Tesla Owners Silicon Valley
@teslaownersSV
FAFOKEK
Happened to a member in San Jose.
9:27 PM · Apr 2, 2025
·909.2K Views
1:35
https://x.com/teslaownersSV/status/1907605729940484312
Texas lawmaker asks Gov. Greg Abbott to send state’s inmates to El Salvador
Story by Aarón Torres, The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas — A North Texas lawmaker asked Gov. Greg Abbott to look into sending undocumented migrants incarcerated in the state to a massive prison in El Salvador, similar to the Trump administration’s decision to send hundreds of people they suspect of being gang members to the mega prison.
Freshman state Rep. David Lowe, R-North Richland Hills, wrote in a Monday letter that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officialsidentified 5,780 people in Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilitiesas being in the country illegally.
Keeping those people jailed in Texas is a burden on the state’s correctional system and costs taxpayers money, Lowe wrote in the letter, which he posted on social media.
==“This overwhelming imbalance compels us to explore innovative and cost-saving alternatives=,” Lowe said.
One solution is following President Donald Trump’s lead. His administration sent 261 people officials suspected were Venezuelan gang members to the megaprison last month.
Texas could save money by mirroring that effort by sending its undocumented inmates to serve out the remainder of their sentences in El Salvador, Lowe wrote.Contracting with that government would alleviate the strain on the state’s prison system, Lowe added.
Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris did not comment directly on Lowe’s request but wrote in a statement that =the governor supports “using every tool and strategy to aid in the Trump Administration’s deportation of illegal immigrants.”==
“The only reason there are any criminal illegal immigrants in Texas facilities is because President Biden refused to do his job and secure the border, resulting in Texas having to step up and hold the line to ensure the safety of Texans,” he wrote.
Abbott directed state agencies — including the Texas Department of Criminal Justice — to assist federal immigration officers. Those in TDCJ custody with ICE detainers are routinely handed off to the federal government for deportation, Mahaleris added.
Lowe, who posted the letter on social media, is a freshman lawmaker who represents a district in the northeastern part of Tarrant County.
He addressed the letter to Abbott, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, Bryan Collier the executive director of the state’s criminal justice agency and state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, who oversees the Texas DOGE committee that is responsible for trying to reduce the size and scope of government.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ar-AA1C6HMv
Benny Johnson
@bennyjohnson
🚨Kid Rock playing President FDR’s Grand Piano Gifted by the Steinway Family in 1938 at the White House:
From Jenny Korn
1:58 PM · Apr 1, 2025
2.7M Views
0:28
https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1907130540655837292
COLUMN | CAPITAL CITY=The Mystery Buyer of That $23 Million DC Mansion? Mark Zuckerberg.
The Meta chief is the latest mogul to have a personal embassy in Donald Trump’s Washington.
MICHAEL SCHAFFER 04/02/2025 04:54 PM EDT Michael Schaffer is a senior editor and columnist at POLITICO Magazine.
Mark Zuckerberg is the latest billionaire to shell out tens of millions of dollars for a pricey outpost in Donald Trump’s gilded capital. For a month, neighbors in Washington’s upscale Woodland Normanstone neighborhood have speculated about the unidentified buyer who paid $23 million in cash for a 15,000-square-foot mansion.
The sale was the third-most expensive in city history and was shrouded in secrecy, with real estate agents muzzled by non-disclosure agreements. Soon after the deal went through in early March, images of the house became pixelated on Google Maps. But on Monday, the same day flight-tracking web sites revealed that the Meta CEO’s private jet had landed at Dulles Airport, observers on the quiet block not far from the Naval Observatory noticed an uptick in action at the house, which had been largely dark for months.
And on Wednesday, the same day Zuckerberg was spotted at the White House, a Meta spokesperson confirmed it to POLITICO Magazine: “Mark and Priscilla have purchased a home in D.C., which will allow Mark to spend more time there as Meta continues the work on policy issues related to American technology leadership,” the spokesperson told me in a statement referencing Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan.
So why would the head of a California-based company with no particular personal ties to Washington feel the need to buy any house in the capital, let alone one of the most expensive places ever sold? A mansion is seen from across the street. Mark Zuckerberg is the mystery buyer of a Washington, D.C. mansion, a Meta spokesperson confirmed. |
Obtained by POLITICO Meta says he’ll be spending more time here, and a private home is safer and more convenient. It would be consistent with Zuckerberg’s footprint in other places he visits. He owns properties in Palo Alto, Lake Tahoe, and Hawaii, among other places.
But real estate pros who have followed the sudden surge in upper-bracket D.C.real estate transactions say a newfound interest in Washington reflects the culture of the second Trump administration— where private-sector CEOs have gotten the message that the way to the administration’s heart is by showing up in person.
“I think it’s proximity and being here,” said Tom Daley, a longtime veteran of Washington’s high-end real-estate game.“It’s the ultimate bow to the man in the White House. To me, it’s a little reminiscent of when the Trump Hotel was the Trump Hotel. He notices who’s there. It’s an easy way to say, ‘Hey, we’re with ya. Here we are.’ I’m sure he takes it as the ultimate compliment.”
In other words, an out-of-town CEO’s Washington abodeisn’t about having a place to sleep during occasional trips to the capital —it’s more like a personal embassy to the administration, a physical embodiment of the good relations between a certain class of corporate titan and the government of the United States. In fact, the tendency of tycoons to buy a Washington property predates the second Trump era.
neighborhoods really picked up speed over the past year.
The former Google CEO Eric Schmidt last year paid $15 million for a Georgetown residence once occupied by Jacqueline Kennedy.David Sacks, a PayPal co-founder now serving as an AI and crypto czar in the White House, spent $10.3 million on a Northwest D.C. penthouse. And the former eBay executive Jeff Skoll last fall paid $17 million for a pair of suburban Virginia properties that he reportedly aims to turn into a compound.
Several real estate agents told me they expect more will follow. Jennifer Knoll, another two-decade industry veteran who specializes in upper-bracket Washington-area properties, said Trump’s second inauguration — when tech billionaires stood right behind the returning president as he took his oath — drove home the importance of a personal Beltway presence to a lot of potential clients.
“In everything in life you get a lot further by showing up,” Knoll told me.
“I think that these people want to be able to meet with the president and members of Congress and the administration when they want to get something done. To do that, they need to be in town. And they want the privacy and security that’s available to you if you have your own place.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/04/02/mark-zuckerberg-washington-dc-home-trump-real-estate-00267270
>>22860019 10th Amendment Center - Treason DiscussionPN
Interesting discussion, he has this explanation on his YouTube introduction
TREASON. INVASION. CONQUEST.The Founders didn’t see unconstitutional power as just bad policy - they saw it as a kind of war against the people. In this episode, we dig deep into forgotten principles from Locke, Sidney, Paine, and others who shaped the Revolution.Because when government violates the Constitution, it’s not just a mistake - it’s an attack on your liberty.
3 Apr, 2025 14:01
Senior Ukrainian MP blasts Trump tariffs
Slapping a tax on his country represents “peak cynicism,” the national parliament’s financial committee chairman has claimed
Ukrainian MP Daniil Getmantsev has condemned recently imposed US tariffs as “peak economic cynicism” toward his country.
Starting Saturday, Ukraine and scores of other nations and territories are facing increased import taxes from the US, a decision that US President Donald Trump has termed “liberation day.”Ukraine falls into the baseline 10% category, while other countries face much steeper duties – up to 49% for Cambodia.
Getmantsev, who leads the Financial Affairs Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, characterized the move asmildly “negative” for Ukraine, noting that its exports to the US constitute a relatively small portion of its overall international trade. According to the Economy Ministry, theEuropean Union ranks as the primary market for Ukrainian products, followed by China, Türkiye, Egypt, India, and Moldova.
Nonetheless, he remarked on his Telegram channel, “In light of our $2.6 billion deficit in foreign trade with the US, the implementation of a 10% levy is peak economic cynicism.”
Getmantsev urged fellow Ukrainians to treat the change seriously, cautioning against mocking the inclusion of the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands – Australian territories in Antarctica known for their wildlife – in the tariff list.
“This was done to prevent tariff circumvention by Australian firms. It’s not particularly amusing,”the lawmaker wrote. “We must stop viewing the world’s descent into chaos as a joke and start seeking mature responses to the challenges we face.”
The Trump administration has framed new tariffs as a necessary response to alleged unfair practices by other nations exerted through taxes and currency manipulation.While the US president did not specifically label Ukraine as an offender, he has separately pushed its government to finalize a minerals agreement, which he asserts would allow Washington to recoup aid provided to Kiev during its conflict with Russia.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is reportedly hesitant to approve the draft prepared by American officials. Media reports based on leaks of the document suggest that it would give the US broad control over large portions of the Ukrainian economy. Trump has warned that if Zelensky tries to renegotiate the proposal, he would face “big, big problems.”
(All of them are spoiled brats, the Bidan Admin let them do stupid and horrendous things. I wish Trump put a 50% tariff on them, it’s doubtful we’ll get our money back. They would probably blow the country up first.)
https://www.rt.com/russia/615192-trump-tariffs-ukraine-outrage/
3 Apr, 2025
Kiev commits new breaches of US-brokered energy ceasefire – Russian MOD
Four facilities have been damaged in the last 24 hours, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said
Ukraine has conducted four attacks on Russian energy infrastructure within the past 24 hours, in Kiev’s latest breach of a ceasefire agreement, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has reported. The incidentsresulted in damage to facilities and disrupted services to thousands of consumers, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Moscow and Kiev agreed to a 30-day moratorium on strikes against each other's energy sites on March 18, following US-mediated talks in Riyadh. The agreement included facilities such as oil refineries, pipelines, power plants, and nuclear stations. Russia has since accused Ukraine of violating the deal on numerous occasions.
According to the Defense Ministry, adrone strike targeted a gas distribution station in Luganskon Wednesday, causing equipment damage and a fire, and leading to gas supply disruptions for over 11,000 consumers. InKursk Region, a drone attack on an electricity facility reportedly led to the disconnection of a high-voltage line, leaving more than 1,200 consumers without power.Artillery shelling hit a substation in Belgorod Region, damaging a transformerand causing power outages for over 1,700 households. Adrone strike on a substation in Zaporozhye ignited an oil circuit breaker, cutting power to 9,000 households, the ministry reported.
In late March, Ukraine destroyed a key border energy facility in Kursk Region, according to the Defense Ministry. The Sudzha gas metering station was part of a major pipeline, which for decades had delivered fuel to EU customers before operations ceased on January 1, 2025, after Ukraine declined to renew the transit agreement with Russia.
The daily unilateral attacks on Russian energy infrastructure prove that Kiev is unable to adhere to any potential agreementsaimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict, the Defense Ministry stressed.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused theUkrainian government of deliberately undermining peace initiativesand the Russia-US dialogue by violating the moratorium. According to Zakharova, Ukraine's ongoing assaults on Russian energy facilities expose Kiev’s lack of political will for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
==Moscow, however, has signaled that it plans to adhere to the moratorium=, while warning that it may retaliate if Kiev continues to breach the agreement.
https://www.rt.com/russia/615188-kiev-new-breaches-energy-moratorium/
3 Apr, 2025 10:34
Russia bans Elton John foundation
The pro-LGBTQ organization undermines traditional family values, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office
The Office of the Russian Prosecutor General has ==designated the Elton John AIDS Foundation “undesirable=+” in the country, alleging its involvement in harmful propaganda campaigns.
In a statement released on Thursday, the agencyaccused the charity, founded by the British pop star in the early 1990s, of “using humanitarian projects as a cover” for supporting Western economic pressureagainst Russia. It further asserted that the foundation’score pro-LGBTQ initiatives threaten traditional family values.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation operates as adual entityregistered in the UK and US. Its multimillion-dollar budget is primarily sourced fromdonations by Western billionairesand entertainment industry groups such asAEG Presents. Its stated mission focuses on providing support to individuals living with AIDS andpromoting tolerance for sexual minorities.
John, 78, an openly gay, globally renowned songwriter and performer, was knighted in 1998 for his musical achievements and philanthropic efforts. The Russian statement claimed he “plays along” with the agenda of imposing Western culture on other nations.
The designation as “undesirable” prohibits the organization from functioning in Russia, providing for legal consequences for local residents and firms engaging in financial interactions with it. The Justice Ministry maintains a list of over200 such groups, including prominent Western influence operations such asGeorge Soros’s Open Society Foundations, US think tank the German Marshall Fund, and the pro-NATO Atlantic Council.
In its 2023 annual report, the Elton John AIDS Foundation mentioned grant distributions within Russia but did not provide specifics. That same year, Russiaclassified the “international LGBT movement” as an extremist group for allegedly fostering “social and religious discord” within the country.
https://www.rt.com/russia/615183-elton-john-foundation-banned/
3 Apr, 2025 14:28
White House explains Russia’s absence from tariff list
Existing sanctions have significantly reduced trade with Moscow, according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
Russia was excluded from President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs because existing US sanctions have already severely restricted trade between the two countries, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday following the announcement of broad import duties, Bessent explained thatRussia, along with Belarus, Cuba, and North Korea, was not targetedunder the new measures as theUS “does not trade meaningfully with these countries.” In Russia’s case, he emphasized that “the sanctions are already doing the work that tariffs would.”
Trump on Tuesday unveiled new tariffs ranging from 10% to 50% on imported goods from dozens of countries. They include 34% for Chinese imports, 20% on EU products, and 24% on goods from Japan. According to the president, the move is part of a broader strategy to promote American industry and correct what Trump described as “grossly unfair trade imbalances.”
The exclusion of Russia from this list raised questions from the media, given the ongoing Ukraine conflict and Washington’s sanctions policy against Moscow. However, administration officials have argued that restrictions imposed since 2022 have already diminished trade to the point where tariffs would have little additional effect.
American imports from Russia fell to approximately $3 billion in 2024, down 34.2% from the previous year, according to US government data. In contrast,the US imported $427 billion in goods from Chinaduring the same period, underscoring the limited scope of US–Russia trade.
The Kremlin has denounced Western sanctions as illegal, repeatedly arguing that the restrictions have failed to destabilize the Russian economy or isolate it from the global financial system. With the escalation of Western sanctions since 2022, Russia has focused on shifting trade to Asia and the Global South, primarily China and India.
Russia’s GDP growth came in at 3.6% in 2023 and 4.1% last year, according to data published earlier this year by the state statistics agency, Rosstat. Nominal GDP hit a record high of 200 trillion rubles (over $2 trillion) by the end of 2024, the report indicated.
Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development expects a GDP growth rate of 2.5% this year, while the Bank of Russia is projecting a 0.5-1.5% expansion.
At the same time, the Biden-Trump transition period has seen a modest thaw in US–Russia diplomatic contact. Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special economic envoy and head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund,visited Washington this week for closed-door meetingswith administration officials and business leaders.
It marked the highest-level Russian visit since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.
https://www.rt.com/news/615196-us-tariffs-russia-exemption/
3 Apr, 202509:17
Zelensky playing ‘dangerous game’ with Trump – Moscow
The Ukrainian leader’s tactics of denial and false claims could backfire, Russia’s deputy UN envoy has told RT
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky is playing a“dangerous game”with US President Donald Trump inaccusing Moscow of trying to torpedo the peace process, Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, has told RT. Kiev keeps violating the Washington-brokered truce on strikes against energy infrastructure, not Moscow, he said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday thatUkraine has been targeting its energy infrastructure on a daily basisdespite Moscow and Washington announcing a 30-day pause on such attacks on March 18 and Kiev saying that it supports the initiative.
However,Zelensky had earlier blamed Russia for violating the truce, claiming that Moscow is “mocking” the peace efforts and looking to stretch out the conflict.
During his interview with RT on Thursday, Polyansky said that“denial and false claims” are the Ukrainian leader’s “favorite tactics.”
The envoy insisted that it hasbeen “clearly proven by the evidence that he is not right; that his claims are false,” adding that Russia has provided the US with extensive proof of Kiev’s repeated violations of the truce. (Plus the IC agencies here can track all of it in satellites, etc. The rogue IC agency there are probably provoking this.)
“Zelensky on a daily basis breaches this agreement and pretends that it is Russia, which is doing this, but I think thatAmericans have facts in their handsand they have the technical possibility to see what is really happening,” he mused.
“So this is a dangerous game that he is trying to play with the Trump administration, but it is up to him, of course. [Zelensky] is an actor; he is into playing games,” Polyansky stated.
Zelensky, who remains in power despite his term in office officially expiring last May, “does not want any peace effort to succeed because this will mean that he will have to hold elections and to lose power, eventually. And also thathe has a lot of chances to be held accountablefor what he did andfor the money that he has stolenfrom the Western aid,” he said.
Moscow is observing the truce on strikes against energy infrastructure, andthe authorities in Washington “understandthat it is the Kiev regime which is not forthcoming, whereas Russia is trying to be as helpful as possible,” the envoy stressed.
“The road to peace would not be easy,” but Russia remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution, Polyansky stressed. He reiterated Moscow’s stance that in order for peace to be “sustainable and lasting” the root causes of the conflict should be addressed.
(How is the U.S. going to get hold of the Nuclear Facilities in Kiev’s power, it’s possible that is the really important thing to do, to be able stop this war)
https://www.rt.com/news/615172-trump-zelensky-un-polyansky/
3 Apr, 2025 02:27
Trump believes he needs Russia – ex-Ukrainian foreign minister
The US president is not an agent of Moscow, Dmitry Kuleba (big fat crybaby) has said
(Guess what Harvard brought Kuleba on to Harvard late 2024, so this is Harvards view of Trump. Normally he’s much more trashy)
US President Donald Trump truly believes that he can do “great things” with Russia, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said. The ex-diplomat has rejected claims that by criticizing Ukraine, Trump was behaving like a Kremlin asset.
Since his inauguration, Trump has reversed the policies of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and reopened direct negotiations with Moscow, fueling older speculations that a behind-the-scenes relationship existed between him and Russia.
“I will state an unpopular opinion. Trump isn’t receiving guidelines from the Kremlin in the morning,”Kuleba told the Ukrainian news website LIGA.net on Wednesday.
“At the same time,he is surrounded by people, and he believes that they and Russia can actually do a lot of good things together, and that he needs Russia.He doesn’t need Ukraine. It’s as simple as that. It’s the worldview he has,”he added.
Kuleba, who served as Ukraine’s top diplomat from 2020 to 2024, argued that “the media-active people in Trump’s entourage are pushing the narratives that we consider pro-Russian, and the Trump voters are eagerly spreading them on social media.”
“However, I don’t think that Trump is doing it because he is an agent [of Russia]. He sincerely believes in a worldview that is different from ours. We believe in one reality, andhe believes in a different reality,” Kuleba said.
He went on to argue thatTrump believes that leaders like presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China “command deep respectand the desire to do great things together.”Kuleba claimed that Trump likes Xi’s “style of governance” and that they “are on the same page, mentally.”
Trump labeled Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky a “dictator without elections” in February and blamed him for the ongoing conflict with Russia. Zelensky responded by claiming that Trump was trapped in a “disinformation bubble.”
https://www.rt.com/news/615164-trump-needs-russia-interview/
The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School
Dmyto Kuleba Joins the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs as Senior Fellow
Kuleba - who served as Ukraine’s chief diplomat during the first two-and-a-half years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine - is internationally recognized as one of the most influential diplomats of his generation and a global champion for democracy, freedom, and resilience.
Dec 4, 2024
Cambridge, MA – December 04, 2024 – The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School has announced the appointment of former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as a Senior Fellow. Kuleba - who served as Ukraine’s chief diplomat during the first two-and-a-half years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine - isinternationally recognized as one of the most influential diplomats(WTF the guy is a terrorist) of his generation and a global champion for democracy, freedom, and resilience. His appointment underscores the Belfer Center’s commitment to addressing the world’s most pressing challenges in an era of deep geopolitical uncertainty.
As Ukraine’s top diplomat, Kuleba played a pivotal role in shaping his nation's wartime diplomacy and strengthening its relationships with the United States, European allies, and other global partners. He was instrumental in forging strategic alliances, securing vital military and economic aid, and bolstering democratic resilience.
(https://www.belfercenter.org/belfer-news/dmytro-kuleba-joins-belfer-center-science-and-international-affairs-senior-fellow
(The whole announcement is bullshit)