BREAKING: DC Circuit Court of Appeals Blocks Judge Chutkan’s Order Requiring Citibank to Disburse $Billions From Biden’s Climate Slush Fund

by Cristina Laila Apr. 17, 2025 11:30

Chutkan’s order got Shitcanned

The DC Circuit Court of Appeals late Wednesday eveningpartially blocked Judge Chutkan’s order that barred EPA Chief Lee Zeldin from clawing back billions of dollars from Joe Biden‘s EPA slush fund.

The three-judge panel: Pillard (Obama), Katsas (Trump) and Rao (Trump)stayed Judge Chutkan’s order requiring Citibank to disburse the funds by Thursday (today).

On Wednesday, Judge Chutkan, an Obama appointee, granted an injunction against the EPA and barred Lee Zeldin from clawing back themoney currently being sheltered at Citibank for 8 different ‘green’ nonprofits.

Lee Zeldin previously clawed back the $20 billion in grants under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and Citibank agreed to freezing the funds earmarked for the eight nonprofits.

According to AP, the money was awarded to “Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United Fund, Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv and the Justice Climate Fund.”

The $20 billion sitting at Citibank was ordered by Judge Chutkan to be unfrozen by Thursday and disbursed to the 8 ‘green’ groups.

However, the DC Circuit Court stayed Chutkan’s order pending further order of the court.

Lee Zeldin last month said he notified the eight recipients of the $20 billion from the Biden EPA’s slush fund that their grants have been terminated – including $2 billion awarded to a firm linked to failed Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.

“It is my commitment to President Trump, Congress, and you, that EPA will be an exceptional steward of your tax dollars. I’ll have it no other way!” Lee Zeldin said.

Lee Zeldin terminated the grants after an EPA advisor was exposed in a Project Veritas undercover video admitting that the agency rushed to allocate billions of taxpayer dollars to climate change initiatives just before President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Project Veritas caught Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Advisor Brent Efron on undercover video admitting there is an “insurance policy” against President Trump.

“It was an insurance policy against Trump winning,” Brent Efron told Project Veritas undercover journalist.

“Get the money out as fast as possible before they [Trump Administration] come in … it’s like we’re on the Titanic and we’re throwing gold bars off the edge,”Efron said.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/04/breaking-dc-circuit-court-appeals-blocks-judge-chutkans-2/

More Pressing Questions Emerge Regarding Letitia James When Conservative Reporters Visit Her Two ‘Homes’ In Norfolk, Virginia and Discover She’s Nowhere to be Found(VIDEO)

by Cullen Linebarger Apr. 17, 2025 12:30

New York Attorney General Letitia James’s legal troubles continue to pile up, and recent visits to her two Norfolk, Virginia homes by conservative reporters will only raise further pressing questions.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, the Trump Administration has criminally referred James to the Justice Department over accusations of mortgage fraud.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) accused James of falsifying records, citing a 5-unit property in New York she claimed was only four units in order to get a more favorable loan. TGP last month reported on this 5-unit property in Brooklyn that Letitia James purchased in 2001.

On top of this, TGP revealed that James declared a two-story house located at 604 Sterling Street in Norfolk, Virginia, her primary residence despite serving as New York’s Attorney General.

The Virginia property was purchased for $240,000 with a $219,780 mortgage. The deed lists James and Thompson-Hairston as co-owners in “joint tenancy with right of survivorship as at common law,” meaning both have equal ownership rights. The property is a 1,450-square-foot single-family home built in 1947, with three bedrooms and one bathroom. The transaction was completed on August 30, 2023.

According to White Collar Fraud, James also purchased a second residence in Norfolk in 2020. She financed the purchase with a mortgage that remains active today, but failed to disclose the loan on her financial disclosures between 2020 and 2023, as the Daily Caller notes.

Reporters from The Daily Caller visited the two southern Virginia properties this week to determine whether James is or has ever lived at either home. What they found out will surprise absolutely nobody.

When Daily Caller reporters visited James’s “primary residence,” they discovered the blinds were drawn and James was nowhere to be found. Instead, they heard an angry female repeatedly accusing them of trespassing.

The reporters then assured her they just wanted to know who lived at the home. But she refused to answer and accused the journalists of trespassing, even though they were on a sidewalk.

WATCH:

One neighbor told the Daily Caller that he believed a black female and children lived at the home, but did not recognize James when shown a photo. Another neighbor said that James did not live at the residence.

The Daily Caller then visited a second Norfolk residence with connections to James and saw two residents on the porch outside the front door. Neither one was the New York Attorney General.

After one of the reporters introduced himself, one of the residents accused him of trespassing and disturbing her kids. After the reporter merely assured her he just wanted to know the names of the home’s occupants, she angrily replied that it was none of his business.

The Daily Caller then revealed that when they spoke to neighbors, they had little to say about the residents of the second property.

Beyond the highly likely revelation that James has almost certainly never lived at either property, the Daily Caller’s visit raises other questions:

Were the residents of the homes operating off a script because the odds that they would both yell, “You’re trespassing,” seem a bit low?

Do the residents have a specific connection to James, including possibly receiving payment from her?

Why were the blinds completely closed at James’s primary residence?

Why did the neighbors have so little information about the inhabitants of James’ second Norfolk, Virginia property?

While the corporate media will not bother trying to discover the answers, one can count on the Trump Administration to eventually find out.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/04/more-pressing-questions-emerge-regarding-letitia-james-when/

RINO Senator Lisa Murkowski Admits She is ‘Afraid’ of Donald Trump — Feels ‘Very Anxious’ About Speaking Out(VIDEO)

by Ben Kew Apr. 17, 2025 12:00 pm

RINO Senator Lisa Murkowski has admitted she is “afraid” of Donald Trump and fears speaking out against him.

During a town hall event in Alaska on Wednesday, Murkowski was asked by an audience member what she had to do for people who felt afraid of the Trump administration.

She responded:

We are all afraid. Okay? I’ve seen… We are in a time and a place where I don’t know—I certainly have not been here before.

I’ll tell you, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right. But that’s what you’ve asked me to do.(bs she’s a saboteur)

And so I’m going to use my voice to the best of my ability. Sometimes it will be viewed as confrontational.

Other times, I’ll draw on my mother’s charm that I learned as a young girl, and use direct communication with those I’ve built relationships with. I’m able to effect some change that way.

But I’ve got to figure out how I can do my best to help the many who are so anxious and so afraid.

Watch the clip below: (1:48)

Despite her apparent fear of the Trump administration and the risk of retribution, the Alaska Senator has already gone out her way to stymie his agenda.

During the confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet nominees, Murkowski voted against the nomination of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel, meaning they were approved by the slimmest of margins.

Last month, she said that Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had left her feeling “sick to my stomach.”

“This week started with administration officials refusing to acknowledge that Russia started the war in Ukraine,” she wrote on X after the exchange.

”It ends with a tense, shocking conversation in the Oval Office and whispers from the White House that they may try to end all U.S. support for Ukraine.”

”I know foreign policy is not for the faint of heart, but right now,I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world,” she continued.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/04/rino-senator-lisa-murkowski-admits-she-is-afraid/

17 Apr, 2025 14:39

‘A lot of’ nations seeking to derail US-Russia talks – Putin envoy

The American media landscape is full of “propaganda,” Kirill Dmitriev has said

Numerous foreign actors are attempting to sabotage the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin's investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, has claimed.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Dmitriev weighed in on his talks with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg last week, which focused on finding a settlement to the Ukraine conflict.

Dmitriev called the negotiations “extremely productive,” but claimed thatthird parties are trying to impede progress. “A lot of people, structures, and countries aretrying to disrupt our dialogue with the United States,” he said.

“There is avery active propaganda campaign against Russiain the United States through various media, so it’s veryimportant to communicate Russia’s position directly – and this has certainly been done,” Dmitriev noted.

“There is a very useful dialogue going on. It is certainly going on in very difficult conditions - constant attacks and constant misinformation,”he said. Asked whether the sides have made progress, the envoy replied: “Time will tell.”

The Trump administration has been pursuing direct talks with Russia’s leadership in order to agree a ceasefire to the Ukraine conflict, in contrast to most EU countries, which continue to insist on supporting Kiev for “as long as it takes.”As a result of US mediation, Kiev and Moscow agreed to a 30-day moratorium on energy infrastructure strikes, which Russian officials say Ukraine has consistently violated.

Commenting on the US-Russia dialogue, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said thatWashington “is listening” to Moscowand “does not rely on the imposed judgments of globalists or their affiliated experts.”

Instead, theTrump administration is “trying to understand the details and essence of the issue in order to form its own viewof the situation and potential solutions.”

Moscow insists that the Ukraine conflict could be settled only if Kiev recognizes Russia’s new borders and commits to neutrality, demilitarization and non-nuclear status.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615900-nations-derail-russia-us-talks/

17 Apr, 2025 17:45

Kiev using Taurus missiles against Russia would mean Berlin enters conflict – Moscow

Firing such missiles would be impossible without involvement of Berlin’s military, the Foreign Ministry has noted

Moscow would considerany strikes by Kiev on Russian targets using German-supplied Taurus missilesas direct participation by Berlin in the Ukraine conflict, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has warned.

Her comments come after incoming German chancellor FriedrichMerz indicated that he would be open to supplying Kiev with long-range Taurus cruise missiles. The weapon has a 500km strike range, meaning they could be used to attack targets deep inside Russian territory.

Germany’s current acting chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly refused Kiev’s requests for the missiles, citing fears of an escalation of the conflict.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Zakharova said that even if the missiles would be transferred to Ukraine, they would still be controlled by Germany, meaning that Berlin would be directly participating in the conflict.

”Since live firing these cruise missiles is impossible without the direct assistance of Bundeswehr servicemen, a strike on any Russian facilities, critical transport infrastructure… all this will beregarded as direct German participation in military operations,” Zakharova said.

Earlier this week, in an interview with German media, Merz stated that he could supply Taurus missiles to Kiev and avoid direct intervention in the conflict itself. Ukraine’s forces should use the missiles to destroy the most “important land connection between Russia and Crimea,” Merz suggested, apparently referring to the Crimean Bridge.

In response, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev branded the incoming chancellor a Nazi trying to follow in the footsteps of his father who had served in Hitler’s Wehrmacht. “Think twice, Nazi,” Medvedev wrote on X.

Russia’s ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechaev, has also warned that while the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine would not alter the battlefield situation, they could lead to an escalation of the conflict and provoke Moscow to take retaliatory measures.

Throughout the Ukraine conflict, Moscow has repeatedly condemned Western military aid shipments to Ukraine, claimed that they only lead to more bloodshed, and hinder any peace process.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615906-russia-german-missiles-warning/

European countries seem to elect the worst warmongers possible.

17 Apr, 2025 17:14

Time’s up: Russia’s next move against Ukraine could be decisive

As the pause at the front drags on, what lies ahead for the spring-summer campaign?1/3

(I wonder why they are printing this?)

As the front lines in Ukraine settle into a temporary stalemate,attention turns to what the Kremlin may be planning next. With no major offensives currently underway, all signs point to a spring-summer campaign that could echo the dynamics of last year: Russia pressing forward across multiple axes, Ukraine holding the line with dwindling resources. But beneath the surface of this familiar pattern, critical shifts in strategy, manpower, and battlefield technologysuggest that the coming months may bring far more than just a repeat of 2024.

On objectives

It’s worth remembering that for both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries,holding or capturing territory isn’t the ultimate goal. In a war of attrition, the primary objective is to wear down the enemy – to inflict greater losses than you take.Ukraine, however, hasn’t always adhered to this logic. Over the past three years, there have been numerous instances where political imperatives overrode military ones. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), reluctant to withdraw from certain positions, ended up suffering costly local defeats. We saw this in Bakhmut and Avdeevka, in Ugledar and Velikaya Novoselka, at the Krynki and Kurakhovo bridgeheads, and most recently in Sudzha.

Predictability, this has worked to Russia’s advantage.The Russian military has honed the tactic of surrounding a city on multiple flanks, bringing supply lines under fire control, and slowly grinding down the garrison over weeks – or even months. The AFU, instead of retreating while they still can, typically dig in until the situation collapses, and then withdraw in disarray. The Ukrainian mediausually dismisses the loss, claiming the city had no strategic value – a line that’s become a bitter meme in Ukraine.=

In the absence of a better strategy,Ukraine has framed this kind of “hold at all costs” approach as a success. The narrative goes that even if they lose the position, they’ve inflicted serious casualties on the Russians in the process. But this is more about salvaging political optics than sound military planning. The reality is, following the failed Azov counteroffensive in fall 2023, Ukraine was forced into strategic defense – something initially presented as a temporary shift. The plan was to rebuild strength, wear down the Russian forces, and launch a decisive counteroffensive in 2025.

But even the most zealous Ukrainian commentatorshave stopped talking about that hypothetical offensive. At this point, the upcoming spring-summer defense looks more like a holding action with no strategic endpoint. Ukraine’s 2023 effort to exhaust Russian forces clearly fell short.

As for Russia, it never publicly committed to scoring a knockout blow in 2024. So when Western observers claim Russia failed because it didn’t capture Pokrovsk, they’re projecting expectations the Russian side never explicitly set.

Pros and cons: Who holds the advantage?

On March 28, during a meeting with submariners in Kursk, President VladimirPutin for the first time openly stated that Russia’s goal is to “squeeze and crush” Ukraine– that is, to secure a decisive military victory. We’ll explore the political ramifications of that statement in a future article, but for now, what matters is this: theKremlin is confident that Ukraine’s defeat is a matter of time.

Could this happen during the spring-summer campaign?

Arguments in Ukraine’s favor:

First, we should acknowledge that Ukraine has managed to hold the line. Despite personnel shortages (more on that in a moment),the AFU has prevented major Russian breakthroughs. Russia typically needs to concentrate forces at a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio to make any meaningful gains, and progress is often slow.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615908-the-summer-campaign-russia-ukraine/

>>22925586

2/3

One major reason is Ukraine’s effective use of drones. Combined with constant surveillance and reconnaissance, drones give a substantial edge to the defending side. The situation evokes the trench warfare of World War I, where machine guns and artillery made any advance across no-man’s-land incredibly costly.Drone warfare is now Ukraine’s best asset.

Second,Russia’s campaign is expeditionary in nature. Ukraine has mobilized fully – militarily, economically, and politically.Russia, by contrast, is fighting with volunteer forces. There’s been no general mobilization, and the economy hasn’t been fully reoriented to a wartime footing. Yes, defense spending has doubled as a share of GDP, but the fiscal impact is largely offset by higher revenues from oil exports and a weaker ruble.

This approach preserves long-term economic stability but limits the manpower and resources available for the front lines. Ukraine’s strategy is to exhaust these limits and force a negotiated ceasefire – one that doesn’t involve more territorial losses or politically unacceptable concessions such dismantling its army or the removal of the regime.

Against Ukraine:

Every military campaign, even a defensive one, requires preparation: planning, logistics, manpower. For Ukraine, that means securing Western aid and mobilizing more troops.

As of mid-April, neither has materialized.The US is sending what’s left of Biden-era assistance, with no new aid package in sight. Europe, while supportive in principle, simply can’t match the level of US aid – and doesn’t appear eager to try.

Manpower is an even more pressing issue. AFU Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky has saidUkraine needs 30,000 new troops each month just to sustain current force levels. A sizable portion of the losses are due to desertion – a reflection of forced conscription, harsh battlefield conditions, and flagging morale.

Efforts to lower the draft age have been clumsy at best. Ukraine tried to entice 18-year-olds with ads comparing their contract pay to how many cheeseburgers it could buy – efforts that bordered on self-parody. Unsurprisingly, the campaign flopped: only 500 people signed up in two months, according to the deputy head of Zelensky’s office, Pavel Palis.

All signs suggest that neither Ukraine nor its Western partners are truly prepared for this campaign. Some seem to be banking on Donald Trump delivering on vague promises to quickly end the war.

Even if Russia struggles to replenish its ranks, the problems on Ukraine’s side are far worse. By some estimates, frontline Ukrainian units are operating at 40–50% capacity (60% at best), while Russian forces are closer to 80–90%.

Ukraine’s entire defense strategy is also built around a single pillar: drones. This makes it inherently fragile. If Russia can suppress Ukrainian drone operations – especially with its superior numbers – everything else could unravel.

The Russian military has shown adaptability, whether executing grinding offensives or digging in for protracted defense. The Avdeevka campaign, which wrapped up in February, set the tone for 2024.The Russians successfully used a mix of flanking attacks, fire control over supply routes, and siege tactics to wear down the defenders, all backed by drones, artillery, and guided bombs.

Ukraine also evolved its defensive tactics, but the Russian breakthrough in Sudzha in early 2025 revealed further progress. For the first time in a long while,Russian forces managed to break Ukrainian lines outright, forcing a chaotic retreat from a heavily fortified position.

Reports suggest the Russians' advantage in drones was pivotal. They fielded overwhelming numbers, located and suppressed Ukrainian FPV drone crews, and cleared the way for an assault. Ukrainian drone units ended up fleeing alongside retreating troops in Kursk Region.

If Russia can replicate this success, Sudzha might become to 2025 what Avdeevka was to 2024 – a model operation. And that could spell real trouble for Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615908-the-summer-campaign-russia-ukraine/

>>22925589

3/3

Taking everything into account, for the first time since the conflict began,the likelihood of a partial or total collapse of Ukraine’s front lines by year’s end appears to exceed 50%. It all depends on whether Russia can consistently punch through.

Arrows on the map

What might the Russian offensive look like?

We can expect a continuation of last year’s strategy: pressure across the entire front to stretch Ukrainian forces, probe for vulnerabilities, and exploit any cracks. Broadly, the front can be divided into four sectors, north to south:

Sumy: With Ukrainian forces pushed out of Kursk Region, Russia may try to expand its offensive here. At a minimum, the goal would be to create a buffer zone along the border. There are also rumors of a push toward the city of Sumy. While Russia has made no territorial claims on the region, it’s as useful a pressure point as any.

Volchansk-Kupiansk: This sector is geographically isolated by the Seversky Donets River. Russian objectives may include clearing the east bank of the Oskol River, retaking Liman, and encircling Kupiansk. A deeper push toward Kharkov from the north via Volchansk is also possible.

Donetsk: This was the primary battlefield in 2024. The key offensive vectors are Konstantinovka and Pokrovsk. Pokrovsk looks more promising, with solid logistics, established flanking tactics, and staging areas leftover from previous operations. Konstantinovka is partially encircled, but northern access is complicated by the Seversky Donets–Donbass canal, which hinders supply routes.

Southern front: In March, after the winter battles cooled off, clashes flared near the Dnieper River. This may have been an effort to secure bridgeheads in preparation for an offensive toward Zaporozhye – a key city that Russia officially considers the capital of the Zaporozhye region. It lies just 30km from the front, and Ukraine heavily fortified it last fall.

If I were planning the campaign, I’d feint in all directions– force Ukraine to spread its already thin reserves, making it harder to concentrate drones and personnel in key areas. Russia’s goal will likely be a quick and decisive breakthrough. But as always, the success of such an operation depends on surprise. If we can guess the direction of the attack, then Russia’s General Staff will have failed.

At the same time, we shouldn’t underestimate Ukraine. While a strategic counteroffensive may be out of reach, a surprise maneuver – like the earlier incursion into Kursk – can’t be ruled out. Demonstrating military relevance to Western backers is now just as important for Ukraine as holding the line.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615908-the-summer-campaign-russia-ukraine/

17 Apr, 2025 12:57

Serbian leader to defy EU with Moscow trip

Aleksandar Vucic says he is “ready for the whole sky to fall on his head” due to pressure from Brussels

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has confirmed he will travel to Russia for the Victory Day celebrations next month, despite warnings from the European Union that the move could jeopardize Belgrade’s accession hopes.

Moscow will host its annual military parade on Red Square on May 9 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. Vucic attended the event in 2020, prior to the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

EU foreignpolicy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that the bloc does “not want any candidate country to take part in the May 9 events in Moscow.”EU officials have even reportedly threatened to derail Serbia’s bid to join the bloc if Vucic attends the celebrations.

“I have not changed my decision… I am ready for the whole sky to fall on my head from the pressure to go to Moscow.Eight months ago, I announced my visit to Moscow, publicly,” Vucic said on Wednesday, as cited by Serbian media.

According to the president, a unit of the Serbian Army will take part in the parade. During World War II, Serbia, which was then part of Yugoslavia, fell under Nazi occupation and was liberated by Soviet forces in 1944.

Vucic also said that“a period of enormous diplomatic activity is coming,” citing several upcoming meetings with EU officials and a possible visit to the US.

The Russian government extended multiple invitations to the May 9 events, including to the leaders of China, India and Brazil, as well as to EU member Slovakia and to Serbia, which was granted EU candidate status in 2012.

Belgrade has declined to provide arms to Ukraine and has voiced opposition to the EU’s sanctions against Moscow. Vucic has emphasized the value of maintaining good relations with Russia and has called for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict.

https://www.rt.com/news/615890-serbia-vucic-defy-eu-parade-russia/

17 Apr, 2025 19:16

Lavrov and Rubio hold phone call

The US’ and Russia’s top diplomats have discussed efforts to settle the Ukrainian conflict, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation on Thursday.

The two top diplomats focused on the Ukrainian conflict and ongoing multilateral contacts on a potential settlement, the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated.

Rubio briefed Lavrov on the meetings between the American delegation and representatives of Ukraine, France, and several other European nations held earlierin the day in Paris, the ministry said.

“Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s readiness to continue working together with American colleagues to reliably resolvethe root causes of the Ukrainian crisis,” it added.

The US Department of State said Rubio conveyed to Lavrov the “same message” he had delivered to the Ukrainian and European delegations: thatUS President Donald Trump and Washington “want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace.”

“The encouraging reception in Paris to the US framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement,” the statement added, without providing any further details.

The Paris meetings involved multiple top dignitaries from all sides, with the US delegation led by Rubio and Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, a key official in the talks about resolving the Ukraine conflict. Kiev was represented by Vladimir Zelensky’s head of office, Andrey Yermak, as well as the country’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Zelensky launched a new personal attack on Witkoff, accusing him of spreading “Russian narratives” and effectively siding with Moscow. Speaking during a televised press conference on Thursday, Ukraine’s leader invoked Witkoff’s recent remarks that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine revolves around “five territories,” the formerly Ukrainian Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, as well as Crimea.

“I believe that Mr. Witkoff has adopted the Russian side’s strategy for himself… He is consciously or unconsciously spreading Russian narratives… I do not see him having a mandate to discuss Ukrainian territories,” Zelensky stated.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

https://www.rt.com/news/615916-lavrov-rubio-phone-call/

Many say Andrey Yermak is really running Ukraine!

17 Apr, 2025 16:26

China replacing US oil with Canadian – Bloomberg

Beijing has reportedly slashed purchases of American crude by 90% amid the tariff war

China has been importing record amounts of crude oil from Canada and drastically reducing supplies from the US in light of the trade war with Washington, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

Washington and Beijing have implemented a series of reciprocal tariff hikes over the past two months in light of which the latter has slashed purchases of US oil by roughly 90%, according to the outlet. China previously indicated that it would not implement more tariff hikes against US goods but would rather employ alternative ways to retaliate.

Chinese crude imports from a port near Vancouver on Canada’s Pacific coast soared to a record 7.3 million barrels in March and may exceed the figure this month, Bloomberg reported, citing data from London-based global oil and gas cargo tracking firm Vortexa Ltd. Chinese imports of US oil, meanwhile, have fallen to 3 million barrels per month from a peak of 29 million last June, it added.

China’s direct imports of Canadian crude oil had historically been minimal, primarily due to infrastructure constraints. Chinese refineries have mainly sourced crude from the Middle East and Russia.

Roughly 1.7% of China’s total crude imports came from the US last year, according to Chinese customs data, down from 2.5% in 2023.

Nearly all of Canada’s oil is shipped to the US to be processed there or re-exported to Asia. However, thecompletion last May of the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline, which takes crude to Canada’s Pacific coast, provided the country with an alternative route to export more volumes directly, primarily to Asia, thus reducing its reliance on the US.

“Given the trade war, it’s unlikely for China to import more US oil,” Bloomberg quoted Wenran Jiang, president of the Canada-China Energy & Environment Forum, as saying. “They are not going to bank on Russian alone or Middle Eastern alone. Anything from Canada will be welcome news.”

China accounted for roughly 5% of US crude oil exports last year, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler.

Russia remains China’s largest supplier of crude oil.Russian shipments to China reached the highest level on record in 2024. The increase in recent years is largely attributable to the discounts being offered on Russian crude. China’s imports of oil from Saudi Arabia, its second-largest supplier, declined by 9% year-on-year in 2024.

https://www.rt.com/news/615899-china-canada-oil-tariffs/

17 Apr, 2025 14:59

US could block DeepSeek – NYT(The name is creepy, like a spy program)

The White House is reportedly concerned with China’s AI success and is looking to slow its progress in the industry

US officials are taking steps to crack down on China’s DeepSeek AI and its support from chip-making giant Nvidia, the New York Times has reported,citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.(How many admin are leaking to NYTs?)

DeepSeek’s January release shook the foundations of the artificial intelligence industry and rattled the US stock market, heating up the AI race between China and the US. Unlike its main rival – OpenAI’s ChatGPT – DeepSeek’s open-source deep reasoning model was made freely available, quickly making it the most downloaded app on Apple’s and Google’s stores. The model’s development also reportedly cost a fraction of what US companies have been spending on such technologies.

On Wednesday, the NYT reported that US President Donald Trump and his administration have beenweighing penalties that would block DeepSeek from buying American technologies and are debating banning US usersfrom accessing the Chinese AI.

Earlier this week, Nvidia announced that the US government had blocked the sale of some of its AI chips to China without a license and would demand such licenses for future sales.

US congressional leaders have been looking to further crack down on Nvidia’s chip deliveries to China and on Wednesday opened an investigation into the company’s sale of chips across Asia.

The main focus of the probe is said to be to determine if Nvidia knowingly provided DeepSeek with critical technologyto develop AI, which would be a violation of American rules established under former US President Joe Biden.

A spokesman for Nvidia, John Rizzo, has since stated that the company has followed the US government’s directions on what products it can sell and where it can sell them “to the letter,” and that it is committed to protecting and enhancing US national security.

Following DeepSeek’s launch, several countries, including the US, South Korea, Italy, and Australia, have imposed bansand restrictions on the chatbot, citing national security and data privacy concerns.

In February, US lawmakers proposed legislation that would ban the app from being installed on any government-owned devices aftercybersecurity experts claimed that the program contained hidden code capable of transmitting sensitive user data to China. Washington has previously accused Beijing of using its apps to attempt to access sensitive data in other countries.

China has dismissed the accusation as politically motivated “ideological discrimination,”asserting that the government does not require enterprises or individuals to collect or store data illegally. (Why is all our voting data going to China?)

https://www.rt.com/news/615904-us-deepseek-ai-block/

U.S Chamber of Commerce Decides Not to Join any Lawsuits Over Trump Tariffs

April 17, 2025 | Sundance |

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has decided against joining any lawsuits targeting the tariffs put into place by President Trump, Commerce Secretary Lutnick and the National Economic Council.This is quite a new shift in tone from the generally hostile CoC.

In the background, the U.S. CoC has historically surveyed their corporate sponsors and conducts extensive polling on their interests as part of their decision-making process.Perhaps the CoC is starting to realize a larger American awakening of their long history selling out middle-America is too risky for them politically.

WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has no immediate plans to join the growing number of lawsuits challenging President Donald Trump’s so-called Liberation Day tariffs, two people with direct knowledge of discussions confirmed to POLITICO.

The business group, one of the most influential trade associations in Washington,will instead focus on lobbying the Trump administration on the tariffs directly, said the people, who were granted anonymity to divulge sensitive and developing discussions.

[…] “While we believe that tariffs under [the International Emergency Economic Powers Act] are legally questionable, the president has other tools to impose similar tariffs that equally damage America’s Main Street Businesses,” the Chamber said in a statement to POLITICO. “The only way to provide immediate relief is for the Administration to pull back on these harmful tariffs.” (more)

(https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/04/17/u-s-chamber-of-commerce-decides-not-to-join-any-lawsuits-over-trump-tariffs/

The US CoC was the main driver and funder for the Coup against President Trump to defeat him in the 2020 ElectionPDJT knows this and is waiting for the right time.

Brace Yourselves – Hermes Announces Price Increase Due to Trump Tariffs, $50,000 Handbags Now $55,000

April 17, 2025 | Sundance |

Folks, I know this is going to be hard, but we must remain steadfast in bearing the burden of new tariffs for our essential items. Hermes has announced they will pass along the cost of President Trump’s tariffs to consumers. KEK!

Currently, Hermes branded purses ranging from $20,000 to $200,000 are purchased by a whopping 0.001% of Americans, yet 90% of wives for Wall Street hedge fund managers have them.

Yes, this is going to be a painful price increase; however, it is our patriotic duty to withstand it. We can survive it.

NEW YORK – […] The Paris-based company — which manufactures the vast majority of its goods in France — will raise prices enough to offset any hit to growth from the current 10% tariff on the European Union, according to Eric du Halgouet, Hermes’ executive vice president of finance.

If Hermes adds the 10% tax, US shoppers could pay an additional $2,000 on a lower-cost model, or an extra $20,000 on a $200,000 handbag. (read more)

If you have any tips or advice on how to deal with increased emotional anxiety as a result of this horrific announcement, please provide your words of wisdom in the comments section. If we lean on each other for support, we can get through this.

“Reciprocity! The nerve of that man.”

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/04/17/brace-yourselves-hermes-announces-price-increase-due-to-trump-tariffs-50000-handbags-now-55000/

BREAKING NEWS: Trump Takes Questions After Question During Oval Office Meeting With Italy's Meloni

33.19

https://youtu.be/1Rhb8Q9CPjQ