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| by CLG.org Trump wants U.S. troops to guard Ukraine’s minerals – NBC –Washington reportedly indicated it wants to control 50% of the country’s rare earths wealth as reimbursement for aid | 16 Feb 2025 | The U.S. could send troops to Ukraine to “guard” the country’s rare earth minerals that Washington wants as repayment for aid, NBC reported on Saturday, citing unnamed officials. The report follows US President Donald Trump’s demand of the “equivalent of 500 billion worth of rare earths” from Ukraine in exchange for what he estimated to be “more than 300 billion” Washington has provided to Kiev since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022. Trump’s demand was presented to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kiev earlier this week. According to multiple reports, under the deal, the U.S. is to be granted 50% ownership of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as reimbursement for continued military aid. Zelensky calls for ‘army of Europe’ | 16 Feb 2025 | Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has called for the creation of the “armed forces of Europe,” a continent-wide military force that could repel potential future threats without the help of the U.S. or NATO. He promoted the idea at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, reiterating his earlier warnings that Russia could attack the EU after the Ukraine conflict is over, a notion Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as nonsense. “Many leaders have talked about Europe needing its own military, an army of Europe. And I really believe that time has come. The armed forces of Europe must be created,” he urged. Zelensky went as far as to suggest that Kiev should be given an opportunity to “build” its own NATO in Ukraine. Trump says he and Putin have started negotiations to end the war in Ukraine in bombshell phone call | 12 Feb 2025 | President Donald Trump revealed he has begun negotiations with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. In a 90-minute phone call on Wednesday the two leaders also laid the groundwork for historic summits between them in the U.S. and Moscow. Trump made the bombshell announcement in a lengthy post to his Truth Social account, declaring “the war must end.” He also said the two leaders agreed to visit each other’s countries soon. Announcing the negotiations, Trump wrote: “We want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations.” Hamas agrees to original hostage release plan after Trump’s ultimatum | 13 Feb 2025 | Hamas announced on Thursday it will free three more Israeli hostages as originally planned, according to The Associated Press. The terror group had previously threatened a delay in the release. On Monday President Donald Trump indicated that the issue of whether to call off the ceasefire is “Israel’s decision,” but added that as far as he is concerned, if all hostages are not released by Saturday at 12 o’clock, “cancel it and…let hell break out.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also warned that the ceasefire will end if Hamas fails to free hostages by the noon deadline Saturday. DOGE uncovers secret payment of $9 million to Reuters, the world’s biggest news company, for ‘social deception’ study –A furious Trump demands they pay the money back | 13 Feb 2025 | Donald Trump has demanded that his chief cost-cutter Elon Musk recover millions the federal government paid to Reuters for a mysterious “social engineering defense” project. The years-old contract was discovered by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and reveals that the Pentagon awarded 9.15 million to Thomson Reuters Special Services, LLC (TRSS). It began in September 2018, when President Trump was in office, and concluded in November 2022. The contract was filed under the Pentagon’s “Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services” and “Research and Development” programs. TRSS is a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters Corporation, which is also the parent corporation for the news agency Reuters. The connection to the media company is likely what led to the outrage from DOGE, Musk and Trump over the huge contract. Trump orders end to federal funding for schools that require Covid vaccines | 14 Feb 2025 | President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order halting federal funds for schools that require students to be vaccinated against coronavirus before they can attend classes in person. Trump’s administration has already taken steps to end coronavirus vaccine requirements at the federal level, including for green card applicants, and reinstated service members who were discharged for refusing the vaccine. The order states, “Some school districts and universities continue to coerce children and young adults into taking the COVID-19 vaccine by conditioning their education on it” and warns that others could re-implement such mandates. The president was joined at the Oval Office event by members of his Cabinet, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy saying that the decision to vaccinate should be up to a student’s parents. Biden White House collaborated from the start on Trump documents probe, emails show | 12 Feb 2025 | Newly published emails show the Biden White House cooperated with the National Archives in the Justice Department’s classified documents case against Donald Trump — which allowed the White House to build a predicate for the federal case against Trump that was ultimately dismissed, America First Legal says. The emails, which were obtained in a lawsuit and released by the nonprofit conservative public interest group, show then-Deputy White House Counsel Jonathan Su took a phone call with National Archives and Records Administration officials to discuss the missing boxes allegedly retained illicitly by Trump in September 2021, delaying the agency’s referral to the Department of Justice until after the White House filed a “special access request” the following year. “New NARA emails further confirm that the classified documents case against President Trump was a sham prosecution that involved the Biden White House from the start — long before NARA’s official referral of classified documents to DOJ for investigation,” America First Legal posted to X. Jack Smith, former special counsel who investigated Trump, raises eyebrows by disclosing $140K ‘gift’ | 15 Feb 2025 | Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith accepted $140,000 worth of free legal services in the last weeks before he resigned. Smith ran two criminal investigations into Donald Trump, both of which were dropped after his election victory, as a sitting president can’t be prosecuted. His office charged Trump with illegally retaining classified documents and conspiring to obstruct the investigation into them. Smith resigned on January 10 after Trump boasted he would fire Smith “within two seconds” of taking office if he won the election. Before he stepped down, Smith retained outside counsel from Peter Koski at Covington & Burling — the biggest law firm in Washington, D.C. Smith’s final public disclosure report included the pro bono legal services under the gifts and travel reimbursements section. DOJ announces lawsuit against New York, Hochul, and state AG James over ‘sanctuary’ status | 12 Feb 2025 | The Justice Department announced Wednesday it was suing New York state over its policy of limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, with Gov. Kathy Hochul, state AG Letitia James and DMV chief Mark Schroeder in AG Pam Bondi’s crosshairs. “This is a new DOJ,” Bondi announced. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.” Last week, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to immediately strike down sanctuary policies in Illinois and Chicago, arguing state and local officials “are an obstacle to the Federal Government’s enforcement of the immigration laws and discriminate against federal immigration enforcement.” HHS splurged more than $22B on grants for migrants – including cash for cars, home loans and startups | 13 Feb 2025 | The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ramped up grants for migrants from 2020 to 2024 — which included c-sh assistance to buy cars, homes and even build credit for startup businesses, according to a shocking watchdog report that found taxpayers were left on the hook for 22.6 billion. HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) — which came under fire last year for having lost track of 32,000 migrant kids in the U.S. — handed out the high sum to a host of nonprofits, effectively acting as a “giant magnet” for those crossing the US border and claiming asylum, auditors from the money monitor OpenTheBooks revealed exclusively to The Post. Tasked with settling migrants, asylum seekers and other refugees in America, ORR drastically increased the number of noncitizens eligible to receive funding over the bulk of Joe Biden’s term, with more than 10 billion shelled out to grant-receiving organizations just in fiscal year 2023. FEMA employees fired over ‘egregious’ $59M payment for NYC migrants | 11 Feb 2025 | Four Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees, including a top-level executive, have been fired after sending millions of dollars to New York City to house and care for illegal migrants, according to the Department of Homeland Security. “Effective immediately, FEMA is terminating the employment of four individuals for circumventing leadership to unilaterally make egregious payments for luxury NYC hotels for migrants,” DHS officials said in a statement obtained by The Post. The firings…include FEMA’s chief financial officer, two program analysts and a grant specialist. “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS will not sit idly and allow deep state activists to undermine the will and safety of the American people,” the statement added. NYC Mayor Adams vows to reopen ICE office at Rikers Island following meeting with Trump border czar Tom Homan | 13 Feb 2025 | “We are now working on implementing an executive order that will reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island — as was the case for 20 years,” he said. “But now, instead ICE agents would specifically be focused on assisting the correctional intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs.” “We are now working on implementing an executive order that will reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island — as was the case for 20 years,” he said. “But now, instead ICE agents would specifically be focused on assisting the correctional intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs.” ICE agents apprehend Brazilian national convicted of sexual assault in CT | 12 Feb 2025 | Immigration officials have apprehended a Brazilian national who legally entered the country more than 20 years ago and later violated the terms of his admission when he was convicted of sexually assaulting someone in Connecticut. Emerson Eduardo Ferreira, 52, was arrested in Brooklyn on Jan. 24 after he was released from state custody, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Boston Field Office. ICE officials said Ferreira on August 9, 2023, was convicted in Bridgeport Superior Court on charges of sexual assault of a spouse or cohabitant, first-degree unlawful restraint, and two counts of violation of a protective order. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison, suspended after service of four years, and 10 years of probation. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to Dem operatives, including a ‘disinformation expert,’ via their ch-rity – sparking calls for a congressional investigation | 14 Feb 2025 | Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to controversial political operatives through their ch-rity, according to documents reviewed by The Post. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been spending big on high level Democrat party aligned sources, according to public records, including hiring a “disinformation expert” who worked at a company involved in every high-profile U.S. election since the 90s. The Archewell Foundation, the California-based non-profit started by Harry and Meghan in 2020, doled out 146,500 to Jiore Craig in 2023, an independent media strategist who has been called the Democrats’ “go-to” for “countering disinformation,” according to a report. Washington, D.C. housing market plummets as DOGE lays off thousands of federal workers | 16 Feb 2025 | Home prices in Washington, D.C., have plummeted since the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency began discussing layoffs. Since Donald Trump took office, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has fired thousands of federal workers in a push to reduce spending. In the wake of those layoffs, droves of former federal employees have packed up their bags and put their homes on the market, causing the average listing price to sink, The Kobeissi Letter (TKL) reported. In November, the median home in the nation’s capital was worth 699,000, according to Redfin. By February, the median home value dropped 20 percent, bringing the price down to 560,000. RFK Jr. sworn in as Health and Human Services secretary –Kennedy told the story of his first visit to the Oval Office when his uncle was president | 13 Feb 2025 | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as the new secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), hours after being confirmed in the Republican-controlled Senate Thursday by a close vote of 52-48 that was almost entirely along party lines. Kennedy stood in the Oval Office alongside his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, and accompanied by his children, while he placed his hand on a Bible and swore the oath of office. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch swore in Kennedy. After the ceremony, Kennedy told attendees about his first visit to the Oval Office. [Deep-state traitor] Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against Kennedy’s nomination. Senate confirms Tulsi Gabbard as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence – deep-state fossil Mitch McConnell is lone ‘Republican’ to vote no | 12 Feb 2025 | The Senate voted to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the country’s top U.S. intelligence official despite some lawmakers sounding the alarm over her past actions. Gabbard was considered one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees when he named her his pick for Director of National Intelligence. The Senate voted 52 – 48 to confirm Gabbard to become the next DNI. Notably, the longtime former Republican leader Mitch McConnell voted against Gabbard’s appointment to the role. He was the lone Republican ‘no’ vote on her confirmation. The final vote came after Gabbard, a former Democratic lawmakers and lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, had her nomination moved favorably out of the Senate Intelligence Committee along party lines last week. |
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Categories: National/International News
Rare Earths deal a good deal securing supply for the USA in the short to mid term while we ramp up the North American supply.
Z is getting greedy. Trump should also demand free elections to be held promptly as part of the deal.
It is amazing when people go along with the idea of one country stealing the resources of another country. Would another try to steal my land in Vermont if I had good water?????
I think that receiving half of the rare earths that Ukraine has is a fair trade for the hundreds of billions of dollars given to them for their defense against Russia. Woudn’t you give up a mineral on your land to someone who would help you keep that land from another forcing you to give it up.
It is so reassuring having Donald Trump run the country like a business… like one of his failed casinos.