EU unblocks €90 billion loan to Ukraine

Timothy Jones AFP, dpa, Reuters

12 hours ago12 hours ago

Envoys from EU member states have finally paved the way for a €90 billion loan to Ukraine that had long been blocked by Hungary. They also approved a 20th package of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of its neighbor.

(Everyone knows the money for Ukraine is to boost production of the drones supposedly created by Ukraine. So Ukraine and EU countries can share in the sales of the drone. Ukraine didn’t only design the arms, the EU collects their part. This is so obvious it hard to believe any one believes the story. ==Note: the money to keep the Ukraine/Russia war never went to the war with Russia. It was the new money making endeavors for the EU countries and Ukraine. Zelensky is not the least bit involved with the war killing mostly Ukrainian, that were forced into conscription or either die or put in jail.

A €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan to Ukraine received preliminary approval from the 27 EU countries on Wednesday after several months during which Hungary exercised its veto, diplomats said.

The Cypriot EU presidency said the final approval is to be given by all the bloc's member states on Thursday.

The loan aims to assist Kyiv with its most urgent economic and military needs as it continues to fight against Russia's full-scale invasion. LIE

Druzhba pipeline at center of dispute

The decision comes after Kyiv said that the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine, has restarted deliveries of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.

Those two countries could theoretically still halt the approval process if no oil arrives in the EU by Thursday.

Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the Slovak government had accused Ukraine of delaying repairs on the pipeline, which Kyiv denied.

The chances of Ukraine receiving the EU funds improved with Orban's defeat in April elections.

Although the leader of the winning party, Peter Magyar, is not expected to take office till next month, he has said he will no longer stand in the way of the loan.

https://www.dw.com/en/eu-unblocks-90-billion-loan-to-ukraine/a-76895753

(I commented from day one, on this made up war,that Ukraine is the Mafia of the EU. It was the Mafia then, but now they are the EU/Ukraine Mafia.)

>>24527937 Laura Loomer loses defamation lawsuit against Bill Maher and HBOPN(is Loomer Mossad?)

Laura Loomer Loses Lawsuit Against Bill Maher Over Trump Tryst Joke. 1/2

The third time’s not a charm for the serial loser.

Apr. 22 2026 6:12PM EDT.

President Donald Trump’s MAGA queen can’t seem to get a win.

A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday tossed out a defamation lawsuit filed by far-right influencer Laura Loomer against Bill Maher,who joked on TV that the two-time failed congressional candidate had a sexual relationship with the 79-year-old president.

U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr., who was appointed in 2000 by then-President Bill Clinton,said any “reasonable” viewer would have understood Maher’s comment was a joke.

“The Court having reviewed the motion, response, reply, record evidence, and being otherwise advised in the premises, concludesthat Defendants’ motion should be granted because Plaintiff does not establish the elements of a false statement, malice, and damages as a matter of law,” the judge said in his order.

Loomer, a right-wing influencer with nearly 2 million followers on X,shared her reaction to the ruling in a statementposted on the platform,blasting the ruling as “factually and legally wrong.”

The right-wing conspiracy theorist said she would appeal the decision. Laura Loomer/X

“Maher and HBO defamed me per se by publishing that I ‘f–ked the president’ for simply traveling on an airplane to a Presidential debate and expressing my adoration for President Trump and his MAGA Agenda,” the proud self-described Islamophobe wrote. (She’s disgusting and insane!)

“It is beyond the pale for any judge to saythat a woman can be accused of having sex with a man and have it be brushed off as ‘a joke’ just because she proclaimed a platonic love for thier [sic] politics and leadership style,” Loomer, a prominent MAGA voice whom Trump has called a “very nice person” and “a patriot,” continued. “The ruling is totally dishonest and misogynistic.” (Her statement follows the “me too” accusations)

“It’s truly an attack on women and the truth,” she concluded.

The Daily Beast reached out to Maher and HBO for comment.

Loomer, 32, sued Maher, 70, and HBO for $150 million in October 2024after the late-night host joked that she and Trump had an “arranged relationship” during a September 2024 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.

“I think maybeLaura Loomer’s in an arranged relationship to affect the election because she’s very close to Trump,” Maher said in the Sept. 13, 2024, episode. “She’s 31, looks like his type. We did an editorial here a few years ago… it was basically, who’s Trump f–king?”

“Because I said, you know, it’s not nobody,” he continued. “He’s been a dog for too long, and it’s not Melania. I think we may have our answer this week.I think it might be Laura Loomer.”

(https://www.thedailybeast.com/laura-loomer-loses-lawsuit-against-bill-maher-over-trump-tryst-joke/

>>24528951

2/2

The conspiracy theoristalleged in her complaint, filed in Sumter County, Florida,that Maher had made “false, malicious, and defamatory” statements about her on television, and that her job prospects at the White House were hampered by the late-night host’s comments.(she was trying to get a job at the White House? Yikes Trump was saved from that!)

However,Loomer testified at her deposition—during which she also bizarrely alleged that Marjorie Taylor Greene puts Arby’s roast beef in her pants—that her own controversial opinions were to blame for her failed administration ambitions.

“In March of 2023, she had a private meeting with President Trump and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, at which President Trump purportedly instructed Wiles to offer Plaintiff a position on his campaign,” the judge wrote.“The offer was withdrawn after it was reported in April 2023, that the President’s aides ‘feared that hiring Ms. Loomer, who has a long history of bigoted remarks, would set off a backlash.’”

The judge also noted the influencer’s well-documented closeness with the president, including her testimony that she had visited Mar-a-Lago “at least 20-30 times” and public videos she posted where she said “I love you” to the married 79-year-old, among other examples.

Maher testified that he “made a joke based on their sudden closeness in the news that week,” which the judge noted had also been reported by publications such as The Miami New Times and OK! Magazine near the time of the episode’s airing in September 2024.

Katherine Bolger, the renowned First Amendment and media attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP, represented Maher and HBO in the case.

(https://www.thedailybeast.com/laura-loomer-loses-lawsuit-against-bill-maher-over-trump-tryst-joke/

Thank God Almighty that Trump wasn’t involved and Saved from both loony tunes, Loomer and MTGreen

The 'Absurdity' of Human Evolution That Will Surprise You 😳🔥 | Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais Show

44:37

https://youtu.be/lWareGj7xPw

U.S. Abruptly Rescinds Subpoenas It Had Just Issued in John Brennan Inquiry. 1/2

The reversal came after the Justice Department replaced a career prosecutor with a loyalist to President Trump in the administration’s effort to charge the former C.I.A. chief with a crime.

In a reversal, prosecutors who are trying to establish a perjury case against John O. Brennan, the former C.I.A. director,have rescinded subpoenas issued just days ago that had required witnesses to testify before a grand jury in Washington, according to people familiar with the matter.

The withdrawal on Monday night of the subpoenas, which the Justice Department had issued over the weekend,was a shaky start for a new phase of the investigation. The department last weekremoved a career prosecutor who had been overseeing the matter, Maria Medetis Long, who was said to have objected to moving forward with it.

The department brought in an outspoken Trump loyalist, Joseph diGenova, 81, to take over the inquiry into Mr. Brennan, which is part of a larger effort to investigate former officials who have scrutinized President Trump. Mr. diGenova was formally sworn in on Monday morning, and it is not clear whether he played a role in the issuing of the subpoenas over the weekend.

Justice Department officials on Mondaydid not explain the reason for the change of planswhen informing lawyers for the witnesses, according to the people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment.

The inquiry is focusedon statements Mr. Brennan made to Congress in 2023 related to a January 2017 intelligence community assessmentabout Russia’s interference in the election, including a judgment that Moscow aspired to improve Mr. Trump’s chances of winning.

Several former national security officials involved in helping draft the assessmenthad agreed to cooperate for voluntary interviews with F.B.I. agents, according to the people familiar with the matter. But after Ms. Medetis Long’s ouster, the department issued subpoenas over the weekend requiring them to instead testify before a grand jury in Washington next week.

The move took some veteran prosecutors by surprise. Normally, if a witness is willing to cooperate, F.B.I. agents almost always want to interview them rather than have prosecutors question them before grand jurors without knowing what they will say. F.B.I. interviews also avoid the extra complications raised by the prospect of discussing classified information before grand jurors.

When the subpoenas were pulled back Monday evening,law enforcement officials indicated that their plans had reverted to scheduling voluntary interviews, the people said.

Whatever else it portends, the decisionbrought to light that the Trump administration was moving the inquiry into Mr. Brennan to Washington rather than continuing to investigate it from Florida. There, a team of prosecutors had used a grand jury in Miami to issue subpoenas asking for documents.Any attempt to indict Mr. Brennan would most likely have to be in Washington, where his deposition took place.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/us/politics/justice-dept-john-brennan-subpoenas.html

>>24529229

(NYTs can’t figure can’t figure out what’s going on with diGenova showing up.)

2/2

Mr. diGenova is a former Reagan-era U.S. attorney and former Trump campaign lawyer who, as a political commentator, has disparaged the various investigations into Mr. Trump.

On Monday evening, the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, posted a photo on social media of himself with Mr. diGenova and several prosecutors in Miami working on the Brennan inquiry, writing“welcome to the fight, Joe!”

The effort underway in Florida, under Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney in Miami,is not limited to Mr. Brennan. It is asprawlinginvestigation seeking to find a basis to satisfy Mr. Trump’s desire to bring criminal charges against a wide range of former officials who scrutinized him,based on a far-fetched premise pushed by his allies of a “grand conspiracy” against him.(whenever they insult what Trump Admin is doing, is very likely to provide the truth!)

By this account, a unified plot to violate Mr. Trump’s constitutional rightsbegan with the investigation into Russia and its possible ties to his 2016 campaign, and extended to Mr. Trump’s later indictments over election subversion and mishandling of classified documents.

But the attempt to build a perjury case against Mr. Brennan, who has been an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump since leaving office in 2017, appears to be the most advanced part of that effort.

The same team in Florida is still dealing with lawyers for witnesses, however, and there has been no sign that prosecutors working for the U.S. attorney in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, have become involved.

The department has given Mr. Reding Quiñones special authority that allows him to bring cases in venues outside Florida.

The Brennan matter is focused on statements the former C.I.A. director made during a 2023 deposition to Congress about the relationship between the 2017 assessment and the Steele dossier, a compendium of later-discredited political opposition research about Mr. Trump and Russia.

The F.B.I. had wanted to include information from the dossier in the assessment,but C.I.A. analysts balked because its sourcing was unknown. Mr. Brennan told lawmakers that “the C.I.A. was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the intelligence community assessment.” Ultimately, as a compromise, a summary of the dossier was attached to the assessment as an appendix, as Mr. Brennan had long said.

Documents the Trump administration declassified last summer showed that C.I.A. analysts also objected to including the information in an appendix, too, but portrayed Mr. Brennan as pushing back in support of the compromise.

Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio and a Trump ally, made a criminal referral, arguing that Mr. Brennan’s testimony about C.I.A. opposition was a false statement. Mr. Brennan’s lawyer, Kenneth L. Wainstein, has said it was not.

(New York Times always protect the guilty)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/us/politics/justice-dept-john-brennan-subpoenas.html

LIVE

updated 14 minutes ago

Iran seize ships in Hormuz as fragile truce hangs in balance

Summary

• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after a ceasefire extension, following reports that vessels had come under fire in the area.

•President Donald Trump gave Iran three to five days to return to talks after extending a ceasefire, Axios reported, citing US officials.

•Iran will hold the next round of talks in Islamabad as soon as the United States lifts its blockade, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Wednesday.

• A container ship was fired on by an IRGC gunboat northeast of Oman,causing heavy damage to the vessel’s bridge, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Wednesday.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604194357

Too bad the UK refused to work with Trump and USA

22 minutes ago

Iran nearing ‘breaking point’ under military and economic pressure, Cruz says

US Senator Ted Cruz said on Wednesday President Donald Trump “crippled” Iran’s military and economy, warning the country is approaching a breaking point under mounting pressure.

Speaking to Fox News,Cruz said Iran’s leadership would not respond to diplomacy aloneand argued that military action and economic measures were having a decisive impact.

“Donald Trump is not bluffing. The Ayatollah and the mullahs are theocratic, religious radicals. They’re not given to reason,” Cruz said. “One of the most important things President Trump has done in this military conflict is he has utterly demolished their military.”

Sen. Ted Cruz says President Trump has crippled Iran’s military and economy, warning the regime is nearing a breaking point as oil production and revenue collapse:

“Donald Trump is not bluffing. The Ayatollah and the mullahs are theocratic, religious radicals. They’re not given…

pic.twitter.com/AwQSSrf60i— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) April 23, 2026

26 minutes ago

Oil prices ease after gains as Iran–US tensions persist

Oil prices edged lower on Thursday after strong gains in the previous session, as stalled peace talks between Iran and the United States and continued restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz kept markets on edge, Reuters reported.

Brent crude futures fell 15 cents to $101.76 a barrel after closing above $100 for the first time in more than two weeks on Wednesday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 14 cents to $92.82.

30 minutes ago

Who backs war now? Tehran flips the script

Iran’s state broadcaster has sparked ridicule after claiming that 87% of Iranians support continuing the war with the United States, in a curious turn from early in the conflict where pro-war sentiments of an alienated populace was branded treachery.

The controversy beganfollowing a Monday broadcast on thestate television, where hardline commentator Mostafa Khoshcheshm asserted that the Iranian people overwhelmingly favor military confrontationover diplomatic efforts to end the war.

“According to polls conducted by academic centers regarding the war, 87% of the people said that once and for all, this decayed tooth should be pulled out,” he said, arguing that reopening the Strait of Hormuz could leave Iran unable to close it again if needed.

Iran’s state broadcaster has sparked ridicule after claiming that 87% of Iranians support continuing the war with the United States, in a curious turn from early in the conflict where pro-war sentiments of an alienated populace was branded treachery.

https://t.co/HiWlSsoTvipic.twitter.com/SvmN9lJdQe

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) April 23, 2026

1 hour ago

CENTCOM says 31 vessels redirected under Iran blockade

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday that US forces have directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the ongoing maritime blockade against Iran.

The statement, posted on X, said the measures are part of efforts to enforce restrictions on shipping linked to Iranian ports.

U.S. forces have directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran.

🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/lG5ACEt7LR

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 23, 2026

1 hour ago

Iran nuclear deal requires ‘give and take’ despite military pressure, Senator says

US Senator Rand Paul said on Wednesday any effort to secure Iranian agreement on its enriched uranium stockpile would require diplomatic compromise, arguing that military pressure alone would not be sufficient.

Speaking to Newsmax, Paul said Iran would not give up its nuclear material solely because of battlefield setbacks.

"If you want a resolution and for them to perhaps give up the enriched uranium, there has to be some diplomatic give and take, and I do not think the Iranians are going to do it just because they are defeated militarily. They are definitely defeated, but unless you want to go in and occupy them, you still have to trade something," Paul said.

“Previous agreements have released money. I think there would be some money or fewer sanctions. But that is how diplomacy works — you give something and you get something,” he said.

Sen. Rand Paul on Iran blockade: "As long as gasoline stays $4 or $5 a gallon, it's going to be devastating on the elections.So the sooner we can be done with this, the better." pic.twitter.com/gacNIwyqQK— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) April 22, 2026

>>24529364

1 hour ago

Trump’s Operation Epic Fury defied expert predictions on Iran war

President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran has fractured the regime’s proxies, stabilized energy markets, and strengthened US alliances, contrary to warnings of wider war, shifts in alliances toward China, and oil price spikes, a former senior Trump official wrote in a commentary.

“President Trump has fundamentally reshaped the Middle East — and its future. Experts should take note,” Victoria Coates, who served as Trump’s deputy national security adviser for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a Fox News opinion piece.

“As President Trump offers the Iranian regime a diplomatic ultimatum to accept an end to its nuclear program and remove its highly enriched uranium or face military escalation, the situation remains fluid and tense. But the fact remains that many of the dire predictions experts made at the beginning of the war have not come to pass,” Coates said.

On the real secondary consequences of Epic Fury—spoiler alert the establishment foreign policy blob was dead wrong. Read all about it in my latest for Fox News: https://t.co/jgrzR4hG0y — Victoria Coates (@VictoriaCoates) April 22, 2026

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604194357

Navy secretary departs immediately as undersecretary takes over in acting role

The secretary of war and deputy secretary of war expressed gratitude for Phelan's service to the Navy

Greg Wehner By Greg Wehner Fox News

Published April 22, 2026 5:53pm EDT

A sudden shakeup at the Pentagon has left the U.S. Navy without its top civilian leader, and an acting official is stepping in immediately.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a post on X Wednesdaythat Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is leaving his post.

"Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan isdeparting the administration, effective immediately. On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War,we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his serviceto the Department and the United States Navy," Parnell wrote.

"We wish him well in his future endeavors.Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Phelan’s office for comment.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John C. Phelan without explanation, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision.

Phelan and his wife, Amy, are friends with President Donald Trump's family and have longstanding ties to Palm Beach, Florida. As recently as last weekend, Amy Phelan hosted a bridal shower at Mar-a-Lago for Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée.

His biography on the U.S. Navy’s websiteshows Phelan was sworn in as the 79th secretary of the Navy in March 2025, overseeing nearly 1 million sailors, Marines, reservists and civilian personnel, along with abudget of more than $260 billion.

His priorities included strengthening shipbuilding, bolstering the maritime industrial base and improving readiness, training and overall quality of life for service members.

Before entering government,Phelan built a career in private equity and investment management. He is the founder and chairman of Rugger Management, a Palm Beach-based investment firm.

Phelan previously co-founded MSD Capital, the investment firm for Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell, and helped lead MSD Partners, which managed assets for outside investors. Under his leadership, the firm generated more than $20 billion in profits and grew assets under management to over $30 billion.

Phelan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Southern Methodist University, where he earned a degree in economics and political science.

His academicbackground also includes studies in economicsand international relations at the London School of Economics.

In addition to his business career, Phelan has been involved in a number of philanthropic and national security-related organizations.

He previously served as chairman of the board of the Third Option Foundation and has been affiliated with groups such as Business Executives for National Security.

His work has also included roles supporting academic institutions, including Harvard Business School and SMU, and initiatives at the London School of Economics.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/navy-secretary-departs-immediately-undersecretary-takes-over-acting-role

My Response to Tucker Carlson

(Very truthful and forthright on Tucker’s comments about Iran and America)

Patrick Bet-David responds to Tucker Carlson’s criticism over comments on Catholics, rejecting the framing and clarifying his stance on different faiths. He challenges Tucker’s recent positions on Islam and the West, while reaffirming his America-first values and ending with a bold call for transparency.

16:19

https://youtu.be/0o77gI_7jNY

>>24529468

That was a great challenge to Tucker.

Gutfeld: The media is oddly incurious… about SPLC

Fox News host Greg Gutfeld reviews the DOJ’s indictment

12:11

https://youtu.be/MTmTA8CLGT0