>>22893115, >>22893143 Joe Kent confirms Trump’s intelligence community is actively investigating the FBI’s role in January 6th chaos.PN
video attached
Roger Sollenberger
@SollenbergerRC
NEWS: Joe Kent in his confirmation hearing today claimed thatTrump’s intelligence community is actively investigating the conspiracy theory that the FBI helped direct the Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol
https://x.com/SollenbergerRC/status/1910083499618345147
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WAR DRAGON! Hegseth Wraps Panama Trip With Fresh Agreements, Troop Morale Boosts, and Some Hazard Signs.
PANAMA CITY, Panama—U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrapped up his tour of Panama on Wednesday, inking two critical Memoranda of Understanding with officials of the central American nation determined to get more support, investment, and protection from the United States in exchange for renewed Sino-skepticism.
The trip, which saw precisely 47 staffers work the 3-day itinerary, included much in the way of high-level diplomatic negotiations, with a hefty dose of troop morale boosting in the region.
Hegseth went out of his way aboard the USS Chosin, a guided missile cruiser that arrived in the city just days ago, to honor and reward servicemen and women–a trait that has already become a hallmark of his tenure at the Pentagon.
At the CENTSEC conference Wednesday morning, Hegseth delivered the overarching message of his trip: “We do not seek war with China, and war with China is certainly not inevitable. We do not seek it in any form. But together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere.”
Hegseth doesn’t mince words about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), taking almost every opportunity to warn over and stare down their efforts in the Western hemisphere–a task for which the Biden government showed little regard.
“China-based companies are capturing land [and] critical infrastructure in strategic sectors such as energy and telecommunications,” he said, warning that “China’s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere.”
“They operate military facilities and ground stations to extend their reach into space. They exploit natural resources and land to fuel China’s global military ambitions.China’s factory fishing fleets are stealing food from our nations and from our people,” he observed, adding, “Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain.”
But while his most significant ire was directed at the CCP,his greatest joy appeared to be speaking with U.S. servicemen and women. Hegseth himself served more than two decades ago, and routinely draws upon his personal experiences and concerns to connect with those on active duty.
He gets it, he tells them. He’s been there, he says. The thing you need most is for your leaders to have your back, and for the apparatus around you to work, he reassures.
He speaks often, as during his confirmation hearing,of refusing to put American soldiers in a “fair fight” but rather to equip them to first deter, and then–if that fails–to ruthlessly destroy the enemy. It’s a line that gets uninformed members nodding in approval every single time.
Yet, there were some things Hegseth was a little more coy about, like during a press conference held alongside Panamanian security minister Abrego on Wednesday afternoon. Asked by The National Pulse if there had been any discussions about Panama refusing to recognize Taiwan since 2017, both men just completely ignored the question.
You can’t necessarily hold it against them, but it does reveal a newness to their efforts. A more seasoned political actor would have had no problem parlaying the question into one they wanted to answer or using it to their advantage. Simply ignoring the question entirely makes it seem like they were caught off guard, and perhaps too embarrassed to say, “No, we didn’t discuss Taiwan.”
There can be no greater snub to China–as Hegseth was clearly in town to elicit–than recognition of Taiwanese independence.
But between his diplomacy movements and his ‘troop touches’ in locations like the old Fort Sherman, where so many of America’s grittiest warfighters learned their chops the extremely hard way,Hegseth appears to be settling into his role well. His staff appears upbeat and engaged. The onlypitfalls that loom are the overwhelming number of career Department of Defense staffers who will likely attempt to stymie Hegseth’s America-Firstagenda at the Pentagon.
To combat that, Hegseth will need his own “WAR DRAGON!” mantra inside his office, as he freely chanted on the deck of the USS Chosin on Wednesday afternoon in sweltering temperatures and unGodly humidity.
He may not seek new wars overseas, but in time, he will almost certainly attract one from within the Pentagon’s ranksif he doesn’t move quickly to limit the powers of the forever-staffers who loathe the MAGA movement.
https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/04/09/war-dragon-hegseth-wraps-panama-trip-with-fresh-agreements-troop-morale-boosts-and-some-hazard-signs/
The Masters
@TheMasters
The Honorary Starters Ceremony officially commenced the 89th Masters Tournament this morning. Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson have completed this tradition as a trio now four times. #themasters
12:11 PM · Apr 10, 2025
·212.2K
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https://x.com/TheMasters/status/1910365028034965906
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I didn’t know these great golfers were still alive andStill Kicking. Watch the high kick!
Tech boss, his wife and three kids are identified as victims of NYC's Hudson River helicopter crash
23:48 EDT 10 Apr 2025 By RACHEL BOWMAN and EMMA RICHTER
The family of five - including three children - killed on a tour helicopter that crashed into New York City's Hudson River have been identified.
Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three children, aged four, five and 11, were killed in the crash, along with the 36-year-old pilot.
Heartbreaking photos showed the family posing on the helipad and inside the aircraft before the crash.
The family had arrived in the Big Apple from Barcelona earlier in the day, law enforcement sources told the New York Post.
The pilot of the helicopter warned that they were out of fuel just before the tragedy that killed all six on board.
The terrifying crash took place at around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River just off the tip of Lower Manhattan.
Witnesses said they saw the chopper 'split in half' before it went down near Pier 40, with one man reporting the stricken aircraft making what sounded like a 'sonic boom.'
The aircraft was operated by New York Helicopter, a local tour company. The chopper appeared to be a N216MH - a Bell 206L-4, according to Flight Radar.
The helicopter flew for approximately 16 minutes before going down into the water. It took off from the Wall Street Heliport and did a circle near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge at about 1000 feet.
It is also too early to say what may have caused the crash. Dramatic video showed the helicopter sinking into the water as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Michael Roth, 71, who owns New York Helicopter which provided the tour and the chopper, said that the aircraft was out of fuel just minutes into their trip.
'He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn't arrive,' Roth told The Telegraph.
Roth said that he started to get a ton of phone messages before one of his other pilots flew over the Hudson 'and saw the helicopter upside down.'
'We're all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.
'The death of the child, of any human being, is a monumental disaster,' Roth added.
Emergency responders were seen late Thursday night pulling the remnants of the destroyed helicopter from the murky water of the Hudson River. Photos showed a crane pulling mangled clumps of metal out of the river.
Jersey City Mayor Steven explained in a post on X that major parts of the aircraft have not yet been recovered, so dive teams will scour the Hudson River for the parts on Friday.
'Recovery operations have been secured for the night. Major parts of the aircraft have not been recovered so dive operations by the NYPD and NJSP will resume tomorrow morning,' he said.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, where they 'succumbed to their injuries,' NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Escobar was appointed to serve as the CEO of Siemens in Spain in 2022 after previously serving as the CEO of Siemens Mobility Spain.
He also held various positions in Spain between 1998 and 2010, primarily in the energy sector. Additionally, Escobar served as the vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain.
At the time of the crash, it was cloudy with winds around 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, CNN reported.
Surface visibility was considered good — 10 miles — but it was cloudy as a system is moving into the region, bringing light rain to the region this afternoon and evening. The water was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other footage showed the chopper 'flying erratically' just before it fell into the water, while other clips showed pieces of the aircraft were seen flying off.
'I saw the helicopter submerged in the water and then there was a-lot of commotion,' she told DailyMail.com.
One eye witness told ABC the crash 'sounded like a sonic boom,' and when he looked up he saw the chopper 'splitting in two.'
'It was going so fast and it just went straight into the water… I've never seen anything like that in my life,' he added.
Another person told the outlet: 'I heard a loud snap… I looked over… and I could see a helicopter falling on its side and splash into the water. I didn't see anyone come out.'
Fulop said the Jersey City Police Department are taking the lead in the investigation until officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrive.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14597525/nyc-hudson-river-helicopter-crash-victims.html
I love all the compliments to boomers tonight, it makes all us boomers that have been holding down the fort for decades, waiting for you assholes to come aboard and take some of the work. Get to work! Digg