Stuart Jeanne Bramhall's Blog: The Most Revolutionary Act , page 90

Bill Gates Lobbying White House to Reverse USAID Cuts

Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via APBenjamin Bartee  

The cuts made to the so-called “foreign aid” agency USAID (which doesn’t actually have humanitarianism as its primary purpose) in the first days of the Trump 2.0 administration affected various global vaccine initiatives, many of which were pet projects of self-styled philanthropist Bill Gates.

Via Reuters (emphasis added):

Soon after his January 20 inauguration, President Donald Trump moved to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, cutting more than 80% of contracts and freezing billions of dollars for everything from emergency food assistance to malaria prevention.

The Trump administration, led by the State Department, is reviewing what kinds of foreign aid will remain under its “America First” policy, with a list of around 30 global health projects for consideration, one of the sources said…

[The list includes] rganizations such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, among others. They are on the shortlist for review by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump. The U.S. gives around $300 million annually to Gavi, and more than $1 billion to the Global Fund.

Several projects under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are also on the review shortlist, the source said.

In an attempt to ensure these projects remain federally funded, Gates has reportedly been quietly lobbying the administration behind the scenes to protect the billions that flow to his “non-profit” ventures.

Putting aside the ultimate question of why Bill Gates isn’t under a federal prison, why do we allow creatures like this to slink around the White House trying to convince Trump, our duly elected president, and his lieutenants to reinstate his own personal scheme that for some reason require public subsidy even though Gates has a net worth of $108 billion?

Continuing:

Bill Gates is personally lobbying Trump administration officials to keep funding health programs worldwide, from childhood vaccination to HIV treatment, and warning that his foundation cannot step in to fill gaps, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters…

“Bill was recently in Washington D.C. meeting with decision makers to discuss the life-saving impact of U.S. international assistance and the need for a strategic plan to protect the world’s most vulnerable while safeguarding America’s health and security,” said a spokesperson for the Gates Foundation, his charitable organization.

Gates told the officials he met with that his foundation cannot replace the role of the U.S. government, the sources said. Gates Foundation directors have also said publicly that no foundation has that capability.

Let this serve as our friendly periodic reminder that billionaire “philanthropists” aren’t really playing with their own money; it’s house money.

As I reported on several years ago, it came to light well into the first Trump administration that Gates had gone to Trump back in December 2016, when he was president-elect, to pressure him not to look into vaccine safety, which the president was reportedly considering doing at the time at the behest of now-HHS Secretary RFK Jr.

According to Gates’ account of the encounter: “In both of those two meetings, [Trump] asked me if vaccines weren’t a bad thing, because he was considering a commission to look into ill effects of vaccines. And I said, ‘No, that’s a dead end. That would be a bad thing, don’t do that.’”

We all know what happened four years later.

[…]

Via https://pjmedia.com/benbartee/2025/04/09/bill-gates-lobbying-white-house-to-reverse-usaid-cuts-report-n4938720

Trump Fires Senior CIA Official Responsible for ‘Illegal’ Military Covid Vaxx Mandate

By Baxter Dmitry

Terry Adirim, a senior CIA official and ex-Biden defense appointee, was fired last week for her role in pushing Biden’s controversial military Covid-19 vaccine mandate—a mandate that may have crossed legal lines.

Once the acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, Adirim jumped ship to the CIA in December, serving as director of its Centers for Global Health Services until her firing.

According to reports, Adirim’s firing is tied to her role in strong-arming troops to take an Emergency Use Authorized jab or face expulsion.

On September 14, 2021, about a month after then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the vaccine mandate, Adirim issued a memo instructing DOD health care providers to consider the vaccine available to service members — Pfizer’s BioNTech vaccine — as “interchangeable” with a vaccine that was approved by the FDA, known as Comirnaty.

She wrote:

Per FDA guidance, these two vaccines are ‘interchangeable’ and DoD health care providers should ‘use doses distributed under the EUA to administer the vaccination series as if the doses were the licensed vaccine.’

Consistent with FDA guidance, DoD health care providers will use both the PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine interchangeably for the purpose of vaccinating Service members in accordance with Secretary of Defense Memorandum, ‘Mandatory Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination of Department of Defense Service Members,’ August 24, 2021.

Breitbart report: Her memo was considered legally dubious even inside the Pentagon, as reported in September 2022.

A month after Adirim issued her memo, a senior defense official proposed allowing service members who did not want to take the EUA vaccine to wait for the FDA-approved vaccine before facing punishment for being unvaccinated.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight David J. Smith, proposed in a draft memo that would replace Adirim’s memo:

If a Service member, after medical counseling, declines administration of the EUA-manufactured product, DoD health care providers should engage with their logistics chain to secure and administer the [Biologics License Application]-manufactured Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty product prior to any punitive action being taken against the Service member.

Smith’s action memo was addressed to Adirim, with a recommendation for her to sign the draft memo with the proposed change.

According to the documents obtained by Breitbart News, the draft memo had been sent to the military services for coordination, and a senior Air Force official objected to it, arguing that adopting the change could open the military up for more litigation and possibly force it to reverse punishments already given for not taking the vaccine.

His response said the proposed change would suggest that DOD considers the EUA-manufactured vaccine different from the FDA-approved Comirnaty product and could open the Air Force up to lawsuits, and that since adverse action had already possibly been taken, “significant remedial actions” would probably be required.

The proposal was never adopted, with legal implications for the DoD.Under 10 U.S.C. Section 1107(a), a defense secretary can order service members to take an FDA-approved vaccine, but he cannot legally order service members to take an EUA-manufactured vaccine without seeking and obtaining a waiver from the president.

Also under 10 U.S.C. Section 1107(a), that waiver must be signed by the president then the defense secretary must formally notify Congress of the waiver. Congress has never received notification of such a waiver.

Austin had pledged in an August 9, 2021, memo to service members that he would seek a presidential waiver, but it is not clear he ever did so. He also pledged that his order would only use the FDA-approved vaccine. Breitbart News questioned the Biden Pentagon if Austin ever sought a presidential waiver to mandate the EUA-manufactured vaccine, but was given the same verbiage that appeared in Adirim’s memo:

Per FDA guidance, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine had the same formulation and the two vaccines were ‘interchangeable.’ Accordingly, DoD health care providers could ‘use doses distributed under the EUA to administer the vaccination series as if the doses were the licensed vaccine.’

Comirnaty has not been widely available in the U.S. for reasons that are not clear. In July 2022, the FDA reissued its EUA of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, noting, “There is no adequate, approved, and available alternative to Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to prevent COVID-19.”

The DOD later would be hit with lawsuits from service members suing the DOD for trying to force service members to take the EUA vaccine instead of the FDA-approved vaccine.

One of the lawsuits was led by former Marine Capt. Dale Saran, the military attorney who ended the Pentagon’s anthrax vaccine in 2004. In an interview with Breitbart News in 2022, he called Adirim’s memo a “fraud.” he said:

The undersecretary of defense for health affairs, a woman named Terry Adirim, published a memo claiming that the unlicensed product, BNT162b2 — Pfizer’s unlicensed EUA product — could be substituted in that it was interchangeable with the licensed product. … . That’s the fraud that’s at the heart of our case.

It would not be the first time Adirim would appear to skirt the law.

Adirim left the DOD in 2022 to go to the Department of Veteran Affairs, where she appeared to have violated the Hatch Act, as previously reported by Breitbart News. Just weeks before the 2022 midterm elections, Adirim liked a tweet soliciting donations to Democrats. Doing so is not allowed under the Hatch Act, which seeks to make sure federal employees do not engage in politics while in an official role.

[…]

Via https://thepeoplesvoice.tv/trump-fires-senior-cia-official-responsible-for-illegal-military-covid-vaxx-mandate/

What if Trump’s tariffs actually make sense?

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump. ©  Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images<

By Igor Makarov

They’re messy, risky, and unpopular – but they might be part of a bigger, smarter plan

Let me play devil’s advocate for a minute. I’m not here to defend President Donald Trump’s tariffs. But I do want to push back against the way the conversation around them often unfolds – dismissing them offhand with a smug “well, that’s just dumb,” without any regard for the broader economic context, either at home or globally.

Yes, Trump often shoots from the hip. He lies outright, makes rookie mistakes in his speeches, and fumbles the details. But behind the bluster is a surprisingly coherent strategy – one that wasn’t cobbled together by fools. You don’t have to agree with it to at least try to understand what it is.

I don’t claim to have all the answers (frankly, I’m suspicious of anyone who says they truly understand what’s going on inside Trump’s head), but here’s how I see it.

What you need to know about global imbalances

At their core, global trade imbalances are the result of mismatches between national savings and investment. In countries such as China, Germany, Japan, and major oil exporters, savings tend to outpace domestic investment – capital has to go somewhere, so it flows abroad. This shows up as a trade surplus.

In the US, it’s the reverse. Americans save less than they invest, and the gap is filled by foreign capital. This creates a trade deficit.

So how did we get here?For decades, export-driven economies (China, Germany, Japan) have followed policies that shift income away from households – which are more likely to spend – toward corporations and the government, which tend to save. This artificially boosts the national savings rate. But since those savings can’t all be invested domestically, the excess capital flows abroad.A lot of it – roughly a trillion dollars a year – ends up in the US. There are two main reasons for this:The American economy is built to encourage consumer spending, not saving.And in times of uncertainty, everyone from investors to governments runs to the dollar – it’s still the world’s safe haven.Why is that a problem for the US?

In the short term, maybe it doesn’t look like a problem. The US economy remains strong. No one’s sounding alarm bells. But beneath the surface, imbalances are piling up: Persistent trade deficits, ballooning federal debt, and rising interest rates are a dangerous mix. As borrowing becomes more expensive, it gets harder and harder to service that debt.

On top of that, China has slowed its push to boost domestic consumption, and Europe’s economic woes are driving even more capital into the US. This only deepens the imbalance.

Trump knows his political clock is ticking – midterms are around the corner. If he’s going to act, it has to be now.

Here’s what’s really behind Trump’s tariffs – and how they may backfireWhat are his options?

So how can the US boost savings, shrink the trade deficit, and bring down long-term interest rates? In theory, there are several levers:

Cut government spending – Trump has pushed for this (just look at the work of DOGE and others).Slash corporate taxes and invest in industry – the first increases inequality, and the second is hard to pull off in a polarized political system. Still, both are being pursued, in part through tariffs.Limit capital inflows – politically toxic.Reduce the dollar’s role as the global reserve currency – difficult to do unilaterally, and potentially destabilizing.Impose tariffs – politically the easiest, and the one Trump has clearly chosen.

My guess? Tariffs are just the tip of the spear. The broader plan likely includes pieces of all five approaches.

Legit critiques

Still, the criticisms are real – and in many cases, valid.

First: Why is Trump using a slapdash, anecdotal chart of tariff levels across countries to justify his actions? As Olivier Blanchard quipped, we all run trade deficits with our baker and surpluses with our employer. It’s the same at the international level. Trying to ‘balance’ every bilateral trade relationship is not just naive – it misses the point entirely.

But Trump isn’t necessarily trying to balance trade; he’s trying to negotiate. The US market is so critical to so many countries that Trump seems to be leveraging access to it for concessions. If you’re going to raise tariffs anyway, why not squeeze some extra benefits out of it?

Second: Some warn this could lead to a global crisis. They point to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which many blame for deepening the Great Depression. But let’s not oversimplify history. Back then, the US had a trade surplus, a consumption shortfall, and rampant overinvestment – tariffs only made things worse. Today, the US has the opposite problem.

That said, we can’t rule out a disaster. It all depends on how the trade war unfolds. I suspect a good chunk of the tariffs will eventually be rolled back as part of negotiated deals. And even if they’re not, the initial pain will fall hardest on surplus countries like China, Germany, Japan, South Korea – and yes, Russia. The US would feel the impact last.

There’s even a real possibility that the US, after triggering a global crisis, could emerge in a stronger position.

But inflation is no joke

The biggest immediate risk is inflation – and maybe even stagflation. Trump argues that domestic production will ramp up to meet demand and keep prices in check. I’m skeptical. Production takes time. Price increases don’t.

And there’s still too much we don’t know:

How dependent are US companies on foreign components?How much of future inflation will be driven by imported parts and materials?Will the other parts of the deficit-reduction plan actually happen?And how will global deflationary forces – countries dumping excess goods into non-US markets – interact with rising domestic prices?The bottom line

Trump is gambling – big time. Tariffs are a blunt, inefficient tool. Economists know this. That’s why so many of them are freaking out.

But this isn’t really about tariffs. It’s about trying to reshape the economic model the US – and the world – has operated under for the past 30, even 80 years.

It’s bold. It’s dangerous. I don’t think it’s justified. But it’s not insane.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/business/615467-what-if-trumps-tariffs-actually-make-sense/

Trump temporarily drops tariffs to 10% for most countries, hits China harder with 125%

Dan Mangan@_DanManganKey PointsPresident Donald Trump dropped new tariff rates on imports from most U.S. trade partners to 10% for 90 days to allow trade negotiations with those countries.Trump announced the pause hours after goods from nearly 90 nations became subject to stiffer, so-called reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States.The president also said in a social media post that he was raising the tariffs imposed on imports from China to 125% “effective immediately” due to the “lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets.” U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a chart while speaking during a “Make America Wealthy Again” trade announcement on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Wednesday dropped new tariff rates on imports from most U.S. trade partners to 10% for 90 days to allow trade negotiations with those countries.

Trump announced the pause hours after goods from nearly 90 nations became subject to stiffer, so-called reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States.

The president also said in a social media post that he was raising the tariffs imposed on imports from China to 125% “effective immediately” due to the “lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets.”

China, which is the U.S.’s third-largest trading partner, earlier Wednesday said it would increase its tariff rate for imports from the U.S. to 84%.

Trump said “more than 75 Countries” contacted U.S. officials to negotiate after he unveiled his new tariffs last week.

Stock market indices rocketed sharply higher Wednesday on Trump’s announcement, reversing four days of losses. The benchmark S&P 500 index leapt by 7%, which puts it on track for its largest single-day gain in five years.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett claimed to reporters that Trump had always intended to put the brakes on the wide-ranging tariffs the president announced last week.

“This was his strategy all along,” Bessent said at the White House, where officials, including him, had denied for days that the tariffs would be suspended.

On April 2, Trump had said he would impose a baseline rate of 10% for tariffs on imports from more than 180 countries.

A subset of 90 countries’ imports would be subject to reciprocal tariffs that took effect Wednesday. Those enhanced levies ranged from a low of 11% to a high of 50%.

Financial markets have been in turmoil since Trump announced with plan, with U.S. stock markets suffering four straight days of declines as of Tuesday.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, criticized Trump on Wednesday,, saying the president “is feeling the heat from Democrats and across America about how bad these tariffs are.”

“He is reeling, he is retreating, and that is a good thing,” said Schumer.

“This is government by chaos,” Schumer said, “He keeps changing things from day to day. His advisers are fighting among themselves, calling each other names, and you cannot run a country with such chaos, with such unpredictability, with such lack of understanding of what’s going on in the world and the facts.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a tweet, said that he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sat with Trump while he wrote out the announcement on Truth Social, “one of the most extraordinary Truth posts of his Presidency.”

“The world is ready to work with President Trump to fix global trade, and China has chosen the opposite direction,” Lutnick wrote.

Read Trump’s full Truth Social announcement:

Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately. At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable.

Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

[…]

Via https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/09/trump-announces-90-day-tariff-pause-for-at-least-some-countries.html

Tariff tensions escalate as White House hits China with 104% hike

Mehab Qureshi2 hours ago Crypto, stocks reel as U.S.–China standoff deepens.

The U.S.–China trade conflict entered a volatile new phase Monday after the White House confirmed a dramatic escalation in tariffs on Chinese imports.

According to Fox Business reporter Edward Lawrence, “White House Press Secretary says 104% additional tariffs went into effect at noon Eastern time because China has not removed its retaliation. The 104% additional tariff will be collected starting tomorrow April 9th.”

The steep new tariffs follow President Trump’s threat last week to impose punitive measures if China didn’t roll back its retaliatory 34% tariffs. Beijing refused, prompting a response that significantly raises the stakes in a trade standoff already rattling global markets.

China’s Commerce Ministry called the move “a mistake on top of a mistake” and vowed to “fight to the end.”

[…]

With inflation still sticky, unemployment rising, and consumer confidence faltering, the prospect of a full-blown trade war is raising serious fears of a policy-driven recession.

This story is developing.

[…]

Via https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/policy/tariff-tensions-escalate-as-white-house-hits-china-with-104-hike

Araghchi: Deal within reach if US shows genuine will in Oman talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

Iran’s foreign minister has voiced optimism ahead of the upcoming round of indirect talks with the United States, saying a deal can be reached if Washington demonstrates genuine will.

Abbas Araghchi, speaking in Algeria on Tuesday, said Iran’s primary goal in the negotiations is to secure the rights of its people and achieve the lifting of sanctions and that the ball is now in America’s court to prove it seeks a deal.

“If the other side is genuinely willing, this goal is attainable, regardless of whether the talks are direct or indirect,” he said.

The minister said Iran favors indirect negotiations and has no plan to engage in direct talks.

Araghchi said that Iran rejects any negotiations conducted under pressure or threats.

“Such negotiations amount to dictation, and we do not believe in that approach. Indirect negotiations can help ensure a real and meaningful dialogue, and that’s the path we will pursue.”

Araghchi said indirect talks have occurred many times in the history of international relations.

“There are countries that, due to historical or other reasons, refuse to engage in direct talks. The current negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, for instance, are taking place indirectly through the US, since neither side is willing to meet face-to-face.”

Regarding the agenda of the talks, Araghchi dismissed Israeli speculation that the process would mirror US-Libya negotiations from the early 2000s, which led to the dismantling of Libya’s nuclear facilities.

“People may speculate or express their wishes, but what the Zionist regime has suggested—a ‘Libya model’ of negotiations—is merely a fantasy that will never be realized,” he said.

The minister reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program is entirely peaceful and legitimate and that the country is ready to take confidence-building steps to demonstrate the sincerity of its position.

“If there are any questions or ambiguities, we are ready to clarify. We are confident in the peaceful nature of our program, and we have no problem taking further steps to build trust—so long as they don’t impose restrictions or undermine Iran’s national goals.”

“In return for confidence-building, it is only natural that the unjust sanctions imposed based on false accusations must be lifted.”

US President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement during a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 7, stating that his administration would initiate talks with Iran.

Araghchi later confirmed that Iran and the US will hold indirect talks in Oman on April 12. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will attend the talks on Washington’s behalf, while Araghchi himself will represent Iran.

Trump claimed the talks would be “direct,” but Iran has clarified they will be held indirectly.

Russia has welcomed the prospect of negotiations aimed at replacing the 2015 nuclear accord, which Trump unilaterally abandoned in 2018.

“We know that certain contacts—direct and indirect—are planned in Oman. And, of course, this can only be welcomed, because it can lead to de-escalation of tensions around Iran,” the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Moscow “absolutely” supports the initiative.

China also urged the US to “stop its wrong practice of using force to exert extreme pressure,” after Trump threatened Iran with bombing if it failed to agree to a deal.

“As the country that unilaterally withdrew from the comprehensive agreement on the Iran nuclear issue and caused the current situation, the United States should demonstrate political sincerity and mutual respect,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

Washington should “participate in dialogue and consultation, and at the same time stop its wrong practice of using force to exert extreme pressure,” Lin added.

The 2015 agreement, known as the JCPOA, granted Iran relief from international sanctions in return for restrictions on its nuclear program, monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

However, the deal unraveled after Trump’s withdrawal in 2018, followed by Iran’s gradual suspension of its commitments a year later.

[…]

Via https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/04/08/745797/iran-us-deal-genuine-will-oman-talks-araghchi

Trump says U.S. holding nuclear talks with Iran in surprise announcement

Trump and Netanyahu in the Oval Office. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Gettyiframe[src*="documentcloud.org"])]:pb-[max(56.25%,500px)] [&_iframe[src*="documentcloud.org"]]:border [&_iframe[src*="documentcloud.org"]]:border-[#aaa] [&_iframe[id*="datawrapper-chart"]]:border-none [&_iframe[id*="datawrapper-chart"]]:min-w-full [&_iframe[id*="datawrapper-chart"]]:w-0 xl:[&_iframe[id*="datawrapper-chart"]]:min-h-[465px] [&_img[src$="giphy.gif"]]:mx-auto [&_.twitter-tweet]:mx-auto [&_.instagram-wrapper]:flex [&_.instagram-wrapper]:justify-center [&_.axios-visual-newsletter-fallback-image]:hidden sm:[&_.axios-visual-newsletter-fallback-image]:block sm:[&_.axios-visual-apple-fallback-image]:hidden [&_div.subhead-timestamp]:-mt-15 [&_div.subhead-timestamp]:pt-15 sm:[&_div.subhead-timestamp]:-mt-20 sm:[&_div.subhead-timestamp]:pt-20 [&_div.subhead-timestamp_*]:font-sans [&_div.subhead-timestamp_div]:flex [&_div.subhead-timestamp_div]:gap-1 [&_div.subhead-timestamp_a]:no-underline [&_div.subhead-timestamp_a]:text-soft-black-shade [&_div.subhead-timestamp_a_h2]:mt-0 &.story-is-live [&_div.subhead-timestamp_div_time]:text-red-core [&_figure>figcaption>span]:font-sans">

By Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler

President Trump said Monday that the U.S. had been holding “direct talks” with Iran and that a “very big meeting” involving “very high-level” officials will be taking place this Saturday.

Why it matters: The surprise announcement from Trump follows his repeated warnings that Iran must sign a new nuclear deal or face military strikes.

The latest: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks would take place in Oman and confirmed they would be “high-level.”

While Trump insisted the talks would be “direct,” Araghchi claimed they would be” indirect.” In diplomatic terms, that means mediators pass messages between the sides.Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ruled out direct talks with the U.S. so long as Trump kept his “maximum pressure” policy in place.“It is as much an opportunity as it is a test. The ball is in America’s court,” Araghchi said.

What they’re saying: “I think everyone agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with, if they can avoid it,” Trump said, speaking from the Oval Office alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“So we’re going to see if we can avoid it. But it’s getting to be very dangerous territory, and hopefully those talks will be successful. And I think it would be in Iran’s best interest if they are successful.”Later in the back-and-forth with reporters Trump said: “I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger. And I hate to say it, ‘great danger,’ because they can’t have a nuclear weapon. You know, it’s not a complicated formula. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That’s all there is.”Trump did not say who had handled the outreach to Iran up to now or which officials would take part in Saturday’s talks. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff is likely to play a role.

Between the lines: Netanyahu believes the chances of a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal are extremely low, but intended to present what “a good deal should look like” during Monday’s meeting with Trump, a senior Israeli official said.

“Netanyahu wants the Libya model. Full dismantling to the Iranian nuclear program,” the official said. Iran denies it wants a bomb, but rejects the idea of shutting down its nuclear program.The official added Netanyahu wants to reach an understanding with Trump about striking Iran’s nuclear facilities when diplomacy fails.Trump rebuffed Israel over the main purpose of Netanyahu’s visit: Trying to reduce or eliminate the 17% tariffs he imposed.

[…]

Via https://www.axios.com/2025/04/07/trump-iran-nuclear-talks-netanyahu

Trump Requests Record $1 Trillion Defense Budget as War With Iran Looms

President Trump announced he is requesting a record-breaking $1 trillion Pentagon budget during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.

“We also essentially approved a budget, which is in the [vicinity], you’ll like to hear this, of a trillion dollars,” Trump said. “$1 trillion, and nobody’s seen anything like it. We have to build our military, and we’re very cost conscious, but the military is something that we have to build, and we have to be strong, because you got a lot of bad forces out there now.”

“So we’re going to be approving a budget, and I’m proud to say, actually, the biggest one we’ve ever done for the military,” he added.

Two months ago, Trump floated cutting our military budget in half.

“One of the first meetings I want to have is with president Xi of China, president Putin of Russia,” Trump said. “And I want to say, let’s cut our military budget in half.”

The request for a $1 trillion budget came as Trump was meeting with Netanyahu and also as he has been threatening to go to war with Iran.

A week ago, Trump threatened to bomb Iran if they don’t negotiate a new nuclear deal similar to the one he scrapped during his first term to please Israel First GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson (Pete Hegseth was also funded by Sheldon Adelson when he was younger and ran a pro-Iraq War lobbying group called “Vets for Freedom”).

“If they don’t make a deal,” Trump said, “there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

Trump reiterated the threats on Monday, telling the media: “I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger. And I hate to say, great danger, because they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump said the US and Iran will hold “direct” talks next Saturday but Iran countered by saying the talks will be “indirect.”

“On the order of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has refused to sit down with American officials in direct nuclear negotiations since Mr. Trump pulled out of the last accord,” the NY Times reports. “After Mr. Trump spoke on Monday, however, three Iranian officials said Ayatollah Khamenei had shifted his position to potentially allow direct talks.”

“The officials said that if Saturday’s indirect talks are respectful and productive, then direct talks may happen. The officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly.”

[…]

Via https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64902

Methylene Blue: Miracle Drug for Cancer, Autism, Depression, Pain, Ebola and Much, Much More

The Ultimate Guide to Methylene Blue

By Mark Sloan

EndAllDiseasePulbishing (2021)

Book Review

PDF link

This book is an encyclopedia about the historical use of a safe, inexpensive, previously common miracle drug now largely replaced by high price pharmaceuticals.

First synthesized from indigo dye in the late 19th century, methylene blue was the very first antimalarial drug, eradicating nearly all forms of malaria in 48 hours. GI’s treated with it during World War II complained bitterly about it turning their urine blue and it was eventually replaced with quinine and quinine derivatives.*

Used intravenously in emergency rooms for carbon dioxide poisoning, methylene blue is also a potent antiviral and can be used orally (as drops) to incapacitate herpes, West Nile virus, hepatitis C, Zika, Ebola and Covid19 (the hydroxychloroquine used to treat Covid 19 is derived from methylene blue). Studies shows it’s also effective against depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s, Parkinsonism, autism, low back pain and many forms of cancer. It performs better in most of these conditions with the addition of Red Light Therapy.

According to Sloan, treatments (like methylene blue) that target cellular metabolism for repair are the new frontier in medicine. They represent a new understanding by a growing number of practitioners (most outside the Western medical system) that most illness is based on dysfunctional cellular metabolism. Even most genetic mutations result from mitochondrial dysfunction (and impaired metabolism).

Methylene blue primarily acts by neutralizing the free radical nitric oxide. The latter is mainly known for its role in triggering “cytokine storm” an over-the-top immune system reaction leading to excessive clotting, leaky blood vessels and death (the massive bleed-out associated with Ebola infection is a classic example of cytokine storm).

Methylene Blue for Autism

In treating autism, Sloan indicates that separate treatments are necessary alongside the methylene blue to reduce neurotoxic endotoxin production in the gut. Endotoxin is produced by pathogenic gram negative bacteria. These organisms aren’t killed by methylene blue as most is absorbed into the bloodstream before reaching the large intestine. However methylene blue does exert neuroprotective effects (enhanced with Red Light Therapy) against brain endotoxin exposure.

Ways to reduce endotoxin (produced by gram negative bacteria feeding off cellulose and starches):

cooking vegetables well before eating themactivated charcoal with every meal (sterilizes the gut)

Methylene Blue for Pain

chronic neuropathic painarthritic painmigraineslow back pain

Cancer

According to Sloan, cancer doesn’t “invade” people’s bodies as the Western medical system would have us believe. Substantial research evidence indicates cancer is a disease of damaged cellular metabolism. With the proper interventions (eg infusing them with healthy mitochondria), cancer cells can revert back to normal cells and don’t need to be killed or removed.

*As some strains of malaria have become resistance to standard pharmaceutical treatments, there has been a revival in methylene blue research for malaria.

RFK Jr taking methylene blue on a recent flight

Declassified CIA Files Claim Hitler Escaped to South America

1941 picture of Adolph Hitler with several Nazi officials. On his immediate right is Martin Bormann, who was perhaps the most famous Nazi known to have escaped to South America after the war. Source: German Federal Archives/CC BY-SA 3.0.

Nathan Falde

Recently declassified CIA files have unveiled a long-standing and little-known chapter of post-WWII history: a covert operation to track down Adolf Hitler, 10 years after he was presumed dead. Contrary to the commonly accepted account of his suicide in a Berlin bunker in April 1945, intelligence agents in the United States and South America continued investigating the possibility that the infamous dictator had faked his death and fled across the Atlantic.

The records, originally classified but made public in 2020, reveal that American operatives believed Hitler may have escaped to Argentina, where he was hiding under an assumed name. In fact, as late as 1955—over a decade after the war—CIA informants were still gathering intelligence that suggested the former Nazi leader was alive and had relocated further north into Colombia.

From Germany to Argentina to Colombia … to Who Knows Where

The initial phase of the investigation centered on La Falda, Argentina, where a spa hotel was believed to be one of Hitler’s possible hideouts. According to a War Department file dated October 1945, the owners of the hotel had been ardent supporters of the Nazi regime. They were not only sympathetic to the ideology but had financially backed Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s chief propagandist. Their close ties to Hitler reportedly extended to shared vacations in Germany.

US officials were convinced that this secluded hotel would serve as a logical refuge if Hitler were to flee Nazi Germany. The information was relayed to the FBI with the implication that this location could be crucial to locating the fugitive leader.

CIA document detailing the allegations of Hitler’s escape to Argentina. (CIA Archives).

The mystery deepened when another CIA report surfaced decades later, detailing an incident in 1954 where a photograph emerged showing a man who bore a striking resemblance to Hitler. The picture, reportedly taken in Tunja, Colombia, featured a man identified as “Adolf Schrittelmayor” seated beside another man named Philip Citroen.

Citroen, described as a former SS officer, claimed he met regularly with Hitler in Colombia and had even posed for the picture with him. According to an informant labeled CIMELODY-3 in the CIA documents, Citroen spoke freely about these encounters and shared the photograph with a mutual acquaintance, who managed to take it without Citroen’s knowledge.

In the report dated October 3, 1955, CIA officers were attempting to verify Citroen’s claims. Citroen had apparently told his contacts that because a full decade had passed since the war, any potential prosecution of Hitler for war crimes would be null and void.

“Philip Citroen—commented that inasmuch as ten years have passed since the end of World War II, the Allies could no longer prosecute HITLER as a criminal of war,” the document stated.

While some agents pursued leads, others were more cautious. Despite the photograph and the claims surrounding it, skepticism lingered within intelligence circles. Many regarded the supposed image of Hitler as a hoax, or at best, inconclusive.

Nevertheless, the CIA approved further investigation. On November 4, 1955, agents were given the go-ahead to reach out to another individual identified as “GIRELLA” in the documents. This person was thought to have deeper insight into “Adolf Schrittelmayor’s” movements in Colombia prior to 1955. However, the same memo also noted internal doubts about the feasibility of uncovering hard evidence.

“It is felt that enormous efforts could be expended on this matter with remote possibilities of establishing anything concrete,” the report admitted.

No additional documents related to the investigation have been released to the public since, leaving open questions about whether the operation was quietly closed or if further files remain under wraps.

Photograph of man who may have been Hitler, with former SS officer in 1954 in Tunja, Colombia. (CIA Archives).

Argentina to Expose the Nazi Conspiracy?

In the present day, and the story has taken a new twist. In March, Argentina’s President Javier Milei issued an order to declassify all government-held records related to Nazis who fled to or were protected by Argentina after WWII. This announcement has reignited global interest in the long-standing theory that Hitler may have escaped justice and vanished somewhere in South America.

Unearthed Brooch Tells of the Nazis’ Abuse of Ancient Norse Runes to Spread Their Dark IdeologyThe Myth of National Socialism: How the Nazis Distorted the Nordic Past

Argentina’s historical role as a postwar sanctuary for Nazi fugitives is well established. It’s known that many high-ranking officials, including Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele, found refuge in the country, often using elaborate escape routes dubbed “ratlines” that were organized with international complicity. These routes funneled Nazi war criminals out of Europe and into safe havens like Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.

With the imminent release of these documents, historians and intelligence analysts hope to fill in longstanding gaps in what has become one of the CIA’s most intriguing cold cases.

But Wouldn’t He Have Shaved Off His Mustache?

Skeptics have long dismissed the idea of Hitler’s survival as—to use their favorite all-purpose insult—a conspiracy theory. Yet, it is indisputable that the United States government did collaborate with many former Nazi figures in the aftermath of WWII. A prime example is Operation Paperclip, a program that brought approximately 1,600 German scientists to the US, including Wernher von Braun, who would later lead NASA’s early space programs. Paperclip was a real-life conspiracy, showing that the term ‘conspiracy theory’ doesn’t automatically mean wrong, as those with a skeptical mindset seem to believe.

Group of 104 German scientists brought to the United States under Operation Paperclip. (NASA/Public Domain).

While the CIA documents on Hitler stop short of confirming his survival, they do reveal that US intelligence took the possibility seriously for at least a decade after the war. The photo, the hotel hideout, and the South American connections were enough to keep the investigation alive.

Now, as Argentina moves to declassify its own files, more evidence may emerge—either to support or further discredit the theory. But without human remains and DNA testing, there’s no definitive way to close the book on this decades-old mystery.

Given the confirmed presence of numerous Nazi fugitives in South America, the notion that Hitler might have escaped to join them isn’t entirely outside the bounds of possibility. With regards to the supposed photo of him in Colombia, however, the question must be asked: if Hitler really did go into hiding in South America, wouldn’t he have shaved off his mustache, the one identifiable characteristic that could have given him away?

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Via https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/hitler-survived-south-america-0022012