>>22452410

Biden administration tried to kill Putin – Tucker Carlson

The American journalist denounced the alleged plan as “insane,” citing concerns about the fate of Russia’s vast nuclear arsenal.

The administration of former US President Joe Biden tried to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Ukraine conflict, American journalist and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has claimed.

In an interview with journalist Matt Taibbi on Monday, Carlson suggested that many former and current US officials have been rattled by President Donald Trump’s campaign to declassify numerous government papers, as they see the potential fallout as extremely dangerous.

“I think this was one of the reasons [ex-Secretary of State] Tony Blinken was pushing so hard for a real war, trying to kill Putin, for example… The Biden administration did [it], they tried to kill Putin,” Carlson said, without providing any further details about the alleged assassination plot.

Carlson, who broadcast a bombshell interview with Putin last February, described the alleged move as “insane,” pointing to the potentially cataclysmic fallout for global security.

“Who takes over Russia? What happens to the nuclear arsenal in a country so complex that outsiders can’t even understand… That’s demented that you would even think about something like that,” he added.

US officials have never publicly acknowledged plans to assassinate Putin, or any other Russian or Soviet leaders. However, Newsweek reported in September 2022 that US defense officials had discussed a “decapitation strike” if Russia used nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied that such an option has ever been on the table, arguing that there are no targets in the neighboring country for such a weapon.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov interpreted the allegations of a “decapitation strike,” as “a threat to assassinate the head of the Russian state.”

“If such ideas are really being considered, those involved must carefully think about the possible consequences,” he said at the time.

In May 2023, Russia accused Ukraine – which has received massive aid from the US – of attempting to assassinate Putin in the Kremlin using a drone strike, although the aircraft was neutralized.

While Ukraine has denied any involvement, Blinken said at the time that Washington had no prior warning of the raid, adding that Kiev was free to defend itself in any way it saw fit.

https://www.rt.com/news/611770-biden-kill-putin-carlson/

>>22452410

Tucker Carlson Says Blinken Did Everything to Accelerate War Between US, Russia

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US journalist Tucker Carlson said on Monday that the former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had actually led the Biden administration, trying to fuel a war between the United States and Russia.

"I know that in the last two months, Blinken did everything he could to accelerate the war between the US and Russia, which should be illegal," Carlson said in an interview with journalist Matt Taibi.

Carlson said that Blinken was "demonstrably evil and also stupid."

He pointed out that he saw "Blinken’s fingerprints" everywhere.

Carlson also expressed confidence that Blinken de-facto had led the Biden administration and played the role of the president in the months. He also stressed that Blinken was pushing for a real war with Russia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20250128/tucker-carlson-says-blinken-did-everything-to-accelerate-war-between-us-russia-1121510009.html

>>22452410

Trump administration directs widespread pause of federal loans and grants

The Trump administration late Monday directed federal agencies to pause the disbursement of loans and grants while the government conducts a review to ensure spending aligns with President Trump’s agenda.

A memo issued by Matthew Vaeth, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), directs federal agencies to temporarily pause “all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.”

“This temporary pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities,” the memo states.

The memo indicates Social Security or Medicare benefits should not be impacted, nor should assistance provided directly to individuals.

The pause goes into effect at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the memo, which was reviewed by The Hill. OMB may grant exceptions for certain awards on a case-by-case basis, the memo states.

Federal agencies are instructed to conduct a review to determine whether federal loan and grant programs are impacted by Trump’s wave of executive orders signed during his first week in office. Those orders were related to border security, the federal workforce, ending the “weaponization” of government, the military and other aspects of government.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the memo.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) lambasted the move in a statement late Monday, saying the pause on federal disbursements “blatantly disobeys the law” and expressing skepticism that it is just a temporary hold.

“Congress approved these investments and they are not optional; they are the law. These grants help people in red states and blue states, support families, help parents raise kids, and lead to stronger communities,” Schumer said.

“Donald Trump’s Administration is jeopardizing billions upon billions of community grants and financial support that help millions of people across the country,” he added. “It will mean missed payrolls and rent payments and everything in between: chaos for everything from universities to non-profit charities.”

Trump and his nominee to lead OMB, Russell Vought, have signaled they may seek to expand presidential authority over the agency. Trump has also talked about challenging the Impoundment Control Act by using presidential authority to hold back certain funding appropriated by Congress.

Updated Jan. 28 at 5:33 a.m. EST

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5109943-trump-administration-directs-widespread-pause-federal-loans-grants/

>>22452410

Senior USAID staff put on leave amid Trump’s order halting foreign aid

“The Trump administration has cleared out much of the leadership of the U.S. Agency for International Development, placing dozens of career officials on administrative leave Monday after accusing the agency of trying to “circumvent” President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing all foreign aid…The administrative leave order was sent by email to more than 50 career USAID officials Monday afternoon, including deputy administrators and deputy assistant administrators."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/01/27/senior-usaid-staff-put-leave-amid-trumps-order-halting-foreign-aid/

>>22452410

Trump suspends aid to Ukraine, vital NGOs 'don't know if they'll survive'

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to freeze foreign development assistance for 90 days has thrown Ukrainian organizations into turmoil, in some cases threatening their very existence and leaving the people they support in limbo.

These non-profit organizations provide a huge range of humanitarian services, including counseling, organizing cultural events, and providing basic services, often to some of the most vulnerable segments of society.

"Honestly, we still don’t fully understand the scope of the impact this decision will have on the civic sector and everyone affected," Olha Kucher, head of the services department at Veteran Hub, an NGO that supports Ukrainian soldiers, war veterans, and their families, told the Kyiv Independent on Jan 27.

"The civic sector plays a massive role in supporting veterans and their families, particularly through psychosocial services, as we do."

One of Trump's first actions upon entering the White House was to sign an executive order freezing foreign development assistance for 90 days to conduct a review and ensure it aligns with the new administration's policies.

The wording of the executive order was broad, making no distinction between humanitarian and military aid, and no mention of any exemptions.

Veteran Hub, an NGO supporting Ukrainian soldiers, war veterans, and their families in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The Pentagon clarified on Jan. 23 that relating to Ukraine, the directive "only applies to development programs, not military support." President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 25 that the U.S. aid had not stopped flowing to Ukraine.

But any relief that crucial U.S. weapons would still be sent to Ukraine was tempered by the prospect of a pause in humanitarian aid.

This was compounded a day later when U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio issued "stop-work orders" on nearly all existing foreign assistance grants. The orders were effective immediately.

"State just totally went nuclear on foreign assistance," one unnamed State Department official told Politico.

As a result, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was ordered to stop projects in Ukraine. Affected organizations were notified of the decision on the morning of Jan. 25.

Ukraine currently tops the recipient list of U.S. development assistance as it continues to face Russia’s war, official data shows.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, USAID has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and more than $30 billion in direct budget support.

At a stroke, organizations in Ukraine have been left in dire financial straits. One of them is “Cukr,” an NGO and media outlet based in Sumy, a city in northeastern Ukraine located just 30 kilometers from the Russian border that has been heavily affected by the war.

"If we lose all of our U.S. funding, we won’t last 90 days without additional support," Dmytro Tishchenko, Cukr co-founder, told the Kyiv Independent.

As well as being a media channel, Cukr (which means “sugar” in Ukrainian, with a tweak) organizes concerts and festivals, and also provides educational workshops on business and mental health, badly-needed resources for those living in a region that is one of the hardest hit by daily Russian missile, glide bomb, and drone attacks.

Magazines of “Cukr,” an NGO and media outlet based in Sumy.

Tishchenko said 30% of the organization's funding was currently frozen and all planned events tied to that money had been canceled.

"Even if we try to use alternative resources for these projects, we’ll need to rethink how to implement them," he said.

Valerii Garmash, head of "Make Sense," an NGO dedicated to developing independent journalism in Ukraine, told the Kyiv Independent that the USAID freeze, even if lifted after 90 days, threatens the survival of her organization and others like it.

"A large number of organizations will simply cease to exist, they don’t know how they are supposed to survive." she said, adding: "Great organizations, valuable organizations, important organizations. But they really could, and theoretically might, just stop existing."

Garmash said the USAID freeze will have an "enormous impact" on the work of Makes Sense, potentially threatening a hub it operates in Sloviansk, a city in embattled Donetsk Oblast, that supports journalists heading to report from the front lines.

"It would mean we simply wouldn’t be able to support them, provide them with bulletproof vests, helmets, medical kits, give them a place to work, charge their equipment, or even just have coffee in a warm space," she said.

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>>22452637

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The head of a regional office for a State Department-funded organization in Ukraine spoke with the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity due to the fear of retaliation for speaking out.

He said that the organization has projects funded by USAID that involve Ukrainian contractors. Due to the freeze, they will lose income from these projects.

"I explained the situation to them, and, you know, they're part-time contractors, this might not be their only livelihood, but for some people, it will be," he said.

Over 10 tons of vegetable seeds delivered to 200K+ households in frontline areas under USAID AGRO in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, on March 12, 2024.

"Three months can be a very long time, and if they can't pay their rent, or something like that, that's the situation that these people can be in," he added.

Hopes had been raised that Ukraine could be made exempt from the USAID freeze on Jan. 25, when the Financial Times (FT) reported that senior diplomats in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs requested a full waiver for operations in Ukraine, citing national security concerns.

This had gone unheeded a day later when a U.S. State Department press release said Rubio had "paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID for review."

But an American working for a State Department-funded organization in Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity that the waiver could still be being processed.

"It's unlikely that they would have received an answer by now. I mean, it's only Monday," they said, adding "I don't think any waivers would have been processed in time. It's possible that a waiver for Ukraine could still happen."

The Kyiv Independent contacted USAID about the status of the waiver request but had not received a reply at the time of publication.

In any case, until either the 90 days are up and USAID assistance resumes or the waiver request is approved, some of the most vulnerable people in Ukraine will be left without crucial support.

Kucher, head of the services department at Veterans Hub, says that as well as providing in-person counseling and support to veterans, the organization’s 24-hour support hotline handles 1,300 calls a month.

"For veterans and their families, knowing that there’s someone they can rely on at any time is critical," she said.

"Any change, especially in uncertain times like these, is challenging for everyone. It’s unpredictable and unsettling."

https://kyivindependent.com/trump-suspends-aid-to-ukraine-vital-ngos-dont-know-if-theyll-survive/

>>22452410

Ukraine’s chief army psychiatrist arrested on $1m corruption charge

Ukraine has detained its army's chief psychiatrist for alleged "illegal enrichment" charges related to earnings of more than $1m (£813,000) accrued since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022.

In a statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the man sat on a commission deciding whether individuals were fit for military service.

The SBU statement did not name him – however, a man called Oleh Druz was previously identified as the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ chief psychiatrist.

The SBU said he owned three apartments in or near Kyiv, one in Odesa, two plots of land and several BMW luxury cars, and investigators searching his home also found $152,000 (£124,000) and €34,000 in cash.

The statement said the man did not declare the property, which was registered in the name of his wife, daughter, sons, and other third parties.

He now faces ten years in jail for the alleged charges of illegal enrichment and making a false declaration.

Druz was implicated in a similar case in 2017 which saw him fail to declare two SUVs and several properties, leading him to be suspended.

Ukraine has long battled endemic corruption.

In May, a Ukrainian MP was charged with embezzling £220,000, while in 2023 more than 30 conscription officials accused of taking bribes and smuggling people out of the country were sacked in an anti-corruption purge.

Last year, the Ukrainian parliament voted to abolish military medical commissions after several officials were accused of accepting bribes in exchange for issuing exemptions from military service.

https://newkontinent.org/ukraines-chief-army-psychiatrist-arrested-on-1m-corruption-charge/

>>22452410

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Issues New Orders: DoD ≠ DEI – Issues Warning Against Those Who Fail to Comply - GP

Pete Hegseth announced on X this morning that the Department of Defense will no longer tolerate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion under his leadership.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, Hegseth was sworn in as Secretary of Defense on Saturday following a close vote Friday.

RINO Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted against Hegseth Friday, teeing up a tiebreaker vote by Vice President JD Vance, who voted in favor of Hegseth’s nomination.

Hegseth showed up for work at the Pentagon immediately after the ceremony for his first day on the job.

As one of his first official actions, on Sunday, Hegseth gave the order that "DoD ≠ DEI" and there will be "no exceptions, name-changes, or delays."

"Those who do not comply will no longer work here," he wrote, signed SecDef 29.

Hegseth said on X, "The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at @DeptofDefense. The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays."

This follows President Trump's lead in abolishing wasteful DEI programs, which he vowed to do in his inaugural address last Monday. "We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based," Trump said upon taking office last week.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, as one of President Trump's many actions taken immediately, he signed a Memorandum placing all federal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) employees on administrative leave and ordered termination of these programs. This order comes under Trump's day one Executive Order, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.”

Already, on Tuesday, DEI Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Lee Fagan was fired by the acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamin Huffman due to several operational failures under her watch along with rampant political correctness, The Gateway Pundit reported.

Woke political correctness and hiring on the basis of skin color, gender, and sexual orientation is one of the greatest enemies to our country and our military today, and it's finally ending!

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/01/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-issues-new-orders-dod/

>>22452659

>>22452691

>can you find a second sauce for this anon?

Ukraine's Chief Military Psychiatrist Fired After Uncovering Horrifying Secret

Ukraine's Defense Ministry has sacked chief military psychiatrist Oleh Druz, who told lawmakers that 93% of veterans from the conflict in the country's east need treatment for mental health issues. Radio Sputnik contributor Vladimir Filippov says Druz's remarks, and Kiev's reaction, are a testament to the senselessness of the country's civil war.

Last week, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak dismissed Colonel Oleh Druz, the head of the psychiatry clinic of the Main Military Clinical Hospital "in connection with the unsatisfactory fulfillment of his official duties." The dismissal followed remarks by the top military psychiatrist at a round table of parliamentary committees, where Druz revealed that over 90% of the veterans of Kiev's military operation in Donbass require mental help and pose a potential danger to society.

Commenting on the scandal, Radio Sputnik contributor Vladimir Filippov said that Druz's real problem was that he decided to tell the truth.

The journalist recalled that according to Kiev's own official statistics, "nine out of ten participants of the fighting in the Donbass have medical and social problems, while a third are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Experts say a state-run program of support for vets is needed, but for now this is something done mainly on a voluntary basis."

In his remarks before lawmakers, Druz warned that veterans' disorders include heightened levels of aggression, decreased ability to return to civilian work, the development and exacerbation of chronic diseases, growing rates of alcoholism and drug addiction, shortened life expectancy, and increased suicide rates. Statistics reveal that 63 veterans took their own lives in 2016 alone.

In light of these horrifying figures, Filippov suggested that Kiev's reaction was highly "original."

"They simply dismissed the chief psychiatrist. Why? Probably because he said too much. Someone might think that among the [Donbass vets] are completely mentally unstable people. In fact, to shoot one's fellow citizens is already beyond the realm of a normal worldview. And if one kills unarmed civilians, children and the elderly, what kinds of mental state can one speak of?"

According to the analyst, the hard truth is that Ukraine's authorities couldn't care less about its vets, with the government allocating precious little money for them, most of its defense funds either stolen outright or allocated to weapons purchases.

Filippov suggested that as far as Kiev is concerned, the only problem posed by the vets is the political danger they pose to the government – "to their soft chairs and their wealth. They have no plans to share with the veterans, hence the need to drive their problems deep out of sight and out of mind. No one needs them. They are cannon fodder, spent material."

"That's why Poltorak got so anxious," the analyst stressed. "Because the 93% figure is a military secret – top-secret information! Capable of undermining the military capability of the regime," Filippov concluded.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20170925/ukraine-army-mental-health-issues-1057681260.html