NEWS REVUE
Prince Albert Poses! Putin Imposes! Zelensky Opposes! Fort Knox Reposes!
This was published in Santa Barbara Current.
“Prince Albert II poses with Donald Trump at Super Bowl” (Monaco Tribune)
Exact opposites when it comes to leadership.
One deals with stuff head on.
The other makes like an ostrich.
When Albert ascended the throne in April 2005 he procrastinated and meandered, empowering the corrupt Monaco Establishment to cook him into milquetoast with egg on his face.
“Kash Patel Is Already Making Beltway Bandits Sweat” (Daily Caller)
According to diagnostics, these are the most-used phrases on internet search engines in the DC-area since January 20th: witness protection, erase iPhone and paper shredder.
A senior member of the finance ministry in Monaco confided in me after Prince Albert pledged (in July 2005) to introduce a “new ethic” to his principality: “The shredders are overheating.” (They needn’t have bothered, Al didn’t mean it after all.)
“USAID inspector general is fired by the White House after attacking DOGE and Trump” (Daily Mail)
Inspector-generals in Institutional Washington earn hefty salaries not for keeping their institutions honest but to shield them from external scrutiny.
“Trump’s call with Putin alarms Europe and shocks Ukraine” (Daily Mail)
Vladimir Putin is a psychopathic bully on a mission to resurrect the former Soviet Union.
If he is not disallowed by the international community from crossing borders, expect much grief down the road.
“Putin’s no longer a pariah — and his ambitions lie beyond Ukraine” (The Times)
In the 1930s, the earliest globalists wanted to carve the world into three dominant spheres. Thus, they appeased Adolf Hitler.
Let us hope this is not the game plan as…
“Trump’s New World Order Leaves Europe Flailing” (The Guardian)
Hopefully, this next item is an accurate depiction of what’s truly going on.
“What to make of the unfolding Trump strategy on Ukraine” (Atlantic Council)
Excerpts:
Restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 borders is not achievable through military means in the near term. Ukraine’s leaders and most of Ukraine’s friends have acknowledged as much. Hegseth seemed to be suggesting that the immediate US objective is a cease-fire in place... Hegseth, happily, did not push Ukraine to cede territory. Neither did he suggest that the United States is prepared to recognize Russia’s occupation of about 20 percent of the country. If it means simply a recognition of the need for a cease-fire and not a surrender to Russia’s demands, it is consistent with a reasonable cease-fire to end the fighting.
There is no universe in which Russia will agree to NATO membership for Ukraine in a negotiation. That is what Hegseth said, and saying so is not the same as saying that Ukraine will never become a NATO member. Closing the door for Ukraine’s NATO membership would be an unrequited concession to Russia, weakening the US position for no good reason. But that is not yet the administration’s position and hopefully will not become its position.
It has been clear for some time that the United States would not put boots on the ground in Ukraine and that European countries would have to stand up a force to back up a cease-fire. It has also been clear that the Europeans would insist on US backup, including military backup, if their forces in Ukraine were under attack from Russia. Such backup could include air power and other means that would not cross Hegseth’s redline of deploying US troops inside Ukraine.
In my view, this is Trump’s strategy:
First and foremost, keep everyone guessing, including his own inner circle, but especially Institutional Washington and EU/NATO Allies and, most especially, Ukraine and Russia.
Put pressure on Zelensky for a) an audit of defense funds already provided and b) a payback deal (of rare earth minerals) for funds already dispensed and future funding.
Get EU/NATO nations to pay their fair share in defense of Ukraine.
Lean heavily on Putin to pull back and remain pulled back.
“Prosecutors were prepping to charge Eric Adams with destroying evidence, Manhattan US attorney’s resignation letter reveals” (NY Post)
It looks like NYC Mayor Adams got a free pass from prosecution in exchange for supporting Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
That’s not a good look, especially if it means all future allegations of corruption against elected officials can be fobbed off as “lawfare” in exchange for policy acquiescence.
“How the Trumps Turned an Election Victory Into a Cash Bonanza” (WSJ)
It would be remiss of me to not point out that this piece—especially coming from the Wall Street Journal—is troubling.
“Trump signs executive order stripping [federal] funds from schools requiring COVID-19 vaccines” (The Hill)
(Applause)
“DOGE prepares gold reserve 'audit' after top Republican invites Elon Musk to review Fort Knox” (Daily Mail)
Sen. Rand Paul is inviting Elon Musk to come to his state of Kentucky to review the largest reserves of gold in the U.S.
The term conspiracy theory was created in 1967 by the CIA to ridicule and discredit anyone who questioned the Warren Commission’s faulty conclusion about who killed JFK.
“A term,” wrote Peter Janney in his remarkable book Mary’s Mosaic, “that has continued today to be used to smear, denounce, ridicule, and defame anyone who dares challenge a prevailing mainstream narrative about any controversial high-profile crime or event.”
Five years later, by which time conspiracy theory was a burgeoning cottage industry, Dr. Peter Beter feverishly announced in his monthly audio cassette tapes that Fort Knox gold reserves had been secretly moved and sold off in a “conspiracy against the dollar.”
(Dr. Beter also claimed the Soviets planted nuclear weapons at the bottom of a lake in West Virginia. Sheriff Harley Mooney drained the lake, found nothing.)
So, in 1974, for the first time in 30 years, Fort Knox opened its vault to select politicians and journalists. This is what they discovered…
Said Dr. Beter: The government replaced solid gold bars with gold-plated tungsten.
Half-a-century has passed without further inspection.
Why not take a peek?
“Horror as female tourist's hands are bitten off by shark yards from Caribbean beach after she 'tried to engage the 6ft predator to take a picture'“ (Daily Mail)
Another victim of Instagram.
“Democrats in Congress see potential shutdown as leverage to counter Trump” (The Guardian)
Let’s see if I’ve got this straight: The Dems don’t want Trump to cut back government—so they’re threatening to shut-down all government?
Little wonder…
“Social media goes wild after Chuck Schumer's new anti-Trump 'tip line' blows up in his face” (Daily Mail)
Chucky’s cheesy scheme backfired as more than 30,000 people responded by blasting Democrats.
And finally, another reason Rachel Madcow needs to hang it up…
What a week—WHEW!
And so should you.
Nicely done. Love the long view of European dictators and spineless governments.
One has to wonder how long Putin's skyrise dives will be permitted by the assassins knowing they could be next?