Puppet MastersS


Arrow Up

No thanks Kiev: Russia and the US can reconcile without Ukraine

PutinWitkoff
© Kristina Kormilitsyna/SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff meet at the Kremlin
Steve Witkoff's Moscow visit seems to show that a detente the two nations is possible even if Zelensky is not part of the equation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met again with Steve Witkoff, special envoy of US President Donald Trump. From the little the cameras showed us of the meeting it appears that the atmosphere was unusually friendly. The discussion was also long, lasting for about three hours.

Yet, at this point, we know little about its content or, more importantly, what progress has been made or not. We do know, from Russia's Yuri Ushakov, special aide to Putin, that the meeting was, in his words, "constructive" and "useful." In particular, it has produced closer proximity between the Russian and US positions, not only on Ukraine but also on other issues that have - mostly - not been further specified. With the important exception of the possibility of facilitating direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives.

Clearly, it is too early to draw strong conclusions about the meeting and its results. One thing that seems certain is that it was not a failure. Even if Ushakov's language was restrained, it did signal that much. Beyond that, however, we can only speculate: One thing we know from the meeting's context is that Trump has, once again, publicly displayed great dissatisfaction and impatience with Kiev and personally with Ukraine's leader Vladimir Zelensky. This time, using his own social media site Truth Social, Trump focused on Zelensky's refusal to accept the loss of Crimea. More broadly, he reminded Zelensky that he has little leverage ("no cards") and that his stalling delays ending the war.

Satellite

Five Eyes now getting sensitive space intel

Space satellite
© Just Super/Getty ImagesSpace satellite orbiting Earth
The US has reportedly shared data with the UK and other group members, citing alleged off-planet Chinese and Russian threats.

The US has begun sharing its "most sensitive" military intelligence on China's and Russia's space operations with the UK and other members of The Five Eyes (FVEY) global intelligence group, The Times has reported, citing a senior commander within the US Space Force.

Until this month, the work of Space Delta 9, a unit focused on America's orbital warfare, was largely meant only for US officials with top-secret security clearance.

However, in a move that a Space Delta 9 spokesman described to The Times as "momentous," British military chiefs have been allowed to observe operations at the unit's base in Colorado.

The other Five Eyes members, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, have also been allowed access to the highest levels of US space intelligence, the British daily reported on Wednesday.

The Times attributed the development to Beijing and Moscow allegedly developing "new space capabilities," such as dual use satellites, and orbiters designed for both civilian and military applications.

USA

White House 'covering up' US casualties in Yemen war: Report

US guys on deck
© US Fleet Forces Command
US President Donald Trump is facing growing scrutiny for withholding information about US military casualties resulting from the ongoing illegal military campaign in Yemen.

According to a report by The Intercept published on 3 May, US Central Command (CENTCOM), the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the White House have refused to disclose how many US service members have been killed or wounded since the launch of Operation Rough Rider in March 2025.

The operation has involved over 1,000 US airstrikes against the Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) and killed hundreds of Yemenis, including many civilians.

Representative Ro Khanna of California criticized the White House, calling for full disclosure. "The administration should be transparent about the number of US casualties from the attacks on the Houthis," he said, referring to Ansarallah. His colleague, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, echoed the sentiment, warning that US forces should never have been put in harm's way through unconstitutional military action lacking Congressional approval.

Comment:

See also: US Navy loses warplane during 'Houthi attack' - media


Attention

US-Ukraine minerals deal 'hides secret agreements' - Ukrainian MP

US-UA signing mineral agreement
© Facebook / Yulia Svyrydenko
Separate provisions outline Kiev's "indefinite obligations" and bypass parliamentary ratification, Irina Gerashchenko has claimed

The US-Ukraine minerals agreement announced this week "hides" details of Kiev's "indefinite obligations" to Washington, a Ukrainian lawmaker has claimed.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Irina Gerashchenko, a member of European Solidarity party said the deal includes two "secret," supplementary documents that will not be subject to parliamentary ratification.

Comment:
It was during the first Trump presidency that permanent US bases were set up in Poland: What was unique about the US presence in Poland was that in case of violations of Polish law by US personnel, the offenders would be judged by US law and not local Polish laws. Suppose a drunk driver kills some Polish citizen, no problem sent the troublemaker back to the US with the next plane, and, for all we know, forget about it.

Later during the Biden presidency bilateral agreements have been concluded with other European NATO members, including for instance the new NATO countries Sweden and Finland. The template has been to conclude agreements first, again with the clause that US law would rule over American personnel rather than local laws, and then leave it to the Governments to to make changes to their legal framework and have the agreements passed through their democratically elected parliaments to insure that they could be implemented as initially signed. From this perspective, there is nothing much new in what the Trump administration is now doing in Ukraine. The formular is: make a deal and leave the vassal to sort out the details.


Broom

Report says Stephen Miller has emerged as frontrunner for Trump's next national security adviser

stephen Miller white house aide trump
© MSNBCWhite House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller could land the position as President Donald Trump's next National Security Adviser, according to Axios.

Miller, one of Trump's longest and most trusted aides, emerged as a leading contender for national security adviser following Mike Waltz's removal from the role. Waltz, who has taken considerable heat from the mainstream media for his role in so-called SignalGate, was nominated for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations just hours after reports of his removal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is currently serving as the interim national security adviser.

Comment: Miller is the more likely candidate. He is utterly loyal to Trump's agenda, and probably one of the few people he actually trusts in his administration. Miller for NSA is going over very well with Trump' base.



Some want him to stay with Immigration with a equally good choice:


As to Witkoff, another person Trump has trust in, Trump is very happy with him being a 'roving' special envoy he can count on for accurate messaging to other governments such as Russia, and for honest appraisals of how the administration's policy moves are being received. As a result, Witkoff is very welcome in Russia. All without the shackles of needing congressional approval


Gavel

Squatter syndrome: The inefficiencies of our legal system make a mockery of US immigration laws

border mexico us
© Sgt. 1st Class Gordon Hyde/US Boarder PatrolA small fence separates densely populated Tijuana, Mexico, right, from the United States in the Border Patrol?s San Diego Sector. Construction is underway to extend a secondary fence over the top of this hill and eventually to the Pacific Ocean.
It was once said that possession is nine-tenths of the law, an acknowledgement that the possessor of property generally has the advantage in keeping it. This principle has been taken to absurd extremes in some squatter cases, where people invade homes and then demand the right to stay pending long legal challenges. Today, under both our housing and immigration laws, mere occupation often appears to be nine-tenths of our laws.

Obviously, unlawful immigrants are not the same as squatters. Some of these migrants have legitimate asylum and other claims. We have to separate those meritorious cases from the vast majority with no cognizable claims. Yet, our legal system is failing the public by allowing unlawful immigrants with no meritorious claims to game the system for years and then simply vanish into the nation.

In courtrooms across the country, the nation seems trapped in a type of Squatter Syndrome, a macro version of the housing cases. The slowness of the removal process is being used to keep millions in the country indefinitely. It may prove to be President Joe Biden's most lasting legacy, a de facto residency by simply overwhelming the system by the sheer number of unlawful entries.

Comment:
Illegal immigrants who entered US since Biden took office to cost taxpayers $20+ billion a year: analysis
Illegal Immigration has become a lawless Frankenstein in the 'Land of Is'
Sanctuary city crackdown as Trump orders prosecutors to probe anyone who blocks mass deportations

Border 'czar' Tom Homan doesn't mess around:


Milwaukee judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities arrested by FBI

Full text:

Nobody should be surprised by the arrest of two judges. I have said many times within the past few months, that people can choose to support illegal immigration and not assist ICE in removing criminal illegal aliens from our communities, BUT DON'T CROSS THAT LINE. If you actively impede our enforcement efforts or if you knowingly harbor or conceal illegal aliens from ICE you will be prosecuted. These actions are felonies. More to come...
~ Thomas D. Homan
U.S. Border Czar



Attention

The stakes of Donald Trump's negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
© UnknownAyatollah Ali Khamenei has authorized indirect negotiations with the United States, despite Donald Trump’s threats
The general public is completely unaware of the real stakes in the negotiations between Washington and Tehran. This article presents a situation in which lies have been piling up over three decades, making any progress particularly difficult. Contrary to popular belief, the nuclear issue in Iran is not whether Tehran will acquire an atomic bomb, but whether it will be able to help Palestine without resorting to weapons.

A month and a half ago, I announced that even before concluding peace in Ukraine, President Donald Trump would open negotiations with Iran [1]. As usual, commentators steeped in Joe Biden's ideology showered me with sarcasm, while my colleagues, specialists in international affairs, noted my observations [2].

The difference between the two lay in their understanding of the negotiations in Ukraine. For the former, it was Donald Trump's revenge against Volodymyr Zelensky, or a genuflection before Vladimir Putin. For the latter, it was, on the contrary, a desire for peace with Russia in order to devote US resources to its economic recovery.

It follows that the two sides approach the Iranian issue differently. For the former, it is a matter of continuing the chaos that began during the first term with the withdrawal from the nuclear agreement (JCPOA). Conversely, for the latter, it is a desire for peace with Iran, given that it is the only regional power that supports the resistance to Israel.

Broom

Liberation Day 2.0: Trump terminates federal funding for NPR and PBS

NPR building
© Charles Dharapak/AP/File
On Thursday, President Trump gave Americans another Liberation Day: He signed an executive order ending federal funding for two of the left's principal propaganda organs, National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that these two vicious taxpayer leeches and leftist disinformation entities will disappear, but at least patriots won't be forced to shell out for programming that is designed to destroy everything they hold dear.

The left, predictably enough, is howling, led by NPR and PBS themselves. NPR issued a statement warning of imminent apocalypse:
"Eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting [CPB] would have a devastating impact on American communities across the nation that rely on public radio for trusted local and national news, culture, lifesaving emergency alerts and public safety information."
The statement was yet another example of what a cruel joke NPR and PBS are on the American people. No one actually trusts NPR and PBS except the indoctrinated cadres of the left and those who are uninformed enough to continue to believe in these propaganda organs' claims to be free from bias. The grim reality is that NPR and PBS are the left at its most cynical, opportunistic, and parasitical. American taxpayers, including those who are patriots, are forced to subsidize two of the left's shrillest and most nakedly biased mouthpieces, all the while being gaslit about how it's their patriotic duty to support a free press.

Comment: Where 'the truth' lies: Seeking corroborating support for a preferred perception.


Star of David

Netanyahu stirs fresh controversy: Victory in Gaza is top priority, not hostages

hostagefams
© ReutersIsraeli hostage families protest
According to fresh reporting in Haaretz, Israel is preparing tens of thousands of orders calling more reserve soldiers to active duty, amid an expected expansion of ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

But more reservists are increasingly needed as Israel's military once again becomes more engaged in places like Syria, Lebanon, the Golan Heights, and security crackdowns in the West Bank.

The Haaretz report suggests that a surge of additional soldiers will free up more forces to focus efforts on defeating Hamas in Gaza.

One of the areas of expected new operations is the town of Muwasi on the Gaza coast. Israel is claiming that it has become a safe haven for Hamas, and that militants are hiding in what has become a sprawling tent city of the internally displaced, and so has to be cleared of all Palestinians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meanwhile unleashed fresh controversy related to these expanded operations. He essentially admitted that the remaining hostages are not the country's top priority, but the ultimate defeat of Hamas is.

Comment: If Netanyahu truly wanted to retrieve Israeli hostages he would have accepted a deal long ago. Instead, it will be Hamas' fault when Israel bombs those hostage facilities - a small price to pay for global perception management.


People 2

RFK Jr: HHS became a 'collaborator in child trafficking' under Biden

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
© thiaymarris.pages.devHealth and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday that HHS is no longer facilitating child trafficking in the United States and is instead "very aggressively" searching for the hundreds of thousands of migrant children lost by the Biden administration.

During a White House Cabinet meeting with President Trump and other top administration officials to mark the first 100 days of the president's second term, Kennedy said:
"We have ended HHS's role as the principal vector in this country for child trafficking. During the Biden administration, HHS became a collaborator in child trafficking for sex and for slavery, and we have ended that."
In November of 2022, an HHS volunteer came forward to accuse the Biden regime of knowingly participating in the sex-trafficking of minor children after observing how it processed unaccompanied migrant children at an HHS Emergency Intake Site in Pomona, California.