15 Apr, 2025 00:04

Top Russian diplomat explains why Moscow trusts Trump

The US president’s “common-sense” approach is a positive departure from the Biden years, Sergey Lavrov has said

Moscow is open to continuing negotiations with the US becauseit sees a clear difference between President Donald Trump and his predecessor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

Unlike EU countries and the UK, “the Trump administration is trying to get to the bottom of the issue and,most importantly, understand the root cause” of the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov told Kommersant in an interview published on Monday.

The US and EU “organized and funded the anti-constitutional coup” in Kiev in 2014, which triggered the confrontation with Russia, the foreign minister said.

“Trump has repeatedly said that the colossal mistake which led to the current events in Ukraine was the Biden administration’s decision to drag Ukraine into NATO,” Lavrov added.

Asked whether American negotiators can be trusted,Lavrov said Moscow should “not brush off” Trump’s overtures. During the first round of negotiations in Saudi Arabia in February, the US delegation stressed that other countries “have their own national interests that do not always coincide with the national interests of the United States,” he said.

According to Lavrov, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltzmade it clear that Trump values a pragmatic, “common-sense” approach to global politics.

Lavrov said the message Moscow heard from Washington was that “when their national interests don’t align, Russia and the US, as responsible players on the world stage, must do everything possible to prevent those contradictions from escalating into confrontation.”In areas where their interests do align, both sides should “not waste an opportunity”to pursue joint initiatives, he added.

“We know perfectly well what a mutually beneficial deal looks like – something we have never rejected – and what a deal designed to lure us into another trap looks like,” Lavrov said.

Trump initiated direct talks with Russia in February, stressing the need to broker a ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev as soon as possible. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday, marking their third meeting this year.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615762-lavrov-why-russia-trusts-trump/

15 Apr, 2025 08:51

Europe cannot be ‘permanent security vassal’ of US – Vance

The continent radically underinvests in security, and that has to change, the vice president has said

Europe cannot remain a “permanent security vassal” of the US, Vice President J.D. Vance has said, stressing that this arrangement is not beneficial for either side.

His comments come at time of geopolitical tensions between the US and Europe on a number of issues, including the Ukraine conflict, while the administration of US President Donald Trump demands that other NATO members drastically increase their defense spending.

In an interview with UnHerd on Monday, Vance voiced frustration over Europe’s approach to security, arguing that the topic has long been a blind spot for the region. “The reality is – it’s blunt to say it, but it’s also true – that Europe’s entire security infrastructure, for my entire life, has been subsidized by the United States of America.”

At present, he continued,only three European nations – the UK, France, and Poland– have self-sustained militaries. “In some ways, they’re the exceptions that prove the rule, that European leaders have radically underinvested in security, and that has to change.”

I certainly recognize, that it’s not in Europe’s interest, and it’s not in America’s interest, for Europe to be a permanent security vassal of the United States.

The Trump administration has been pushing European nations to invest more in their militaries since Trump’s first term, arguing that the US is shouldering the main burden. In 2014, NATO members pledged to increase their defense spending to 2% of GDP, though some are still struggling to reach this.

In February, Trump suggested that NATO members should consider spending as much as 5% of GDP on defense, later warning that “if they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte agreed that Trump is right to demand that European members step up defense spending amid tensions with Russia.

Numerous Western officials have speculated that Russia could attack European NATO members within a few years. Moscow has dismissed the claim as “nonsense,” saying it has no interest in doing so.

https://www.rt.com/news/615780-europe-permanent-security-vassal-vance/

15 Apr, 2025 07:44

EU issuing US-bound staff with burner phones – FT

The new guidance reportedly aims to help officials protect their personal and professional data amid spying fears

The EU has advised staff traveling to the US to use only basic gadgets and IT devices to reduce the risk of espionage, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing sources. The updates to travel guidancecome amid escalating trade tensions between Brussels and Washington over US tariff hikes.

Sources said the European Commission issued the new rules for staff heading to upcoming meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Officials have reportedly beeninstructed to travel with burner phones – prepaid devices not linked to their identity– and stripped-down laptops containing minimal data. They have also reportedly been told to turn off devices and ==place them in anti-surveillance sleeves upon arrival in the US.=

The new measures mirror those used for travel to Ukraine and China amid concerns over Russian or Chinese surveillance, the sources claimed.

“They are worried about the US getting into the Commission systems,” one source said.“The transatlantic alliance is over,” another added. (What does that mean, they are intentionally trying to hurt the U.S.? Why would the alliance be over? That sounds like an enemy would speak. Are they spying on the U.S.?)

The European Commission confirmed to the FT it had updated travel guidance but did not specify the changes.

Luuk van Middelaar, chief of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics think tank, told the FT that the guidance reflects a pragmatic shift. “It’s an acceptance of reality by the Commission,” he said, recalling the Obama-era scandal when WikiLeaks revealed US surveillance of then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her aides.

“Washington is not Beijing or Moscow, but it is an adversary that is prone to use extra-legal methods to further its interests and power,”he added.

The move follows US President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcement earlier this month, when he imposed 20% reciprocal duties on EU imports on top of existing 25% tariffs on its steel and aluminum, accusing the bloc of “ripping America off” with a 39% duty on US goods. Although Trump later paused the hikes for 90 days, a 10% baseline import duty remains in place.

The EU denounced the move and agreed to impose its own duties on US products, but has also paused the move, seeking negotiations and a new trade deal with Washington. The bloc has warned, however, that it could retaliate with tariffs on major US tech firms such as Meta and Google if talks fail.

EU-US tensions extend beyond trade. Trump’s threats to withdraw US security guarantees unless the bloc boosts NATO funding prompted an EU-wide militarization push last month. Brussels has also been frustrated over being sidelined in US-Russia talks on Ukraine and the broader thaw in Moscow-Washington relations.

https://www.rt.com/news/615769-eu-us-spying-burner-phones/

15 Apr, 2025 08:22

Trump aides clash on trusting Moscow – WSJ

Russia maintains that Ukraine is the side that stands in the way of a peace deal

US President Donald Trump’s senior advisers disagree on whether Moscow genuinely wants a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict, theWall Street Journalreported on Monday, citing anonymous sources. (Immediately discounting this report, WSJ hates Trump and Russia)

A group led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg are urging greater skepticism, the report said. Trump, however, is siding with diplomatic aide Steve Witkoff, who is said to be more trusting of Moscow. Last week, Witkoff met with President Vladimir Putin, after the two already held talks in March.

Moscow maintains that it has always been willing to achieve its core objectives in the conflict through diplomatic means, while Kiev and its Western backers have advocated for escalation. The Russian government, however, has said it will not accept a freeze of the conflict, which will only lead to renewed hostilities later on, citing Ukraine’s violations of a US-proposed moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure as proof of Kiev’s untrustworthiness.

As an example of Trump siding with Witkoff, the WSJ cited a missile strike on the city of Sumy on Sunday, in which Kiev claimed that Moscow deliberately targeted civilians, killing 34.Trump, however, referred to the incident as a “mistake,”while Rubio’s State Department called it “horrifying” and Kellogg said it crossed “any line of decency.” (Kellogg is 100% pro Ukraine.)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saidthe missiles were launched at “another meeting of Ukrainian military leaders with their Western colleagues” masquerading as mercenaries. The Defense Ministry estimated that the strike killed around 60 troops, claiming that Kiev used civilians as human shields for the gathering.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky told CBS News on Sunday that Trump’s criticisms of his leadership indicate that “Russian narratives are winning in the US.”

Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev expressed concern about American vulnerability to foreign lobbying after meeting with senior US officials earlier this month, accusing theWestern media of waging a coordinated campaign to undermine the normalization of relations.

”We see attempts to misinterpret Russian messages, mischaracterize Russia and its leaders. This happens every day,” he stated, addingthat “direct dialogue is the best way to defeat this disinformation.”=

In an interview on Monday with Fox News, Witkoff said his almost five-hour meeting with Putin was “compelling” and put the Ukraine peace process “on the verge” of a breakthrough.

https://www.rt.com/news/615768-trump-trust-russia-wsj/

DETAILS REVEALED: Trump special envoy shares more on 4-hour Putin meeting

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff tells ‘Hannity’ about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg and the status of US-Iran nuclear talks.

7:42

https://youtu.be/gPFj2sH7vcg

>>22914186

Hannity is so rude. And he thinks himself all knowledgeable

CNN reporter mocked after HEATED exchange with Trump in Oval Office. Bidan the Clone is back

Fox News contributor Joe Concha joins 'Fox & Friends First' to preview Joe Biden's first speech since leaving the White House, why he believes President Trump is right not to attend the WHCA annual dinner and his tense exchange with a CNN reporter

5:50

https://youtu.be/_zfudb5y_Bk

Dems, GOP 'disgust me': Stephen A. Smith doubles down on presidential run

National political reporter Salena Zito on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders' 'Fight Oligarchy' tour and Stephen A. Smith's floated 2028 presidential run. (Someone should reveal the dark money that made AOC rich)

5:14

https://youtu.be/jzo1IvrkRlU

‘COWARD’: Tyrus doesn't hold back his feelings about Bill Maher

Fox News guest host Tom Shillue and the panelists discuss Bill Maher’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on ‘Gutfeld!

15:16

https://youtu.be/SubjvhL6ujw

Watters: The fake news turned the Oval Office into the octagon today

Fox News host Jesse Watters gives his take on the legal battle over the Trump administration’s deportation efforts on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’ (The media has more access to Trump than anytime, and they are enjoying it, now if they reported accurately it would be better)

9:32

https://youtu.be/cnaDj6H8MhI

BREAKING: Harvard defies Trump admin, faces $2 BILLION funding freeze

The 'Fox & Friends' co-hosts discuss Harvard University's reaction to the Trump administration freezing more than $2 billion in grants over its handling of antisemitism on campus. (Does Harvard know their donors are a large part Jewish? Do the Jewish that contribute hate the Jews too. Upside down world)

6:50

https://youtu.be/kj8cneOkLdM

‘LAUGHABLE’: Tyrus rips apart Bernie Sander’s appearance at Coachella

The Five’ co-hosts discuss how the 'BS' message of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., does not line up with the glitz of Coachella.

7:38

https://youtu.be/w1oCC9CYVBE

Inside the DOGE immigration task force

Fri, April 11, 2025 at 5:24 PM1/2

DOGE’s bread and butter has been slashing headcountsbut it is now wielding its influence deep inside the nation’s immigration system— an initiative led by one of Elon Musk’s closest friends, three Trump administration officials granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics told POLITICO.

Antonio Gracias, a Musk confidante whose history with the billionaire goes back more than 20 years, is quietly heading up aspecialized DOGE immigration task force that’s embedded engineers and staffers across nearly every nook of the Department of Homeland Security, two of the people said. The task force is also working with DOGE operatives stationed at other agencies like the Social Security Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, which house sensitive data on undocumented immigrants.

With Musk’s trusted friend and fixer at the helm,the task force marks a significant expansion of DOGE’s portfolio — from primarily working on agency-wide layoffs to executingthe president’s most hardline immigration policies. It’s also a test for how far DOGE’s reach can extend.

Key DOGE engineers now embedded at DHS include Kyle Schutt, Edward Coristine, (aka “Big Balls”) and Mark Elez, according to their government email addresses. At least two others, Aram Moghaddassi and Payton Rehling also have access to DHS data, as DOGE fingerprints are spread throughout DHS, including Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure and Security Agency.

They are providing the technical infrastructure for a sweeping set of actions aimed at revoking parole, terminating visas, and later on, reengineering the asylum adjudication process, according to the officials.

Their first mission: implement parole terminations for 6,300 undocumented immigrants who either have criminal records or are on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist. That effort required coordinating with the Social Security Administration to have their Social Security numbers effectively canceled by adding them to a database that tracks dead people, the New York Times and the Washington Post first reported. Their theory is that without effective Social Security numbers – needed for bank accounts and loans, among other things – these people would “self deport.”

Last week, the plan was finalized in a high-level White House meeting with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Gracias and other senior DOGE staffers and White House officials, two of the officials said.In recent weeks, the Trump administration has moved aggressively in its effort to revoke parole, visas and temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants and students, many of whom were granted the ability to legally study and work in the United States in the short-term under Biden administration policies.

But what actually happens in the government’s IT systems to make sure that those people are eligible for deportation?Who makes sure that that is reflected in the database?

=That is where DOGE comes in to comb through datasets at all relevant agencies and facilitate data-sharing between agencies so the enforcement actions can be carried out systematically and at-scale, one of administration officials said.

“DOGE is working in all the agencies. We are looking at our books, at people who don’t belong here that Joe Biden allowed in with bogus claims,” said a White House official. “They shouldn’t be receiving federal tax dollars in the form of government benefits.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/inside-doge-immigration-taskforce-212405453.html

>>22914422

2/2

“The government is finally doing what it should have all along,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs. “Information sharing across agencies is essential to identify who is in our country, including violent criminals, and determine what public safety and terror threats may exist.”

Critics including Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) saydeclaring people “dead” at Social Security – an act that’s hard to undo if done incorrectly – risks taking away legally earned benefits and victimizing those who had their identities stolen or who have naturalized.

The task force signals how central Gracias has become to the execution of Trump’s policy agenda, and how deeply Musk’s imprint remains on federal operations, even if he longer spends all of his time in Washington.

“From DC to the border, there are very good people at CBP who pointed this tragedy to us,” Gracias posted on X, linking to a DOGE statement about the 6,300 flagged individuals.

DOGE claims more than 900 of the 6,300 flagged individuals whose parole status is being revoked were collecting Medicaid, 41 received unemployment insurance, and 22 had federal student loans.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/inside-doge-immigration-taskforce-212405453.html