ongoing direct crises, I would also like to mention Yemen and the problem the West has with the Houthi movement. There are other situations that require negotiation skills. Take the Iranian nuclear programme and a number of other problems that arise in the process of geopolitical transformation of the world, geopolitical struggle, <em><strong>when ambitions collide.</strong></em> <em><strong>Take what is happening now in the Asia-Pacific region, which, in order to give its policy a clear anti-Chinese orientation, the West has begun to call the Indo-Pacific region, hoping thereby to additionally gain the opportunity to pit our great friends and neighbours, India and China, against each other.</strong></em> This is the policy of "divide and rule" (President of Russia Vladimir Putin recently recalled it again).</p><p>As for the Asia-Pacific region, there are important geopolitical spaces, one of them is Central Asia. Many diplomatic processes are now underway around it. I think the Central Asia + 1 format has already exceeded a dozen-–there are so many people who want to develop relations with our Central Asian friends.</p><p>Take what is happening in and around Southeast Asia. Our Western colleagues, as in any other part of the world, want to play a major role here and undermine the central role of ASEAN, which suited everyone for many decades and was based on the formation of a unifying space by the ASEAN countries and their dialogue partners in the fields of politics, military cooperation and defence. All this was based on the rules that were invented and approved by the ASEAN members themselves. All dialogue partners, when they joined this format, solemnly promised to comply with these rules.</p><p>The rules of consensus and the rules for finding common ground–-our Western colleagues are slowly pushing all this aside and are trying to lure some ASEAN members into openly confrontational rather than unifying formats–-various troikas and quartets. The leaders of the NATO secretariat are already seriously declaring that, as an alliance to protect the territories of member countries, they are forced to deploy their infrastructure in Southeast Asia, the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and so on, <em><strong>because it is from there, allegedly, that direct military threats to the alliance countries are now emanating. The fact that these are, to put it mildly, fantasies, and not very decent, do not even need to be proved.</strong></em></p><p>Of course, there are also regional processes. I mentioned the Iranian nuclear programme, but there are processes between all the coastal states of the Persian Gulf–-Iran and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which includes six Arab monarchies. There are also processes of normalization of relations between them. We welcome this as well.</p><p>If we take our Eurasian continent, where great civilizations continue to exist—Chinese and Indian. Now the Ottoman civilization is also being revived. <em><strong>We hope that the process of this revival will be harmonized with other sub-regional trends, so that all these processes conditioned by thousands of years do not contradict each other but are embodied in a kind of "cohabitation".</strong></em> There are no other continents like Eurasia where so many civilizations coexist and preserve their identity and relevance in the modern era.</p><p>At the same time, Eurasia is the only continent where there is no continental-wide structure. In Africa, there is the African Union, which is our great friends. Yes, there are also sub-regional formats, but above them there is a continent-wide African Union. There are also many sub-regional integration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean, but there is also a continental, region-wide one–-the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). There is nothing like this in Eurasia. <em><strong>There is a need for such a unifying process, including in order to harmonize the interests of many large, truly great powers and civilisations.</strong></em> Until now, such processes have been observed only in the western part of Eurasia, and all of them, in fact, were based on the Euro-Atlantic concept. These are NATO, the OSCE, which was created as a Euro-Atlantic structure. This is the European Union, strange as it may seem. Let me explain now.</p><p>Of course, <em><strong>the European Union was created for completely different purposes.</strong></em> It was created in order to unite efforts, promote more effective economic development of European countries (it is easier to do this together) and through the acceleration of economic development to solve social problems that post-war Europe experienced in abundance. <em><strong>But in recent years, the European Union has also become a Euro-Atlantic "construct" because everything it does is coordinated with the North Atlantic Alliance.</strong></em> A couple of years ago, the Declaration on Cooperation between NATO and the EU was signed, <em><strong>in which the European Union provides its capabilities, including territory, transport infrastructure and everything that may be needed, to NATO</strong></em>, if, for example, they want to transfer more troops and military equipment to the borders of our country. This is openly discussed.</p><p>As for the rest of the Eurasian continent, there was a useful initiative by the first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to create a Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. This initiative was actively developed. Now, after many years when Kazakhstan headed this structure, Azerbaijan chairs this meeting, and the process of transforming this meeting into an organization is underway. This is a manifestation of the very tendency towards unification. We welcome it. But in the end, we should still talk about moving towards the creation of a continent-wide structure, as is the case in Africa and Latin America. Maybe it should not be called an organization. A continent-wide process. <em><strong>The main thing is that it should be open to all countries of Eurasia without exception. Not only for the European or only Asian part of the continent, but for all countries and associations that have a clearly defined Eurasian context.</strong></em></p><p>The process is not easy, but you always have to start somewhere. Typically, this kind of thing starts with thinking. We are very grateful to our Belarusian friends. A couple of years ago, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko initiated the annual Conference on Eurasian Security. Two have already taken place (<a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1911977/">1</a>, <a href="https://www.mid.ru/ru/press_service/minister_speeches/1978553/">2</a>), the third is due this fall. The conference will be annual. In the context of these discussions, Russia, together with Belarus, proposes to start developing a Eurasian Charter on Multipolarity and Diversity in the 21st Century, inviting, I stress, all countries located on the Eurasian continent without exception, <em><strong>including the western part of Eurasia, when our colleagues of "that space" (from the western part of the continent) are ready to talk not "through the lip", as they have been doing recently. not condescendingly, without the rudeness that they regularly allow themselves in relation to Russia and other countries, but will be ready for a conversation on the basis of the principles that they signed up to when they joined the United Nations.</strong></em></p><p>The main principle is the sovereign equality of states. And all the other principles of the Charter are absolutely adequate and relevant. <em><strong>The only trouble is that the West either does not comply with them at all,</strong></em> as in the case of the sovereign equality of states, or observes, as we say, "as God wills," that is, when it is convenient for it, it pulls out one principle, completely forgetting about the others. With regard to Kosovo, everyone knows, they said that this is the self-determination of the Kosovo people. With regard to Crimea, they said that this is a violation of territorial integrity. And why is this not self-determination? There was a referendum in Crimea, but there was no referendum in Kosovo. With regard to Ukraine, our Western colleagues, as well as some non-Western ones, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with whom I spoke several times, continue to say that we are in favour of resolving the crisis on the basis of the UN Charter and Ukraine's territorial integrity.</p><p>Well, you are the Secretary-General, and you should probably read the Charter in its entirety. Where is the principle of self-determination, which came in handy in Kosovo and which was recognised as absolutely modern and applicable by the International Court of Justice, which said that the secession of a part of a state into an independent entity does not necessarily require the consent of the central authorities? This is written.<em><strong> The Secretary-General must not forget about the principle of self-determination, especially since he represents a country that used to be a metropolis. And the process of decolonisation, liberation from the oppression of the metropolis, was based on the international legal principle of self-determination of peoples.</strong></em></p><p>Back in 1970, the UN General Assembly <a href="https://www.un.org/ru/documents/decl_conv/declarations/intlaw_principles.shtml">stated</a> that yes, everyone should respect the territorial integrity of states, but those states whose governments observe the principle of self-determination of peoples and, by virtue of this, represent the entire population living on the corresponding territory. Did the metropolises in the middle of the last century represent the peoples of the African continent? Of course not. And the peoples decided that since everything coincides here, there is the right of nations to self-determination, there is justice in the end, and the authorities that did not suit the colonial peoples ceased to be such.</p><p>Who can say that the government that came to power in Ukraine in 2014 as a result of a coup d'état represented the people of Crimea, Donbass, and now represents the people who have professed Russian culture for centuries, whose ancestors founded these cities, plants, factories, ports, and who have now been declared the "non-indigenous" people of Ukraine, who have banned the Russian language in all countries? <em><strong>Where is at least one voice from the Western camp? After all, when the West considers any situation when they speak at the UN, or simply during other events, no matter what country you take–-Russia, China, India, Venezuela, Iran, any country–-human rights are necessarily present in the morals that the West constantly reads.</strong></em></p><p>For interest, starting in 2014, go online and leaf through everything you can look through. If you find at least one statement by at least one Western leader criticising human rights in Ukraine. Probably, our friends from Hungary consistently defend the rights of the Hungarian national minority, make such statements, while those who imagine themselves to be the leaders of the "free world"–-France, Britain, Germany, not to mention Poland and the Baltic states-–<em><strong>never.</strong></em> And the European bureaucracy, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and others like her, when we call for the implementation of the principles of the UN Charter, including the requirement to respect human rights regardless of race, gender, language and religion, and language and religion are exactly what is categorically prohibited by law in Ukraine, when we say, "Influence your "clients", at least when they wake up in the morning still able to hear something, demand that they repeal these laws, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and other figures say that <em><strong>Ukraine defends European values. That's all. This means that Europe is in favour of Nazism, because it flourishes in Ukraine and is legitimised in the holidays dedicated to collaborators who fought on the side of Nazi Germany.</strong></em></p><p>Why am I saying this in such detail? Many people have been fussing in Europe now, especially about the meeting in Istanbul. I will conclude with what I started with. At first, Vladimir Zelensky made some statements that he "demands that President of Russia Vladimir Putin come in person." He is a pathetic man. Everyone understands it, except for himself and those who are "puppeteering" them. His "senior comrades" explained to him that he should not behave so stupidly, that negotiations are needed.</p><p>Over the past three or four days, the West has pushed back the word "truce". We have explained it in detail. French President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview three days ago, he said that we need talks, meetings, but <em><strong>they must do everything to ensure that the truce is the main thing, and Ukraine must approach the talks from a position of strength.</strong></em> This is an elementary answer. This is a sincere admission of why a truce is needed. In order to pump up Ukraine, so that it prepares for negotiations from a position of strength.</p><p>French President Emmanuel Macron has explained that this is not what this is all about. The Americans supported our President's proposal that talks should be given a chance. No one guarantees that everything will go smoothly and without problems. On the contrary, there will definitely be problems, as happened three years ago in Istanbul, when the initialed principles were ready to be put on a treaty paper, and the British forbade the Kiev regime to continue this process, which could have ended with a settlement. And now Britain is leading Vladimir Zelensky through the jungle of world politics. A British Prime Minister's National Security Adviser has already been seconded to Vladimir Zelensky so that he does not blurt out anything unnecessary and does not completely bury his reputation and the reputation of those who train him.</p><p><em><strong>They say that something needs to be done quickly, because the United States wants to achieve results. They have much more to do than just Ukraine.</strong></em> The simplest result is to declare that not even because there is a war going on, not because Ukraine is under pressure from anyone, be it the West, China, Brazil, Africa or another country or group of countries, but because there is a <a href="https://www.un.org/ru/about-us/un-charter/full-text">UN Charter</a> that says about human rights, including language and religion, that there is a series of conventions on the rights of national minorities to which Ukraine is a party. <em><strong>These are conventions both under the auspices of the UN and under the auspices of the Council of Europe. Among other things, there is also the Constitution of Ukraine, which stipulates the obligation of the state to respect the rights of Russians (highlighted separately) and other national minorities and is listed in education, in the media, everywhere</strong></em>.</p><p>Why did the Western "curators" of the Kiev regime not advise, or even insist, that they announce the abolition of all laws that violate the <a href="https://www.un.org/ru/about-us/un-charter/full-text">UN Charter</a>, international conventions and the Constitution of Ukraine itself? That would be the result. <em><strong>This would cost nothing to either the Americans or the Europeans. Washington always promotes the slogan of "human rights." And here we need to return the regime to normality. This is not a concession. This is the fulfillment of what you signed up to and at one time they believed you.</strong></em></p><p>I said more than I planned. Let's move on to interactive mode.</p><p><strong>Question: </strong>We have talked a lot today about the impact of soft power through the prism of tourism. The question will be as follows. Patriotic tourism is not the history of the past, but the present. I would like to know from you, perhaps the Russian Foreign Ministry has projects to attract new visitors to our main museums? Because our Western partners, as we know, claim that they gained the upper hand in World War II. And we did it. We were the first in space. I visited the Atom Museum, and it is a chic and innovative museum. <em><strong>We would like our foreign partners to understand and realise that it is Russia that is the technical and cultural "engine" for the whole world.</strong></em> And through the prism of our modern museums, such as the <a href="https://atom.museum/">Atom Museum</a>, the <a href="https://cosmos.vdnh.ru/">Center for Cosmonautics and Aviation</a>, we would like the whole world to know about us as an engine that directs our world to a bright future.</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov: </strong>It seems to me that any ambassador is objectively interested in ensuring that the citizens of his country, especially the leaders of his country, know more about the history of the state in which they are accredited.</p><p>There are many representatives of the diplomatic corps here. As far as I understand, they are well aware of the importance of this work, in addition to the fact that it is interesting for a normal person to get acquainted with history. <em><strong>But this is also important in order to apply this knowledge later.</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>History repeats itself, and not necessarily in the form of a farce. Sometimes it repeats itself in the form of a lesson from which you can draw some ideas for today.</strong></em> It is difficult for me to come up with ideas right away. If you have ideas on how to organise special events for ambassadors, we have a practice–-<em><strong>we do not offer to go to museums collectively, but we do offer trips around the country.</strong></em> We regularly announce a route several times a year. Interested ambassadors form a group. There are meetings with the leadership of the regions, visits to enterprises that form the basis of the economy of a particular region of the Russian Federation, and mandatory acquaintance with the beauty and sights.</p><p>I hope that patriotic tourism is not only monuments related to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, but also the history of our people, which is embodied in a variety of forms: in architecture, in painting, in nature.</p><p>A year ago, Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Georgy Nikitin <a href="https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1955321/">and I held</a> a meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers. They will never forget what they saw in Nizhny Novgorod.</p><p>I have not been there for a long time and was inspired by how it is being transformed, and carefully. It is becoming modern, but it does not lose its antiquity and spirit, which permeates nature, churches and many other facilities in this part of Russia. Therefore, we are all for it. If there are any hints on how we can stimulate the diplomatic corps more based on your experience, go ahead, please.</p><p>Before the start of the conference, I was told that the collection of the Nizhny Novgorod Treasury will be replenished, Mr. Dudakov kindly shows some of it here. Of course, this will also be such a "magnet".</p><p><strong>Question:</strong> At the beginning of your presentation, you mentioned artificial intelligence. There are many questions. I would like to propose, perhaps, to talk about this within the framework of the Club, because<em><strong> I feel that the issue is not only about the illiteracy of artificial intelligence, but in the clash of the vision of my generation with the younger one.</strong></em></p><p>It would be interesting if some experts could talk about this, because I share your vision on diplomacy and artificial intelligence.</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov:</strong> I also catch myself thinking that time is ticking, and today's young people (and not only young people) and children perceive everything differently. For them, many things that seemed fantastic to us at their age are like semolina porridge in the morning - it is impossible to do without them.</p><p>If we talk about how generations create new ways of life, then who knows, maybe today's children who "discover" iPhones, smartphones, Huawei in kindergarten as if they were at home, and we say (when elderly people meet, discuss young people and say),<em><strong> they say, it's not the same now, the grass used to be greener, and the water was wetter, and in about 50 years, today's boys and girls will meet and talk. Like, yes, in our time, intelligence was artificial, and now there is nothing at all.</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>This is an important topic.</strong></em> I can tell you that in our Ministry we have a Department of International Information Security that deals with cybersecurity, but this is "narrower" than artificial intelligence. We want to reform this department. We have planned a special meeting of the Foreign Ministry Collegium within a month and a half. Now my employees are preparing it.</p><p>This must be borne in mind. Because it also touches on such fateful topics as security and development of the state. It is not for nothing that President of Russia Vladimir Putin said at an economic forum a couple of years ago that the one who will be ahead in promoting artificial intelligence in practical areas will be the leader.</p><p>I think there will be several such countries. But it should be used in diplomacy. Because earlier, when I started my career, I had to "run" through the corridors. The typist typed something for you, God forbid, she made a mistake somewhere. It was necessary to cover it up, type it again. <em><strong>Of course, working with a live typist is better than working with any artificial intelligence, this must also be admitted. But the process was long and drawn-out. </strong></em>Now everything is instantaneous. <em><strong>And the speed in finding what you need, it should be appreciated</strong></em> and this process should be improved in every possible way.</p><p>But when you get what you need, I mean facts from past history, from something fresh, for example, <em><strong>how the Ukrainian crisis developed, now you often have to remind the French, Germans, and British, who are blatantly lying.</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking not so long ago (a month ago), said that Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to comply with the Minsk Agreements. Even what happened a couple of years ago, when his predecessor admitted that he was not going to implement anything, is being turned upside down.</strong></em> But it is important to get these facts, to refresh your knowledge by pressing a button, without having to climb through files, flip through thousands of pages. <em><strong>Then, when you have received or refreshed these facts, your head should work.</strong></em></p><p><strong>Question: </strong>I know what Russia's contribution to sports, culture and science is. I do not understand what Russophobia and the West's hatred of Russia are. We see that Russophobia or hatred is already a symptom. What do you think is this behaviour or approach?</p><p>It is clear that they look at us Africans as an "inferior" race. And you are white-skinned, you look like them. You are smart, you develop science and sports. Why is there such hatred for you? I want to understand.</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov:</strong> There are many opinions on this matter.</p><p>I have mentioned some historical examples. Napoleon, the great emperor of France, gathered almost all of Europe into his army to attack the Russian Empire. How it all ended is known.</p><p>After the First World War, they say, Germany was offended, it was humiliated, seeds were sown so that it began to take revenge. It doesn't matter how it happened, but it is important what came out of it. It turned out again, like Napoleon's. They gathered almost all of Europe under the banner of the Third Reich and attacked the Soviet Union. And everyone attacked. Both the Spaniards and the French took part in the siege of Leningrad, not only the Germans, but <em><strong>almost all the leading European countries that surrendered to Hitler and did not defend their fatherland, drank coffee on the Champs-Elysees.</strong></em></p><p>There were great people in France, whom we recently recalled: Charles de Gaulle and those who led the Resistance. In November 2024, we celebrated the next anniversary of the great <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1787238/#22">Normandie-Niemen</a> Regiment. All this should be appreciated. These were people who, contrary to the then authorities of their countries, went to the Resistance. It was they who defended the national pride of the same France.</p><p>Now we see almost the same thing. The Biden administration has also united all of Europe (it has added its satellites in Asia to this association: Japan, South Korea – those whom they consider obedient executors of their will) and has directed all these states against Russia. First of all, of course, in the form of financing the Kiev regime and supplying it with the most modern weapons, including for strikes deep into Russian territory.<em><strong> All this is also happening under Nazi slogans. </strong></em>The most "experienced" combat units, as they say, of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are the Nazi battalions–-Azov and Aidar (recognised as terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation). They are now "raising their heads" and Vladimir Zelensky is afraid of them. And they openly wear Nazi chevrons, flags and tattoos. Torchlight processions continue in Ukraine in honour of the birthdays of Sergey Bandera, Roman Shukhevych and other traitors who shot Russians, Poles and Ukrainians themselves. <em><strong>When we say "denazification", we also mean this.</strong></em></p><p>And why is this happening? Why is the West so restless in inflicting a "strategic defeat" on us on the battlefield? Perhaps they do not like the fact that Russia is independent.</p><p>Now Europe and the United States are diverging in their views. The Trump administration, of course, also wants to make America only great and only number one.<em><strong> Any administration in the United States will promote this position.</strong></em> The current administration has at least returned to <em><strong>"normality", when no matter what the contradictions, politicians, and even more so diplomats, are obliged to talk</strong></em>. Even when there were absolutely irreconcilable contradictions during the Cold War, there was always a dialogue. And then US President Joe Biden simply "chopped him off." And after him, the whole of Europe obediently followed the lead. And relations were broken off not diplomatically, but practically.</p><p>I was amazed when "new ideas" were discussed a year ago during the Biden administration. There were some events in the European Union, regular summits and meetings of foreign ministers. They adopted some texts on Ukraine.</p><p>Previously, we had Russia-EU summits twice a year. And we regularly (every six months) held meetings with EU ambassadors. (Just as we meet with the ambassadors of the African Union, soon we will have events through Latin America, Asia, the CIS, our closest neighbors). <em><strong>We invited all the EU ambassadors and a representative of the European Council to a special meeting to meet with the Foreign Minister to talk about Ukraine and ask any questions. They collectively refused.</strong></em> Not because I am so proud or touchy, vulnerable. <em><strong>When you work in any country and the Minister of Foreign Affairs invites you for a free conversation, then you are not an ambassador, you just... (I know a few words, but...) This is a disgrace for any diplomat. </strong></em>Therefore, we are not communicating with them now. They do not communicate with us either. Sometimes, when a specific topic is "suspended".</p><p>Returning to your question, historians will probably answer it for a long time. There have been many wars in our Russian history, which in the overwhelming majority were not started by us. But in all those wars that came to us from the East (the most famous was the Tatar-Mongol yoke), we could somehow negotiate in a humane way. And in the end, we agreed. It was about the same with the Russian-Turkish wars.</p><p>I just thought that a lot of blood was shed from the eastern flank, but in the end, they somehow achieved a mutually respectful balance, and the "guys" on the left did not calm down. They have recently confirmed again that they felt the disunity that is beginning to appear between the United States and Europe, and not only because of Ukraine, but simply because the Trump administration, first of all, wants to remove obstacles to mutually beneficial economic cooperation with Russia. <em><strong>We are not against it if it is really mutually beneficial and honest.</strong></em></p><p>At a recent <a href="http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/76914/photos">meeting</a> with members of the Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) National Organisation, President of Russia explained the conditions under which those who have left the Russian market can return. Of course, we will not do this to the detriment of Russian business. Nevertheless, we are ready for this. And US President Donald Trump is interested in this, as well as in developing normal, mutually beneficial ties in the economy, finances and logistics with any country.</p><p>Apparently, a visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE is proceeding successfully. In addition, the Trump administration itself says that it has other priorities: the Iranian nuclear programme, relations between the Arabs and Israel, and <em><strong>China, which the United States has declared in its doctrinal documents to be the "main challenge," a challenge to Washington's goal of always being number one, so that no one is stronger in anything, neither in the economy, nor in finance, nor in military affairs. </strong></em>Therefore, European affairs seem to be fading into the background. Representatives of the Trump administration have even said this publicly, saying that they have proposed this, and if you don't want to, then you don't need to, let Europe deal with it itself, and they say they have other things to do, that they have other and more important things to do.</p><p>There is ample evidence that neither Berlin, nor Paris, nor Brussels, especially London, want any peace in Ukraine at all. They decide that if the United States withdraws from active support (by the way, this will be projected onto NATO as well), then Europe needs to think about itself somehow. French President Emmanuel Macron has already come up with some kind of "European army" and is ready to put his nuclear warheads in a "common cauldron." In this situation, according to our information, they are still talking to each other directly: "Europe's mobilisation against Russia must not be stopped" In this sense, Ukraine is an invaluable tool. There are a lot of mercenaries there, and instructors and active servicemen of the armies of NATO countries are working under the guise of mercenaries. Now they still want to "deliver" stabilisation forces there.</p><p><em><strong>We have already explained many times that this will be absolutely unacceptable for Russia, and they continue to promote all this.</strong></em> We have such a word—"run into trouble".</p><p>The day before yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with TF1 that they should not enter into a direct clash with Russia, otherwise there will be a third world war, and they do not want it. Therefore, they are allegedly not on the front line, but on the territory of Ukraine, a little further. This, according to him, will deter Russia, because it wants to defeat Ukraine and attack Europe. This is said by the president and not just of some country formed yesterday, but by the president of a country with a centuries-old history, culture, tradition. Trouble.</p><p>We also have such an expression, but it is impossible to understand it intellectually.</p><p><strong>Question:</strong> We are working closely with the legislative and executive branches. And just as an initiative, I have now seen that there is a request from friendly countries (Africa and not only) in the field of tourism. You have just mentioned the need to take diplomats to the regions. This can be given a deeper meaning. And, perhaps, as an option, to make it a more planned action, interaction, a more full-fledged "cross-pollination", to revive the Coordinating Council for Tourism under the Government, which would already include, for example, diplomats... No, it won't work?</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov: </strong>You need to go into diplomacy. You started with such a simple issue as diplomats' trips around the country, but you want to lobby your interests in the Government.</p><p><strong>Question:</strong> First of all, countries have a request to see how tourism works in Russia and start B2B (business to business) interaction. I know this because I gave lectures at RSUTS in 2024 just for BRICS representatives. I know this issue from the inside. Today I heard from my colleagues that there is such a request. Some work is already underway. Perhaps we should just make it a more planned, measured agenda, which will already be integrated...</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov:</strong> The <a href="https://economy.gov.ru/">Ministry of Economic Development</a> is in charge of tourism. We do not deal with these issues but provide the best working conditions for diplomats (ambassadors and their employees) in the Russian Federation as much as we can. We are interested in them knowing more about our country. This is our niche.</p><p><strong>Question:</strong> I understand. When they go to the regions, I would like them not only...</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov: </strong>Do you want them to say that it is necessary to create a Ministry of Tourism?</p><p><strong>Question: </strong>Not really. So that they learn more about the potential. For diplomats, this can be like a door to their business.</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov:</strong> "Diplomats' business" is not a very correct combination.</p><p><strong>Question: </strong>No, for the business of their country.</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov: </strong><em><strong>The governor will consider it a pleasure and an honour to ensure the programme of his visit. It is his interest to show the potential of the region. From this point of view, there is no shortage of resources.</strong></em></p><p><strong>Question: </strong>This year marks not only the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, but also the 80th anniversary of the UN. This organisation has a great anniversary. We know that you have worked at the Permanent Mission of Russia to the UN for a long time. What would be your three wishes to the hero of the day in this situation?</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov:</strong> I wanted to say "survive," because there was a scandal recently when the latest statistics from the UN Secretariat were published. The situation with the contribution. The UN budget is $3.72 billion. per year. And the debt, unpaid contributions that should have already been transferred but not paid, are more than half of this amount. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres or his official representative was asked what to do now, whether the UN would close. And he confidently said that it would not close, that they would be "squeezed." By the way, there is room for "tightening" there, as in any bureaucracy.</p><p>I remember when Benjamin Boutros-Ghali was Secretary-General, he received a head of state. They entered the territory where the building of the UN General Assembly and other intergovernmental bodies stands. And next to it is a "pencil case"--a 38-storey high-rise building where the Secretariat is sitting. The head of state, who was in this territory for the first time, asks how many people work in this building? The answer was: "about half." This is a joke from life.</p><p>As in any bureaucracy, there is room to shrink and save more efficiently. Especially now. We have just talked about artificial intelligence. This saves a huge amount of time.</p><p>It is wrong to "cut" the UN's capabilities. The main debtor is the United States–-about $3 billion, if we also take into account the arrears of peacekeeping operations (they have a separate budget). Russia is in third place in terms of arrears to both the regular budget and peacekeeping operations. <em><strong>Not because we are undisciplined, but because the sanctions imposed by Joe Biden's "group" prohibit the transfer of contributions to the UN.</strong></em> I have been reminding Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of this for the third year in a row. <em><strong>He shrugs his shoulders. It is also sad when the Secretary-General cannot ensure that a country, especially a host country that is obliged to contribute in every possible way to the normal functioning of the UN, blocks a sovereign country from transferring its contributions, which are due by law.</strong></em></p><p>My friend Antonio Guterres and I had several problems. For example, then US President Barack Obama seized our diplomatic property at the end of 2016. We appealed to the General Assembly's Committee on Relations with the Host Country and presented the facts. There were also complaints against the Americans that the United States, as the host country, was obliged to ensure the work of all delegations. They restricted diplomats from leaving New York, and then even somewhere in New York they began to cut routes, a step to the left, a step to the right, and there will be some sanctions. <em><strong>We brought all this to the Committee on Relations with the Host Country, and it accepted the recommendation to the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps, including the possibility of arbitration. And he has not wanted to go to arbitration for nine years, although he has a direct instruction from the Committee on Relations with the Host Country</strong></em>.</p><p>I had a lot of questions. The simplest was the tragedy in Bucha near Kyiv, which the West used as one of the factors to disrupt the agreements between Russia and Ukraine in April 2022 and used to introduce a new package of sanctions. To this day, no one knows how the investigation ended. I have already spoken about this publicly many times, and we specifically asked the UN Human Rights Council (it has a "special commission" on Ukraine) to give us any information. Deathly silence. We know that they have some information, but they are categorically forbidden to disclose it. <em><strong>This means that they receive instructions from individual governments, not from collective UN bodies.</strong></em></p><p>"The last cry of despair." Several times in public at the UN Security Council, in the presence of all delegations, I asked the Secretary-General, who was also in the room, whether he could at least help to obtain a list of persons whose bodies were shown by BBC journalists, who happened to be "very convenient" in this suburb of Kiev, and about whom no one else knows anything.</p><p>I will say more, the last two times in New York I held press conferences, and all the world's media were represented there. I addressed them. Dear colleagues, a journalist usually likes to dig deeper, to get to the very roots of a case, but here everything is on the surface. Can I get the names of the people whose corpses were lying there, neatly laid out along the road? No one reacted in any way. Does it make you think? Of course.</p><p>Now the Malaysian Boeing. The day before the arrival of Prime Minister of Malaysia A. Ibrahim, who was on our <a href="http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/76917">visit</a>, the International Civil Aviation Organisation issued a document on the results of the investigation into the Malaysian Boeing plane crash in July 2014. This means that the leadership of this structure distributed the report, made it public before the Board of Governors got acquainted with it. It does not take into account anything that we have repeatedly noted: that Ukraine refused to respond to numerous requests to provide radar data (the fact that it was obliged to close the airspace and did not close it–-everyone knows this). This topic is omitted altogether, although we have provided data, including primary data from radars. The United States refused to provide satellite data, although they accused us and sent the relevant materials to this investigation team, stressing that the guilt of the Russian side was proven by the data that they have from satellites. And the investigation (in the final report) says that the United States said that it had data confirming the guilt of the Russian side, but did not provide it, but they believed it. A dozen and a half witnesses were questioned. Of these, only one was interviewed in person. No one saw everyone else. This is anonymous testimony included in the report. As A. Schwarzenegger in his favorite role said: "Trust me". I won't say anything more. And a lot of other inconsistencies that are in no way explained.</p><p><em><strong>The UN Secretariat has been privatised. There are more than a hundred posts of Deputy Secretaries-General. The overwhelming majority of them are devoted to sectoral, secondary topics, which may be important, but do not provide access to direct control of the Secretariat's structures. The positions that provide such a way out are the Secretary General, a citizen of Portugal, a NATO member country.</strong></em></p><p>There is a Under-Secretary-General, a representative of the African continent. She has certain functions, but this is not direct management. The Secretary General (a NATO country), the most important post is Deputy for Political Affairs (USA), Deputy for Peacekeeping Operations (France), Deputy for Humanitarian Operations, this is also money, the dispatch of rescuers, the transfer of humanitarian aid (Britain), the Deputy for Security of the entire UN system and its projects on the ground (Canada). The Deputy for Counter-Terrorism is the Russian Federation, but this is a very specific area. The Deputy for Socio-Economic Affairs is the PRC, this is also an important post, but it is limited to the non-political aspects of managing UN structures. A couple of years ago, we advocated starting the process of revising the criteria on the basis of which the Secretariat is formed, so that the size of the economic potential would not be the main one, as it is now (if in terms of GDP, then, of course, the West would still have an advantage), but that the formation of the Secretariat should be based on the rule enshrined in the <a href="https://www.un.org/ru/about-us/un-charter/full-text">UN Charter</a> – the sovereign equality of states. How people are hired, so that it does not depend on whether you are a man or a woman, transgender (as is now the case in Europe), so that there is a certain percentage, whether you can do it or not, whether you know it or not, whether you want it or not.</p><p><strong>Question:</strong> At this moment, the Russian delegation is on its way to talks in Istanbul. Perhaps it has already reached the venue. What are the main theses with which we went to the talks? Ukraine has staged a real show around this event in recent days. Do you see a possibility that they may eventually be disrupted? What results of the talks, if they take place, will Moscow be satisfied?</p><p><strong>Sergey Lavrov: </strong>I spoke about this at the very beginning. President Vladimir Putin has spoken about this many times. I will not even repeat myself. In June 2024, speaking at the Russian Foreign Ministry, he <a href="http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/74285">outlined</a> our entire position. It is not the need to agree on a truce in order to pump Ukraine with weapons again and "incite" it to continue the war,<em><strong> but to ensure a long-term, sustainable settlement that fairly reflects the security interests of all parties involved.</strong></em> <em><strong>To do this, it is necessary to eliminate the root causes of this conflict. We have been warning for many years not to create these root causes,</strong></em> bearing in mind what the group of putschists who came to power in Kiev after the coup d'état in 2014 were doing:<em><strong> first, creating threats to Russia's security by drawing NATO infrastructure into the territory of Ukraine (NATO actively wanted this). And the second thing that the putschists were doing was the extermination of the Russian language, Russian culture, and everything that connected Ukraine and Russia in one way or another.</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>Denazification also fits into the second part of the answer. What the Zelensky regime is doing with regard to everything Russian is pure Nazism.</strong></em> And demilitarisation, because, as I have already said, among the root causes were NATO's plans to develop the territory of Ukraine, bases were planned to be created on Ukrainian territory, and naval bases in Crimea were planned even before the coup d'état. Coup d'état was supposed to implement these plans in the Sea of Azov. All this happened. <em><strong>The question of what military capabilities Ukraine will have is far from idle. There can be no talk of any foreign military presence here.</strong></em></p><p>As for the prospects. <em><strong>Diplomacy is not about guessing, but about doing it. This must be done professionally.</strong></em> And professionally does not mean shouting into the microphone like Vladimir Zelensky, demanding that President of Russia Vladimir Putin "come here personally," but do real things. [My Emphasis]</p></blockquote><p>Nowadays at almost every venue Lavrov repeats the same basic formula. Yes, there were a few non-formulaic questions which were welcome, but most of the talk was about Ukraine. And even there, not everything was covered. The issue with the UN Secretariat is very important as he’s not performing his duties to the point of refusal. It’s the “privatization” that motivates many to believe the UN Charter is a dead letter and the organization useless. Lavrov doesn’t believe that although as you read, he concedes many problems exist. In his opening, Lavrov notes that most problems arise “when ambitions collide,” and later notes “Washington's goal of always being number one,” which is an ambition that’s constantly clashing with the entire world because the Outlaw US Empire seeks that status at the expense of all other nations. Like Nazis and Zionists, the American elite think they’re exceptional when nothing’s exceptional, especially people. Someone may possess an exceptional talent but that doesn’t make that person an exceptional human. IMO, Lavrov’s answer about the generational differences relative to AI was very humble and quite correct for today’s younger generation when they reach Lavrov’s 75 years of age will marvel at the technology at that time and must about the simpler days of youth. His answer makes me wonder if someone gave him a Russian version of Alexa. </p><p>My last observation is about Russophobia and denazification. Lavrov didn’t touch on the initial reason for anti-Slavness’s roots in religion, nor do many others despite its massive importance given what was transpiring from 800-1200AD. That was also when the roots of Exceptionalism were planted in Europe in the Vatican’s corrupted version of Christianity, its megalomania and pleonexia. Nazism is just an extremist ethnocentric version of exceptionalism, much like the Vatican’s about 1050 as it went about eliminating all other forms of Christianity from the known world—a quest that appears to finally have ended. Europe’s Class System was created anew by the Church’s Feudal System, and from there we have all those instruments, ways and means Bastiat denounced as the control system devised by that Class system that remains in force today. So, yes, Nazism is very much a part of European Values as we see from the behavior of Europe’s Class System and its controllers. And this leads to the Russian SMO goal of denazification, for as we see it’s not just the Nazis within Ukraine, but the Nazis within the Western World—including the Outlaw US Empire. This issue alone IMO is why the negotiations were framed by Russia as a continuation of those aborted in 2022. One last item: Has anyone seen a published report quoting Zelensky or the Rada having repealed his no negotiation edict? I haven’t.</p><p>*<br>*<br>*<br><em>Like what you’ve been reading at Karlof1’s Substack? Then please consider subscribing and choosing to make a <strong>monthly/yearly pledge</strong> to enable my efforts in this challenging realm. Thank You!</em></p><p></p><p></p><p data-attrs='{"url":"https://karlof1.substack.com/subscribe?","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}' data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton" data-sanitized-class="button-wrapper"><a href="https://karlof1.substack.com/subscribe?" data-sanitized-class="button primary"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>      </p>

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guid: yt:video:XH7NtIgL-Mo
title: A LaRouchian Shock Wave-Driven U.S. Economic Recovery
author: ;Diane Sare
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH7NtIgL-Mo
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{"enclosures":[{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/v/XH7NtIgL-Mo?version=3","title":"A LaRouchian Shock Wave-Driven U.S. Economic Recovery","description":"This week, I will be joined by EIR economics researcher Richard Freeman to discuss an exciting perspective for a REAL American economic recovery. In Mr. Freeman's words:\n   \n&quot;A U.S. Economic recovery depends, above all, on the method employed to create it. We will look at eight transformative projects, applied and interacting together, which will create what Mr.LaRouche calls and comic shockwave.\n   \n&quot;Such a shockwave, which will create more than 40 million new productive jobs by 2045, will be undertaken within the context of building a new global security and development architecture. Local, regional and state projects are necessary and will be built. But they, by themselves, will not produce the necessary change to overcome an ongoing, deepening U.S. physical economic collapse.\n      \n&quot;The LaRouche method discussed here will produce an outstanding anti-entropic growth that would be appreciated by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, who are the last two American System Presidents whose policy produced astounding productivity and shockwave economic growth.&quot;\n\nPlease join us tonight for this exciting discussion.","type":"application/x-shockwave-flash","height":390,"width":640,"thumbnails":["https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/XH7NtIgL-Mo/hqdefault.jpg"]}]}


guid: 1031135 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Will Nuclear Fusion Soon Be The "Norm?"
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/will-nuclear-fusion-soon-be-norm
hash: ,�0lh�K��1�4��
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<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Will Nuclear Fusion Soon Be The "Norm?"</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em><a href="https://realclearwire.com/articles/2025/05/14/will_nuclear_fusion_soon_be_the_norm_1110139.html">Authored by Duggan Flanakin via RealClearEnergy</a>,</em></p>

<p><strong>The dream of humanity to imitate the forces that created their habitat has been alive</strong> for at least as far back as the time when humans with a single language decided to build a city with a tower that reached the heavens. For such a people, “nothing they plan will be impossible to them,” it is recorded.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/686737_jpg_92.jpg?itok=AJGL6GYV" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/686737_jpg_92.jpg?itok=AJGL6GYV"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0d8b5f22-584e-471d-96ae-af2d85cf822e" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="394" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/686737_jpg_92.jpg?itok=AJGL6GYV" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<p>For at least the same time frame, humanity has sought comfort through technology. While primitive heat producers like coal and wood are still used today, the discovery that petroleum, natural gas, and even moving water could generate a newly discovered phenomenon known as “electricity” transformed the industrial revolution into the modern era.</p>

<p><strong>Not until the 1930s did German scientists build on Enrico Fermi’s discovery that neutrons could split atoms to recognize that splitting atoms would release significant energy </strong>– energy that could be used for both bombs and electricity generation. By the 1950s, scientists began building nuclear fission-based power plants that today provide about a tenth of the world’s electricity.</p>

<p>Scientists and engineers also began to envision the potential of nuclear fusion -- the reaction of light atomic nuclei powers the sun and the stars. Since that time, they have worked feverishly, but with little success, to replicate this energy-rich reaction using deuterium and tritium.</p>

<p><strong>One group of scientists and engineers decided to try an alternative approach.</strong></p>

<p>Founded in 1998, California-based TAE Technologies has been developing a reactor that runs on proton-boron aneutronic fusion – that is, a fusion reaction that fuses a hydrogen nucleus with non-radioactive boron-11 instead of fusing hydrogen isotopes of deuterium and tritium. Their goal is to develop commercial fusion power with the cleanest-possible environmental profile.</p>

<p>All efforts at fusion require chambers that can withstand temperatures of millions of degrees Celsius and immense pressure that are needed to fuse two isotopes together. To accomplish this requires huge amounts of energy – and until recently, more energy than the fusion produced.</p>

<p><strong>Most fusion researchers, including those building the ITER project being built in France, rely on a donut-shaped tokamak reactor chamber,</strong> in which a stream of plasma must be held away from its walls by electromagnets for any energy to be produced. The tokamak design uses a toroidal magnetic field to contain the hydrogen plasma and keep it hot enough to ignite fusion.</p>

<p>Sadly, as with ITER, project costs have soared and timeframes have fallen by the wayside despite occasional breakthroughs. Over decades, tokamak designs became gigantic, with huge superconducting magnetic coils to generate containment fields; they also had huge, complex electromagnetic heating systems.</p>

<p>Spurred by the failures of wind and solar to fully satisfy the desire for “clean energy,” governments and private investors began investing heavily into fission and fusion projects. <strong>Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has tapped into a $60 million state fund intended to bolster both fission and fusion energy in atomic energy’s American birthplace.</strong></p>

<p>New <a href="https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-crack-70-year-fusion-puzzle-paving-way-for-clean-energy/">research</a> at the University of Texas, in conjunction with Los Alamos National Laboratory and Type One Energy Group, uses symmetry theory to help engineers design magnetic confinement systems to reduce plasma leakage from tokamak magnetic fields.</p>

<p>The old method used for a stellarator reactor relied on perturbation theory. The new method, which relies on symmetry theory, is a game changer. It can also be used to identify holes in the tokamak magnetic field through which runaway electrons push through their surrounding walls and greatly reduce energy output.</p>

<p>The TAE Technology reactor is entirely different than any of the tokamak or stellarator fusion chambers.  In 2017, the company introduced its fifth-generation reactor, named Norman, which was designed to keep plasma stable at 30 million C. Five years later the machine had proven capable of sustaining stable plasma at more than 75 million C.</p>

<p><strong>That success enabled TAE to secure sufficient funding for its sixth-generation Copernicus reactor and to envision the birth of its commercial-ready Da Vinci reactor. But in between, TAE developed Norm.</strong></p>

<p>Norm uses a different type of fusion reaction and a new reactor design that exclusively produces plasma using neutral beam injections. The TAE design dumps the toroidal field in favor of a linear magnetic field that is based on the “field-reversed configuration” (FRC) principle, a simpler, more efficient way to build a commercial reactor.</p>

<p>Instead of massive magnetic coils, FRC makes the plasma produce its own magnetic containment field. The process involves accelerating high-energy hydrogen ions and giving them a neutral charge, then injecting them as a beam into the plasma. That causes the beams to be re-ionized as the collision energy heats the plasma to set up internal toroidal currents.</p>

<p>Norm’s neutral beam injection system has cut the size, complexity, and cost, compared to that of Norman, by up to 50%. But not only is an FRC reactor smaller and less expensive to manufacture and operate, says TAE, it can also produce up to 100 times more fusion power output than a tokamak -- based on the same magnetic field strength and plasma volume.</p>

<p>The FRC reactor also can run on proton-boron aneutronic fusion, which, instead of producing a neutron it produces three alpha particles plus a lot of energy. The fewer neutrons also do less damage to the reactor; the energy being released as charged particles is easier to harness. Less shielding is required, and, perhaps best of all, boron-11 is relatively abundant and not radioactive.</p>

<p>So, while “Norm” may not be the final step in developing commercial fusion energy, <strong>TAE’s hope is that fusion energy will the “norm” as early as the mid-1930s. FRC technology has materially de-risked Copernicus, according to TAE CEO Michi Binderbauer.</strong></p>

<p>If Norm is as advertised, it will accelerate the pathway to commercial hydrogen-boron fusion – a safe, clean, and virtually limitless energy source.</p>

<p>But is humanity ready for free energy to be the “norm?”</p>

<p><em><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dugganflanakin/">Duggan Flanakin</a> is a senior policy analyst at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow who writes on a wide variety of public policy issues.</em></p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T23:05:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 19:05</span>


guid: 1031094 at https://www.zerohedge.com
title: Mississippi Has The Lowest Average Salaries In The US, D.C. The Highest
author: ;Tyler Durden
link: https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/mississippi-has-lowest-average-salaries-us-dc-highest
hash: kh�\ T>'�r�ZI��
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content:
<span property="schema:name" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Mississippi Has The Lowest Average Salaries In The US, D.C. The Highest</span>

            <div property="schema:text" data-sanitized-class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>While wages in the U.S. <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1351276/wage-growth-vs-inflation-us/">have grown</a> in recent years, many families are <strong>still feeling the squeeze of high inflation</strong>. <strong>Pay levels vary widely</strong> not just by profession, but also by geography.</p>

<p>This graphic, <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-average-salary-by-state-in-2025/">via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, </a>maps the average salary by U.S. state using the latest data from the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/state-employment-and-unemployment/average-hourly-earnings-and-weekly-hours-and-earnings-by-state.htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>, as of March 2025. The figures represent total private hourly earnings, not seasonally adjusted.</p>

<p><a data-image-external-href="" data-image-href="/s3/files/inline-images/Average-Salary-by-State-in-2025.jpg?itok=_UK9tUC9" data-link-option="0" href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/Average-Salary-by-State-in-2025.jpg?itok=_UK9tUC9"><picture><img data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bea25698-01ec-4838-8456-348748685727" data-responsive-image-style="inline_images" height="652" width="500" src="https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/Average-Salary-by-State-in-2025.jpg?itok=_UK9tUC9" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" data-sanitized-class="inline-images image-style-inline-images"></picture></a></p>

<h2>DC Tops the List</h2>

<p>At the top of the list is Washington, DC, where workers earn an average of $52.89 per hour, far outpacing every state. This reflects the region’s concentration of high-paying jobs in government, law, and professional services.</p>

<p>Massachusetts comes in second at<strong> $42.50/hour</strong>, followed by Washington at $41.82, and California at $40.93. In common, these states are home to major tech, biotech, and finance hubs.</p>

<table data-sanitized-id="tablepress-5658" data-sanitized-class="tablepress tablepress-id-5658"><thead><tr data-sanitized-class="row-1"><th data-sanitized-class="column-1">State/District</th>
			<th data-sanitized-class="column-2">Average hourly earnings</th>
		</tr></thead><tbody data-sanitized-class="row-striping row-hover"><tr data-sanitized-class="row-2"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">District of Columbia</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$52.89</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-3"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Massachusetts</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$42.50</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-4"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Washington</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$41.82</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-5"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">California</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$40.93</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-6"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Colorado</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$39.20</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-7"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Connecticut</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$39.08</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-8"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">New York</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$38.71</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-9"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Minnesota</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$38.25</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-10"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">New Jersey</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$37.98</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-11"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Alaska</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$37.65</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-12"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Hawaii</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$37.64</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-13"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Oregon</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$36.58</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-14"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Virginia</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$36.08</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-15"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Rhode Island</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$36.01</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-16"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Maryland</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$35.86</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-17"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">New Hampshire</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$35.55</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-18"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Utah</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$35.18</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-19"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Vermont</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$35.18</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-20"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Illinois</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$35.02</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-21"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Arizona</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$34.68</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-22"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Texas</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$34.49</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-23"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Florida</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$34.38</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-24"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Wisconsin</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$34.26</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-25"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">North Dakota</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$34.18</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-26"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Georgia</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$34.04</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-27"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Idaho</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$34.03</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-28"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">North Carolina</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$33.59</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-29"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Michigan</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$33.31</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-30"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Ohio</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$33.24</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-31"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Nebraska</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$32.77</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-32"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Montana</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$32.73</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-33"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Pennsylvania</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$32.66</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-34"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Delaware</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$32.54</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-35"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Missouri</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$32.45</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-36"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Maine</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$32.22</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-37"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Indiana</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$32.07</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-38"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">South Carolina</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$32.05</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-39"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Nevada</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$31.72</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-40"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Wyoming</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$31.59</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-41"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Kansas</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$31.51</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-42"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Alabama</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$31.24</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-43"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">South Dakota</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$31.16</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-44"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Iowa</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$30.94</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-45"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Tennessee</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$30.75</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-46"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Oklahoma</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$30.65</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-47"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Kentucky</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$30.18</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-48"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Arkansas</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$29.95</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-49"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">West Virginia</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$29.86</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-50"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">New Mexico</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$29.19</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-51"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Louisiana</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$29.17</td>
		</tr><tr data-sanitized-class="row-52"><td data-sanitized-class="column-1">Mississippi</td>
			<td data-sanitized-class="column-2">$28.25</td>
		</tr></tbody></table><p>At the other end of the spectrum are Mississippi ($28.25) and Louisiana ($29.17)—the only two states with average wages below $30 per hour.</p>

<p>Northeastern states dominate the upper end of the scale, with Connecticut and New York joining Massachusetts above the $38/hour mark. In contrast, much of the South and Midwest sits closer to or below the national median. For example, Iowa ($30.94) and Indiana ($32.07) reflect more modest earnings common in the region.</p>

<p>When compared, the earnings gap between the highest (DC) and lowest (Mississippi) is more than $24 per hour. The federal minimum wage is currently <strong>$7.25 per hour</strong> for workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), though many states have set their own, often higher, minimum wage rates.</p>

<p><em>If you enjoyed this map, check out <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-the-income-needed-to-buy-a-home-in-every-u-s-state/">this map</a> on Voronoi about the income needed to buy a home in every U.S. state.</em></p>
</div>
      <span rel="schema:author" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><a title="View user profile." href="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" lang="" about="https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="" data-sanitized-class="username">Tyler Durden</a></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2025-05-16T23:30:00+00:00" data-sanitized-class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden">Fri, 05/16/2025 - 19:30</span>


guid: https://raymcgovern.com/?p=8873
title: Roger Waters on the Genocide in Gaza
author: ;Ray McGovern
link: https://raymcgovern.com/2025/05/16/roger-waters-on-the-genocide-in-gaza/
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content:
<p data-sanitized-class="excerpt">Roger Waters alters the lyrics of Frank Sinatra’s “’Without a Song’ a man’s no good no how.” Changes it to “Without Cojones”. Roger then – this time without even a song – confronts us eloquently and powerfully to do what each of us can to STOP THE GENOCIDE</p><p data-sanitized-class="more-link-p"><a href="https://raymcgovern.com/2025/05/16/roger-waters-on-the-genocide-in-gaza/" data-sanitized-class="btn btn-default">Read more</a></p>


