Intel Tower🗽
@inteltower
An additional report by @HotshotWake reveals crews are battling the fire on Long Island, New York, near the Hamptons, offering a firsthand perspective of the intense response.
At least 20 fire companies are on the scene, supported by a significant aviation effort.
https://x.com/inteltower/status/1898491219283701854
Intel Tower🗽
@inteltower
Aerial footage captures the massive wildfire tearing through the Pine Barrens of Westhampton, Long Island, as it spreads uncontrollably.
https://x.com/inteltower/status/1898503586117476486
Iranian leader rejects Trump’s push for nuclear talks
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected President Trump’s push for nuclear deal talks between the two nations, arguing the initiative is only a gateway for Washington to impose new demands and limit Tehran’s military capabilities.
“Some coercive governments insist on negotiations. Such negotiations aren’t aimed at solving issues. Their aim is to exert their dominance and impose what they want,” Iran’s supreme leader said in a statement on Saturday. “For coercive governments, negotiations are a means to impose new demands. Iran will definitely not fulfill these new demands.”
Trump said during a Thursday interview with Fox News that he has penned a letter to Khamenei as he looks to negotiate a fresh nuclear deal with Tehran.
“I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,’” the commander-in-chief said on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” The entire interview will air on Sunday.
Khamenei said on Saturday, without directly mentioning the U.S., that “they make new demands regarding the country’s defense capabilities & int’l. capabilities, telling us not to do this, not to meet that person, not to go there, not to produce this, and to limit the range of our missiles to a certain extent.”
“How could anyone accept such things,” he added without mentioning if he received Trump’s letter.
The U.S. and Israel have previously said that Iran should not be able to get a nuclear weapon. Tehran has been working on enriching its uranium to levels near capable of a nuclear weapon.
Iran has said the program is being developed for peaceful purposes, although some of its officials have threatened to develop the atomic bomb if the country is “threatened.”
On Wednesday, Trump reiterated that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon, that he wants to reach a deal with Iran and “reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens” are “GREATLY EXAGGERATED.”
“I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. “We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!”
In 2018, Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement that was brokered during former President Obama’s administration and also ordered the U.S.-led strike on Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5184470-iranian-leader-rejects-trumps-push-for-nuclear-talks/amp/
DHS has begun performing polygraph tests on employees to find leakers
The Department of Homeland Security has begun performing polygraph tests on employees to determine who might be leaking information to the media about immigration operations, according to four sources familiar with the practice.
The department’s plans to perform these tests was first reported by Bloomberg Government.
A spokesperson for DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have blamed lower-than-expected ICE arrest numbers on recent leaks revealing the cities where it planned to conduct operations.
In a video posted on X Friday, Noem said, “We have identified two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security who have been telling individuals about our operations and putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy. We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done.”
It was not clear if those two employees Noem referred to had been identified through a polygraph test. It’s also not clear how many employees have been polygraphed or may face polygraph tests, but sources said the employees asked to take the tests so far have been in different agencies across DHS.
Polygraphs at the department are not new and have been used in the past, such as when Customs and Border Protection is screening new hires. But according to the sources familiar with the current use of polygraphs, the so-called lie detector machines are now being used to ask employees across the agency specific questions about leaking classified documents or sensitive law enforcement information on ICE operations.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/dhs-begun-performing-polygraph-tests-employees-find-leakers-rcna195485
Mike Johnson unveils republican CR stopgap bill
House Republicans on Saturday unveiled a six-month stopgap government funding plan, that seeks cuts to nondefense programs while boosting funding for defense.
The bill’s rollout kicks off a crucial stretch for GOP leadership to lock down support ahead of Friday’s shutdown deadline with a Trump-backed strategy that has drawn the ire of Democrats.
The plan seeks to keep the government funded through September. While it is considered a continuing resolution (CR), Republicans say its funding levels in the 99-page bill are below those previously set as part of a bipartisan funding deal last year, as leadership has faced growing pressure from its right flank to drive a harder line on curbing government spending.
Republicans say the plan would allow for moderate increases to defense funding to the tune of about $6 billion above fiscal year 2024 levels, though below levels previously agreed to for fiscal year 2025 under a bipartisan spending-limits deal struck in 2023. The bill also seeks to allow the Defense Department flexibility to start new programs and move funds around, as defense hawks have raised concerns about the military being hamstrung by a six-month funding patch without major changes.
The bill will also fund already-authorized pay increases for junior enlisted military personnel.
Republicans say the stopgap measure would increase funding for veterans healthcare and housing, and funds the WIC program. But overall funding for non-defense programs would decrease by about $13 billion below fiscal year 2024 levels. Republicans say the bill would also reflects a request to rescind IRS funding.
House GOP leadership staff said ahead of the release that the bill was crafted in close coordination with the White House. GOP hardliners, who have long opposed CRs, have signaled they are open to supporting the Trump-backed strategy.
“The House and Senate have put together, under the circumstances, a very good funding Bill (‘CR’)! All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week.” Trump posted on Truth Social after the bill’s release.
“We have to remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right. VERY IMPORTANT. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he said.
Democrats have come out in sharp opposition to the strategy, however.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, voiced strong criticism of the funding plan on Saturday, dubbing the measure as a “power grab for the White House and further allows unchecked billionaire Elon Musk and President Trump to steal from the American people.”
“Reading the CR bill text now,” she wrote on the social platform X. “Republicans are zeroing out the Toxic Exposures Fund (to care for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances) on October 1. They cut $23 billion from their own bill they passed last year. You can’t make this stuff up.”
Government programs have been running on stopgaps since last October, the start of fiscal year 2025. But Democratic negotiators raised a list of concerns over the potential consequences that a CR through the end of the fiscal year could pose to defense programs and military effectiveness, health care costs, pay reforms for wildland firefighters, veterans services and food assistance programs.
At the same time, their Republican counterparts have sought to pin blame on Democrats over the stopgap, citing their push for assurances that the administration will spend the money as directed – which GOP leaders have panned as a nonstarter.
In the last Congress, Democratic support was key for GOP leadership to pass funding measures in the House, due to the Republicans’ slim majority. And given that the House GOP’s control has only narrowed in the current Congress, Republican leadership is taking a risk in pressing on with a strategy panned by Democrats as a go-it-alone approach that undercuts a bipartisan spending-limits deal struck in 2023.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said this week that Republicans are on their own to find the votes to pass the funding bill.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters earlier this week that he thinks Republicans will be able to “pass it along party lines,” but he added that he believes “every Democrat” should vote for the legislation.
But GOP leadership will need near unanimity in their conference to pass the bill if all Democrats vote “no.” And a small number of hardline conservatives signaled on Thursday that they still weren’t sold on the strategy, which some Republicans have griped would lock in Biden’s funding priorities.
“I’m ruminating on it,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) told reporters on Thursday when asked how he would vote if a stopgap running through September was brought to the floor.
“I talked to the president about it,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) also said Thursday, after noting he hasn’t yet said he “was on board” with the plan. “I just got some questions. Is it truly going to be clean? Is appropriations going to add a bunch of amendments for the Pentagon?”
Some hardline conservatives had warned ahead of the release that their support for the stopgap plan could be in jeopardy depending on the price tag, while pressing for offsets for any potential add-ons, including in areas like defense.
At the same time, defense hawks have sounded the alarm over how defense programs would fare under the plan in recent weeks.
“The costs of deterring war pale in comparison to the costs of fighting one. If Congress is unwilling to make deterrent investments today, then discussions about urgency of looming threats — particularly the ‘pacing threat’ of China — carries little weight,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) wrote in an op-ed published by The Washington Post days back.
House Republicans are expected to take swift action on the legislation, eyeing a floor vote on the measure as soon as Tuesday.
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5184117-house-gop-stopgap-government-funding-bill-shutdown/amp/
China Hits Canada With Tariffs in Indirect Riposte to Trump
Beijing, which set steep duties on canola, peas and pork, wants Canada and Mexico to resist U.S. pressure to raise tariffs on Chinese goods.
China announced tariffs of up to 100 percent on canola, pork and other foods from Canada on Saturday, in retaliation for Canada’s decision last August to collect steep taxes on imports of Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum.
The Chinese tariffs, which take effect on March 20, were also a clear warning to Canada — and, indirectly, Mexico — not to cooperate with the United States on trade. The Trump administration, like the Biden administration before it, has been demanding that Canada and Mexico not serve as back doors for low-cost Chinese goods to enter the U.S. market under North American free trade agreements.
China’s State Council Tariff Commission announced on Saturday that it would impose tariffs of 100 percent on canola oil and canola meal, which are among Canada’s largest exports to China, and on peas; and 25 percent on Canadian pork and seafood. The commission said the measures were in response to Canada’s 100 percent tariffs on electric cars from China and its 25 percent tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, which took effect in October.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a separate statement that “China urges Canada to immediately correct its wrong practices, lift restrictive measures and eliminate adverse effects.”
The Canadian government had no immediate comment.
The Chinese agencies’ statements were carefully worded to comply with World Trade Organization rules and did not mention any effort to influence Canada or Mexico during their current trade discussions with the United States. But a commentary released by China’s state television left little doubt that a key goal for China is dissuading officials in Ottawa and Mexico City from acceding to American pressure for higher Canadian and Mexican tariffs on Chinese goods.
The Chinese tariffs are “a powerful countermeasure to Canada’s wrong choice, and a strong warning to some countries that intend to impose additional tariffs on China in exchange for the United States not to impose additional tariffs on them,” China Central Television said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada announced tariffs on imports from China last year, partly to protect heavy government-supported investments by automakers in electric car factories in Canada. But there were also growing concerns and complaints from the Biden administration — recently echoed by the Trump administration — that Chinese goods were flooding into Canada.
Partly because of that influx from China, Canadian steel mills, aluminum producers and other manufacturers rely heavily on the American market for their sales, taking advantage of duty-free shipments. Canada and Mexico have both had steeply rising trade surpluses recently with the United States.
By imposing tariffs on Canada’s extensive shipments of canola and other agricultural products to China, Beijing’s leaders have sent a pointed reminder that China is also a large market.
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Canada exported almost $1 billion worth of canola oil and canola meal, used in cooking and animal feed, to China last year. Canada’s exports to China of canola seed, worth even more last year, are the subject of a separate Chinese anti-dumping case that has not yet been resolved.
Canadian exports of canola, also known as rapeseed, to China surged last autumn as traders rushed to sell supplies to Chinese stockpiles before tariffs could take effect.
The Chinese government had said in late September that it would take up to a year to decide how to respond to the Canadian tariffs. It decided to act sooner after President Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs this week on imports from Canada and Mexico but then quickly suspended them for cars and many other goods.
China may have a little more trade leverage with Canada than with Mexico. For each dollar of Canadian or Mexican goods that China imports, China sells almost $3 of goods to Canada and almost $5 of goods to Mexico.
China’s exports to Mexico have doubled since 2019 as gasoline-powered Chinese cars in particular have rapidly increased their sales there at the expense of American and European manufacturers with factories in Mexico.
China’s action on Saturday is certain to reawaken unpleasant memories in Canada about a similar Chinese tariff on Canadian canola for two years starting in February 2019. China imposed that tariff after the Canadian authorities detained Meng Wanzhou, a top executive of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, on a warrant from the United States.
China also imprisoned two Canadians then under harsh conditions, while Canada allowed Ms. Meng to live in a Vancouver mansion while awaiting a decision on her legal status. The United States, Canada and China eventually worked out a deal in which all three detainees were allowed to return to their home countries, but public opinion of China in Canada soured considerably during the dispute.
https://archive.is/lAybr#selection-4767.0-4923.392
US ‘to cease all future military exercises in Europe’
The United States has told its allies that it does not plan to participate in military exercises in Europe, according to reports.
The move, the latest in Donald Trump’s pivot away from the bloc, would see America pull out of exercises beyond those already scheduled for this year.
The withdrawal concerns exercises that are on the “drawing board”, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen.
It means that Nato countries will be forced to plan exercises without the participation of the US military, the largest in the alliance.
Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Nato countries for not meeting the current goal of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, arguing that the disparity puts an unfair burden on the United States.
On Friday, he warned that the US may not defend Nato allies who do not meet the spending target as part of a major shake-up of the alliance.
Mr Trump told reporters: “When I came to Nato, when I first had my first meeting, I noticed that people weren’t paying their bills at all, and I said I should wait till my second meeting.
“And I did. And I brought that up, and I said, ‘If you don’t pay your bills, we’re not going to participate. We’re not going to protect you.’
“And when I said that, as soon as they said that, it was amazing how the money came in, the money came in, and now they have money. But even now, it’s not enough. They should be paying more.”
It has also been reported that the Trump administration is redrawing Nato engagement in a way that favours member countries with higher defence spending.
The president is said to be considering prioritising military exercises with member countries that are spending the set percentage of GDP on their defence, officials told NBC.
“Nato has to pay more,” Mr Trump said in January after taking office. “It’s ridiculous because it affects them a lot more. We have an ocean in between.”
The Telegraph reported on Friday that Mr Trump is also considering pulling US troops out of Germany and redeploying them to Eastern Europe.
He is understood to be weighing up withdrawing some 35,000 active personnel and moving them to Hungary.
Meanwhile, as high-level talks in Saudi Arabia are due to start next week, Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is “fully committed to constructive dialogue” with the US.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war. Realistic proposals are on the table,” the Ukrainian president said in a post to X.
Mr Zelensky said that he would visit Saudi Arabia for talks with the kingdom’s crown prince, but would not stay on for talks with representatives of the US government.
Ukraine has been put under unparalleled pressure by the US, which this week suspended military aid and intelligence sharing.
Mr Zelensky is still yet to meet Mr Trump since their disastrous White House meeting sparked a geopolitical crisis.
Mr Trump doubled down on his criticism of Mr Zelensky on Friday, saying it may be “easier” to work with Moscow than Kyiv on efforts to end the three-year war.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-cease-future-military-exercises-170123156.html
Trump Turnberry vandalised by pro-Palestinian group
A pro-Palestinian group has vandalised parts of Donald Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.
Palestine Action posted photographs on social media showing red paint daubed across one of the buildings at the Ayrshire course.
The words "Gaza is not for sale" are sprayed across one green and another green appears to have been dug up.
A further photograph shows a damaged lamp post at the resort owned by the Trump Organisation. A spokesperson said it was a "childish, criminal act".
Police Scotland confirmed it was investigating the incident.
President Trump caused widespread international criticism after repeatedly proposing to empty the Gaza strip of all Palestinians.
He proposed taking ownership of the Gaza Strip and redeveloping it, after saying earlier that Palestinians should move out of the region.
"The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too," Trump said during a joint conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month.
Trump made the comments after meeting with the Israeli leader at the White House. Netanyahu responded, saying the idea is "worth paying attention to".
The US president has previously said neighbouring nations could take in displaced Palestinians from Gaza - a proposal that was rejected by Arab nations.
The president later posted an AI-generated video of what Gaza might look like under his proposals.
Turnberry is widely rated as one of the top five golf courses in the world.
It has hosted The Open Championship four times, including in 1977 when Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus in what famously became known as the "Duel In The Sun".
But it has not been included on the Open schedule since Trump bought the resort in 2014.
The Turnberry resort underwent a massive refurbishment after it was bought from a Dubai-based company in 2014.
It became the organisation's second golf resort in Scotland. Trump International Golf Links opened north of Aberdeen in 2012, after years of controversy.
Trump was moved to build a course in Scotland as a tribute to his later mother, who was born and brought up in Lewis.
The president has been a regular visitor to Scotland over the years and last month was invited to meet King Charles at Balmoral.
Palestine Action describes itself as a "direct action network dismantling British complicity with Israeli apartheid".
A statement from the group said: "Palestine Action rejects Donald Trump's treatment of Gaza as though it were his property to dispose of as he likes.
"To make that clear, we have shown him that his own property is not safe from acts of resistance. We will continue to take action against US-Israeli colonialism in the Palestinian homeland."
A spokesperson for Trump Turnberry said: "This was a childish, criminal act but the incredible team at Trump Turnberry will ensure it does not impact business.
"Turnberry is a national treasure and will continue to be the number one beacon of luxury and excellence in the world of golf."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 04:40 on Saturday 8 March 2025 we received a report of damage to the golf course and a premises on Maidens Road, Turnberry."
The force said inquiries were ongoing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr52q7l6drdo
Brookline PD
@BrooklineMAPD
We are looking to identify this suspect who was seen tagging Tesla vehicles with Elon Musk decals.
When confronted the suspect claimed he has the right to deface the property of others because it's his “free speech.”
Contact Detective Ryan McCarthy 617-730-2710 with any info.
https://x.com/BrooklineMAPD/status/1896985826489516309
China Hits Canada With Tariffs in Indirect Riposte to Trump
Beijing, which set steep duties on canola, peas and pork, wants Canada and Mexico to resist U.S. pressure to raise tariffs on Chinese goods.
China announced tariffs of up to 100 percent on canola, pork and other foods from Canada on Saturday, in retaliation for Canada’s decision last August to collect steep taxes on imports of Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum.
The Chinese tariffs, which take effect on March 20, were also a clear warning to Canada — and, indirectly, Mexico — not to cooperate with the United States on trade. The Trump administration, like the Biden administration before it, has been demanding that Canada and Mexico not serve as back doors for low-cost Chinese goods to enter the U.S. market under North American free trade agreements.
China’s State Council Tariff Commission announced on Saturday that it would impose tariffs of 100 percent on canola oil and canola meal, which are among Canada’s largest exports to China, and on peas; and 25 percent on Canadian pork and seafood. The commission said the measures were in response to Canada’s 100 percent tariffs on electric cars from China and its 25 percent tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, which took effect in October.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a separate statement that “China urges Canada to immediately correct its wrong practices, lift restrictive measures and eliminate adverse effects.”
The Canadian government had no immediate comment.
The Chinese agencies’ statements were carefully worded to comply with World Trade Organization rules and did not mention any effort to influence Canada or Mexico during their current trade discussions with the United States. But a commentary released by China’s state television left little doubt that a key goal for China is dissuading officials in Ottawa and Mexico City from acceding to American pressure for higher Canadian and Mexican tariffs on Chinese goods.
The Chinese tariffs are “a powerful countermeasure to Canada’s wrong choice, and a strong warning to some countries that intend to impose additional tariffs on China in exchange for the United States not to impose additional tariffs on them,” China Central Television said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada announced tariffs on imports from China last year, partly to protect heavy government-supported investments by automakers in electric car factories in Canada. But there were also growing concerns and complaints from the Biden administration — recently echoed by the Trump administration — that Chinese goods were flooding into Canada.
Partly because of that influx from China, Canadian steel mills, aluminum producers and other manufacturers rely heavily on the American market for their sales, taking advantage of duty-free shipments. Canada and Mexico have both had steeply rising trade surpluses recently with the United States.
By imposing tariffs on Canada’s extensive shipments of canola and other agricultural products to China, Beijing’s leaders have sent a pointed reminder that China is also a large market.
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Is This British Flame Thrower the Comic Best Suited to Take on Trump?
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Canada exported almost $1 billion worth of canola oil and canola meal, used in cooking and animal feed, to China last year. Canada’s exports to China of canola seed, worth even more last year, are the subject of a separate Chinese anti-dumping case that has not yet been resolved.
Canadian exports of canola, also known as rapeseed, to China surged last autumn as traders rushed to sell supplies to Chinese stockpiles before tariffs could take effect.
The Chinese government had said in late September that it would take up to a year to decide how to respond to the Canadian tariffs. It decided to act sooner after President Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs this week on imports from Canada and Mexico but then quickly suspended them for cars and many other goods.
China may have a little more trade leverage with Canada than with Mexico. For each dollar of Canadian or Mexican goods that China imports, China sells almost $3 of goods to Canada and almost $5 of goods to Mexico.
China’s exports to Mexico have doubled since 2019 as gasoline-powered Chinese cars in particular have rapidly increased their sales there at the expense of American and European manufacturers with factories in Mexico.
China’s action on Saturday is certain to reawaken unpleasant memories in Canada about a similar Chinese tariff on Canadian canola for two years starting in February 2019. China imposed that tariff after the Canadian authorities detained Meng Wanzhou, a top executive of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, on a warrant from the United States.
China also imprisoned two Canadians then under harsh conditions, while Canada allowed Ms. Meng to live in a Vancouver mansion while awaiting a decision on her legal status. The United States, Canada and China eventually worked out a deal in which all three detainees were allowed to return to their home countries, but public opinion of China in Canada soured considerably during the dispute.
https://archive.is/lAybr#selection-4767.0-4923.392
C-Span called is furious with Democrats
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1898424557851000893
India Signals Readiness to Make Deeper Tariff Cuts, Trump Says
US President Donald Trump said India has signaled its readiness to make deeper tariff cuts, after he ramped up pressure on the country to lower trade barriers that he has said unfairly penalize American businesses.
“They’ve agreed — by the way, they want to cut their tariffs way down now,” Trump said, while delivering remarks on the US economy late on Friday. India charges “massive tariffs” that mean the US does “very little business inside,” he said.
India’s commerce ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for a comment on the remarks outside of regular business hours.
Preserving India’s access to the US market is a priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he seeks to shield his country from reciprocal duties Trump has indicated will take effect next month.
Trade between the two countries grew to $127 billion in 2023, making the US India’s largest trading partner and putting pressure on New Delhi to strike a deal. The two leaders have agreed to boost trade to $500 billion by 2030.
Modi’s government has already made numerous concessions to the Trump administration in recent weeks in a bid to smooth over relations. Among the efforts was a wide-ranging reduction in tariffs on products including high-end motorcycles and whiskey, and pledges to buy more US energy and weapons.
Indian officials have also discussed reducing duties on cars, some agricultural products, chemicals, critical pharmaceuticals, as well as certain medical devices and electronics, Bloomberg News reported last month.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/india-signals-readiness-deeper-tariff-080933985.html
Trump appoints Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo to Kennedy Center board
President Donald Trump announced on Friday night that he had added Fox News hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham to the board of trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The announcement came weeks after Trump fired much of the venue’s board and appointed himself chair.
In a post from his Truth Social account, Trump said Bartiromo and Ingraham would be the last people appointed to the center’s board of trustees.
“I am thrilled to announce that Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo will be joining our Kennedy Center Board – This completes our selection,” Trump wrote. “We look forward to restoring the Center to Greatness, and ushering in America’s Golden Age. Together, we will Make the Arts Great Again!”
Other members appointed since Trump took over the Kennedy Center include Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s wife, Allison Lutnick and Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance.
Bartiromo, Ingraham, Lutnick, and Vance join a board of trustees that includes Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump allies Elaine Chao, Dan Scavino, and Susie Wiles.
Longtime Trump ally Richard Grenell currently serves as the president of the Kennedy Center.
Bartiromo and Ingraham join the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees a day after Jeffrey Seller, the producer of the musical Hamilton, announced the show would not return with Trump at the helm.
Seller said the Kennedy Center was launched “with a sincere bipartisan spirit” and added:
However, in recent weeks we have sadly seen decades of Kennedy Center neutrality be destroyed. The recent purge by the Trump Administration of both professional staff and performing arts events at or originally produced by the Kennedy Center flies in the face of everything this national cultural center represents. This spirit of nonpartisanship ended on February 7, 2025, with the firing of Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter, the Chairman of the Board David Rubenstein, and numerous other Kennedy Center board members, as well as the cancellation of important programming.
These actions bring a new spirit of partisanship to the national treasure that is the Kennedy Center. Given these recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center. Therefore, we have cancelled the third engagement of Hamilton at the Kennedy Center, originally scheduled for March 3-April 26, 2026.
https://www.mediaite.com/trump/trump-appoints-two-fox-news-hosts-to-kennedy-center-board/?cfp
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib picked as US ambassador to Kuwait by President Trump
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib has been selected to be the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, President Donald Trump announced on Friday.
Ghalib endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign in September. The two met in person in September during one of Trump’s campaign visits to Michigan.
Ghalib, an immigrant from Yemen, became the city’s first Muslim mayor when he was elected in 2021. While in office, the city made headlines banning pride flags from being flown on city property, which is something that didn't sit well with some liberal voters in the city.
The city of Hamtramck is known for its large immigrant population. Hamtramck is reportedly the first Muslim-majority city in the United States and also made headlines as the first city with an all-Muslim city council.
Ghalib has been a vocal critic of Israel over its war in Gaza, and the Hamtramck City Council had passed a resolution to divest from Israel and to not support companies associated with the country.
Ghalib also joined a group of fellow Democrats who signed a letter in February 2024 vowing to vote uncommitted during the primary. After expressing frustration with the Biden and Harris administration, Ghalib said he believed Trump could help reach a ceasefire.
Trump released a statement about Ghalib’s nomination:
I am pleased to announce that Amer Ghalib will be the next United States Ambassador to Kuwait. As the Mayor of the City of Hamtramck, Michigan, Amer worked hard to help us secure a Historic Victory in Michigan. Amer earned his M.D. from the Ross University School of Medicine, and continues to serve his community as a proud healthcare professional. I know he will make our Country proud in this new role. Congratulations Amer!
https://www.wxyz.com/news/hamtramck-mayor-amer-ghalib-picked-as-us-ambassador-to-kuwait-by-president-trump
ActBlue, the Democratic Fund-Raising Powerhouse, Faces Internal Chaos
At least seven senior officials have left the group, setting off deep concerns about its future as it confronts scrutiny from congressional Republicans.
ActBlue, the online fund-raising organization that powers Democratic candidates, has plunged into turmoil, with at least seven senior officials resigning late last month and a remaining lawyer suggesting he faced internal retaliation.
The departures from ActBlue, which helps raise money for Democrats running for office at all levels of government, come as the group is under investigation by congressional Republicans. They have advanced legislation that some Democrats warn could be used to debilitate what is the party’s leading fund-raising operation.
The exodus has set off deep concerns about ActBlue’s future. Last week, two unions representing the group’s workers sent a blistering letter to ActBlue’s board of directors that listed the seven officials who had left. The letter described an “alarming pattern” of departures that was “eroding our confidence in the stability of the organization.”
What prompted so many longtime ActBlue officials to leave is not clear — none of the former officials agreed to be interviewed on the record.
“Like many organizations, as we undergo some transition heading into this new election cycle, we are focused on ensuring we have a strong team in place,” said Megan Hughes, an ActBlue spokeswoman. “We greatly appreciate the contributions of our incredible team members and remain deeply committed to the success of our organization and our mission to enable grass-roots supporters to make their voices heard.”
According to the letter from the ActBlue unions, which has not been previously reported and was confirmed as authentic by three people briefed on its contents, the senior staff departures began on Feb. 21. That day, ActBlue’s customer service and partnerships directors, who had both worked at the group for more than a decade, left, according to the unions’ letter.
“Now, my primary mission is rest,” Alyssa Twomey, ActBlue’s departing vice president for customer service, wrote on social media. “After 14+ years of living and breathing all things ActBlue, it’s time for a reset. I’m taking an intentional pause before setting course for my next adventure.”
The next week, several other senior officials left, including the associate general counsel — who was the highest-ranking legal officer at ActBlue — the assistant research director, a human resources official, the chief revenue officer and an engineer who had spent 16 years building and maintaining the electronic pipes through which the group’s donations flow.
As these people left, Zain Ahmad, who was the last remaining lawyer in the ActBlue general counsel’s office, wrote in an internal Slack message on Feb. 26 that his access to email and other internal platforms had been cut off and that other messages he had posted in Slack had been deleted, according to a screenshot obtained by The New York Times. Mr. Ahmad is now on leave from ActBlue, according to a person briefed on the group’s staffing.
“Please be advised that we have Anti-Retaliation and Whistleblower Policies for a reason,” Mr. Ahmad wrote.
The unions’ letter to the ActBlue board called Mr. Ahmad’s assertions on ActBlue’s Slack platform “unsettling and disturbing, and part of a growing pattern of volatility and toxicity stemming from current leadership.”
Mr. Ahmad did not respond to text messages and phone calls.
The unions asked the board to hire an outside counsel to take “investigatory actions to better understand the current state of the organization and evaluate if our C.E.O. is doing her job in an appropriate, competent and responsible manner.”
ActBlue’s chief executive, Regina Wallace-Jones, did not respond to requests for comment. Ms. Hughes, the spokeswoman for the group, did not comment on Mr. Ahmad’s claims of retaliation or the staff unions’ concern.
If ActBlue were to become severely diminished, Democrats running for offices at all levels of government could face setbacks in their efforts to raise cash. Candidates for offices ranging from school boards and city councils to the presidency rely on the platform for their online fund-raising, while Republicans have spent years trying to catch up.
And while there are some alternative platforms, none have the scale or the reach of ActBlue.
Democrats have for years credited ActBlue with giving them an edge over Republicans by creating a universal and trusted platform for donating. ActBlue, which is based in Somerville, Mass., says it has raised more than $16 billion for Democratic candidates and causes since its founding in 2004.
In recent weeks, congressional Republicans have demanded answers from ActBlue about its security and fraud-prevention measures, as well as how the group prevents certain foreign donors from illegally contributing to candidates. The letter from the ActBlue unions warned that the group was “under increasing scrutiny” and “the target of bad-faith political attacks at the hands of ill-intentioned operators.”
On Feb. 6, ActBlue responded to Republican congressional inquiries with a three-page letter, sent from the law firm Covington & Burling, to “provide an update regarding ActBlue’s security, fraud prevention measures and related procedures.”
Some Democrats fear that Republicans, who now control Congress and the White House, will seek to shut down ActBlue. These Democrats worry that the scrutiny of the fund-raising platform is just an opening salvo in a larger campaign to dismantle and destabilize the broader Democratic infrastructure.
Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, last month threatened to make another company that owns key Democratic and progressive tech infrastructure, Bonterra, the target of his first subpoena as chairman of the Commerce Committee. But he said on Wednesday that the company had made a good-faith effort to comply with his document requests.
At the same time, relations between ActBlue and some major Democratic campaigns and committees have been rocky in recent years. In 2023, President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s re-election campaign engaged in tense negotiations about the rates that ActBlue would charge to use its platform before an agreement was reached, according to two people involved in the discussions.
The letter from the ActBlue unions expressed particular worry about the departures of staff members who are experts on legal and compliance issues.
“Those of us who work with our legal team in our day-to-day do not have clear direction on how to proceed with our work in their absence,” the unions wrote to the ActBlue board.
https://archive.is/4gXfh#selection-1095.0-1171.177
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
An investigation has found 5 ActBlue-funded groups responsible for Tesla “protests”: Troublemakers, Disruption Project, Rise & Resist, Indivisible Project and Democratic Socialists of America.
ActBlue funders include George Soros, Reid Hoffman, Herbert Sandler, Patricia Bauman, and Leah Hunt-Hendrix.
ActBlue is currently under investigation for allowing foreign and illegal donations in criminal violation of campaign finance regulations. This week, 7 ActBlue senior officials resigned, including the associate general counsel.
If you know anything about this, please post in replies. Thanks, Elon.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1898369343399899218
Andy Ngo
@MrAndyNgo
New: Another @Tesla store was shot up in Oregon in now the third violent attack in the state. The Tesla location in Tigard, near Portland, had rounds fired into the vehicles and building on March 6.
Just days earlier, a trans extremist was federally charged for allegedly firebombing and shooting up a Tesla store in Salem in two attacks.
Leftists and Antifa have been calling for violent attacks on the business as revenge against
@elonmusk
and the President.
@GovTinaKotek
has said nothing about the leftist political violence in her state. In 2020, she came out in support of the Antifa rioters.
https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1897901273443385587
Sam Bankman talks about sharing prison cell with Diddy
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1898058958507479271
62,530 job cuts reported across 17 federal agencies, plus 75,000 feds who accepted buyouts
The federal government experienced the largest downturn in jobs last month since the summer of 2022, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday.
An estimated 10,000 jobs in the federal workforce were lost in February, marking the largest amount of federal government jobs lost since June 2022, according to Federal Reserve Economic Data. The report comes amid President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to uproot government waste and reduce unnecessary spending across the federal government, which has resulted in massive layoffs across several government agencies.
“The recent decline in federal employment aligns with the Trump Administration’s objectives to both reduce government expenditure and enhance efficiency,” Peter Earle, a senior economist at the American Institute for Economic Research, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been the tip of the spear in that regard implementing significant workforce reductions across various federal agencies. To date, approximately 62,530 job cuts have been reported across 17 federal agencies, reflecting efforts to streamline operations and eliminate redundancies. There are a handful of other factors in the recent slump in employment, including uncommonly bad weather in January and February, but most of the decline we’re seeing at the Federal level is DOGE at work.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Trump’s economy in a Friday post on X, writing that America’s economy is “soaring back to greatness.”
“In one month under President Trump, the American economy is soaring back to greatness after the economic calamity left by Joe Biden,” Leavitt wrote in the social media post. “The manufacturing industry is already rebounding as there were 9,000 new auto jobs created — the most auto jobs added in 15 months! Under President Trump, the private sector is leading the way — 93% of the job gains in February were in the private sector. This is great news for American workers and families. The Trump Administration will continue to work hard to implement pro-growth policies and push Congress to enact the Trump Economic Agenda.”
Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by Elon Musk, shortly after returning to office. The agency was created to cut spending across federal government agencies. While some Americans largely approve of DOGE’s attempts to cut out federal government waste, many Democrats have been attempting to push back against the department’s efforts.
The federal government had the highest number of planned job cuts in February, with 62,242 announced job cuts across 17 different agencies, according to a Thursday report from U.S.-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
Former President Joe Biden presided over a massive surge in federal government employment during his sole term. Notably, employing government workers is often much more expensive than employing private sector workers.
“Under President Biden’s tenure, federal government employment experienced modest growth, mostly responding to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Earle told the DCNF. “Despite that moderate growth in the headcount, spending by federal agencies surged beyond inflation rates (mostly due to emergency programs and ramped up subsidies). A good example of what occurred throughout the government under Biden is what happened at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That entity actually saw a 13 percent decrease in employees but a 469 percent increase in spending. Musk & DOGE would not have had a hard time finding official bloat ten or twenty years ago, but today it’s a target rich environment.”
Moreover, a large amount of the job growth seen under the Biden-Harris administration went toward foreign-born workers.
“President Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to cut federal government waste are already bearing fruit, with 10,000 wasteful federal government positions eliminated last month,” Job Creators Network CEO Alfredo Ortiz wrote in a Friday press release. “Quasi-government jobs in social assistance that provide little-to-no economic benefit grew at about half the rate as under the Biden administration. Stripping out these unproductive government and quasi-government jobs, the private-sector economy, led by small businesses, showed another solid month of hiring, with real wages significantly increasing.”
https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2025/03/07/federal-govt-sheds-jobs-for-the-first-time-in-years-amid-doges-sweeping-cuts/
Three US soldiers (all of Chinese descent) from Pacific NW accused of sharing classified military information with China
Three U.S. Army soldiers are accused of sharing top secret national defense material and other sensitive military information with a Chinese national and other unidentified buyers in China, according to unsealed court records.
Jian Zhao and Li Tian, both active-duty soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, and Ruoyu Duan, a former soldier from the base who lives in Hillsboro, were arrested Thursday on indictments out of Oregon and Washington.
Zhao, a sergeant, is charged in federal court in Tacoma with conspiracy to obtain and transmit national defense information, bribery of a public official and theft of government property.
Tian and Duan are charged in federal court in Portland with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.
Zhao received payments totaling $15,000 in exchange for gathering electronic media, documents and other military information and sharing it with an unidentified conspirator, according to court documents.
Zhao used internet-based encryption to communicate with his contact in China, offer prices for the classified material and ask his contact to find other buyers, a federal affidavit alleges.
Among the information Zhao shared concerned the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS and used on the battlefield in Ukraine, and documents related to U.S. military readiness in the event of a conflict with China, according to court papers.
Zhao sold an encrypted military hard drive and 20 classified hard drives to co-conspirators operating on behalf of China, according to Oregon Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Barrow. He also is accused of selling an encrypted military computer, Barrow wrote in a detention memo.
“Hard to find. If you can guarantee both of our safety while making some money for both of us, sell it,” Zhao wrote to his accomplice, according to Barrow.
According to the indictment unsealed in Oregon, Tian secretly gathered information related to Army operations, including technical manuals and other sensitive material about the missions and capabilities of the Bradley and Stryker Army fighting vehicles, and then shared them with Duan in exchange for money.
The alleged conspiracy between Tian and Duan occurred from Nov. 28, 2021, through Dec. 19, 2024, investigators said.
Tian was an active-duty first lieutenant stationed at the Washington base as a health services administrator, according to his indictment.
Duan was an active soldier from 2013 to 2017.
Tian is accused of entering restricted military installations and removing non-public, sensitive Army photos and documents, his indictment says.
Duan received money from financial accounts based in China and then paid Tian for the material, the FBI alleges. Tian accepted payments from Duan totaling at least $500 on March 29, 2023, their indictment says.
Duan paid another unidentified accomplice about $3,200 for military information from June 7, 2023, to Nov. 24, 2023, according to the court documents.
Tian sent Duan classified military information via his personal and Army emails, using links to Google drives, according to their indictment.
The two also communicated via Facebook Messenger, sometimes using code language to make it appear that they were talking about tuition and class materials, according to the indictment.
In a Feb. 24, 2023, exchange, Duan wrote on the social messaging platform, “I see that nothing happened after you said you’d ask the chief. Don’t worry if it can’t be done. I can find materials on wiki or reddit. … The main thing is not to get in trouble. It is not easy to get to this point in the army.”
Tian responded, “Downloaded. Don’t be anxious. I’m out and will send it to you when I get back,” according to the indictment.
A short time later, Tian added, “I’ve obtained the system permissions and can now download the pdf,” the indictment said.
By mid-October 2023, another unidentified conspirator introduced himself to Tian as a friend of Duan’s via WeChat and wrote, “Boss Duan says you have things to sell. Mind telling what you have,” according to the indictment.
Video surveillance cameras at the Army base in Washington also caught Tian taking photos of documents on his computer screen in his office on several days in May 2024 and taking and walking away with documents marked “SECRET,” the indictment alleges.
Other conspirators who aren’t named in the court documents sent packages of military information on classified hard drives to suspected buyers in China in exchange for thousands of dollars in payment, investigators allege.
Much of the communications to arrange the deliveries were done via WeChat, with one person informing another that he had “good stuff” and to “spread the news … It’s Brigade Level,” according to court documents. “Very sensitive document. Super difficult to get.”
“This needs some time. This is way top (we) must be very careful,” another responded on the chat.
In another chat in October 2024, one person offered a copy of an unidentified 42-page document for “2.5K,” according to an indictment.
On the WeChat communications obtained by investigators, one person urged others to download the Signal messaging device, saying that was the “safest … this feels very risky.”
FBI agents from the Portland office and Washington state were involved in the investigation.
The three men were arrested Thursday and search warrants were executed at their homes, according to prosecutors.
Zhao and Tian made their initial appearances in federal court in Tacoma, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Duan, 39, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center at 3:11 p.m. on a federal marshal’s hold.
Investigators said they suspect Zhao has access to a warehouse but haven’t been able to find it.
“It is unconscionable that a person who wears the uniform of a U.S. Army soldier would betray our country and the trust of his fellow soldiers,” W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle office, said in a statement.
“These arrests should send a message to would-be spies that we and our partners have the will and the ability to find you, track you down, and hold you to account,” Herrington said. “Protecting the nation’s secrets, especially those necessary to preserve our military advantage and protect our troops, is one of the FBI’s top priorities.”
U.S. Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi promised “swift, severe and comprehensive justice.”
“The defendants arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken America’s defense capabilities and empowering our adversaries in China,” Bondi said in a statement.
Douglas A. Olson, the special agent in charge of the FBI Portland office, said, “As a former member of the U.S. Army, Ruoyu Duan betrayed the oath of military service he had once taken.”
“The actions by this former soldier and his co-conspirators caused significant risk and damage to U.S. National Security and violated the oath they took as military members to protect the American people,” Olson said.
https://archive.is/0OulJ#selection-769.0-1081.217
Plea from a Syrian Christian re: current situation there
Lol didn't know he posted this.