Putin Says Talks With US "Inspire Certain Hopes" As 6+ Hour Istanbul Meeting Concludes

TASS is confirming that Russian and US delegations have concluded their meeting after more than six hours of talks in Istanbul on Thursday, the second round of such in-person talks after last week's bilateral Riyadh meeting. Like the prior high-level dialogue, the Istanbul talks cut out Ukrainian and European representation.

These talks have been focused on restoring full staffing at the two sides' respective embassies and the improving of relations - with an eye toward preparations for achieving a lasting peace settlement in Ukraine.

Importantly, on the same day President Vladimir Putin spoke of positive developments on these fronts in a meeting of the Federal Security Service. "We all see how rapidly the world is changing, the situation in the world. In this regard, I would like to note that the first contacts with the new US administration inspire certain hopes," he said.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/talks-us-inspire-certain-hopes-putin-says-6-hour-istanbul-meeting-concludes

President Trump Says Tariffs on Canada and Mexico go into Effect March 4

Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China. More than 100,000 people died last year due to the distribution of these dangerous and highly addictive POISONS. Millions of people have died over the last two decades. The families of the victims are devastated and, in many instances, virtually destroyed.

We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled. China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date. The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/just-president-trump-says-tariffs-canada-mexico-go/

State Department to Deny Visas for Transgender Athletes on the Basis of ‘Fraud’

The US state department has ordered officials worldwide to deny visas to transgender athletes attempting to come to the US for sports competitions and to issue permanent visa bans against those who are deemed to misrepresent their birth sex on visa applications.

The 24 February state department cable obtained by the Guardian instructs visa officers to apply Immigration and Nationality Act section 212(a)(6)(C)(i) – the “permanent fraud bar” – against trans applicants. Unlike regular visa denials, this section triggers lifetime exclusion from the United States with limited waiver possibilities.

“In cases where applicants are suspected of misrepresenting their purpose of travel or sex, you should consider whether this misrepresentation is material such that it supports an ineligibility finding,” reads the directive from the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/25/visa-ban-transgender-athletes

LA Judge Who Ruled in Favor of Chemical Castration of Jeff Younger’s Son Hit with Notice of Recall Petition

Time for these judges to go.

LA Judge Who Ruled in Favor of Chemical Castration of Jeff Younger’s Son Hit with Notice of Recall Petition

Time for these judges to go.

After a years-long court battle with his ex-wife, who claimed James Younger was transgender when he was just a young boy, Juhas ruled in November of 2024 that Jeff Younger could no longer have any custody over his children, and turned over full control of the child to James’ mother, who has been attempting to transition the now 12-year-old James for years.

The elder Younger had previously shared joint custody of the children in Texas, where a judge ruled that his ex-wife could not proceed with gender mutilation procedures without Younger’s consent.

“I lost all parental rights to my sons. Goodbye, boys. Perhaps, we will meet when you are adults. California Judge Juhas gave my ex-wife authority to castrate my son, James. All contact with my boys must be supervised,” Younger announced on X at the time.

“I won’t do that. I send letters and gifts to my sons. My ex is not required to give them to the boys. I cannot post pictures of my sons. Let my story be a cautionary one for young men. Fathers have no rights to their children. Do not enter the family law system.”

https://nationalfile.com/la-judge-who-ruled-in-favor-of-chemical-castration-of-jeff-youngers-son-hit-with-notice-of-recall-petition/

Chief Justice Roberts Upholds Freeze on U.S. Foreign Aid Payments.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued an administrative stay late Wednesday night on a federal judge’s order that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department release over $1.5 billion to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) overseas. The stay order is a provisional win for President Donald J. Trump, who argued in an emergency appeal to the high court that U.S. District Court Judge Amir H. Ali’s ruling exceeded judicial authority and encroached on presidential power.

The midnight deadline initially set by Judge Ali required immediate financial action from the agencies, but Chief Justice Roberts’ intervention maintains the current situation while a more thorough review is conducted. The challengers involved in the case have been instructed to submit a response by Friday, with the Supreme Court expected to deliberate and decide on the next steps shortly thereafter.

https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/02/27/chief-justice-roberts-upholds-freeze-on-u-s-foreign-aid-payments/

Nullifying the Constitution Won’t Make America Great Again

Mounting a populist revolution to wrest power from the Deep State only to institute a different Deep State is not how you make America great again.

“You want to defend the United States of America, then defend it with the tools it supplies you with—its Constitution.”— Seven Days in May (1964)

Anyone who wants to put America first needs to start by putting the Constitution first.

This should be non-negotiable.

Winning an election does not give President Trump—or any politician—the authority to sidestep the Constitution and remake the government at will.

That’s not how a constitutional republic works, even in pursuit of the so-called greater good.

Thus far, those defending the Trump administration’s worst actions, which range from immoral and unethical to blatantly unconstitutional, have resorted to repeating propaganda and glaring non-truths while insisting that the Biden administration was worse.

“They did it first” and “they did it worse” are not justifications for disregarding the law.

For that matter, omitting the Constitution from the White House website—pretending it never existed—does not give the president and the agencies within the Executive Branch the right to circumvent the rule of law or, worse, nullify the Constitution.

Mounting a populist revolution to wrest power from the Deep State only to institute a different Deep State is not how you make America great again.

How you do something is just as important as why you do something, and right now, the means by which the Trump administration is attempting to accomplish many of its end goals are antithetical to every principle on which this nation was founded: natural rights, popular sovereignty, the rule of law, the rejection of monarchical law, the need for transparency and accountability, due process, liberty, equality, and limited government, to name just a few.

Whether the concerns driving this massive overhaul of the government are legitimate is not the question. We are certainly overdue for a reckoning when it comes to our bloated, corrupt, unaccountable, out-of-control bureaucracy.

So far, however, the Trump administration’s policies have exacerbated government dysfunction, undermined constitutional rights, and deepened public distrust.

Trump is not making America great again. In fact, things are getting worse by the day.

Nowhere is this clearer than in the erosion of fundamental freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights. Government officials are muzzling the press, threatening protesters, and censoring online speech. Due process is being ignored altogether.

The government’s haphazard, massive and potentially illegal firing spree is leaving whole quadrants of the government understaffed and unable to carry out the necessary functions of government as it relates to veterans, education, energy, agriculture, and housing. A testament to how disorganized and chaotic this administration is can be seen in the administration’s frantic scramble to rehire critical employees fired without thought to how essential functions would continue.

Rather than draining the swamp of corrupt, moneyed interests, Trump has favored the oligarchy with intimate access to the halls of power. At last count, the billionaires tapped to serve on Trump’s cabinet had a total net worth of $382.2 billion, more than the GDP of 172 different countries.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/government-corruption/nullifying-the-constitution-wont-make-america-great-again

Bill Clinton has released a statement after learning Pam Bondi is releasing the Epstein Client List

https://twitter.com/i/status/1894924011295121888

Real or F&G?

Georgia Caught Letting Corporations Vote on Laws And Every State Does It

What happens when corporations don’t just influence legislation but outright write it? Georgia just gave us a front-row seat to this reality, and it’s as bad as it sounds.

Footage has surfaced showing corporations sitting at the table, voting alongside legislators, deciding which bills move forward. That’s right—corporate lobbyists don’t just whisper in lawmakers’ ears. They have an actual vote, right there in the room. The footage makes it painfully clear: bills come pre-written, with only one thing left blank—the state name.

This isn’t just about Georgia. If it’s happening there, you can bet it’s happening everywhere. Every state in America operates under some version of this backroom deal-making, where corporate interests aren’t just influencing policy but outright dictating it. And let’s not pretend this is surprising. Big money runs deep in politics, but seeing it so blatantly exposed? That’s a different story.

The solution? Some are pushing for a Department of Government Expenditure (DOGE) in every state—an independent watchdog to bring transparency to this murky process. Because if lawmakers are taking orders from corporations, who exactly are they representing?

This isn’t some minor scandal. It’s proof that the system is working exactly as it was designed—for them, not for us.

https://citizenwatchreport.com/georgia-caught-letting-corporations-vote-on-laws-and-every-state-does-it/

https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2022/520/140/2022-520140979-202303129349303600-9.pdf

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/alec-exposed-koch-connection/

https://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/11/12290/alec-pennsylvania

https://www.commoncause.org/resource/alec-model-bills-corporate/

Blackwater CEO proposes $25 billion plan to deport 12 million illegals before 2026

Erik Prince, CEO of Blackwater, isn’t just sitting on the sidelines while the U.S. struggles with its immigration mess. No, he’s stepping up with a bold proposal to deport millions of illegal immigrants, fast. And while this may sound like a pipe dream, it’s actually a serious, no-nonsense plan.

Prince’s proposal? Well, it’s ambitious, to say the least. Using military bases as processing camps, a fleet of 100 planes, and a small army of 10,000 civilians to manage it all, his vision is clear: mass deportations, 500,000 per month, a total of 12 million by 2026.

It’s a $25 billion price tag that’s as big as the problem itself, but let’s be honest here, what price can you put on solving a decades-long immigration crisis? The logistics are mind-boggling, but Prince’s strategy seems simple: scale up quickly, and get the job done. His proposal also includes a bounty program, rewarding those who help facilitate deportations, and that could really motivate people to take action.

But here’s where things get interesting: despite the audacious proposal, there’s been no sign from the Trump administration that they’re ready to pull the trigger. Maybe they’re taking a wait-and-see approach, trying to exhaust all internal options before tapping into private-sector muscle. But let’s face it—no one in the government has been able to tackle this problem with the urgency it demands. That’s where Prince comes in.

One of the most intriguing elements of the plan is its reliance on private contractors, like Blackwater, to help carry the burden. Private-sector efficiency vs. government red tape—now that’s a fight worth watching. Could this become the go-to model for handling major national issues? Maybe. But it’s clear the government would need to shift its mindset before embracing this solution fully.

Prince isn’t just throwing out wild ideas. He’s bringing a detailed 26-page proposal to the table, and the scale of the operation he’s offering is both practical and extraordinary. The problem of illegal immigration won’t be solved with half-measures. Prince’s bold proposal might just be the kind of thinking needed to turn this ship around, though, for now, it’s still a big “what if.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/erik-prince-government-needs-private-sector-help-for-deportations/ar-AA1zQsfa

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/former-blackwater-ceo-no-indication-government-interested-in-mass-deportation-memo/ar-AA1zPXv9

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/25/documents-military-contractors-mass-deportations-022648

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/26/trump-deportations-private-sector-00002679

House Passes Budget Resolution That Will Increase Military Spending by $100 Billion

Rep. Massie was the only Republican to vote against the budget plan, which has been backed by President Trump

House Republicans on Tuesday passed a budget blueprint that would raise military spending by $100 billion, a plan backed by President Trump despite his suggestions that Pentagon spending could be cut.

The budget plan also extends $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, would add $3 trillion to the deficit, and raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. It passed along party lines in a vote of 217-215, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) being the only Republican to vote against it.

Explaining his opposition, Massie cited the increases in the deficit. “If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better,” he wrote on X a day before the vote.

The Senate recently passed its own budget resolution that would increase military spending by $150 billion, but it didn’t include the tax cuts. Trump has said he wants the budget plan and tax cuts to be put together in “one big beautiful bill,” backing the House’s version.

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said the extra $100 billion in military spending could be used to secure the southern border, among other things.

“The $100 billion in defense spending this resolution unlocks will enable us to begin restoring American deterrence, prioritizing lethality and ensuring peace through strength,” Rogers said, according to Stars and Stripes.

When Republican Senators introduced their version of the budget plan, they said the increase in military spending could be used to fund President Trump’s idea for an “Iron Dome for America,” a missile defense project that will come with a huge price tag and likely start a new arms race.

https://news.antiwar.com/2025/02/26/house-passes-budget-resolution-that-will-increase-military-spending-by-100-billion/

Biden, Blinken, Austin referred to ICC over 'intentionally aiding' Gaza genocide

Washington has targeted the ICC with sanctions over its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief

The US-based human rights NGO Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) has formally requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) launch a probe into former US president Joe Biden and several of his officials for aiding and abetting Israel’s war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

DAWN submitted a 172-page request that argues that Biden, former defense secretary Llyod Austin, and former secretary of state Anthony Blinken ignored and facilitated Israeli crimes against Palestinians during the war on Gaza – which killed over 60,000 people, a majority of them women and children.

“This case might face political pushback, but that doesn’t change the message it sends: impunity isn’t a given. If the rule of law is supposed to mean anything, it has to apply across the board – not just to our enemies, but to our friends, and yes, to ourselves,” prosecutor and DAWN board member Reed Brody told the Zeteo media outlet.

“We’re at a turning point. The question is whether the ICC and international law will be … more casualties buried under the rubble of Gaza,” he added.

The filing falls under what is known as an Article 15 communication and highlights how Biden’s government continued to provide military and diplomatic support to Tel Aviv despite its knowledge that the aid was being used to commit war crimes.

This US support includes at least $17.9 billion in military, intelligence, and targeting assistance.

“By continuously and unconditionally providing Political Support and Military Support to Israel while being fully aware of the specific crimes committed by Netanyahu, Gallant, and their subordinates, president Biden, secretary Blinken, and secretary Austin contributed intentionally to the commission of those crimes while at least knowing the intention of the group to commit the Israeli Crimes, if not aiming of furthering such criminal activity,” DAWN’s filing at the ICC reads.

The ICC has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if the UN Security Council refers a situation. Neither the US nor Israel recognize the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court.

US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions against the ICC, which include “the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, as well as their immediate family members,” according to the president’s executive order signed in early February.

Included in the list of targets of the US sanctions is ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan.

The ICC had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over the genocide in Gaza, prompting immediate threats from Washington.

https://thecradle.co/articles/biden-blinken-austin-referred-to-icc-over-intentionally-aiding-gaza-genocide

IDF carried out Hannibal Directive, new 'Sword of Damocles' operation on October 7

The Israeli Air Force was carrying out a new 'Sword of Damocles' operation as it was carrying out the 'Hannibal directive,' the IDF's probes found.

The Air Force was carrying out “the Sword of Damocles” operation – a code name only being revealed on Thursday for the first time - to attack many Hamas commanders and their headquarters around 10:30 a.m. on October 7, 2023, just as it was carrying out the “Hannibal Directive” of gunning down anything that moved around the Israel-Gaza border.

The Air Force has been questioned about if the forces it had invested in attacking Hamas commanders deep in Gaza would have been better used to defend the Gaza border and to attack Hamas invaders in Israeli villages.

Air Force sources hoped air power had been used 'differently' on October 7

Air Force sources have said that they wish this air power had been used differently on October 7, given that protecting the villages and the border should have been a higher priority than killing top Hamas officials.

Further, Air Force sources indicated that had they known all of the information being debated between IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi and IDF Southern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkleman, such as the Israeli SIM cell phone cards which Hamas had activated in Gaza, they might have pushed for the aircraft to be used differently.

In contrast, IDF southern command sources have indicated that they believe that the attack on the Hamas commanders and headquarters significantly reduced the number of invaders who would have streamed into Israel absent those attacks.

Some sources said that there were concerns that tens of thousands or even more Gazans might have invaded Israel, far more than the around 5,400 which actually attacked, and that activating the Sword of Damocles plan was the right move even looking backwards.

Besides that, essentially the Air Force took significant responsibility for being a part of the failure on October 7, but also said that it was simply not in the game.

The general Air Force plan for that weekend was to have only one drone watching over Gaza, as there was an assumption that there would be various warnings and time to prepare if there would be any major change in the stabilized situation.

While Halevi ordered that the Air Force have additional aircraft nearby a few hours before the invasion, and two more drones were directed toward Gaza, lower down Air Force officers decided along with lower down Operations Command officers to only move a fighter jet from Ramat David base in the North to Ramon base, much closer to Gaza, on a delay of a few hours from when the order was given.

It turned out that the invasion started 90 minutes before the aircraft was due to be finally moved as opposed to if it had been moved when Halevi ordered, two hours before the invasion.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-844008

>>22666408

HTS Dictatorship No Longer Hides Its Pro-Zionist Inclinations

Against the backdrop of the Zionist military equipment’s invasion of Daraa, Quneitra and the establishment of military bases 25 km from Damascus, the former Al-Qaeda of Syria has done absolutely nothing to defend the “homeland”. But in addition to the colonialists’ military invasion, other representatives of the “Israeli entity”, such as a rabbis and a journalist, openly visit Damascus and meet with HTS representatives.

Semi-official meetings between yesterday’s jihadists and internationally recognized criminals are intended to establish a channel of communication, which is already formally in operation. For example, the situation on the Syrian-Lebanese border, where Zionism coordinates actions with the HTS against the Lebanese, emphasizing the status of its operations as “blocking the channels of arms smuggling for Hezbollah.” Such coordination between the HTS and the Zionists is intended not only to block Lebanon, but also to work together throughout the south of Syria.

On February 21, the media wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a statement mourning the three martyrs (Mamun Hassan Hussein, Uday Mahmoud Hussein, Mohammed Khalil Shehadeh) of the Saraya al-Quds who were killed by the Zionists during an attack on southern Syria. Given the ideological connection between Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, it is not difficult to guess that the HTS regime provided the coordinates to the Zionists to kill Palestinian fighters.

“Pro-Israel” actions of Tahrir al-Sham are no longer surprising, but the story of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is important because it shows the vile hypocrisy of al-Julani’s autocracy. Let me remind readers that on August 6, 2022, the HTS propaganda center “Manarat al-Huda Dawa” in Idlib several times expressed moral support for the PIJ missile campaign against the Zionists, but now we see how this same HTS, sitting in Damascus, secretly adjusts the Zionists’ goals and representatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad come under attack.

Behind the HTS’s hasty attempts to please the Zionists, lies the al-Julani regime’s promise to the Americans – “not to allow Iranian influence again” in Syria. However, despite the jihadists’ active efforts to blockade southern Lebanon and eliminate all Iranian allies in southern Syria, Zionism, arrogantly ignoring the HTS regime, is taking its own measures in the fight against the Axis of Resistance.

The “Israeli entity” seeks to block Hezbollah through Syria with its own forces and secure all the southern provinces of the Syrian Republic for itself. The “Israeli entity” is trying to block Hezbollah through Syria on its own and secure all the southern provinces of the Syrian Republic. They do not need intermediaries or assistants for this, so the HTS regime is wasting its time.

The Tahrir al-Sham dictatorship has fallen on hard times, amid economic problems and the inability to adequately govern the country, the former al-Qida of Syria has encountered Zionist manipulations. HTS naively believed that the policy of “playing along” with the occupiers could have a positive effect on the situation, remember how Al-Julani claimed that Iran no longer has allies in Syria, so “Israel” should stop its attacks. But nothing happened, on the contrary, it got worse. And all because the incompetent arrogant terrorist of the former Jabhat Nusra never understood that he is not an actor in regional politics, but just a piece on a chessboard.

https://southfront.press/hts-dictatorship-no-longer-hides-its-pro-zionist-inclinations/

Max Blumenthal harassed at US airport in ‘escalation’ against independent journalism

Max Blumenthal is an award-winning Jewish-American journalist who has long spoken out against Israel’s genocidal war crimes in occupied Palestine. And this week, he experienced “a strange and disconcerting questioning session” at Washington Dulles International Airport with someone who “identified himself as an officer with Customs and Border Protection”. This interaction, he insisted:

felt like an act of political harassment, and seemed to signal an escalation against journalists and activists who’ve expressed antiwar, anti-Zionist views.

‘Big brother is watching’ people who vocally oppose war – like Max Blumenthal

On 24 February, as Max Blumenthal returned from a personal trip to Nicaragua, the officer led him and his family “down a long hallway” for an interview with him in “a cavernous secondary screening room”. The agent mentioned catching a recent Blumenthal appearance on a programme with journalist and jurist Andrew Napolitano. Considering that “nearly all of my appearances on Napolitano’s program, Judging Freedom, have focused on Israel’s blood-soaked wars in Gaza, Lebanon and beyond throughout the past 16 months”, he said, it seemed entirely possible that the officer was “darkly signaling to me that Big Brother was watching”.

In the interview room, the agent showed Blumenthal a list of names – mostly Muslim – and asked if he was familiar with them. He said no, but highlighted that “I would not have assisted the officer even if I had a personal connection with one of the names on the list” because:

I’ve learned from activists and journalists who’ve experienced similar probing that federal agents often deploy inane or disingenuous questions to get their subject talking, then attempt to manipulate or entrap them so they can implicate them in a crime. In fact, the US Supreme Court has ruled that police are allowed to lie to elicit confessions from suspects.

Blumenthal was soon free to go, but later discovered that one name on the list was “the birth name of our friend, Medea Benjamin, cofounder of Code Pink and one of the most widely recognized antiwar activists on the planet”.

Escalating harassment, especially in servile ‘vassal states’ like the UK

Max Blumenthal went on to say:

I know of several antiwar activists who have had FBI agents appear at their doors over the past several months asking questions about Iran and individuals with Muslim or Arab names.

And he added that:

in European vassal states without the same free speech protections Americans enjoy, journalists like Ali Abunimah, Asa Winstanley, and Richard Medhurst have been subjected to police raids, imprisonment, and even criminal prosecution for the opinions they’ve expressed on Israel-Palestine.

His Grayzone colleagues have also faced harassment. Kit Klarenberg, for example, has been “detained by British counter-terror cops and grilled for hours about his journalism on London’s machinations in Ukraine and beyond”. And Jeremy Loffredo “spent several days in an Israeli prison and was ordered to self-deport… for his journalism inside the country’s occupied frontiers”.

He also mentioned Canadian activist Yves Engler, who has just spent five days in prison for calling out a pro-Israel activist and refusing to remain silent about the case. A “long-term critic of Canadian foreign policy and its military-industrial complex”, Engler said “I had to go to jail for five days to win the right to (publicly) criticise charges brought against me”. And he asserted that “the targeting of those opposing Israel’s crimes is just one of the innumerable ways that Canada has assisted in Palestinian dispossession”, stressing that:

the battle against genocide and the battle for free speech are quite interconnected

https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/02/26/max-blumenthal-harassed/

Palantir CEO Alex Karp Teams Up With the Alt-Right to Censor Israel’s Critics

Palantir CEO Alex Karp recently appeared for an interview on CNBC, during which he endorsed Elon Musk. He also advocated stifling free speech on college campuses, which he claims is to protect Western values but has admitted in the past that it has more to do with shielding Israel from criticism.

As CEO of the CIA-backed analytics company Palantir Technologies, Alex Karp has been using his position to push a new agenda, which is clearly laid out in his new book, “The Technological Republic.” His message weaponizes a wave of opposition to cancel culture, pushing back against identity politics unpopular with the populist American right while proposing that Western Capitalist and Zionist identity politics replace it.

“At some point, Silicon Valley lost its way,” Karp proclaims in his book, arguing that the problem the U.S. faces is that its private sector has been softened by its focus on consumer markets and should return to the American nationalist “collective project.” In his recent CNBC interview, after which Palantir Technologies stock soured, he focused on how university students have fallen victim to an environment in which they are critical of their government and resent Western imperial values.

“What you have been taught in college that you basically should have no beliefs, that the West is inferior” is incorrect, claims Karp, asserting that “the West is obviously superior.” He then says that “a pagan religion has infiltrated our universities,” “that pagan religion basically says everything that’s good about America, everything that actually works, is ipso-facto bad, and by the way, you can’t talk about it not working because it’s a religion.”

While the Palantir CEO rarely explains his disagreements in detail, he has explicitly aligned himself with Elon Musk, advocating a hawkish approach to foreign policy as a solution to America’s domestic woes.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/palantir-ceo-alex-karp-teams-up-with-the-alt-right-to-censor-israels-critics/289112/

US Tech Companies Aid Israel’s War Crimes—You Could Be Their Next Victim

American tech companies are deeply intertwined in Israel’s military operations, with investments and partnerships expanding significantly since the start of the war in Gaza, which to date has killed nearly 50,000 people, with some estimates placing that number closer to 400,000. Newly surfaced data indicates that collaboration between the Israeli government and U.S. companies has intensified. Yet, most Americans remain unaware of how these companies are involved—or how it could affect them.

Israel’s use of artificial intelligence in warfare isn’t new. In May 2021, during an 11-day assault on Gaza, the Israeli military described the campaign as “the world’s first AI war.” The offensive relied on targeting programs developed by Unit 8200, Israel’s elite intelligence division. Among them were “Gospel” and “Alchemist,” AI-driven systems designed to analyze vast amounts of data and rapidly select targets.

These tools didn’t disappear after the ceasefire. Instead, they were refined and enhanced. By October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its latest assault, these AI-driven targeting programs had become central to its military strategy. By its own admission, the Israeli military had depended upon commercial AI technology before developing its own AI programs. This technology came from various American companies that began developing deeper ties to the Israeli army.

Although Israel’s highly classified AI systems are often portrayed as the product of its own intelligence apparatus, recent reporting by the Associated Press suggests a more complex reality. According to the investigation, Israel’s military dramatically increased its reliance on commercial AI technologies after launching its latest assault on Gaza. Among the most notable findings, Microsoft and OpenAI tools were reportedly used to assist in battlefield decision-making. The extent of their involvement remains unclear, but they appear to have played a role in processing intelligence, analyzing surveillance data, and even informing targeting decisions.

“The implications are enormous for the role of tech in enabling this type of unethical and unlawful warfare going forward,” said Heidy Khlaaf, chief AI scientist at the AI Now Institute and a former senior safety engineer at OpenAI.

Collaboration between the Israeli military and US big tech is in no way limited to only a handful of companies but extends from tech giants all the way down to smaller private security firms. The Washington Post revealed recently that Google rushed to sell AI tools to Israel in October of 2023.

Meanwhile, Oracle, one of the largest U.S. tech firms, pledged to double its investments in Israel just as the Gaza offensive escalated. The company’s CEO, Safra Catz, an Israeli-American billionaire, put her loyalty to Israel on full display when she traveled to Tel Aviv in the early days of the assault to meet with key figures in the country’s government and military sector.

Catz is a well-connected political figure in the United States. A major donor to Donald Trump, she also contributed to the current U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign. In 2018, she was even shortlisted for the role of National Security Advisor, though she ultimately remained on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI)—a role that positions her at the nexus of U.S. tech, intelligence, and military strategy.

Despite knowing that much of the AI technology used by the Israeli military carries a false-positive rate of roughly 10%, the system remains a key tool in determining who lives and who dies. Israel has long treated Gaza as a testing ground for its military technology, raising serious concerns about how these tools could eventually be deployed elsewhere—including against American citizens.

The integration of AI into Israeli warfare has not gone unnoticed by the very workers who build the systems. Both Google and Amazon faced internal revolts after signing a $1.2 billion contract with Israel for “Project Nimbus,” a program that leverages cloud computing and artificial intelligence to enhance surveillance and targeting capabilities. Employees at both companies protested, warning that their work was being used to enable human rights abuses—concerns that executives ignored.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/us-tech-companies-aid-israels-war-crimes-you-could-be-their-next-victim/289105/

Thousands of Epstein Files Still Withheld by the Southern District of New York and Will be Delivered to DOJ Tomorrow

The Epstein Files Phase 1 is set to be released today.

Among those granted early access to the files are independent media figures and conservative voices, including Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok, Collin Rugg, Rogan O’Handley (DC Draino), Mike Cernovich, Alex Lorusso (ALX), Scott Pressler and Jack Posobiec. But this is only the beginning.

However, despite the historic release of Phase 1, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed today per DC Draino that THOUSANDS of Epstein-related documents are still being held by the Southern District of New York (SDNY).

These files—long suppressed by federal prosecutors loyal to the old regime—are set to be delivered to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, D.C., tomorrow, Feb. 28.

Today, conservative firebrand DC Draino posted on X (formerly Twitter) about his visit to the Oval Office, where he met with President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel.

“Today I met with President Trump, VP JD Vance, AG Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel in the Oval Office They handed me a binder copy of the Epstein Files,” Draino wrote.

“This is the most transparent administration in American history The best part? This is just the start. AG Bondi confirmed there are thousands more Epstein File documents being secretly held in the SDNY and they will be delivered to the DOJ in DC by February 28 People will be going to jail for what they’ve done.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/thousands-epstein-files-still-withheld-southern-district-new/

Epstein files 'Phase 1' includes list of contacts, spans 100 pages

Human Events Daily's Jack Posobiec is among those who got a first glimpse at the binder.

Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to release Phase 1 of the Epstein files on Thursday, and an advance look at those files from the New York Post reveals that the document spans over 100 pages and includes a list of contacts. The release is part of a promise made by President Donald Trump while on the campaign trail.

The source who gave these details to the Post said that the first release may be a "disappointment" to those who are interested to know exactly who partook of Epstein's scandalous, criminal services. Epstein was on trial for sex trafficking at the time of his death and is widely known to have catered to the sexual tastes of statesmen and celebrities alike by pimping out young girls.

Speaking to Piers Morgan, White House counselor Alina Habba said that the files were "incredibly disturbing. We have flight logs, information, names that will come out." She also indicated that arrests would be forthcoming.

Human Events Daily's Jack Posobiec is among those who got a first glimpse at the binder, posting a photo of it, and himself at the White House.

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-epstein-files-phase-1-includes-list-of-contacts-spans-100-pages

Is Draino a Jew like the others?