Puppet MastersS


MAGA

White House readies plan for Congress to ax taxpayer funding for NPR, PBS

trump
© Getty ImagesCaption
The Trump administration took its first step Monday toward ending federal funding of National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) — informing key members of Congress that it's asking for them to eliminate "all" such spending while also codifying foreign aid cuts identified by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

The requests are contained in a "rescissions" plan, obtained and first reported by The Post, that pitches a clawback of $1.1 billion already appropriated for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and $8.3 billion from USAID.

A memo drafted by White House budget director Russ Vought — and requested by GOP congressional leaders — accuses CPB of a "lengthy history of anti-conservative bias" and cites "waste, fraud, and abuse" at USAID.

Formal transmission of the plan after the Easter recess will start a 45-day clock for the House and Senate to adopt or reject the blueprint, which the White House believes will pass with the required simple majority in each chamber — unlike President Trump's 2018 rescission plan, which failed narrowly in the Senate.

Extinguisher

Donald Trump's Projects, Part 1

TrumpMusk
© UnknownUS President Donald Trump • Entrepreneur and DOGE reformer Elon Musk
President Donald Trump is acting faster than other political leaders of his generation. In a dozen weeks, he has already overturned "American imperialism" in favor of his "exceptionalism." This is still not the end of the problem, but it represents a considerable step forward for both the United States and the rest of the world. Simultaneously, he has cut federal bureaucracy by eliminating agencies that did not fall under his jurisdiction and laying off 230,000 federal employees.

Donald Trump has been in office for no more than three months. He has issued a staggering number of executive orders of all kinds, giving the impression of a confused personality. However, despite the short time he had, his first results are beginning to appear.

Decolonizing the "American Empire"

He initially sought to decolonize the "American Empire." However, since his 2017 attempt was a resounding failure, he changed his approach. During his first term, on the eighth day of his term, he had, by executive order, removed the permanent seats of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of the CIA from the National Security Council. [1] This ensued a revolt in the senior administration that led him, sixteen days later, to dismiss his National Security Advisor, General Michael Flynn.

This affair has left its mark, as the senior National Security Administration intervened during the last election campaign to falsely assert that Hunter Biden's computer did not exist and that those who claimed to have seen it were agents of Russian disinformation. [2] Donald Trump therefore stripped them of their top-secret clearances in the first days of his second term [3].

Explosion

The Sumy missile strike: War, propaganda and hypocrisy

burning cars
© Ukrainian State Emergency Service/Handout/Anadolu/Getty ImagesFirefighters extinguish the cars fires following the Russian missile attack on Sumy, Ukraine • April 13, 2025
Russia's attack on a gathering of Ukrainian servicemen has become immediate fodder for the information offensive against Moscow.

On April 13, Russia launched an attack on a target in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy. All reports -Western, Ukrainian, and Russian - agree on some basic facts: The attack consisted of two ballistic missiles; substantial numbers of people were killed (over 60, according to the Russian Defense Ministry; over 20 in Western and Ukrainian reports) and injured (over 110, per Ukrainian reports).

Beyond that, however, a thick fog of war has descended. Or rather, a fog of propaganda. Western media and politicians have denounced the Russian strike as, in essence, an atrocity or war crime. The New York Times, for instance, presented it as slamming "into a bustling city center [...] on Sunday morning, [...] killing at least 34 people in what appeared to be the deadliest attack against civilians this year." Incoming German chancellor Friedrich Merz (to be sworn in at the beginning of May), speaking on one of his country's most popular TV shows, condemned what he called a "perfidious act" and "serious war crime."

Comment: The EU wants an excuse it can act on. Appropriation provides the cause.


X

Europe cannot be 'permanent security vassal' of US - Vance

JDVance
© Kent Nishimura/Getty ImagesUS Vice President J. D. Vance
The continent radically underinvests in security, and that has to change, the vice president has said.

Europe cannot remain a "permanent security vassal" of the US, Vice President J.D. Vance has said, stressing that this arrangement is not beneficial for either side.

His comments come at time of geopolitical tensions between the US and Europe on a number of issues, including the Ukraine conflict, while the administration of US President Donald Trump demands that other NATO members drastically increase their defense spending.

In an interview with UnHerd on Monday, Vance voiced frustration over Europe's approach to security, arguing that the topic has long been a blind spot for the region:
"The reality is - it's blunt to say it, but it's also true - that Europe's entire security infrastructure, for my entire life, has been subsidized by the United States of America."

Comment: By investing in war both sides lose, no matter how much is spent.


Cult

'Euro-Nazism' is being revived - Moscow

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
© Pelagiya Tikhonova / SputnikRussian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, December 11, 2024.
Russia has slammed the EU for warning candidate states against attending WWII celebrations on May 9.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday that the EU's attempts to pressure candidate states not to attend the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II in Moscow are tantamount to a revival of Nazism.

On Monday, the bloc's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, warned the leaders of EU members and candidate states against taking part in the event in the Russian capital on May 9. British daily The Telegraph later wrote that candidate states such as Serbia could be barred from joining the bloc if their leaders attend the Victory Day celebrations.
"If this is true, then Euro-Nazism is being reborn before our eyes," Zakharova wrote on Telegram, citing the article.

"This is how the fascists 80 years ago forced those they considered 'second-class people' to renounce their homeland, ethnicity, and faith," the spokeswoman added.

Tank

Only six Western states willing to deploy troops to Ukraine - AFP

Flags hoisted at the NATO HQ during a meeting of defense ministers from the so-called coalition of the willing in Brussels, Belgium on April 10, 2025.
© Getty Images / Omar HavanaFlags hoisted at the NATO HQ during a meeting of defense ministers from the so-called coalition of the willing in Brussels, Belgium on April 10, 2025.
Kiev's backers remain split on a proposed "reassurance force" that could potentially be deployed to Ukraine

Only six Western nations have pledged to send troops to Ukraine after the hostilities between Kiev and Moscow end, AFP has reported. Most of Ukraine's supporters are reluctant to make any promises, according to the agency.

Comment:
"The sixth state in the group was not named by the agency."
Could it be Denmark? There was today, Wednesday 16 April 2025, at 05:44 UTC (07:44 CEST) from the state media, DR.dk:
Denmark sends unarmed soldiers to Ukraine
By Birgitte Skovlund Asmussen

Several teams of unarmed Danish soldiers are sent to a training camp in Ukraine.

This is what army chief and major general Peter Boysen tells TV 2.

- These soldiers are not going down and actively participating in the war. They are going down to learn some experience, and it is at the invitation of my counterpart, i.e. the Ukrainian army chief, says Peter Boysen to the media.

Russia's ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, says to TV 2 that it 'endangers the lives of Danish soldiers' to send them to Ukraine because military facilities that they can stay at are a 'legitimate target of the Russian armed forces.'

The first batch of Danish soldiers will go to Ukraine 'as soon as possible', possibly this summer, says Peter Boysen. It is unknown exactly how many people will be leaving.



Light Sabers

'It's 2025, not 1939' - Fico challenges EU's warning against Moscow trip

robert fico
© Pier Marco Tacca / Getty Images
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has firmly rejected recent warnings by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to European leaders against attending Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, asserting that "the year is 2025, not 1939."

Kallas stated on Monday that any participation by EU leaders in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Russian capital "will not be taken lightly" by Brussels.

"WARNING AND THREAT BY MS. KALLAS ARE DISRESPECTFUL AND I STRONGLY OBJECT TO THEM," Fico wrote on X on Tuesday.

The Slovak leader confirmed his intention to participate in the commemorations, stating, "I will go to Moscow on May 9th."

Bullseye

Colonial borders fuel instability in Africa - Lavrov

lavrov
© Sergey Guneev / Sputnik
The legacy of colonialism remains a key driver of instability across Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Kommersant published on Monday.

He attributed much of the continent's turmoil to borders drawn by departing colonial powers without regard for ethnic, cultural, and historical realities.

Lavrov argued that colonial map-making practices resulted in the fragmentation of ethnic groups across newly formed national borders. This led to "chaos," he said, explaining that the colonial authorities drew maps "with a ruler" throughout the continent, dividing entire communities.

He cited the Tuareg people, who are now split between Algeria and Mali, as well as other groups such as the Tutsi and Hutu in Rwanda.

Despite the destabilizing impact of these borders, Lavrov noted that the African Union has made a decision not to revise them.

Black Cat

The Democrat-concocted 'Maryland Man' hoax is aiming to demonize border security

trump  el salvador Nayib Bukele oval office
© Fox 5/YoutubeEl Salvador's President Nayib Bukele meets with President Trump in the Oval Office, April 14, 2025
The propaganda press's latest manufactured sob story isn't just another hit piece targeting President Donald Trump — it's part of a manufactured, strategic campaign to guilt Americans out of supporting immigration enforcement and delegitimize the very concept of national borders.

Last month the Trump administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien and alleged MS-13 gang member from El Salvador — to a prison in El Salvador.

Abrego Garcia crossed the border illegally in 2011 and was detained in March of 2019. He was charged with removability and was later denied bond when an immigration judge concluded that evidence "show[ed] [Abrego Garcia] is a verified member of MS-13" and found that he failed to prove "that his release from custody would not pose a danger to others." As explained by Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the Article 3 Project, Abrego filed an asylum claim six months later. In turn, a judge ruled Abrego Garcia could not be deported to El Salvador. As Chamberlain explained, "Any third country would be sufficient."

Comment:


Pigs just flew:





Bullseye

DOGE warning has Social Security Administration launching anti-fraud measures

social security card
© iStock
Social Security Administration will conduct identity verification for all in-person claims, too

The Social Security Administration (SSA) implemented anti-fraud tools to protect customers who file claims over the phone following Elon Musk's warning that fraudsters were targeting the agency's call-in lines to steal benefits.

The agency launched measures that will "identify suspicious activity in telephone claims by analyzing patterns and anomalies within a person's account," effective immediately, according to the SSA.

The agency said if the technology detects irregularities, the individual will be required "to complete in-person identity proofing to continue processing their claim."

The agency will still conduct identity verification for all in-person claims, too.

Comment: The scope of the ineptitude, if not downright fraud of the SSA, is breath-taking: