Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

@SecScottBessent

Thanks to @POTUS’s pro-growth, America First policies, real wages for hourly workers are up nearly 2% in the first five months of @realDonaldTrump’s second term — the strongest growth in 60 years.

No president has done that before — except President Trump in his first term.

(The chart goes back to 1969 with Nixon,no one else has done it before except Trump 2x in both terms, and Nixon 1x at much lower growthreally look at the chart, it's mind blowing.)

Hardworking Americans and Main Street businesses have never had a stronger ally in the @WhiteHouse

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11:12 AM · Jun 17, 2025

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432.9K

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https://x.com/SecScottBessent/status/1934992476105818400

What Secretary Bessent is saying, is profound and nearly a miracle, but due to extreme brilliance,Trump himself and his appointee's accomplished. If you want Bessent to smile talk about a great economy.

17 Jun, 2025 17:24

Trump demands ‘unconditional surrender’ from Iran

Iran’s skies are under the “total control” of the US and its allies, the American president has claimed

US President Donald Trump has demanded an “unconditional surrender” from Iran, which has been locked in a heated military conflict with Israel, over the past days. In a series of posts on his Truth Social Trump also claimed that “we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”

Hostilities between West Jerusalem and Tehran have been intensifying since Israel's attacks on a uranium enrichment center, nuclear and military facilities, and a series of drone and car-bomb attacks that killed over a dozen senior Iranian military commanders and scientists as well as multiple civilians.

Iran retaliated by firing dozens of ballistic missiles into Israel. The two sides have been exchanging attacks since then.

“Unconditional surrender,” Trump wrote in capital letters on Truth Social on Tuesday. The American president also issued a direct threat against the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claiming that the US and its Israeli allies “know exactly” where Khamenei is “hiding.” Trump called him an “easy target” but stated that “we are not going to take him out… at least for now.”

“Our patience is wearing thin,” the US president added.

Speaking to journalists earlier on Tuesday, the American leader said his goals in the conflict between West Jerusalem and Tehran go beyond a ceasefire, adding that he wanted Iran to forgo “entirely on nuclear weapons.”

Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu made similar statements on Monday, when he claimed that Israel was “in control of the skies over Tehran” and told the city’s residents to evacuate.

Tehran signaled on Tuesday that it was ready to continue fighting. “The enemy cannot sustain a long war, and as it continues, the back of the Zionist regime will be broken,” Iran’s defense ministry spokesman, Brigadier General Reza Talayi-Nik, said in a televised interview aired by the Iranian state broadcaster. The general also announced the use of new missile systems as part of retaliatory strikes.

“Today, we used one of our missiles for the first time, and the Zionist regime didn’t even realize it had been deployed. They will see more of these surprises,” he said. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) reported successful strikes on Israel’s military intelligence logistical headquarters and a Mossad intelligence center in the Tel Aviv area on Tuesday. The targets were hit “despite the presence of highly advanced defense systems,” it said.

West Jerusalem justified its Friday attack by claiming Iran was on the brink of obtaining a nuclear weapon. Tehran has repeatedly denied such accusations, maintaining that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

In late March, US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard stated that American intelligence data suggested Iran was “not building a nuclear weapon” and its nuclear arms program had been on hold since 2003. When asked about this assessment on Tuesday, Trump stated that he did “not care what she said.”

https://www.rt.com/news/619556-trump-iran-unconditional-surrender/

(Since Netanyahu said Israel had full control over the skies too, did Trump take over "full control of the skies" to warn Iran, don’t FOFA, Israel will do it, now get your heads straight. I’m trying to stop your destruction.???)

17 Jun, 2025 17:03

Russia sanctions would cost US ‘billions’ – Trump

The US president says he is in no rush to tighten restrictions despite pressure from allies

US President Donald Trump has said he is not ready to introduce tougher sanctions against Russia despite pressure from allies, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.Trump expressed concern that additional punitive economic measures would cost his country “a lot of money.”

The American leader has repeatedly said he is weighing new sanctions on Moscow, but has so far stopped short of adopting any. Speaking with reporters at the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada,he said he first wants to see “whether or not a deal is signed.”

“When I sanction a country that costs the US a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money,” Trump said.“It’s not just, let’s sign a document – you’re talking about billions and billions of dollars. Sanctions are not that easy. It’s not just a one-way street.”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has advocated massively increasing sanctions in a bill he introduced earlier this year. It includes, among other measures, 500% tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas, should Moscow refuse to engage in peace negotiations with Ukraine. Graham, who later suggested exceptions for countries that provide military aid to Kiev, described the proposed measures as “bone-breaking” for Russia.

Last week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the proposed sanctions could undermine diplomatic efforts, and urged lawmakers to give the Trump administration greater flexibility to negotiate with Moscow and Kiev.

Trump told journalists earlier this month that the Senate had prepared “a very strong bill,”and that Washington would “use it if it’s necessary.” However, the president reportedly asked Senate Republicans to delay putting it to a vote. Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump had indicated he was not yet ready to support it.

During their latest round of direct negotiations in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine both put forward proposals to end the conflict. Moscow’s plan would require Kiev to accept the loss of five regions which joined Russia in referendums, pull back its troops from those territories, and adhere to neutrality.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky dismissed that plan as an ultimatum and ruled out territorial concessions or neutrality. He also insisted on a full 30-day ceasefire as a precursor to negotiations – a condition which the Kremlin has rejected.

Then President Joe Biden cut most contacts with Moscow in 2022 over the Ukraine conflict and imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian officials and companies. Trump has since criticized Biden for eschewing diplomacy and vowed to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow has welcomed Trump’s initiative, but progress on reaching a settlement has been slow.

https://www.rt.com/news/619540-trump-russia-sanctions-billions-dollars/

(I hope the investigation into Lindsey Graham and his money laundering in Ukraine is done soon. He deserves everything he gets, by pushing Zelensky to willingly sacrifice his soldiers and people for his money. By the end of this war, Lindsey Graham will not like the end.)

17 Jun, 2025 15:44

G7 a ‘dead club’ – Medvedev

The summits of the group looked like a crowd of “zombies” even a decade ago, the former Russian president has said

The G7 has long lost its relevance and cannot provide a sufficient answer to existing challenges, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said.He also praised US President Donald Trump’s conduct at the latest summit of the group in Canada and his decision to leave early.

“Well Done!” Medvedev wrotein an X post on Tuesday, referring to the American’ president’s actions during the meeting.Trump “scolded” the European members of the group “for kicking out Russia, refused to discuss sanctions, and left,”he said. (When you can make Medvedev happy and compliment Trump, it’s an earthshaking change. KEK)

During the meeting, Trump stated that removing Russia from the group that was called G8 at the time was a mistake, arguing that the nation’s presence could have helped prevent the Ukraine conflict.

“You spend so much time talking about Russia, and [Russian President Vladimir Putin is] no longer at the table,” Trump told the meeting, arguing that it only “makes life more complicated.”

The US president left the event early, despite having a scheduled meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, to address the escalation between Israel and Iran, according to the White House. Trump was also skeptical about EU and UK calls for more sanctions against Russia.

“Sanctions cost us a lot of money,” he argued, adding that he would like the EU to “do it first.”

Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, stated that it “has long been clear [the G7] is a dead club.” The former president recalledwhen he himself took part in the then G8 summits between 2008 and 2012, arguing that the other participants “were all zombies, even then.”(I agree there was no pomp and circumstance, there were just bureaucrats trying to make more rules for the world, they were absolutely boring.)

Trump has repeatedly stated he would “love” to see Russia back in the group.

The Kremlin said in February that the G7 had “lost its relevance” as it no longer reflects current global economic dynamics. The G20 is a more representative format that includes fast-growing economies like China, India, and Brazil, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said then, calling it a group that “reflects the economic locomotives of the world.”

Dating back to the 1970s, the G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the UK.Russia was a member of the group between 1998 and 2014. The G20 includes 19 of the world’s biggest economies, as well as the EU and the African Union. It was first formed in 1999 but only started convening annually a decade later.

https://www.rt.com/russia/619545-g7-dead-club-medvedev/

(That picture was taken so far away, you barely could see anyone’s face.Look at the non-unity in the group, it’s obvious.)

17 Jun, 2025 17:21

EU state pledges cash for candidate to counter ‘Russian threats’

The Netherlands has promised to $1.7 million to “strengthen Moldova’s democracy”

(What gives these countries rights to interfere in other countries political policies and make up?)

The Dutch government has announced funding for Moldova aimed at “strengthening… democracy” and combating what it described as “Russian hybrid threats” to the EU-aspirant. The move comes as the ex-Soviet republic’s pro-Western government pursues closer ties with Brussels, amid rising discontent at home.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp shared the pledge to the EU candidate country in a post on X.

“The Netherlands pledges €1.5 million ($1.7 million) to projects aimed at strengthening Moldova’s democracy and institutional resilience and at mitigating its external threats,” Veldkamp wrote.

“These projects are also aimed at countering Russian hybrid threats, like disinformation, and preventing electoral corruption,” he added.

Moldova has accelerated its drive toward EU and NATO integration since 2020, when President Maia Sandu, a vocal critic of Russia, came to power.Re-elected last year in a controversial runoff, Sandu has intensified efforts to fast-track Moldova’s EU accession, vowing last month to conclude membership talks by the end of 2027.

Sandu’s pro-Western course has triggered mounting domestic pushback, driven by economic discontent, accusations of political repression, and a crackdown on the Moldovan Orthodox Church. Her administration has also been embroiled in a longstanding political standoff with the autonomous region of Gagauzia.

Tensions flared again this week following an unsanctioned pro-LGBTQ march in Chisinau, where a heavy-handed police response to counter-protesters – some with children or carrying religious icons and crosses – drew sharp criticism. Footage showing officers knocking an Orthodox priest to the ground and forcibly detaining a man holding a child has sparked public outrage.

Sandu has defended her policies, citing alleged pro-Russian influences, and has launched crackdowns on opposition parties and media outlets that she describes as criminal entities.

Moscow has dismissed the accusations as baseless and politically motivated.

Last month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said EU countries were deliberately inventing and amplifying the myth of a “Russian threat” to deflect public attention from their own severe economic problems. The EU’s economic crisis had reached catastrophic proportions largely due to the West’s own sanctions against Russia, she added.

https://www.rt.com/news/619535-netherlands-moldova-funding-russia/

Russia is so loved by Europe as the best Boris and Natasha fiends, that they use Russia as an excuse even if they get constipation.

17 Jun, 2025 15:14

North Korea to send military personnel to Russia – senior official

Some 6,000 troops will assist in demining and rebuilding Kursk Region after the Ukrainian incursion, Sergey Shoigu says

North Korea will deploy thousands of military personnel toRussia’s Kursk Region to aid in demining operations and reconstruction efforts, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday.

North Korean troops fought alongside Russian forces to liberate Kursk Region from a cross-border Ukrainian incursion that lasted from August 2024 to April 2025. Shoigu described the new deployment as an extension of North Korea’s military support to Russia under the two countries’ strategic partnership treaty.

“[North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un has made the decision to send to Russia 1,000 mine clearance specialists to sweep the Russian territory,” he said.He added that an additional 5,000 military engineers will help “rebuild infrastructure destroyed by the occupants.”(Maybe the soldiers will get Russian Meals, that would be pay enough)

Ukraine launched its large-scale incursion into the region last August, in what officials in Kiev hyped at the time as a blow to Russia. However, Russian forces quickly turned the tide, and by the time Ukrainian forces were fully expelled in late April, the Defense Ministry in Moscow estimated that Kiev’s forces had sustained more than 76,000 casualties in the operation.

On Monday, Moscow and Kiev completed a series of exchanges of the remains of fallen soldiers. Russia returned the remains 6,060 Ukrainian soldiers, many from the Kursk campaign, while Ukraine handed over 78. The Russian Defense Ministry said it held an additional 1,248 bodies that it was prepared to hand over to Kiev.

Weeks before the Kursk incursion, Russia and North Korea signed a strategic partnership treaty, which included provisions for mutual defense in the event of foreign aggression. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the involvement of North Korean soldiers in repelling Ukrainian forces from Kursk Region and hailed them as heroes and “brothers-in-arms” alongside Russian troops when the joint defensive operation was over.

Shoigu said he has been making regular visits to Pyongyang in recent monthsdue to what he described as “the intensive pace of the implementation” of the partnership agreement. He noted that maintaining momentum “requires constant attention and course-correction on all levels.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/619529-north-korea-military-engineers/

(I thinkRussia announces things like this to troll and scare the shit out of Europe. I can hear Greta saying, “how dare you!” Is Putin sending a message that Trump could visit Kim Jong-un in Moscow?)

(This Analysis seems spot on, buckle up anons)

JD Vance Delivers Message About Iran

June 17, 2025 | Sundance |

I cannot give all the particulars to backstop my perspective, however, Vice President JD Vance has traditional training and perspective on leadership within massive organizations, enhanced by his military service. Essentially, ‘never compromise your leadership‘.

Vice President JD Vance would not publish the following message on social media, without previously approving the entire statement through President Donald Trump.If Vance did not discuss this with Trump, Vance would stay quiet.That said, here is the messagefrom JD Vance:

“Look, I’m seeing this from the inside, and am admittedly biased towards our president (and my friend), but there’s a lot of crazy stuff on social media, soI wanted to address some things directly on the Iran issue:

First, POTUS has been amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Over the last few months, he encouraged his foreign policy team to reach a deal with the Iranians to accomplish this goal. The president has made clear that Iran cannot have uranium enrichment. Andhe said repeatedlythat this would happen one of two ways–the easy way or the “other” way.

Second, I’ve seen a lot of confusion over the issue of “civilian nuclear power” and “uranium enrichment.” These are distinct issues. Iran could have civilian nuclear power without enrichment,but Iran rejected that.

Meanwhile, they’ve enriched uranium far above the level necessary for any civilian purpose. They’ve been found in violation of their non-proliferation obligations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is hardly a rightwing organization.

It’s one thing to want civilian nuclear energy. It’s another thing to demand sophisticated enrichment capacity. And it’s still another to cling to enrichment while simultaneously violating basic non-proliferation obligations and enriching right to the point of weapons-grade uranium.

I have yet to see a single good argument for why Iran needed to enrich uranium well above the threshold for civilian use. I’ve yet to see a single good argument for why Iran was justified in violating its non-proliferation obligations. I’ve yet to see a single good pushback against the IAEA’s findings.

Meanwhile,the president has shown remarkable restraintin keeping our military’s focus on protecting our troops and protecting our citizens.

He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the president. And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy.

But I believethe president has earned some trust on this issue. And having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people’s goals. Whatever he does, that is his focus.” (source)

Sundance:

Accepting what JD Vance is saying here(emphasis mine) the most Occam’s razor implication is that President Trump is going to authorize U.S. bunker busting bombs, the 30,000/lb deep penetrating bombs [GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP)] that only the USA has in the arsenal.

This approach takes the USA activity from “support”,to active operational engagement.

Hence Vance saying “take further action,” and the following message from President Trump, “nobody does it better.”

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/06/17/jd-vance-delivers-message-about-iran/

>>23194599

oh fuck off donkey ass