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RIP Five Eyes? Global Spying Network Under Threat

New Zealand’s Five Eyes Spy Operation at Waihopi

Kit Klarenberg

Ever since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, mainstream speculation has ever-intensified that his second term in office could spell the end of Five Eyes, the international signals intelligence (SIGINT) spying network. Through this connivance, Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the US train an unblinking eye on the public and private communications of the world’s entire population. While few average citizens would mourn the passing of Five Eyes, fear of its demise are pronounced in certain quarters – first and foremost, London.

In February, the Financial Times reported key Trump aide Peter Navarro was pushing for Canada to be excluded from Five Eyes, and the proposal was “being discussed” by senior US officials. While denied by Navarro, the suggestion sparked anxieties among Western intelligence veterans, think tank pundits, and journalists that Ottawa’s removal could precipitate the network’s outright collapse. In March, The Economist enquired, “Could Donald Trump imperil the Five Eyes spy pact?” In April, Politico pondered, “Can Britain live without American intelligence?”

Politico revealed developments such as Trump’s decision to halt intelligence sharing with Ukraine in March had prompted “current and former intelligence officials” to consider whether “it may be necessary for Britain to begin planning for the previously unthinkable,” and undo links between the two nations’ counterpart intelligence agencies. This is despite these ties “[going] so deep that it may be impossible to untangle them” – or at least for London “to replicate the US contribution.”

While the CIA and MI6 are well-known for working in lockstep, Five Eyes is the most intimate expression of this transatlantic espionage bromance, exclusion from which would drastically reduce Britain’s already evaporating international status. As Politico notes, the international spying network accounts for “Britain’s status as a comparative heavyweight in the intelligence sphere” today. Its origins date back to 1946, and the signing of the secret UKUSA agreement. This formalised intelligence sharing between London and Washington that began decades earlier.

UKUSA’s terms

Ever since, UKUSA has granted Britain an outsized role and influence in international affairs. As this journalist exposed in May 2022, a secret cabal of British military and intelligence veterans – including disgraced former MI6 chief Richard Dearlove – connived to install Boris Johnson as Prime Minister and ensure a ‘hard’ Brexit, due to fears EU military and intelligence integration could torpedo Five Eyes. Now, Trump’s bellicose approach to international affairs could see their nightmare realised once and for all.

‘Sensitive Operations’

As a declassified 1997 briefing document makes clear, UKUSA provides for “unrestricted” exchange between the NSA and GCHQ of SIGINT gathered by both agencies, “except for those areas that are specifically excluded (e.g. US ONLY information) at the request of either party.” The alliance also allows the NSA to circumvent US legislation preventing it from spying on American citizens, by outsourcing this work to GCHQ, and vice versa. The agencies then share their respective intelligence yields with one another.

The sister agencies’ bond extends far further. The same file notes some “GCHQ [redacted] exist solely to satisfy NSA tasking” – the missing word presumably being “teams” or “units”, if not “divisions.” Reinforcing this inference, documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the NSA funded GCHQ to the tune of at least £100 million in 2010 – 2013 alone, in order to secure access to and influence over the latter’s intelligence-gathering programs.

The files also indicate Britain’s lax surveillance laws and regulations represent a major “selling point” for Washington. London is moreover acutely aware of her need to provide a significant return on the NSA’s investment in GCHQ. One file leaked by Snowden notes the agency “must pull its weight and be seen to pull its weight” by Washington. An undated declassified NSA appraisal offers a lengthy “assessment of the UKUSA relationship”, and is rife with praise for GCHQ’s contributions:

“UKUSA…has been of inestimable value to NSA [sic] and cannot be abandoned…there is no doubt that UKUSA offers NSA much…unique collection from GCHQ conventional sites, use of UK [redacted] where the US has none…the compatibility of US and UK SIGINT systems…an especially competent cryptanalytic workforce…and, perhaps most important, a record of supporting the US as an ally in confronting world problems.”

However, “despite these outstanding areas of success”, the report also expresses significant concerns about certain aspects of the relationship. Markedly, the section detailing these anxieties is heavily redacted, with nine consecutive pages blanked out entirely. Still, an unexpurgated portion discussing the exchange of “large numbers” of staff between GCHQ and the NSA is illuminating. The contents suggest London frequently seeks to surreptitiously overstep UKUSA’s terms, and insert its cyber spies into areas well-beyond their purview.

The section notes many GCHQ secondees to the NSA – particularly those “working sensitive missions” – “assume liaison-like functions”, serving “as lobbyists for [London] in policy matters.” In a “disturbing” cited example of this tendency, a GCHQ official was said to have once “lobbied hard” to parachute one of their operatives into a particular high-level position with its US counterpart. This was “rightly rejected” by the NSA, “as it would give GCHQ insight into certain sensitive operations we do not share.”

‘Closely Monitoring’

GCHQ and the NSA are nonetheless party to “sensitive operations” conducted by other members of the Five Eyes nexus. The quintet’s global SIGINT system, intercepting private and commercial communications the world over, is codenamed ECHELON. Under its auspices, an international constellation of tracking stations hoovers every phone call, text message, email, and more transmitted in its surrounding sphere, amounting to millions every hour. ECHELON also collects data from taps on the internet, and monitoring pods placed on underwater cables by US Navy submarines.

According to a 2001 European Parliament report, around 80% of SIGINT captured by the Five Eyes station in Kojarena, Australia – which employs US and British staff in key posts – is sent automatically to GCHQ and the NSA, without ever being seen or read in Australia. While every Five Eyes member theoretically has the right to veto requests for intelligence collected by another, “when you’re a junior ally like Australia or New Zealand, you never refuse,” journalist Duncan Campbell records.

This blanket acquiescence comes despite apparent worries among members about what their ostensible allies might do with certain intelligence requested from them. However, no such qualms seemingly apply to Five Eyes’ human intelligence operations. In 2017, WikiLeaks revealed the CIA dispatched spies from Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand to extensively infiltrate and surveil political parties running in France’s 2012 elections, which the Agency was “closely monitoring”:

“Of particular interest is President Sarkozy, the Socialist Party (PS), and other potential candidates’ plans and intentions…Analysts assess the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), the current ruling party, is not assured of winning the presidential election and, as a result, analysts are interested in the electoral strategy of…non-ruling parties. Additional information on these topics will help analysts assess, and prepare key US policymakers for, the post-election French political landscape and the potential impact on US-France relations.”

Covert Five Eyes infiltrators were to “report on deliberations” by the then-French President, identify “rising party leaders, newly developed political parties or movements, and emerging presidential candidates,” root out “major sources of funding for the presidential candidates and registered parties,” and more. That same year, Five Eyes members were also tasked by Washington with intercepting and reporting on all French company negotiations and contracts valued in excess of $200 million. Their findings were shared with various US government entities, including the Treasury and Federal Reserve.

This activity – targeted at a putative ally – is particularly perverse given that in 2014, then-US Attorney General Eric Holder declared Washington “categorically denounces” any and all corporate espionage, and “[does] not collect intelligence to provide a competitive advantage to US companies, or US commercial sectors.” Conversely, British laws on foreign intelligence-gathering overtly state one of GCHQ’s purposes is the promotion of London’s “economic well-being…in relation to the actions or intentions of persons outside the British Islands.”

‘An Outrage’

The capabilities of ECHELON were scrutinised by a European Parliament committee in 2000, which published its final report the next year. As the probe was nearing completion, investigators travelled to Washington to meet with representatives of the US intelligence community, including the CIA and NSA. Upon arrival though, their assorted summits were abruptly cancelled, which “concerned and dismayed” the European delegation. Officially, ECHELON remained completely secret until 2015, following Edward Snowden’s disclosures.

Such obfuscation and concealment is par for the course for Five Eyes. UKUSA’s existence wasn’t publicly admitted until 2005, and only five years later was the full text of its seven-page founding document publicly released. Amply testifying to the intense veil of secrecy surrounding the spying network, Australia’s Prime Minister Gough Whitlam remained unaware of his country’s involvement in it until 1973, 17 years after Canberra became a member. This followed police raids on the offices of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

Australia’s Pine Gap spying base, a core component of ECHELON

Launched due to ASIO withholding information from the Australian government, James Jesus Angleton, the CIA’s then-counterintelligence chief, was so perturbed by the arrangement’s exposure Down Under he sought to have Whitlam ousted from office via cloak-and-dagger tactics. So it was in November 1975, the popular premier was toppled from power, removed from his democratically elected post upon the orders of Queen Elizabeth II’s representative, Governor General John Kerr, as a result of CIA and MI6 connivance.

Meanwhile, David Lange, New Zealand’s Prime Minister 1984 – 1989, was likewise in the dark as to the “international integrated electronic network” to which his country was committed throughout his time in government. He only learned about the operations of Five Eyes after reading Secret Power, a book published in 1996 detailing the activities of Wellington’s Government Communications Security Bureau. He chillingly remarked in the work’s foreword:

“It is an outrage that I and other ministers were told so little, and this raises the question of to whom those concerned saw themselves ultimately answerable.”

[…]

Via https://www.kitklarenberg.com/p/rip-five-eyes-global-spying-network?publication_id=552010&post_id=162222902&isFreemail=true&r=1ggdo&triedRedirect=true

 

How chemotherapy creates toxic time bombs in your body called CELL-KILLING PARTICLES

Dr Eddy Betterman

Chemotherapy triggers the release of cell-killing particles (cfChPs) that damage healthy cells years after treatment ends, leading to heart failure, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer relapse.New research exposes these particles as major culprits behind “chemo brain,” organ failure, and secondary cancers—side effects that kill 25% of patients and remain “unexplained” by doctors.Natural compounds like resveratrol and copper neutralize toxic cfChPs, but major cancer centers ignore this science to protect billion-dollar chemotherapy profits.The toxic paycheck behind “Miracle” cancer care

When Jane Doe, a 58-year-old breast cancer patient, signed on for chemotherapy, she trusted her oncologist’s promise of battling tumors “without long-term harm.” Four years later, McGoodwill Hospital’s chemotherapy survivor now has stage 3 cardiomyopathy, accelerating cognitive decline, and a new diagnosis of treatment-induced leukemia. This tragic journey mirrors the experiences of millions: chemotherapy isn’t simply “killing cancer cells.” It’s unleashing a biological time bomb hidden within patients’ own bloodstream.

A groundbreaking study in BJC Reports reveals that chemotherapy’s real danger lies in its secondary effects. Instead of simply targeting tumors, chemo drugs trigger the release of cell-free chromatin particles (cfChPs) from dying cells—both cancerous and healthy. These fragments of DNA and histones surge into the circulatory system, penetrate distant organs, and trigger inflammation, DNA fragmentation, and cell death. The longer you survive chemo, the higher your risk of delayed organ failure—because your body is still cleaning up the toxic cfChP debris.

The hidden pathways of destruction — How chemo’s true casualties are your healthy cells

Traditional oncology framed chemo’s side effects as collateral damage from drugs “killing rapidly dividing cells.” The cfChP revelation shatters this myth.

In lab studies, dying cancer cells drenched in chemo shed cfChPs like shrapnel, which haunt patients’ bodies long after treatment ends:

DNA fragment invaders: cfChPs slip into healthy cells via actin filaments, splintering their DNA and triggering self-destruct cascades without direct drug exposure.Inflammation thermal gratuitement: cfChPs bind to immune receptors like TLR9, igniting chronic inflammation. This explains why chemo survivors have double the risk of heart disease and neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s.Cancer recurrence loophole: cfChPs rewrite genes in remaining tumor cells, fueling genetic chaos and treatment-resistant cancers—essentially, chemo unleashes the very enemies it seeks to destroy.

This mechanism explains why 6.8% of chemo patients develop secondary leukemias from radiation particles, or why nearly 75% suffer “chemo brain” months after finishing treatment. Yet, the FDA’s guidelines remain unchanged, and oncologists routinely dismiss these outcomes as “unavoidable collateral damage.”

Nature’s antidote — Why resveratrol and copper are ignored by Big Pharma

The same team behind this cfChP discovery is already testing resveratrol + copper (R-Cu),** a nutrient combo that dismantles cfChPs safely.** Studies show:

R-Cu triggers oxygen radicals that “unzip” cfChPs, rendering their DNA harmless.In trials, R-Cu cut chemo-induced intestinal inflammation by 60%,It also slashed damage to heart mitochondria, and reduced chemotherapy-mandated hospitalizations due to toxicity by 40%.

These findings are non-negotiable—and yet patients face impossible roadblocks accessing them.

Why the Silence?

The 150 billion global chemotherapy industry thrives by silencing the truth. BigPharma’s stock is high, so what’s 3 million in resveratrol supplements compared to $1 billion in taxol sales? Dr. Zhao, the study’s lead author, notes: “Pharma giants control ‘evidence’ standards by demanding randomized clinical trials. But they refuse to fund research that undermines their profit streams.”

In 2022, Merck produced a “precision oncology” report downplaying the cfChP mechanism as “hypotheses needing more studies”—the same tactic the tobacco industry used to dismiss lung cancer links.

A system in denial — When science is a business, patients pay the price

Oncologists are prescribers, not profit drivers, but their careers depend on compliance. “Call it inertia, call it greed—the system ignores solutions that threaten the status quo,” says author and cancer patient advocate Linda Chen. “They’d rather pay $5,000/month for taxpayer-funded chemo than admit broccoli sprouts could alleviate half their patients’ organ damage.”

This parallels the 1950s tobacco cover-ups, where industry-funded “research” discredited peer-reviewed links between smoking and cancer. Today, the FDA still demands genes therapies undergo a decade-long approval process while green-lighting $60k/year drugs without Phase III data.

Ignore your oncologist’s dismissals and take these active steps:

Neutraceutical pre-onco care: Two weeks before chemo, start a regime of resveratrol (200mg), quercetin (500mg), and NAC (600mg) daily. Studies show this triples glutathione levels–your body’s cfChP cleansing system.**Mouthwash preventive: Mix chlorhexidine (antibacterial) and a pinch of spirulina before and after treatments to preemptively neutralize cell debris in your oral microbiome (a major cfChP depot post-chemo).Demand post-treatment scans: Insist on cardiac MRI and genomic panels to spot cfChP-driven mutations early.

Chemotherapy’s cfChP time bombs are ticking louder with each clinical trial. For 37 years, the Charlotte Gerson Institute has documented hundreds who reversed cancer through detox and plant-based diets. Now science confirms their methods were right—and mainstream medicine is too invested in profit to admit it.

This isn’t just about supplements. It’s about your right to thrive past diagnosis. The pharmaceutical empire profits when you don’t ask questions. But every dollar spent on natural defenses weakens their grip. Will you be a casualty of the system’s silence? Or a pioneer in reclaiming health?

[…]

Via https://dreddymd.com/2025/04/28/how-curative-treatments-create-toxic-time-bombs/

Kellogg framework disaster for Trump

Trump envoy retired general Keith Kellogg

Alastair Crooke

All of Kellogg’s underlying assumptions lacked any basis in reality. Yet Trump seemingly took them on trust.

Political warfare in Washington is endemic. But the body count at the Pentagon has started to rise precipitously. Three of Secretary of Defence Hegseth’s top advisors were placed on leave, and then fired. The war continues, with the Secretary now in the firing line.

Why this matters is that the Hegseth attrition comes amid fierce internal debates in the Trump administration about Iran policy. Hawks want an definitive elimination of all Iran’s nuclear and weapons capabilities, whilst many ‘restrainers’ warn against military escalation; Hegseth reportedly was amongst those warning against an intervention in Iran.

The recent Pentagon dismissals have all been identified as restrainers. One of the latter, Dan Caldwell, formerly Hegseth’s Top Adviser and an army veteran, wrote a post slamming the ‘Iran Hawks’ – and subsequently was fired. He was later interviewed by Tucker Carlson. Notably, Caldwell describes in scathing terms America’s wars in Iraq and Syria (“criminal”). This adverse sentiment concerning America’s earlier wars is a rising theme, it seems, amongst U.S. Vets today.

The three Pentagon staffers essentially were fired, not as ‘leakers’, but for talking Hegseth out of supporting war on Iran, it would appear; the Israeli-Firsters, have not given up on that war.

The inflamed fault lines between hawks and traditionalist ‘Republicans’ bleed across into the Ukraine issue, even if the faction membership may alter a tad. Israeli-Firsters and U.S. hawks more generally, are behind both the war on Russia and the maximalist demands on Iran.

Conservative commentator Fred Bauer observes that when it comes to Trump’s own war impulses, they are conflicted:

“Influenced by the Vietnam War of his youth … Trump seems deeply averse to long-term military conflicts, yet, at the same time, Trump admires a politics of strength and swagger. That means taking out Iranian generals, launching airstrikes on the Houthis, and boosting the defence budget to $1 trillion”.

Hegseth’s potential exit – should the campaign for his removal succeed – could cause the struggle to grow fiercer. Its first casualty is already apparent – Trump’s hope to bring a quick end to the Ukraine conflict is over.

This week, the Trump team (including both warring factions, Rubio, Witkoff and General Kellogg) met in Paris with various European and Ukrainian representatives. At the meeting, a Russian-Ukrainian unilateral ceasefire proposal was mooted by the U.S. delegation.

After the meeting, at the airport, Rubio plainly said that the ceasefire plan was ‘a take-it-or-leave-it’ U.S. initiative. The various sides – Russia, Kiev and the European members of the ‘coalition of the willing’ – had only days to accept it, or else the U.S. was ‘out’, and would wash its hands of the conflict.

The framework presented, as reported, is almost (maybe 95%) unadulteratedly that previously proposed by General Kellogg: i.e. it is his plan, first aired in April 2024. It appears that the ‘Kellogg formula’ was adopted then as the Trump platform (Trump was at the time in mid-campaign, and unlikely to have been following the complicated minutiae of the Ukraine war too closely).

General Kellogg is also the likely source for Trump’s optimism that the ending to the Ukraine war could come with a click of Trump’s fingers – through the limited application of asymmetric pressures and threats on both belligerents by Trump – and with the timing decided in Washington.

In short, the plan represented a Beltway consensus that the U.S. could implement a negotiated end-state with terms aligned to U.S. and Ukrainian interests.

Kellogg’s implicit assumptions were that Russia is highly vulnerable to a sanctions threat (its economy perceived as being fragile); that it had suffered unsustainably high casualties; and that the war was at a stalemate.

Thus, Kellogg persuaded Trump that Russia would readily agree to the ceasefire terms proposed – albeit terms that were constructed around patently flawed underlying assumptions about Russia and its presumed weaknesses.

Kellogg’s influence and false premises were all too evident when Trump, in January, having stated that Russia had lost one million men (in the war) then went on to say that “Putin is destroying Russia by not making a deal, adding (seemingly as an aside), that Putin may have already made up his mind ‘not to make a deal’”. He further claimed that Russia’s economy is in ‘ruins’, and most notably said that he would consider sanctioning or tariffing Russia. In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump writes, “I’m going to do Russia – whose Economy is failing – and President Putin, a very big FAVOR”.

All of Kellogg’s underlying assumptions lacked any basis in reality. Yet Trump seemingly took them on trust. And despite Steve Witkoff’s subsequent three lengthy personal meetings with President Putin, in which Putin repeatedly stated that he would not accept any ceasefire until a political framework had been first agreed, the Kellogg contingent continued to blandly assume that Russia would be forced to accept Kellogg’s détente because of the claimed serious ‘setbacks’ Russia had suffered in Ukraine.

Given this history, unsurprisingly, the ceasefire framework terms outlined by Rubio this week in Paris reflected those more suited to a party at the point of capitulation, rather than that of a state anticipating achieving its objectives – by military means.

In essence, the Kellogg Plan looked to bring a U.S. ‘win’ on terms aligned to a desire to keep open the option for continuing attritional war on Russia.

So, what is the Kellogg Plan? At base, it seeks to establish a ‘frozen conflict’ – frozen along the ‘Line of Conflict’; with no definitive ban on NATO membership for Ukraine, (but rather, envisaging a NATO membership that is deferred well into the future); it places no limits on the size of a future Ukrainian army and no restrictions on the type or quantity of armaments held by the Ukrainian forces. (It foresees, contrarily, that after the ceasefire, the U.S. might re-arm, train and militarily support a future force) – i.e. back to the post-Maidan era of 2014.

In addition, no territory would be ceded by Ukraine to Russia, save for Crimea which alone would be recognised by the U.S. as Russian (the unique sop to Witkoff?), and Russia would only ‘exercise control’ over the four Oblasts that it currently claims, yet only up to the Line of Conflict; territory beyond this line would remain under Ukrainian control (see here for the ‘Kellogg map’). The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant would be neutral territory to be held, and managed, by the U.S. There is no mention made of the cities of Zaporozhye and Kherson that have been constitutionally incorporated into Russia, but lie beyond the contact line.

Nothing about a political solution apparently was outlined in the plan, and the plan leaves Ukraine free to pursue its claim to all Ukraine’s former territories – save for only Crimea.

Ukrainian territory west of the Dnieper River however, would be divided into three zones of responsibility: British, French and German zones (i.e. which NATO forces would manage). Finally, no American security guarantees were offered.

Rubio subsequently passed details of the plan to Russian FM Lavrov, who calmly stated that any ceasefire plan should resolve the underlying causes to the conflict in Ukraine as its first task.

Witkoff flies to Moscow this week to present this ‘pig’s ear’ of a plan to Putin – seeking his consent. The Europeans and Ukrainians are set to meet next Wednesday in London to give their riposte to Trump.

What’s next? Most obviously, the Kellogg Plan will not ‘fly’. Russia will not accept it, and likely Zelensky will not either, (though the Europeans will work to persuade him – hoping to ‘wrong-foot Moscow’ by presenting Russia as the essential ‘spoiler’). Reportedly, Zelensky already has rejected the Crimea provision.

For the Europeans, the lack of security guarantees or backstop by the U.S. may prove to be a killer for their aspiration to deploy a tripwire troop deployment to Ukraine, in the context of a ceasefire.

Is Trump really going to wash his hands of Ukraine? Doubtful, given that the U.S. neo-conservative institutional leadership will tell Trump that to do so, would weaken America’s ‘peace through strength’ narrative. Trump may adopt supporting Ukraine ‘on a low flame’ posture, whilst declaring the ‘war was never his’ – as he seeks a ‘win’ on the business front with Russia.

The bottom line is that Kellogg has not well-served his patron. The U.S. needs effective working relations with Russia. The Kellogg contingent has contributed to Trump’s egregious misreading of Russia. Putin is a serious actor, who says what he means, and means what he says.

Colonel Macgregor sums it up thus:

“Trump tends to view the world through the lens of dealmaking. [Ending the Ukraine war] is not about dealmaking. This is about the life and death of nations and peoples. There’s no interest in some sort of short-fused deal that is going to elevate Trump or his administration to greatness. There will be no win for Donald Trump personally in any of this. That was never going to be the case”.

[…]

Via https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/04/28/kellogg-framework-disaster-for-trump/

White House preparing for possible Trump-Kim talks

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets US President Donald Trump inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ), June 30, 2019. ©  Dong-A Ilbo handout via Getty Images/Getty Images

RT

Pyongyang has grown stronger since the historic summits of the previous decade.

US President Donald Trump’s team is considering a new strategy for North Korea, potentially mirroring the diplomatic engagement of his first term, according to sources cited by Axios.

Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in person multiple times, including in Singapore in 2018, Hanoi in 2019, and within the demilitarized zone on the Korean Peninsula later that same year. He is the first sitting US president ever to sit down at the negotiating table with his North Korean counterpart.

Trump has told his team that he wants to reconnect with Kim, potentially face-to-face, Axios reported on Sunday. The administration is “convening agencies to understand where the North Koreans are today,” said a senior official speaking on condition of anonymity. “A lot has changed in the last four years. We are evaluating, diagnosing and talking about potential avenues, including engagement.”

Currently, this initiative is not among the White House’s top priorities and involves consultations with external experts, including former officials and think tanks, the outlet said. Axios suggested that Washington holds less leverage over Pyongyang now than it did in the late 2010s, as North Korea has bolstered its military capabilities, including nuclear forces, and forged stronger ties with China and Russia.

  Last year, North Korea and Russia signed a bilateral treaty that includes mutual defense provisions. Shortly thereafter, Ukraine started an offensive into Russia’s Kursk Region, aiming to gain leverage over Moscow in future negotiations.

North Korean troops were deployed to Russian territory to assist Moscow in repelling Ukrainian forces, culminating in the complete liberation of the region last week, according to Moscow. Over the weekend, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the contribution of North Korean troops, commending their bravery and referring to them as brothers in arms.

The Trump administration is seeking a compromise deal to end the Ukraine conflict. Trump has accused Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky of undermining his efforts by publicly challenging key aspects of what media outlets describe as his peace plan.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican on Saturday, with Zelensky pleading for more US weapons, according to Trump.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/616420-trump-kim-summit-axios/

Hegseth Vows Course Correction As Report Finds Two-Thirds Of Reserve Troops Overweight

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth participates in a morning physical training session with troops stationed in Warsaw, Poland, on Feb. 14, 2025. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander C. Kubitza

Zero Hedge

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed his dismay on April 25 after a new report found that more than two-thirds of U.S. military reserve personnel are overweight.

Washington-based think tank American Security Project (ASP) published a white paper this week that found that nearly 68 percent of reserve troops are overweight or obese.

In 2018, when the Department of Defense last surveyed obesity rates in the reserve military components, it found that around 65 percent of reserve troops were considered overweight or obese.

“The number of young adults interested in military service remains sufficient to maintain current force strength. However, as overweight and obesity disqualify thousands of applicants each year, services are incentivized to violate body composition enlistment standards to meet recruitment goals,” the new ASP report reads.

Hegseth took to social media platform X on Friday to call the report’s findings “completely unacceptable.”

“This is what happens when standards are IGNORED — and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here,” the defense secretary said. “We will be FIT, not FAT.”

Fitness standards remain a multi-faceted challenge for the military.

The Army rolled out its Future Soldier Preparatory Course in 2022 as a means of helping prospective recruits meet the minimum fitness and academic standards to serve. The Navy launched a similar preparatory course in 2024.

While pre-ascension courses can help prospective recruits get in shape to serve, the ASP report raises concerns about current active and reserve component members.

“Although the reserve component’s obesity-related challenges are similar to those in the active component, commanders and policymakers will not be able to combat these trends with a uniform approach,” it reads.

The report notes that reserve components face unique challenges in keeping their troops in shape.

“Armed with far less data and public attention, the reserve component faces an uphill battle reconciling complex systems of duty status-dependent health care benefits, a force spread all over the world and across 54 states and territories, and critical medical records siloed between DOD and private providers,” it reads.

Last month, the defense secretary ordered a military-wide review of fitness standards.

Hegseth had been outspoken about his concerns with fitness standards in the military even before taking on his current role as the defense secretary. Several of his past comments have focused on whether women should serve in combat roles.

During his confirmation process, senators asked Hegseth to elaborate on his views on women in combat and other issues concerning military fitness standards.

“It’s not about the capabilities of men and women, it’s about standards,” he said.

[…]

Via https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fit-not-fat-hegseth-vows-course-correction-report-finds-two-thirds-reserve-troops-are

The Case for Tariffs – How Tariffs Can Help Bring Back the Golden Age of American Economy

Brandon Turbeville

About once a decade, the question of Protective Tariffs finds its way into the national debate. Whether a political candidate dares to raise the issue or a clever collection of activists and analysts work together to inject it into the national discussion, the reaction is always the same from the halls of entrenched power – hysteria and panic over the mere discussion of tariffs.

Both the establishment Right and the establishment Left in the United States argue that tariffs represent an end to industry and trade, that they deny opportunity to the third world, will only raise prices for American consumers, and that they are the first shot in a tragic trade war. In the halls of corporations and academia, everyone seems to agree – tariffs are bad for the economy and the country as a whole. Predictably, corporate property in Congress parrot the same line and it appears that opposing tariffs is one of the few areas where Democrats and Republicans can agree.

Thus, when anti-tariff politicians, CEOs, and academics speak, their warnings that tariffs represent an end to their globalist vision where international corporations continue to abandon Western workers with their pesky wages, rights, and protections while exploiting third world workers for lower wages, easy replacement, and lack of concern for basic human needs are thinly veiled. This latter, more honest, concern is, in fact, correct. tariffs do threaten globalism and corporate exploitation of workers and societies.

Particularly older working class citizens remember the days of American Tariffs and the undeniably better economic distribution of wealth and opportunity they afforded. Younger (middle aged) Americans remember at least the removal of those Tariffs and the “giant sucking sound” of American jobs leaving for Mexico, South and Central America, Asia, and China that decimated their communities and the American economy before their eyes.

[…]

What Are Tariffs?

Simply put, tariffs are a tax on goods or services imported from other countries. Tariffs serve to protect domestic production by making it more expensive or prohibitively expensive for foreign corporations to export or dump products into the domestic market. They also make it too expensive for domestic corporations to offshore production and import cheaper, foreign made goods into the domestic market.

The tariffs are paid by the company or entity importing the product. Thus, tariffs increase the price of goods and foreign services that are imported into the country, which protects domestic producers and American jobs.

Tariffs can be used for more than protecting existing industry. For instance, tariffs may also help infant industries (a term used by Alexander Hamilton) grow and develop until they are able to safely compete with foreign industry producing the same product.

The American Economic Golden Age

In the 1950’s and early 1960’s, even extending to 1971, the United States had produced the greatest and most equitable economy the world has ever seen. Regardless of its past or future, this accomplishment alone is something Americans should be immensely proud of. Indeed, this fact alone will cause the United States to live forever in the annals of history. For the first time, there existed an economic system in which there were more middle class individuals than poor and rich combined.[1]

During this period, upward mobility was greater for every American regardless of age or race. The high levels of (high wage) employment resulted in increased demand and individuals inclined to start their own businesses were able to do so, all without governmental and bureaucratic boundaries that have currently helped hamstring America’s culture of entrepreneurship. This resulted in immense innovation, new inventions and developments, high levels of high wage employment, and an extremely high rate of private/individually-owned businesses. In addition, Federal, State, and Local governments invested heavily in infrastructure – from electrical grids and water treatment plants to roads, bridges, and general improvements and upkeep. Large scale high wage employment saw increased home ownership across the board, both young and old.[2]

The Golden Age of the American economy was a stout answer to the questions raised by the opposing systems of its day and recent past. It still stands as a shining example of what Americans can re-obtain provided the same policies are pursued and the political will exists to pursue them.

Other Successful Tariffs

The Golden Age of the American economy is the best instance of the successful implementation and use of tariffs (and other economic policies) in American and, indeed, world history. However, there are many other successful examples of proper usage.

The tariffs in existence during the Benjamin Harrison administration serve as a striking piece of evidence in favor of their use. While Harrison is demonized by corporate think tanks and Free Trade academics (even blamed for the Panic of 1893), the fact is that, under the Tariffs in existence during his administration, the American economy was expanding and the revenue collected by the Tariffs was such that the Federal government was actually running a surplus. These Tariffs were originally imposed after the end of the Civil War to protect American industry and promote a recovery. Just two decades after the entire country was ravaged and destroyed by a civil war, the country was rebuilding, expanding, and running a surplus.[3]

Also demonized by the corporate media, international corporations, and Free Traders were the Donald Trump Tariffs implemented during his first term as President. Although imposed on a much smaller scale than Harrison’s or those of the Golden Age, the Trump Tariffs were a starting point toward an apparent policy of protective tariffs doubling as a negotiating tool.

Nevertheless, the effects of the Tariff were felt amongst the working class of the United States who, for the first time since a brief dead cat bounce in the eighties, saw the future of working people beginning to improve instead of consistently getting worse. Those economic gains, of course, were quickly wiped away with the worldwide COVID hoax and the resulting lockdowns and governmental wars waged on their own economies. Still, the tariffs were so effective and popular, the Biden administration, publicly opposed to anything Trump-related, maintained them in order to avoid public backlash over removing them and the inevitable economic downturn that would follow if they were removed.

[…]

The History Of Anti-Tariff Globalism

As previously mentioned, the crusade against tariffs has been led by a coalition of strange bedfellows. The most obvious is a collection corporate and banking interests, desiring to exploit the working class for cheap labor and for acquisition of cheaper raw materials combined with lower environmental standards in “third world” countries.

These interests tout the benefit of allegedly “lower prices” on consumer goods but, in reality, they are merely producing higher profits for themselves at the expense of the American worker and American society. American workers are thus caught in a cycle of lower wages and thus a need for even cheaper goods.

[…]

Marxists, Libertarians, and Anarchists all argue for the elimination of Tariffs and the promotion of Free Trade, many simply misguided but many understanding full well how the working class is exploited and reduced to peasantry as a result of Free Trade. Libertarian ideology often transcends national interests as do those of anarchists of all stripes. Marx, for his part, supported Free Trade not because he believed protectionism doesn’t work. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Marx knew Protectionism worked but supported Free Trade because it would worsen conditions for the working class and thus hasten the worker’s revolution he predicted and desired.[4]

What Is “Free Trade?”

At this point the phrase “Free Trade” must be defined correctly and clearly so as to avoid misunderstandings. The fact that Tariffs have historically been widely popular among the working class presented a unique obstacle to those interests opposed to protective action. Dismantling measures designed to protect American industry (and doing so effectively) is a hard item to sell.

[…]

The majority of the country overwhelming opposed the implementation of NAFTA, well aware of what removing Tariffs between Canada, the United States, and Mexico would do to the American economy. Yet, NAFTA was approved and signed anyway. During the debate, however, NAFTA proponents began used the term “Free Trade” to describe their plans to eviscerate the American economy. Free Trade was deliberately confusing since it sounds like Free Enterprise, a hallmark of the American philosophy. The use of the term Free Trade did not persuade Americans at the time but the agreement was signed nevertheless. However, incessant use of the term by Free Trade proponents, politicians, media, and academics in the aftermath have, by now, successfully confused Americans so that few are now willing to state that they are opposed to Free Trade. Indeed, multiple generations have grown into adulthood believing that tariffs are evil and Free Trade is the only method of trade available. They have been brought and brainwashed to believe that competing with slave labor in a race to the bottom is the only way to survive.

There should be no doubt, Free Trade is not within the American economic tradition. While increased competition in the American market generally leads to lower prices, increased services, higher wages, and higher living standards, Free Trade achieves the reverse. Free Trade is a race to the bottom, eliminating high wage jobs and domestic production in favor of low wage foreign labor.

Free Trade is the exploitation of the working class and, often, child and slave labor. It is also of grave danger to national security. Allowing foreign countries to produce and control the supply of vital goods, technologies, and components that a country needs to thrive and even defend itself weakens the ability to provide for the common defense and places the country in a precarious position, not to mention a population of impoverished, stressed, and struggling workers.

The creation of the term “Free Trade” to refer to the removal of tariffs and protections, flooding and dumping of foreign products into the American market, and globalist economic policies of de-industrialization is perhaps the greatest public relations victory in recent history, malevolent as it may be. Make no mistake, however, Free Trade does not represent freedom, it represents poverty.

This is because “Free Trade” represents the systematic removal of tariffs and “barriers” to trade, thus allowing foreign nations to import cheaper goods made by workers paid much lower wages, often under unsafe and inhumane conditions and few environmental restrictions. The result is the undercutting of American industry, widespread loss of jobs, and the hollowing out of the domestic economy.[5]

The Giant Sucking Sound

Predictability, as soon as the efforts to dismantle protectionism began to take hold in the United States, industry started to disappear. Unemployment rose and living standards began to decline. Factories began to close in rapid numbers and the industries surrounding those factories closed as well. Likewise, American infrastructure suffered immensely. Since the end of the Golden Age of the American Economy, the United States has been on the steady decline, with the 1990’s representing a nosedive after the signing of NAFTA. Independent Presidential candidate Ross Perot warned that, if NAFTA were signed, it would create a “giant sucking sound” of American jobs rushing to Mexico.[6]

He was proven correct immediately as American industry began disappearing left and right, a trend accelerated through various Free Trade deals signed between the United States and the rest of the world, particularly China. It is precisely the reason China and Southeast Asia function as the factory for the world today. These were jobs that were previously held by American workers who were paid relatively high wages. Those workers were transitioned from high-skill, high-wage jobs to act as competition for other workers in similar industries (lowering wages) or to retail and service jobs. Worse, the workers were simply forced into unemployment.

[…]

Via https://www.activistpost.com/the-case-for-tariffs-how-tariffs-can-help-bring-back-the-golden-age-of-american-economy/

Iran-US talks enter critical phase amid hope and caution

By Alireza Akbari

In the third round of indirect talks on Saturday in Muscat, Tehran and Washington engaged in a more serious atmosphere, delving into detailed and technical discussions on nuclear issues.

After two previous rounds of indirect nuclear talks in Muscat and Rome, respectively, described by both sides as “constructive,” the latest round of talks involved more detailed and technical discussions.

Iranian Foreign Minister and lead negotiator from the Iranian side, Abbas Araghchi, told media persons after the end of talks on Saturday afternoon, remains “hopeful but cautious.”

Held behind closed doors for nearly five hours, the latest round saw the presence of experts for the first time, a notable difference from the previous two rounds, which had taken place primarily at the senior diplomatic level with the mediation of Oman.

Araghchi, leading the Iranian delegation, met and held talks with his Omani counterpart, Badr Al Busaidi, before the third round of talks on Saturday, with both discussing issues related to the talks.

On the American side, US envoy Steve Witkoff was in Moscow on Friday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, before traveling to Oman on Saturday to join the discussions.

The third round of high-level indirect talks was led by Araghchi for Iran and Witkoff for the US, with technical teams supporting both sides for the first time.

Iran’s technical delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi.

On the US side, Michael Anton, head of policy planning at the State Department, was tasked with leading the technical discussions, according to US media reports.

After the conclusion of the talks, which lasted slightly longer than the previous two rounds, Araghchi expressed gratitude to the Omani government and Foreign Minister Al Busaidi for facilitating the indirect discussions in a calm and constructive environment.

“This round of negotiations was much more serious than before, and we gradually entered into some more detailed, technical, and specialized discussions,” Araghchi told mediapersons.

He characterized the atmosphere of the negotiations as “a completely serious and work-focused environment,” noting that the two sides had moved from general discussions into more intricate details.

However, the top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the ongoing discussions do not mean that differences have been resolved. “Differences still exist both on major issues and on details,” he said.

He underlined the need for “further reviews” by both Tehran and Washington over the coming week to examine ways to reduce those differences, before they reconvene for the next round of talks.

According to Araghchi, the seriousness and determination shown by both sides during the third round created an environment that made the Iranian delegation “hopeful for progress” in the negotiations.

At the same time, he cautioned that “there are issues on which general understandings must first be reached, and only then can negotiations on the details be conducted,” signaling that Tehran’s hopefulness remains tempered by caution.

Looking ahead to the next phase, Araghchi said the next round will likely be on Saturday (May 3), noting that further details would be arranged and announced by Oman as mediators.

He also explained that the fourth round would continue in the same format as the third, with the presence of experts, Witkoff accompanying the US delegation, and Araghchi leading Iran’s team.

“As we gradually move from generalities into more detailed and specialized discussions, the necessary experts are similarly added,” he said in response to a question regarding the composition of Iran’s technical delegation in the third round of talks.

“In this session, we had economic experts with us who, for the first time, participated in our expert team. Their presence was very useful,” Araghchi added, noting that from the next session, experts from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran should also be added to the team composition.

According to the foreign minister, as negotiations move forward and depending on the topics on the agenda, the relevant experts will be incorporated into the Iranian delegation accordingly.

Addressing speculation over the framework and topics under discussion, Araghchi clarified that the Islamic Republic would solely engage on issues related to its nuclear program and sanctions relief — a framework that, according to him, “has been fully respected by both sides” so far.

“I say clearly that the subject of our discussions is solely nuclear (program), and we are not negotiating on any other issue. Of course, when we say nuclear, it means confidence-building regarding Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions,” he said.

Araghchi referred to his earlier description of the third round’s atmosphere as “serious,” explaining that “it means that both sides demonstrated their will for progress.”

“Will alone does not guarantee success. In any case, success must be achieved when the views and demands of both sides are met, and each side reaches a level of satisfaction within the negotiations. This is something that certainly takes time,” he stressed.

“We are hopeful, of course, that we can move forward quickly,” the head of the Iranian delegation said, pointing to “past experiences” as a factor that makes the process of negotiations smoother and faster.

Araghchi also expressed satisfaction with how the negotiations have developed and the pace at which they are moving, saying, “The negotiations are proceeding well and satisfactorily.”

“It is a good atmosphere; there is seriousness on both sides. I believe that the will also exists on the other side. We certainly have the will. I am hopeful, but very cautiously so,” he added.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei posted on X that the Iranian delegation remains determined to protect “the legal and legitimate rights of the Iranian nation to use nuclear energy.”

He added that lifting of “illegal sanctions” against the Iranian nation remains a priority for the Iranian negotiating team in these indirect discussions with the American side.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said Iran-US talks “identified a shared aspiration to reach agreement based on mutual respect and enduring commitments.”

According to al-Busaidi, “core principles, objectives and technical concerns were all addressed,” and he added that the next round of high-level talks, set for May 3, would continue next week.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump also signaled confidence in clinching a new pact with the Islamic Republic, which would replace the one reached during the Obama administration.

Speaking earlier aboard Air Force One en route to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, Trump also expressed cautious optimism.

“The Iran situation is coming out very well,” he said. “We have had a lot of talks with them and I think we are going to have a deal. I would much rather have a deal than the other alternative. That would be good for humanity.”

These talks come amid heightened tensions sparked by Trump’s war-mongering rhetoric, under the influence of the Israeli lobby groups in Washington, which experts see as imprudent.

Iranian leadership has vowed to respond to any military adventure decisively with the same determination and conviction that they are currently engaged in diplomacy with the US.

[…]

Via https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/04/27/746940/more-serious-than-before-iran-us-talks-critical-phase-hope-caution

Crisis of Motherhood Part II – Opting Out of Married Life

The Crisis of Motherhood Part II

Press TV (2025)

Film Review

https://www.presstv.ir/doc/Detail/2025/01/26/741635/Crisis-Motherhood-Decline-Birth-Rates-Europe-East-Asia-Family-Growth-Future-Generations-Documentary-PressTV

Part II focuses on social and ideological factors impacting lower fertility rates. It blames the developed world’s current demographic crisis (insufficient young workers to support a ballooning retired population – see The Crisis of Motherhood Part I – How Countries Face the Crisis of Declining Birth Rates) on decades of global neocapitalist dominance. This has led policy makers to focus exclusively on profits to the exclusion of human needs.

At present media coverage influences women to associate motherhood with suffering and stress, as opposed to joy and fulfillment.  Two examples

Pain of childbirth – responsible for massive increase in unnecessary Caesareans. In the US, one-third of babies are delivered by Cesarean (50% of them unnecessary). The rate in the UK is 24%. The World Health Organization alert the rate should be 15% or less. Cesarian deliveries subject mother to a significant in complications, including wound infections and nerve damage. Moreover Infants delivered by Cesarean are more prone to allergies and asthma, as they lack the robust bacterial microbiome most infants acquire from the birth canal.Obstacles to career advancement – owing to widespread perceptions will interfere with a woman’s emotional commitment to her job. For mothers of young children, the inability to work over time and finding childcare when kids are sick can be real career busters.

Opting Out of Married Life

Japan

As in many Western countries, Japan’s death rate exceeds the birth rate, which has been falling for 37 years. The government compensates by aggressively recruiting foreign workers. The marriage rate is also declining, with two-thirds of young Japanese choosing to remain single. With so many people living alone, Japan faces a crisis of loneliness as well as a fertility crisis.  In Japan single people can rent friends or hang out together at cafes or pet kennels.

US

Two decades ago 5% of Americans lived alone. The current figure is 27%.

Sweden and Germany

In Stockholm 58% of residents live alone with the percentage nearly as high in Germany.

Third World

Although fertility rates are somewhat higher in developing countries, they don’t have sufficient industry attract immigrants. This means they ultimately face a worse demographic crisis, ie too few young people to support a large cohort of senior citizens.

Kiev Regime Mulling Forced Conscription of Women

Drago Bosnic

In my previous analysis, I touched upon the pointlessness of sending young Ukrainian pilots to certain death in aging (but still extremely overhyped) US-made fighter jets. However, soon after publishing, news came in about the Kiev regime’s intention to adopt the “Israeli model” for its crumbling armed forces. Namely, now that NATO’s Neo-Nazi puppets have effectively killed over a million Ukrainian men, it seems the time has come for entire generations of women to also be wiped out.

The deputy head of the Kiev regime’s presidential administration Colonel Pavel Palisa wants to implement forced conscription for women, citing the “Israeli model” as his inspiration. He argues that military service should be “a national obligation for all men and women” and that “this is where current discussions on recruitment should focus”.

“If a citizen claims to support the state, job, education, I don’t know, in general, to claim some payments from the state budget, they should serve… there is a minimum contract, let it be annual,” Palisa stated.

He also wants to limit access to state benefits to anyone who hasn’t served in the Neo-Nazi junta forces. Palisa added that “the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a lot of different jobs and no matter how wild it sounds now, maybe we need to learn the experience of Israel in this”. Obviously, comparisons with Israel are rather inadequate, to say the least, as the IDF isn’t fighting a global military superpower next door. In addition, the nature of the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict is completely different from the one in the Middle East. Namely, while Israel has near-total air superiority in the region (particularly after the NATO-backed destruction of sovereign Syria), which is why the IAF is the primary tool of its power projection, fighting in Ukraine largely comes down to artillery dominance over a clearly delineated frontline.

In practice, this means that manpower is largely limited to playing the role of cannon fodder, an extremely unfaltering role that has already taken the lives of over 1,000,000 Ukrainians, mostly people between the ages of 20 and 50 (i.e. the most productive and economically most important demographic). Despite the already inevitable economic downturn because of this alone, the Kiev regime seems to be determined to exacerbate the already disastrous situation by forcibly conscripting women. The catastrophic demographic consequences of this decision cannot possibly be overstated, especially when taking into account that former Ukraine has long been a “dying nation”, as its fertility rates have plummeted to just 0.9 children per woman. Thus, forcibly conscripting women will only exacerbate this massive issue.

Conscription: Neo-Nazi Junta Now After Three Million Ukrainian Women with Small Children

What’s more, at the moment, the legal conscription age stands at 25 (after being lowered from 27 in 2024). The United States and NATO have long insisted that it be lowered to 18, as it’s simply unacceptable for the political West that so many young Ukrainians are still alive and well. Even if the Neo-Nazi junta decides to keep the forced conscription age at 25, including women would still affect the demographically most important segment of the general population. Needless to say, going for 18-year-olds would be much worse, as it would kill off the entire population of young Ukrainians (late teenagers and people in their early 20s, while hundreds of thousands of those in their 30s, 40s and 50s have been virtually wiped out). “Conspiracy theorists” would think precisely this is “almost” the intention of the Kiev regime.

The widespread practice of kidnapping regular people in the streets might have temporarily boosted the number of available troops, but it has also forced hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians into hiding, while many have fled abroad. The practice of kidnapping civilians and forcing them into service of the NATO-backed Neo-Nazi junta is disproportionately affecting the working class, as those with enough money have either left or are still paying exorbitant amounts of money to remain “under the radar”. A regular Ukrainian male is effectively imprisoned in his own country, as it’s virtually impossible to leave legally. If this practice is suddenly extended to women, it would create total chaos, as many children who have been left fatherless would also likely lose their mothers and be forced to fend for themselves.

Unfortunately, this practice is nothing out of the ordinary for the war criminals running the Kiev regime, as they’ve previously also targeted Ukrainian women, including pregnant ones. All this has only exacerbated manpower shortages, as even people who naively supported the NATO-backed regime have now become disillusioned. The suicidal way the Neo-Nazi junta forces are (ab)using regular troops makes millions unwilling to go anywhere near a recruitment post in all parts of former Ukraine. Even the mainstream propaganda machine stopped denying the practice of forced conscription, as there are hundreds of videos circulating online, showing the infamous TCC/TCK violently grabbing Ukrainian men going to work, supermarket, taking their kids to/from school, running, walking their pets, etc.

For those who don’t know, the acronym stands for Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support (TCR and SS or sometimes just TCR). However, this monstrous organization is better known as the TCC/TCK. Their violent practices regularly cause severe injuries to the recruits and oftentimes even death. This has accelerated the emergence of resistance groups, particularly in the ethnically Russian Odessa oblast (region).

Family members of forcibly conscripted soldiers are now even retaliating against TCC/TCK henchmen. In one recently uncovered case, a woman in Odessa blew herself up when her son was killed after being kidnapped and sent to the frontline. Elsewhere, prominent Nazis have been assassinated. Resistance groups or disgruntled and vengeful individuals will only grow in number if women are targeted next.

[…]

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/neo-nazi-junta-mulling-forced-conscription-women/5884627

Welcome to the Palantir World Order

Derrick Broze

How does a company with CIA ties and two steering committee members of the secretive Bilderberg Group as founders end up in the White House?

This question should be on the minds of every free-thinking person regardless of political affiliation or lack thereof. The answer to this question cuts to the heart of understanding the future direction of the American experiment, and the impact it will have on the rest of the world.

Starting in 2019 I began warning that we were witnessing the creation of a Technocratic State, with Big Tech CEOs amassing exorbitant wealth and unfathomable data about the world. This collection of financial wealth and data has allowed these Technocrats to gain power equivalent to many nations, and beyond that of smaller nations. Palantir is a perfect example of the merging of corporate and state power.

Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel and Alex Karp, long before they were made Steering Committee members of the secretive Bilderberg Group. Karp and Thiel launched Palantir with seed funding from the CIA’s venture capital firm In-Q-Tel. The CIA aimed to use Palantir to relaunch the controversial post-9/11 program known as Total Information Awareness. TIA would be shuttered after public outcry and concerns around surveillance. However, after Thiel and Karp began meeting with intelligence officials they helped Palantir to do privately what the government could not get permission from the American people to do publicly.

Over the last 120 days of the 2nd Trump administration it has become clear that Palantir is on the way to becoming the U.S. government’s new favorite Military Industrial Complex contractor of choice. A quick search reveals numerous headlines detailing the recent rapid rise of Palantir’s stock.

This should come as no surprise given the abundant contracts and projects Palantir is reportedly developing with the U.S. government. Here’s a brief look at the ways in which Palantir is becoming more deeply connected to the MIC.

The SpaceX-Palantir Golden Dome Over America

Last week Reuters reported that Elon Musks’ SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril Industries were the “frontrunners” to win a contract to build President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense shield. Trump has called for America to have a “dome” defense system similar to that of the Israeli’s “Iron Dome”. Anduril was founded by Trump donor Palmer Luckey with funding from Palantir CEO Peter Thiel.

Sources speaking to Reuters claimed that the 3 companies met with officials in the Trump administration and the Department of Defense in recent weeks to outline their plan to build and launch between 400 and 1,000 satellites to detect missiles and track their movements. This would be combined with 200 “attack satellites” with missiles and lasers to bring down enemy missiles.

Despite these sources telling Reuters that “the SpaceX group is not expected to be involved in the weaponization of satellites”, these plans for a “Golden Dome” would line up with SpaceX’s Starshield program, which TLAV previously reported poses a potential danger to privacy for people around the world.

In late 2024 Palantir, Anduril, SpaceX, and OpenAI announced a partnership on U.S. military contracts. The move was the latest effort by the Technocrats to replace the old guard of the Military Industrial Complex — companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing.

Palantir Helping Locate Immigrants for Trump Administration

Palantir is diving straight into the business of helping the Trump administration in their efforts to launch a mass deportation program. According to Palantir Slacks and other internal messages, the company is working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help them locate the physical location of people who are marked for deportation. The messages and relationship was first reported by 404 Media.

The leaked messages highlight how Palantir is working with ICE and local law enforcement to find people slated for deportation and to keep track of “the logistics of Trump’s mass deportation effort”. Palantir is also preparing for push back as the news of their involvement in the deportations reaches the public.

[…]

Akash Jain, the Chief Technology Officer of Palantir Technologies and President of Palantir USG, is quoted as saying that Palantir has “prototyped a new set of data integrations and workflows with ICE” and that the Trump admin’s focus on “leveraging data to drive enforcement operations” has “accelerated” Palantir’s relationship with ICE.

The leaks also highlight an internal Palantir wiki which detailed other components of the company’s relationship with ICE, including a “self-deportation tracking” project aimed at helping ICE better understand how many people voluntarily leave the US.

These new developments build on top of a $95 million dollar contract between Palantir and US Homeland Security Investigations.

Shortly after the Slack messages were leaked Drop Site News reported that ICE has recently to develop a new software platform to expand surveillance and enforcement operations.

The two stories seem related with Drop Site News confirming more details of the ICE-Palantir partnership, including the creation of Immigration Lifecycle Operating System, or simply ImmigrationOS, an operating system that will apparently “streamline the entire immigration enforcement process—from identification to removal”. This use of Palantir’s technology is said to reduce time, labor, and resource costs.

ICE awarded the contract to Palantir without allowing bids from other competitors, arguing that the deal needed to be awarded quickly so a prototype could be ready by September 25.

[…]

Palantir Partners with the IRS

In early April it was reported that Palantir was working with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to build a new “mega API” for accessing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records. The relationship between Palantir and DOGE was first reported by WIRED.

As WIRED notes, APIs are application programming interfaces which allow different applications to exchange data. It is speculated that the Palantir API could be used to move IRS data to a cloud for direct access.

The report states that Palantir and DOGE held a “hackathon” with “dozens of career IRS engineers” to collaborate on building a “single API layer above all IRS databases”. DOGE has discussed the possibility of an API project accessing all IRS data, including individual’s names, addresses, social security numbers, tax return history, and employer information.

A spokesperson for the US Treasury Department told WIRED that Palantir and DOGE have not signed a contract and “many vendors are being considered, Palantir being one of them.”

“Through this coalition, they will streamline IRS systems to create the most efficient service for the American taxpayer,” the spokesperson stated.

While Trump supporters may have previously been concerned that the Biden Administration planned to hire thousands more IRS employees — an agency which many Americans despite — it seems that under the 2nd Trump administration Palantir will help make the agency more “efficient” than ever. So much for abolishing the IRS.

To be fair, Trump has issued an Executive Order ostensibly aimed at limiting IRS audits of small business and middle class families. Either way, the revelation of a relationship between Palantir and the IRS should be troubling to all Americans.

[…]

Overhauling the U.S. Government’s Payments System

Another non-Palantir but Thiel-connected venture relates to Ramp, a financial company which uses artificial intelligence software for businesses to analyze spending. ProPublica has reported on four private meetings between Ramp executives and Trump’s appointees at the General Services Administration, the federal agency focused on federal contracts.

According to ProPublica, the GSA is looking to partner with Ramp on the U.S. government’s $700 billion internal expense card program, known as SmartPay. Sources told ProPublica that Trump officials at GSA are seeking to have Ramp lead a charge card pilot program worth up to $25 million.

[…]

Blind Support for Israel

Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and Palantir are unrelenting advocates for the Zionist movement. In November 2023, Palantir released a letter to shareholders making it clear they completely support Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian people.

“We are one of a few companies in the world to stand up and announce our support for Israel, which remains steadfast,” Karp wrote in the letter. “Palantir stands with Israel.”

Thiel has also made it clear he will not interfere in Israel’s crimes and has no qualms supplying technology which leads to civilian deaths. First, in January 2024 Palantir announced that it had signed a “strategic partnership” with the Israeli Defense Ministry to supply technology for the genocide.

In May 2024, protesters accused Thiel of complicity in ‘genocide’, blocking his vehicles for over an hour while he was speaking at the Cambridge Union. Over two hundred students gathered outside the Cambridge Union attempting to “drown out” Thiel’s talk.

When Thiel was directly questioned about his support of Israel and their use of AI technology to murder humans, he gave a rambling non-answer.

“Look again . . . I’m not . . . I’m not . . . you know, you know . . . with . . . without, without going into all the . . . you know I’m not on top of all the details of what’s going on in Israel, because my bias is to defer to Israel. It’s not for us to to second-guess every, everything. And I believe that broadly the IDF gets to decide what it wants to do, and that they’re broadly in the right and that’s, that’s sort of the perspective I come back to.”

When Thiel was asked about #Palantir using its artificial intelligence to help the IDF commit genocide: https://t.co/UCnXCNIu4h pic.twitter.com/BhPh9LVBca

— The Last American Vagabond (@TLAVagabond) February 10, 2025

Thiel and Karp’s enthusiasm for the Israeli genocide perfectly align with the fact that Trump’s 2nd cabinet is stacked with former and current associates of Thiel’s who also share this zeal for Zionism and Technocracy.

The DOGE-Thiel Connection

As noted above, Palantir and DOGE are beginning to partner on various projects. This isn’t shocking given Thiel and Musk’s history at PayPal and close financial relationship over the years. However, what less Americans understand are the deep ties between Peter Thiel and the 2nd Trump administration.

As Trump began naming his nominees I reported that at least 10 people in influential positions were directly related to Palantir, Peter Thiel, and his foundations.

This includes Vice President J.D. Vance; Elon Musk, head of DOGE; David Sacks, AI and Crypto Czar; U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick; Jim O’Neill, deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Ken Howery, US Ambassador to Denmark; the aforementioned Jacob Helberg; and Michael Kratsios as a science adviser and director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.

[…]

In late February, the New York Times began revealing names of DOGE employees. That report mentions a man named Akash Bobba as one of the young coders working with Musk. Bobba formerly interned with Palantir. Business Insider also reported on a DOGE employee working at NASA.

Business Insider revealed that 26-year old Riley Sennott was listed as a “senior advisor” in an internal NASA directory. Business Insider was also able to access Sennott’s public Google Calendar which included several meetings with Thiel associates. A March 2024 meeting showed a Zoom call with Founders Fund. The calendar also highlighted a May “recruiter call” with Palantir, and an April meeting titled “Anduril Opportunity Chat.” The calendar also showed 2024 meetings with Thrive Capital, the VC firm run by Jared Kushner’s brother and funded by Peter Thiel.

Shortly after this, Bloomberg continued the revelations on the connections between Peter Thiel and Trump’s admin. Much of this was covered in my previous report, but Bloomberg does identify a few additional Thiel acolytes. These include:

– Anthony Jancso, former Palantir employee now at DOGE
– Clark Minor, a former software engineer at Palantir and now serving as Chief Information Officer at HHS
– Colin Carroll, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, formerly of Anduril
– George Cooper, recruiter for DOGE, formerly at Palantir
– Gregory Barbaccia, Chief Information Officer at the Office of Management and Budget, formerly Palantir
– Luke Farritor, recruiter for DOGE, former Thiel Fellow
– Patrick Witt, chief of staff, DOD’s office of strategic capital, received political donations from Thiel
-Ryan Wunderly, working with DOGE in Treasury Department, formerly Anduril

This means the total number of Thiel acolytes working within Trump’s cabinet and DOGE is at least 18 people.

[…]

Via https://tlavagabond.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-palantir-world-order