TY ghost Baker
https://www.rt.com/russia/612977-zelensky-brought-to-senses-lavrov/
Zelensky needs to be ‘brought to his senses’ – Lavrov
Kiev has attacked internationally operated energy infrastructure in “latest tantrum”, according to Russia’s top diplomat
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky needs to be “brought to his senses” and reprimanded in response to Kiev’s recent attack on a pumping station linked to a major international oil pipeline, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Tuesday.
In the early hours of Monday, several Ukrainian drones attacked the Kropotkinskaya station in southern Russia, a major part of the energy infrastructure object operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).
Most of the crude pumped by the conglomerate’s pipeline system comes from oil fields in West Kazakhstan, with US companies controlling around 40% of supplies shipped from the facility.
This “latest tantrum” was essentially “an attack on Kazakhstan's energy infrastructure,” Lavrov said during a press briefing following bilateral talks with the US diplomatic delegation in Riyadh. One can only guess why “someone in Kiev” gave the order, he added.
“But this should only strengthen everyone's resolve that this cannot continue,” the diplomat stressed.
“Zelensky and his whole team need to be brought to their senses, given a slap on the wrist.”
According to Lavrov, US diplomats suggested putting a “moratorium” on strikes on energy infrastructure during Tuesday’s bilateral talks.
“We explained that we never jeopardized the systems which supply power for the population,” he said, adding that Russia only targeted “those objects that directly serve the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
The diplomat praised the “highly productive” talks with the US side. “Not only did we listen, but we genuinely heard each other,” he said.
When asked by a journalist about attempts to “torpedo” the reestablished diplomatic contact between Moscow and Washington, Lavrov noted that to prevent this, relations need to be fine-tuned.
“That is what we did today. Frankly, not without success,” he said.
On top of agreeing to reestablish diplomatic ties, Russia and the US have agreed to build a framework towards reaching a settlement in the Ukraine conflict through negotiations, Lavrov said.
https://www.rt.com/news/612981-last-battle-of-cold-war/
Fyodor Lukyanov: The last battle of the Cold War just took place in Germany
The EU’s illusions have been shattered as the US moves on
This year’s Munich Security Conference attracted as much attention as it did 18 years ago. Back then, it was Vladimir Putin who caused an uproar; this time, it was US Vice President J.D. Vance. Though separated by nearly two decades, these two speeches share a critical theme: both challenged the transatlantic order built on the legacy of the Cold War. And in both instances, the Western establishment failed to offer a substantive response.
In 2007, Putin’s warning about NATO expansion and Western overreach was largely dismissed as the grievances of a declining power. A few voices urged caution, but the prevailing sentiment in Washington and Brussels was complacency — Russia, they believed, would ultimately fall in line. The consequences of that miscalculation are now plain for all to see.
Today, the US Vice President has thrown down a different kind of gauntlet. His speech signaled a deep ideological rift within the West itself, one that Western European leaders seem unprepared to confront. In response, French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an emergency summit to establish a common position. But is the EU truly grasping the scale of the challenge? The early reactions suggest not. There remains a hope, however misguided, that this storm can simply be waited out.
Retaliation, Ideology, and a Changing World Order
There are several explanations for Vance’s remarks in Munich. The most immediate is payback. Western European leaders have spent years openly disparaging Trump and his allies, assuming they could do so without consequence. Now that Trump is back, they are facing the reality that their words have not been forgotten.
But there is a deeper ideological divergence at play. In many ways, Vance’s critique of Europe echoes the grievances that led the settlers of the New World to break from the Old World centuries ago: tyranny, hypocrisy, and parasitism. He and others, like Elon Musk, are unapologetic about interfering in European affairs — something liberal ideologues have long justified in the name of promoting democracy. Now, the debate over what democracy truly means has expanded beyond the US to the entire transatlantic alliance. This ideological struggle will shape the West’s trajectory in the coming decades.
https://www.rt.com/news/612982-turkiye-host-erdogan-zelensky/
NATO member suggests ‘ideal host’ for next Ukraine talks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was ready to mediate the next round of negotiations between Kiev, Moscow and Washington
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that his country would be the best place to host new negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict. He made his statement during a meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky on Tuesday, who was not invited to high-profile Russian-US talks held the same day in Saudi Arabia.
“Our country will be an ideal host for possible talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States,” Erdogan said, according to news agency Anadolu.
“In order for a just peace to be possible, the countries that we know to be powerful must show their attitude in favor of peace,” Erdogan stated at a press conference with Zelensky in Ankara.
The president noted that Russia and Ukraine negotiated Istanbul in March 2022, and later that summer Türkiye helped broker an agreement to facilitate the safe shipping of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
“In all these efforts, we have sincerely endeavored to be a reliable mediator for both sides, and we have achieved concrete results,” Erdogan said.
Speaking at the same event, Zelensky said that Türkiye, together with the EU, the UK and the US, should be involved in devising “necessary security guarantees” for Kiev. He thanked Ankara for supporting Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Zelensky previously complained that Ukraine was not invited to the US-Russian meeting in Riyadh and vowed not to accept any settlement reached without Kiev’s involvement. Officials in Kiev and the EU have voiced frustration that Trump launched direct negotiations with Russia without their advice and approval.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said that he was “very disappointed” with Kiev’s reaction and blamed Ukraine for failing to reach a deal with Russia over the course of the conflict.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the talks in Istanbul broke down because the Ukrainian abruptly walked back from previously agreed terms, including the transformation of Ukraine into a permanently neutral country with a downsized army.
Victoria Nuland, a former senior State Department official, later confirmed that the US and other Western countries advised Ukraine against accepting Russia’s terms. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Zelensky insisted that in 2022 he rejected Moscow’s demands on his own.
Moscow has reiterated recently that Ukraine must renounce its plans to join NATO and abandon claims on Crimea and four other regions that are now part of Russia. Putin also said that he no longer considers Zelensky a legitimate leader of Ukraine because his five-year presidential term expired in May 2024 and no new elections were called due to martial law.
https://www.rt.com/russia/612865-zelensky-attempt-eliminate-influence-poroshenko/
Coup in Kiev: Zelensky abuses peace talks to take out rivals
An attempt to eliminate the influence of former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko could be Zelensky’s last mistake
In the latest dramatic twist of Ukraine’s political wars, former President Pyotr Poroshenko now faces accusations of treason — nearly six years after his successor, Vladimir Zelensky, warned him of his future fate. During a heated presidential campaign debate in 2019, Zelensky famously told Poroshenko, “I am not your opponent. I am your verdict.” Now, as Kiev’s political landscape grows more volatile, those words seem eerily prescient.
Poroshenko, leader of the opposition European Solidarity party, has long been entangled in criminal investigations, which he calims are politically motivated. But the latest charges are the most serious yet — alleging secret dealings with Russian officials and illegal coal purchases from Donbass following the outbreak of hostilities in 2014. In a controversial move, Zelensky, whose presidential term expired last year, has personally imposed “sanctions” on his former rival, freezing his assets and restricting financial transactions — despite these measures contradicting Ukraine’s own constitution.
Officially, the crackdown is justified on national security grounds. But in reality, it signals a deepening power struggle in Kiev. With Zelensky facing growing dissent and his political future uncertain, the targeting of Poroshenko raises bigger questions: What is driving this latest escalation? And what exactly is Zelensky afraid of?
Lifetime sanctions
Last week, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) – the executive body operating under the president – imposed lifetime sanctions on Poroshenko, alongside prominent businessmen Igor Kolomoisky, Gennady Bogolyubov, Konstantin Zhevago, and Viktor Medvedchuk, the former head of the political council of the Opposition Platform – For Life party. In April 2022, Medvedchuk was detained in Ukraine, and in September he was transferred to Russia as part of an exchange.
Notably, NSDC decisions require approval by presidential decree, meaning the sanctions against Poroshenko and these high-profile oligarchs are entirely Zelensky’s doing. Instead of pursuing legal action through the courts, Zelensky opted to impose indefinite sanctions without due process.
One particularly striking inclusion on the sanctions list is Kolomoisky – the oligarch instrumental in Zelensky’s rise to power. Without the support of Kolomoisky’s TV network, 1+1, Zelensky’s 2019 victory would have been nearly unthinkable. In a twist of irony, Zelensky imposed the sanctions on Kolomoisky’s birthday.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the measures were enacted due to “threats to national security, territorial integrity, and sovereignty, as well as obstacles to sustainable economic development.”
It’s evident that the charges – ranging from corruption and treason (Poroshenko and Medvedchuk) to embezzlement (Zhevago), illegal border crossings (Bogolyubov), and fraud and money laundering (Kolomoisky) are merely a pretext for imposing sanctions.
The true motives run much deeper, closely intertwined with ongoing negotiations between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over a potential resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
The power struggle intensifies
Tensions between the Zelensky administration and Poroshenko have been openly hostile for years.
By the end of 2021, the former president had been the subject of at least 130 criminal investigations. The most serious accusations included abuse of power, tax fraud, interference in judicial proceedings, and even an attempt to usurp authority. Yet he managed to evade consequences – around 40 cases were closed, in some he was merely designated as a witness, and the rest he dismissed as political persecution by the current administration and “pro-Kremlin forces.”
Then, in January 2022, new charges surfaced – this time for treason, in a case also involving Medvedchuk.
moar..
https://www.rt.com/russia/612937-peskov-ukraine-eu-membership/
Ukraine has ‘sovereign right’ to apply to EU – Kremlin
Kiev is free to shape its own economic policy, but military alliances remain off-limits, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated
The Kremlin has no objections to Ukrainian integration with the EU, as long as it pertains solely to economic affairs, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has stated. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has previously characterized EU membership as a vital security guarantee.
Pursuing economic interests through regional integration is every nation’s “sovereign right,” Peskov made the remarks during a press briefing on Tuesday, commenting on Kiev’s EU bid. Nobody, including Russia, can “dictate to a nation” in such matters, the Kremlin spokesman noted.
Moscow holds “a very different position on issues of security, defense and military alliances,” Peskov stressed, emphasizing that “a comprehensive, viable long-term resolution [to the Ukraine conflict] is unattainable without addressing broader continental security issues.”
Zelensky mentioned the possibility of “immediate” EU accession as one of several potential security guarantees during an NBC News interview last Friday. Speaking with ‘Meet the Press’ host Kristen Welker, Zelensky also called for a “strong package of missiles” stationed in Ukraine, a “big army” to exert psychological pressure on Russia, and foreign investments in Ukrainian industry to deter future Russian aggression.
In June 2022, the EU granted Ukraine candidate status, viewed at the time as more of a political gesture than a mark of the country’s progress towards meeting the criteria for potential membership. Since then, some EU nations have resisted fast-tracking Ukraine into the bloc.
Brussels has facilitated Ukrainian access to the common EU market to support Kiev. However, the flood of Ukrainian agricultural products has sunk prices and sparked protests among farmers across the bloc, ultimately leading to import bans in 2023. The nations involved said the crisis highlighted obstacles on Ukraine's path to membership.
Kiev was similarly assured of an “irreversible path” to NATO membership, yet a definitive timeline for joining the US-led military bloc has never been established. Russia has deemed the prospect unacceptable for decades, citing the West's refusal to address its concerns as a major factor in the Ukraine crisis.
US President Donald Trump has diverged from the previous Western narrative, which framed the Ukraine conflict as stemming from “unprovoked Russian aggression,” and acknowledged that the hostilities did not arise in isolation.
”I don’t see how a country in Russia’s position could allow them, given their circumstances, to join NATO,” he remarked last week
https://www.rt.com/business/612914-estonia-pulp-mill-halt/
Vital pulp mill shuts after EU state disconnects from Russian grid – media
Estonian Cell has suspended production after electricity prices hit record highs last week, Delfi has reported
Estonia’s largest pulp mill has halted production due to skyrocketing electricity prices after the Baltic nation disconnected from the Russian-Belarusian energy network (BRELL) and synchronized with the EU’s grid, news outlet Delfi has reported.
BRELL was originally part of the unified Soviet energy system and remained in operation after the USSR’s collapse in 1991, connecting Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Under a 2001 agreement, the five countries committed to sharing electricity and providing mutual support during power emergencies. Earlier this month, the Baltic states severed their ties with BRELL and integrated with the EU’s network.
The move sparked a massive surge in electricity prices in the three Baltic countries. Last week, the average daily price almmost doubled from €126 ($131) to €230 ($240) per megawatt-hour, while peak hours saw prices up to €483 ($505) per MWh, according to the Nord Pool exchange.
The sudden price spike forced Estonia’s largest energy consumer, pulp mill Estonian Cell, to suspend production.
“We stopped production on Tuesday, and now we wait for the next day’s price every day at lunchtime,” Estonian Cell chief financial officer Meelis Kuzma told Delfi Business last week.
Although representatives from Elering, Estonia’s power operator, blamed the price hike on weather conditions and market dynamics, the increase came soon after the country disconnected from the Russian power grid.
The power operator noted reduced wind energy production, increased consumption due to colder weather, and a rise in gas prices as key factors influencing the surge.
“The fact that the price of electricity depends on the weather and thus affects our production is actually absurd!” Kuzma argued.
Estonian Cell has faced significant financial challenges in recent years due to the volatility of energy prices, and has suspended production several times because of soaring electricity prices.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – all NATO members – have stopped electricity supplies from Russia since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, although they maintained their connection to the BRELL grid. The Baltic countries now have to purchase reserve capacity on their own.
Elering said earlier that in 2025, the Baltic states will require around 1,500 MW of balancing capacity, with demand expected to rise amid growing consumption. While most residents in the Baltic countries pay fixed electricity tariffs, price hikes have primarily hit businesses and industries.
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it just works!
buh bye felicia
https://www.rt.com/russia/612889-us-firms-losses-russia/
US firms lost $300 billion by leaving Russia – RDIF
The West’s sanctions war has backfired on American companies, the head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund has said
US companies lost more than $300 billion by leaving the Russian market amid Ukraine-related sanctions, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has said. He noted that Moscow and Washington need to reestablish dialogue to jointly solve problems that affect both economies.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, the West slapped Russia with unprecedented sanctions aimed at destabilizing the country’s economy and forcing Moscow to end its military operation. The measures, coupled with Moscow’s countersanctions, led many Western firms to divest from their businesses in Russia, losing billions in investment and profits. According to estimates from the Yale University School of Management, over 1,000 foreign firms have voluntarily curtailed operations in Russia to some degree since February 2022.
“US businesses lost over $300 billion from leaving the Russian market,” Dmitriev told CNN on Tuesday, ahead of the first direct Russia-US negotiations over the Ukraine conflict in Saudi Arabia. The figure is nearly equal to the amount of Russian central bank assets frozen in the West as part of sanctions.
The official noted that given such hefty losses, lifting sanctions would be in the interests of the US as well as Russia.
“What we want is good dialogue… finding joint economic ways to solve problems is extremely important, mainly for the US,” Dmitriev stated.
Commenting on the Russia-US talks, Dmitriev said “the entire globe is waiting to see whether the US and Russia will be able to improve relations.”
“Our better relations will allow us to solve a large number of global tasks and problems that the world faces,” added the official, who will be responsible for the economic aspect of the talks as part of the Russian team.
I think it’s very important to build bridges. I think US-Russia relations are very important for the world. I think it’s very important that the US and Russia cooperate
Dmitriev noted that Moscow was already in contact with members of US President Donald Trump’s administration ahead of the talks, and considers them “great problem solvers.” He said that signals from Washington have so far been positive, with Trump and his team indicating they want to reestablish dialogue.
The talks in the Saudi capital of Riyadh were proposed following last week’s phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While neither head of state is expected to attend the talks, they are being conducted by high-level officials, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Neither Ukrainian nor EU diplomats will be present at the meeting.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier explained that the location for the talks was selected because it suited both countries. He added that the meeting would be devoted to “restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations” and laying the groundwork for a Trump-Putin summit.
https://www.rt.com/news/612904-rheinmetall-eu-kids-table-ukraine/
EU ‘at kids’ table’ in Ukraine talks – German weapons giant
The bloc’s under-investment in defense led Washington to stop seeing it as an equal partner, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger has suggested
The EU should blame itself for being excluded from US-initiated Ukraine peace efforts, Armin Papperger, CEO of German arms giant Rheinmetall, one of the key Western firms supplying Kiev with military equipment, has said. In an interview with the Finacial Times published late on Monday, the executive indicated that the bloc’s under-investment in defense led the US to stop seeing it as an equal partner.
Papperger’s remarks come amid growing outrage in the EU over its exclusion from the recent US-Russia rapprochement. Following a phone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin last week, US President Donald Trump declared an “immediate” start to negotiations on Ukraine, drawing criticism from EU states for failing to consult them.
The first round of bilateral Russia-US negotiations kicked off in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday. Led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the talks are expected to focus on restoring bilateral relations, preparing for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement with Kiev and laying the groundwork for a direct meeting between Trump and Putin.
The EU’s anger was intensified after Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, signaled that the bloc’s leaders may not be invited to take part in future peace talks.
“If parents have dinner, the kids have to sit at another table… The US is negotiating with Russia and no European is at the table – it has become very clear that the Europeans are the kids,” Papperger told the news outlet.
The executive cited the bloc’s reluctance to boost defense spending within the NATO military bloc.
“If you don’t invest, if you’re not strong, they handle you like kids,” he stated.
NATO and the US have repeatedly demanded sharp increases in defense spending from the bloc’s European members to as high as 5% of GDP, while Trump has long bemoaned bearing the brunt of costs.
Many EU states have demanded to be included in the Ukraine peace process over the past few days, with the Weimar+ group, which includes France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and the UK, declaring that “Europe must be part of any negotiations” as they would affect the security of the entire continent.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called an emergency summit of European leaders for talks on Ukraine, purportedly to counterbalance Russia-US peace efforts.
https://www.rt.com/business/612834-us-tariffs-hurt-eu-trump/
EU response to US tariffs will backfire – Trump
The European Commission is reportedly planning to block imports of certain foodstuff from the US
US President Donald Trump has warned that Brussels’ potential move to block imports of American soybeans and other foods would only hurt the European Union. The bloc is reportedly mulling countermeasures in response to Washington’s recent tariffs.
The trade row between the US and the EU has been escalating since Trump announced plans to introduce a wide range of import duties in an effort to tackle what he describes as a trade imbalance. The measures include massive tariffs on steel and aluminum, reciprocal country-by-country duties as well as separate levies on cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductor chips.
The Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing officials, that the European Commission is preparing to announce the first round of retaliatory tariffs. These measures are expected to target US crops, including soybeans, that are cultivated using pesticides banned for use by EU farmers.
The US president shrugged off the reported push, saying that “it’s just hurting themselves if they do that.” Trump stressed that the White House was sticking to the plan to start implementing reciprocal tariffs.
“That’s alright, I don’t mind; Let them do it, let them do it,” he said on Sunday, speaking to journalists who had arrived in Daytona Beach, Florida, for the Daytona 500 car race.
The US and the EU have been embroiled in a major trade dispute since 2018, when Trump introduced tariffs of 25% on European steel imports and 10% on aluminum, citing national security concerns due to European competition.
In response, the EU introduced countermeasures, slapping import duties on Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Levi Strauss & Co jeans. Tensions escalated further when Trump threatened tariffs on European car exports, although those measures were never enforced.
As part of his latest tariff spree, Trump has imposed 25% duties on all steel and aluminum brought into the US starting March 4. The president emphasized that the tariffs would apply on top of the existing tariffs on metals.
Last week, Trump reportedly instructed Howard Lutnick, his nominee for the position of US trade representative and commerce secretary, to propose new levies on a country-by-country basis in an effort to rebalance trade relations by April 1.
Since his inauguration on January 20, he has also placed a 25% levy on all imports from Mexico and Canada along with additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing illegal immigration and drug trafficking concerns. Following discussions with Mexican and Canadian leaders, the tariffs were postponed for 30 days as both nations agreed to enhance border security.
Trump also put a hold on a key tariff provision by maintaining the duty-free status of small-value packages from China, after the measure caused disruptions in deliveries last week.
https://www.rt.com/news/612858-china-us-taiwan-wording/
China slams US for wording on ‘Taiwan independence’
Beijing has criticized the State Department after it altered a fact sheet on relations with the island
China has urged the US to “correct its mistakes” after the State Department removed previous phrasing on its website about not supporting independence for Taiwan. Washington has described the change as part of a routine update.
In the reported change to the “fact sheet” on the self-governing Chinese island made on Thursday, the State Department dropped a statement that previously included the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence.”
Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory under its One-China principle, and insists on eventual reunification, including by force if necessary. It has repeatedly opposed any foreign interference on the issue, including US arms sales to Taiwan, viewing them as a violation of its sovereignty and a threat to regional stability.
In addition, the updated fact sheet highlighted Taipei’s collaboration with the Pentagon on technology and semiconductor projects. It also affirmed US support for the island’s participation in international organizations “where applicable,” dropping the words “where statehood is not a requirement.”
Speaking at a regular briefing in Beijing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun described the revisions as a “big step backwards” that “sends a seriously wrong message to Taiwan independence separatist forces.”
Guo stated that the move severely violated the One-China principle, adding that the US State Department has “gravely backpedaled” on its position on Taiwan-related issues.
“This is yet another example of the United States’ stubborn adherence to the erroneous policy of ‘using Taiwan to suppress China’. We urge the United States side to immediately rectify its mistakes,” Guo said.
While the US officially adheres to the One-China policy, it has continued to supply arms to Taiwan and engage in military cooperation with the government in Taipei.
“As is routine, the fact sheet was updated to inform the general public about our unofficial relationship with Taiwan,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters, adding that Washington “remains committed to its One-China policy.”
“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side,” the spokesperson said.
Taiwan has governed itself since 1949, when nationalist forces retreated to the island after losing China’s civil war. Only a handful of nations currently recognize the island’s sovereignty, and most of the world, including Russia, adheres to Beijing’s stance that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China
https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/612831-musk-influencer-child-whoa/
Musk reacts to claims of secret child with US influencer
The billionaire responded with a single word to allegations that Ashley St. Clair had spent five years trying to “ensnare” him
Elon Musk has responded to claims that he fathered a child with conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair, reacting with a single “Whoa” after a social media post alleged she had spent five years plotting to have his baby.
On Friday, St. Clair announced on X that she had given birth to a son five months earlier, and that Musk was his father. She said she had kept the birth private for the child’s safety but decided to go public after sensing tabloids were about to break the story.
In an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, St. Clair described Musk as “funny” and “down to earth,” saying their relationship began when he contacted her via direct message on X. She claimed she was told to remain silent about the pregnancy.
“I was told to keep it secret. I was being asked to keep it a secret forever,” she told the outlet. The report stated that text messages between St. Clair and Jared Birchall, Musk’s money manager, suggested she had complied with a request to leave Musk’s name off the birth certificate.
“I was completely isolated during my pregnancy. Every part of my career and everything I used to do – I couldn’t do anymore. I was told not to tell anybody,” she added.
The situation escalated when Milo Yiannopoulos, a self-described “civil rights icon,” claimed St. Clair had “plotted for HALF A DECADE to ensnare Elon Musk.” Musk responded with a brief “Whoa,” marking his first public reaction to the controversy.
Whoa
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 15, 2025
Following Musk’s reaction, St. Clair accused him, in a now-deleted post, of amplifying “smears” instead of addressing the matter privately. She said they had been working on a co-parenting agreement but that she’d felt forced to go public due to harassment from his supporters.
“Ashley & Elon have been privately working towards the creation of an agreement about raising their child for some time,” her representative, Brian Glicklich, said in a statement on X on Saturday. “We are waiting for Elon to publicly acknowledge his parental role with Ashley, to end unwarranted speculation, and Ashley trusts that Elon intends to finalize their agreement quickly, in the best interests of the well-being and security of the child they share.”
🥰
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 16, 2025
The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who has 12 other known children from previous relationships, has not issued further comments on the matter. However, on the same day, Musk responded with an emoji of a smiling face with hearts to a photo of his children shared by Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.
https://www.rt.com/russia/612987-zelensky-changes-travel-plans/
Zelensky changes travel plans to avoid ‘coincidences’ with Lavrov-Rubio meeting
The Ukrainian leader has delayed his visit to Saudi Arabia following US-Russia talks in Riyadh
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia after learning that Russian and US negotiators were meeting there on Tuesday without his approval.
“(Ukraine) didn’t want to appear to give anything that happened in Riyadh any legitimacy,” a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Zelensky, who arrived in Türkiye on Tuesday, said he had decided to delay the trip because he “did not want any coincidences.”
The teams led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Riyadh to lay groundwork for a future peace settlement between Moscow and Kiev. According to the State Department, the sides agreed to work towards the normalization of bilateral ties suspended in 2022 as part of the Biden administration’s campaign to “isolate” Russia.
Zelensky stated earlier that he had made plans to visit Saudi Arabia on February 18 long before the US-Russia meeting was announced. Speaking in Ankara, he said the trip to Riyadh has been rescheduled for March 10.
The Ukrainian leader, who was not invited to the Lavrov-Rubio meeting, vowed not to accept any agreements made behind his back.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump reaffirmed his aim to quickly broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine to “save lives.” He claimed that Zelensky is unpopular at home and argued that Ukrainians are in no position to complain about his decision to reopen direct negotiations with Russia.
“Today I heard, ‘Oh well, we weren’t invited,’” Trump said. “You should’ve ended [the conflict with Russia] after three years. You should’ve never started it. You could’ve made a deal.”
During his election campaign, Trump often criticized his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for unconditionally providing funds and weapons to Ukraine. Trump also claimed that the conflict would not have broken out had he been the president in February 2022.
According to Lavrov, the “helpful” Riyadh talks showed that “the American side has begun to better understand our position.” The Kremlin has long insisted that, in order to achieve a lasting peace, Ukraine must drop its aspirations to join NATO in favor of neutrality, as well as renouncing its claims on Crimea and four other former Ukrainian regions that are now part of Russia.
https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/cece-telfer-trump
Trans athlete is big mad that men will be stripped of the medals they stole from women: "That's not how progressiveness works”
According to CeCe Telfer, a trans runner who is often referred to as a failing male athlete, males who win an award in the female division cannot be stripped of their medals because “that's not how the direction of progressiveness works.”
CeCe Telfer — the first man to cheat his way to a women’s NCAA title in 2019 — explains he can’t be stripped of his title because “that's not how the direction of progressiveness works.”
Women beg to differ. You came for our sports & our spaces and we are fighting back hard. pic.twitter.com/wcDGqwqZl8
— WomenAreReal (@WomenAreReals) February 18, 2025
LOL. Don’t you love how he proceeds to insult people by claiming they are not “smart” for not blindly following his narrative on “history” and “progressivism?” He does not say anything beyond a minor insult, yet thinks he proved his lack of a point.
According to The Post Millennial:
In 2019, Tefler won the NCAA Division II 400-meter hurdles and previously competed as a male at Franklin Pierce University. Tefler had hoped to compete at the Olympics, but World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, voted in 2023 to ban biological males from competing against women if they transitioned after Tanner Stage 2 or the age of 12, whichever came last.
Tefler claimed that "each of my identities is a target, especially in America" at this moment, with Tefler adding, "I’m black, I’m a woman, and I’m transgender, and I’m an athlete." Tefler claimed that in recent weeks, "I feel like a lot of the anti-trans rhetoric has become louder, more in my face. Prior to this set-in-stone administration, I woke up every day and I faced adversaries when I leave my house. Now, I wake up every day and I have to make sure that I make it home alive."
LOL. He may have gotten his insignificant skin color correct but he’s not a woman and is considered a failing athlete since he cannot successfully compete against other males.
And he has got some nerve comparing his nonexistent “right” to participate in female competitions to making “it home alive.” You really cannot make that level of delusion up.
Tefler said that the athlete is "willing to sit down with the IOC, the USATF, the NCAA, with any of my international federations, even the Trump administration, Trump himself, if he wants to sit down with me and talk and have a human conversation and see me." Tefler was asked what the athlete would say to the president, to which Tefler said, "I need some explanation as to why you want to completely eradicate us from society when we've done nothing wrong. Think about the humanity and to think about the younger kids like me who have doctors confirming their gender, have people behind them and like even if he wants to have a team to go around with me and see my day-to-day life and what I go through as a transgender female athlete, [I’m] all for it."
So I just checked every single speech Trump has ever given since birth, and I am having trouble finding the part where he claims he wants to “eradicate [trans people] from society.”
There is a difference between refusing to condone insanity and eradication but it’s not like he bases his worldview on reality so there is that.
All Trump is doing is making things go back to how they always were until a trans army came and changed the status quo. For all of history, sex was understood to be immutable and it’s about time the federal government starts recognizing that.
Without recognizing there are solely two sexes, society puts the most vulnerable people at risk, solely to uplift people based on inaccurate identifications. And that is not something that will ever be moral. But hey, at least he tried.
https://www.outkick.com/sports/pro-woman-advocates-ncaa-transgender-policy-not-good-enough
Pro-Woman Advocates Slam New NCAA Transgender Policy As Not Good Enough
The NCAA recently updated its transgender policy to align with President Donald Trump's executive order, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports."
Or, so it seemed. Pro-woman advocates, including Riley Gaines and Jennifer Sey, have slammed the policy for not being good enough.
Here's the problem with the policy: it uses the phrase "sex assigned at birth" as the determining factor. As human biology tells us, a person is not "assigned sex at birth," but rather determined upon conception based on the presence of XX or XY chromosomes.
Saying it's assigned at birth makes it sound like doctors make an arbitrary decision on whether a baby is male or female, which is simply not true.
A fetus' sex is determined well before birth, hence the existence of "gender-reveal" parties. If sex is "assigned at birth," then how are parents able to find out the sex of their baby while it's still in the womb? Easy answer: sex isn't assigned at birth.
The NCAA says the way to determine a female athlete is based upon a person's "birth record."
"Sex Assigned at Birth: The male or female designation doctors assign to infants at birth, which is marked on their birth records," reads the policy.
Here's the thing, though: birth certificates can be changed. Most states allow people to change their birth certificates to reflect their "gender identity" rather than their biological sex.
It seems that the NCAA purposefully allowed a loophole in the policy where they can pretend to ban males from women's sports without actually doing so.
Riley Gaines, host of the OutKick podcast "Gaines for Girls" and one of the most influential pro-woman voices in the country, said of the policy: "The new NCAA policy is NOT in compliance with President Trump's beautifully and thoroughly written Executive Order. It's in direct contrast."
Jennifer Sey, the founder of XX-XY Athletics, wrote: "Self ID ain’t it. And that’s all that is required in the NCAA’s new policy. Birth certificates can be changed in all but 6 states. And verification of sex in this policy is a birth certificate. See the problem?"
The issue with the NCAA transgender policy is that it doesn't require an athlete to be female to compete in women's sports; it simply requires that a person's birth certificate declares the person to be female.
OutKick reached out to the NCAA for comment on their new policy. We asked if they had a response to pro-woman advocates who say the policy isn't good enough. They did not respond.
As we know, males can change their birth certificates to say they are female. They cannot, however, change their chromosomes or biology. The only effective way to determine sex is with chromosomal testing.
Of course, that would completely eliminate males from women's sports. The NCAA doesn't appear to actually want that to happen, even if they pretend that's the case
https://www.outkick.com/culture/two-men-arrested-attempting-launch-drugs-federal-prison-using-cannon
Two Men Arrested For Attempting To Launch Drugs Into A Federal Prison Using A Cannon
During what had to be one hell of a brainstorming session, a couple of men from Colorado came up with a plan to smuggle tens of thousands of dollars worth of drugs into a federal prison. They'd launch the items over a security fence with the use of a cannon.
The two were arrested by the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana following an investigation. According to a Facebook post by the sheriff's office, they were attempting to smuggle $112,000 worth of tobacco and $89,500 worth of methamphetamine into a prison.
The plan was to use the cannon, which uses compressed air, not gunpowder like the old-fashioned cannons, to launch the contraband over the security fence at the federal prison. The sheriff’s office stated that the cannon had a range of over 350 feet.
18-year-old Jose Francisco Herrera Munoz and 19-year-old Angel Gonzales Gutierrez, both of Greely, Colorado, were arrested for Attempting to Introduce Contraband into a Penal Institution and Attempting to Distribute Methamphetamine.
The Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office added that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had assisted in the investigation because one of the men involved is allegedly in the country illegally. They have a detainer for Munoz.
Just a couple of guys trying to launch drugs into a prison with a cannon
It wasn’t clear in the social media post by law enforcement as to what stage of the plan the two were busted.
Were these two still in the process of acquiring the cannon in question? Did they already have the cannon and have their plan thwarted prior to using it? Were there test runs?
Did they head out, load it up with the tobacco and/or drugs, and get caught in the act? So many questions that we may never have answers to.
We'll always have the comfort of knowing that if you've seen it in a cartoon there’s a chance, even if it's a slight one, that someone is out there planning to attempt something similar.
i know eh!
>how big was the cannon
don't know but the article mentioned a range of 350ft using compressed air.
funny cuz years ago the cartels would lob pot bales across the rio grande… using a van mounted cannon
GN anon fren
anon is female… so NO!
besides anon would not be able to find anything if anon cleaned up
KEK
yup thats vaxx shedding. expect lessions, bumps, and lumps… among other things.