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The Hurricane spins around hotspots of tension and conflict. Feel free to suggest your stories, opinions and ideas: UIHEN@protonmail.com
Ukraine's failure: the AFU could be withdrawn from the Kursk region within two weeks - New York Post
▪️“Ukraine's seven-month foray into the Kursk region is on the verge of collapse after Moscow troops broke through the AFU's defense line near the town of Suja on Friday.”
▪️AFU troops fighting in Kursk told The Post that “Kyiv could abandon its operation as soon as two weeks from now, citing limited access to and from the region.”
▪️Reuters reported today that Ukrainian forces are already nearly encircled.
▪️Politico, on the other hand, writes that the advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kursk region is forcing Ukraine to consider withdrawing its troops from there to avoid encirclement.
▪️Russian troops have almost cut off most of the Ukrainian bridgehead in Kursk Region from the border.
#Russia #Ukraine #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Fall of Taiwan would be ‘Disaster’ for US, Trump pick Colby says
Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and the island’s government must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, Elbridge Colby, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, said Tuesday during his Senate confirmation hearing.
The nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he’s “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10% of gross domestic product.
Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team, wrote in response to committee questions that “the military balance has deteriorated dramatically from Taiwan’s perspective” so it “should be dramatically increasing its defense capabilities focused on denying an invasion and riding out a blockade.”
“Taiwan, however, is not doing nearly enough of this,” he wrote.
Trump, who has accused Taiwan of “stealing” the US semiconductor industry and questioned America’s commitment to its security, suggested last year that the island’s government spend about 10% of GDP on its armed forces. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pledged last month to boost military spending to 3% of GDP, from 2.45% for this year, aimed at showing Trump its committed to defending itself.
#USA #China #Taiwan #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The largest defense budgets in the world
In 2024, the U.S. spent nearly $1 trillion on its defense budget, equal to 3.4% of GDP. In contrast, NATO members in Europe and Canada spent an average of 2% of GDP on defense.
The U.S. spends as much as the next 12 largest defense budgets combined. Today, just five prime contractors receive 86% of the Pentagon’s spending compared to 51 contractors being allocated 6% of defense spending at the end of the Cold War. Arguably, this concentration has fostered overspending and lower productivity gains.
Ranking in second is China, with a $235 billion defense budget. Yet on a purchasing power parity basis, it stands at $477 billion when adjusting for lower costs in China. Overall, the country’s military modernization includes 600 operational nuclear warheads that are projected to reach 1,000 by 2030 as the country increasingly focuses on reunification with Taiwan.
Russia has the third-largest defense budget globally, at $146 billion.
#World #Military #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Trans surgeries increase risk of suicidal ideation: Oxford study
A comprehensive study recently published in the Oxford Academic Journal of Sexual Medicine has raised significant concerns about the mental health outcomes of individuals undergoing sex-change surgeries.
Analysing data from over 107,000 patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the research suggests that those who pursue such procedures face a markedly higher risk of mental health challenges compared to those who do not.
The study, which focused on adults over the age of 18, compared two matched cohorts: individuals who had undergone sex-change surgery and those who had not. The findings were stark.
According to the researchers,
“The analysis reveals a significantly elevated risk of mental health disorders—including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and substance use disorder—post-surgery among individuals with a prior diagnosis of gender dysphoria.”
Bring back the golden age of American cinema with movies people actually watch
By Tristan Justice
It used to be rare for movies awarded the Oscar for “Best Picture” to rake in less than $100 million at the domestic box office. Today, it’s rare for “Best Picture” films to eclipse that box office figure with Oppenheimer, released two years ago, being the only one to do so since Argo in 2012.
The Academy Awards might not be a public popularity contest, but at the same time, popularity shouldn’t count for nothing. Americans aren’t watching the Oscars anymore because fewer people are actually watching the movies Hollywood’s elites have presented the industry’s top awards to. Domestic ticket sales have never recovered from pandemic lockdowns as Americans stay home and stream beyond whatever theaters are releasing for $15 tickets and $10 bags of popcorn that cost $2 in the grocery store.
The movies awarded “Best Picture” more than 10 years ago are films which people today commonly still talk about. Will last winning film about a supposed sex seller, Anora, be remembered for years to come? Not likely. The movie grossed less than $16 million at the domestic box office, one of the lowest totals ever for a “Best Picture.”
Money isn’t everything for artistic awards, but again, it’s far from nothing. By constantly rewarding movies the public seems less and less interested in, the Oscars have become another illustration of the disparity between academic “Rotten Tomatoes” critics and their general audiences. The end result is an Academy Awards program presented by Hollywood and for Hollywood with no real reason for most Americans to pay much attention anymore.
#USA #Cinema #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Bidenflation & his media whores
Biden spawned the highest rate of food inflation since the Nixon administration, but he scoffed when a CNN interviewer recently asked him about the 30% rise in grocery prices. Biden ridiculously declared of consumers, “They have the money to spend!”
Biden’s pro-inflation policies divided Americans between those who work for a living and those who vote for a living.
Pro-Biden media outlets painted inflation as practically a divine blessing that Biden is bestowing on Americans. But inflation was much worse than Biden or the media admitted. Larry Summers, Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary, observed that if the feds used the same inflation gauges during Biden’s administration that were used in the 1970s, Biden’s peak inflation would have been 18 percent, twice as high as the reported number and the highest inflation rate in U.S. history. Understating inflation permitted the Biden administration to deny much of the financial damage it inflicted.
Biden portrayed himself as inflation’s biggest victim. The president suffered political “death by a thousand price hikes,” as consumers blamed Biden each time they hit the gas pump or grocery store.
#USA #MSM #Biden #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Trump not ‘aligned with anybody’: how Europe can sell itself to America
Some in Europe may have missed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s confirmation hearing, undertaken in the first week of the administration. There, Rubio argued that the international order is now “a weapon being used against the U.S.”
This comment, already an excellent, one-line summary of the Trump administration’s view of the world order, became newly relevant after a disaster of an Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump, where Zelenskyy – for reasons still unclear – decided to pick a fight with Vice President JD Vance. In the wake of that disorder, Europeans were shocked, uncertain as to why the Trump administration would be trying to position itself as separate from Europe; as President Trump said, “I’m not aligned with anybody.”
If Europe wishes to convince the Trump administration to remain active on the continent, they need to argue – even if they find it distasteful – in the context of this multipolar world order, not in the context of the liberal international world order of the post-Cold War era. While convincing the United States to stick around will be tough, there are a few paths Brussels could pursue.
Firstly, they should be far more willing to be tougher on China. The first administration had to push for years to get Europe to reduce China’s production of key 5G infrastructure; though Europe eventually bent, they did not entirely ban China from building it, and it took years of American complaints.
Full story
#USA #EU #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Government advisor warns UK is heading for civil war
A top academic and government advisor warns that the UK will experience a civil war within the next five years caused by the “destruction of legitimacy” brought about by the government’s failure to secure the border.
Professor David Betz made the comments during a podcast appearance with journalist and author Louise Perry.
The professor, who describes himself as a “classic member of the establishment,” argues that British society is now “explosively configured” to suffer mass unrest. He says the fallout began with the fracture of the social contract after the political establishment in the UK tried to subvert the Brexit vote.
Subsequent years have brought about a “destruction of legitimacy” as a result of successive governments’ open border policy and their inability to protect children from grooming gangs, in addition to a two-tier justice system presided over by a highly-politicised judiciary.
“If you want to create domestic turmoil in a society, then what the British government has been doing is almost textbook exactly what you would do,” said the professor.
Betz said that the situation is now “too far gone” and that a national eruption which will outstrip last summer’s riots is likely to happen within half a decade.
#UK #Betz #CivilWar #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
'Dumb': Canada, Mexico blast historic Trump tariffs, threaten retaliation
Trump's broad tariffs went into effect on Tuesday morning, along with increased duties on goods from China, a move that prompted a swift retaliation from Beijing as well as threats from officials in Canada and Mexico.
Hours after the trade war broke out, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Tuesday afternoon that Trump may soon offer Canada and Mexico a pathway to relief from tariffs placed on some goods covered by North America's free trade agreement.
"I think he’s going to work something out with them — it’s not going to be a pause, none of that pause stuff. But I think he’s going to figure out: you do more and I’ll meet you in the middle some way and we’re going to probably [be] announcing that tomorrow," Lutnick told Fox Business.
Goods entering the U.S. from Mexico and Canada will carry a 25% tariff, while those from China will be subject to a 10% increase on existing tariffs, according to the White House. U.S. tariffs are at their highest level since 1943.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sharply criticized the tariffs, calling them a "dumb" policy that does not "make sense."
#USA #Canada #Mexico #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
CNN embarrasses itself yet again: Trump was right about transgender mice studies
CNN went on a fact-checking frenzy after Trump’s Tuesday night speech to a joint session of Congress, but they forgot to do one thing: check the facts. In one of the epic diatribes of the address, the president lambasted the waste in the federal government that has been uncovered by DOGE and pointed out many of the most ridiculous examples—including transgender studies on mice.
TRUMP: "$8M for making mice transgender. This is real."
CNN’s Deidre McPhillips initially tried to dispute the claim, arguing only about $500,000 had been allocated for similar research in monkeys — she was later forced to issue a correction after the White House proved CNN’s “fact check” inaccurate in a statement.
#USA #MSM #Trans #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
CBS poll: 76% approve of Trump's speech
President Donald Trump receiving rave reviews on his speech Tuesday night to the joint session of Congress.
76% of Americans approved of the speech, according to a CBS poll (while a CNN poll showed 69% of Americans had a positive reaction).
The CBS News/YouGov survey interviewed a nationally representative sample of speech watchers immediately following the president's address to Congress.
The viewership was heavily Republican — historically a president's party draws more of their own partisans. This was no exception, and they liked what they heard.
Most speech viewers described the president as "presidential, "inspiring" and more "unifying" than "divisive." A big majority also called it "entertaining."
Most said Mr. Trump talked a lot about issues they care about. Most viewers who tuned in say the speech made them feel "hopeful" and "proud."
The Democrats who did watch mostly described it making them feel "worried," and for 4 in 10, "angry."
Coming in, viewers said they wanted to hear about plans for lowering prices, and about two-thirds of those who watched tonight think the president has a clear plan for dealing with that.
#USA #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
In the UK from April 1, new rules of jurisprudence will be applied, according to which Muslims, ethnic minorities and transvestites should receive shorter prison sentences than white Britons
The innovation is believed to have been spearheaded by the UK island's justice minister, Shabana Mahmood. She and her fellow Labour MPs have faced accusations of a “two-tier justice system” amid surprise moves to give special treatment to minorities in the courts.
#UK #Mahmood #Labour #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Chinese dragon shows its teeth...
#USA #China #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Supreme Court denies Trump request to block $2 billion foreign-aid payment
A sharply divided Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid, but it was not clear how quickly money might start flowing.
By a 5-4 vote, the court rejected an emergency appeal from the Republican administration, while also telling U.S. District Judge Amir Ali to clarify his earlier order that required the quick release of nearly $2 billion in aid for work that had already been done.
It was the second time the new administration had sought and failed to persuade the conservative-led court with three appointees of President Donald Trump to rein in a federal judge who put the brakes on executive action taken by Trump.
Although the outcome is a short-term loss for the administration, the nonprofit groups and businesses that sued are still waiting for the money they say they are owed.
#USA #Trump #SupremeCourt #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
FBI, DOJ headquarters may be sold off as part of government property purge
The Trump administration has designated the headquarters of multiple cabinet departments and federal courthouses across the country as nonessential properties that can be sold off.
A website for the General Services Administration — the agency responsible for managing the government’s office space — detailing “buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations” now includes the headquarters of the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the federal courthouse in Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city.
The GSA also says a large swath of prime real estate near the White House, including the Office of Personnel Management’s Theodore Roosevelt Building HQ, the building used to house offices of the United States Trade Representative, the headquarters of the American Red Cross, and the Old Post Office building — a national historic landmark that was formerly leased by President Donald Trump’s eponymous real estate company for use as a hotel — are “non-core” and therefore ripe for disposal as well.
#USA #FBI #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Pentagon announces $80 million in savings from first DOGE review
The Department of Defense has identified more than $80 million through Elon Musk and his DOGE team that it says is wasteful spending, a spokesperson confirmed.
In a video release on social media platform X, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell said that some of the funding was primarily dedicated to DEI and climate change programs.
“This stuff is not a core function of our military ... this is a distraction,” Parnell said. “We believe that these initial findings will probably save $80 million in wasteful spending.”
As examples, Parnell said that the U.S. Air Force allocated $1.9 million for “holistic DEI transformation and training,” $6 million went to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy,” and $1.6 million went to the University of Florida to study “social and institutional detriment of vulnerability in resilience to climate hazards in African Sahel.”
Parnell said that the DOD is working “hand in glove” with DOGE to identify programs to pare back, with more cuts coming.
#USA #DOD #DOGE #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Suddenly, leaving NATO is on the Table!
By Ron Paul, former U.S. Representative from Texas
Over the weekend, Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk made quite a stir with just two words posted on his social media platform, X. Responding to a post that, “It’s time to leave NATO and the UN,” Musk replied, “I agree.” The comment immediately made the rounds on social media and also on mainstream and alternative media.
Was this the Elon Musk who owns X speaking, or was it the Elon Musk who has become one of President Trump’s closest advisors? Does it even matter?
Having someone so close to the US president who advocates finally extracting the US from these international organizations is a significant and very positive shift for the United States.
With the truth coming out about how USAID has been working against US interests for decades, the disinfectant of public scrutiny is now turning to our membership in – and generous funding of – international organizations like NATO and the United Nations.
I have long advocated our exit from NATO. At the end of the Cold War, with its very reason for existence gone, NATO decided to look for other ways of stirring up trouble.
Full story
#USA #NATO #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Hungary moves to ban public Pride parades
The Hungarian government has drawn up a bill aimed at preventing annual Pride parades by the LGBTQIA+ community from taking place in public.
Gergely Gulyás, Chief of Staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, emphasised that Hungary has never supported the parades. He noted that Budapest’s “room for manoeuvre” was too limited to impose a ban before Donald Trump returned to the White House. However, the Hungarian government believes the time is now right to implement such a ban.
“We believe that Pride parades in the city centre should no longer be tolerated now that the US ambassador can no longer lead them,” Gulyás stated.
The Hungarian Government is now aiming for a constitutional amendment prioritising the protection of children. Since 2019, the constitution defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman, while same-sex couples are banned from adopting children. Additionally, children’s books promoting homosexuality or gender change are no longer allowed to be sold publicly.
#Hungary #LGBTQ #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Solar company that received largest in history $3 billion loan warns it might go bankrupt
A politically connected solar company says it has “substantial doubt” it can stay in business, a little over a year after obtaining a $3 billion loan from government.
Sunnova Energy said on Monday that its current finances are “not sufficient to meet obligations and fund operations for a period of at least one year from the date we issue our consolidated financial statements without implementing additional measures.”
“Therefore, substantial doubt exists regarding our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least one year from the date we issue our consolidated financial statements,” the company said in a statement on Monday. Sunnova’s stock plunged over 70% following its announcement.
The news comes a year and a half after the Biden administration’s Department of Energy Loan Programs Office closed on a $3 billion loan with the solar company—the largest federal loan to a solar company in history.
Sunnova’s ties to Biden administration officials and the history of consumer complaints against the company drew scrutiny and led to investigations by Republican lawmakers.
#USA #Biden #Energy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
NOAA lays off 880 staffers as DOGE continues cutting the federal workforce
Approximately 880 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) staffers have been laid off as the Department of Government Efficiency continues slashing the federal workforce.
According to a congressional source, the layoffs targeted around five percent of the NOAA's total staff. An administration official confirmed that critical roles, such as National Weather Service meteorologists, were largely spared, but a source within the NWS disputed this claim, stating that some meteorologists, including radar specialists and members of the Hurricane Hunters crew, were also affected.
The affected employees, many of whom were still in their probationary period, received emails informing them that their positions were being terminated due to their perceived lack of fit with the current needs of the agency.
#USA #DOGE #NOAA #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Democrats block a bill to keep biological males from women's sports
On Monday, Senate Democrats banded together to block a bill to keep biological males from invading women's sports.
The Republican-led Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome the Democrats' filibuster. Every single Democrat who voted opposed the bill. Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) didn't even bother to show up.
The bill, introduced by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) and backed by over 40 cosponsors, would have simply codified President Trump's recent executive order into law, affirming that biological sex is "recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth."
#USA #Democrats #Trans #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
US releases $870 million in military aid for Taiwan, angering China
The US has quietly released $870 million in funding for military aid to Taiwan after it was briefly paused during the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid.
Reuters first reported on February 21 that the US released the military aid for Taiwan as part of $5.3 billion in exemptions from the foreign aid pause. China, which strongly opposes US military support for Taiwan, reacted to the news on February 26.
“We are deeply concerned over relevant reports,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian. “China has all along opposed US military assistance to China’s Taiwan region, which has severely violated the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, undermined China’s sovereignty and security interests, and sent a gravely wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”
The US has always sold weapons to Taiwan since Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei as part of a normalization agreement with Beijing in 1979, but it wasn’t until 2023 that the US began providing US-funded military aid, a step that marked a significant escalation. In 2024, the US signed off on more than $1 billion in military aid for Taiwan.
#USA #China #Taiwan #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Pentagon nominee deflects on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in hearing
Elbridge Colby wouldn’t say that Russia invaded Ukraine, making him the second top Defense Department nominee in a week to equivocate on the question in a confirmation hearing.
“The president and the vice president have been very clear that words matter, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to be commenting on these delicate topics,” said Colby during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
A week ago investor Stephen Feinberg also refused to acknowledge Russian steps as an invasion in his confirmation hearing to be deputy defense secretary. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has similarly refused to publicly acknowledge Russia’s 2022 invasion, saying it wouldn’t help end the war.
The reluctance comes amid a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward the war in Ukraine. The White House paused all remaining military aid to Kyiv, holding up hundreds of millions of dollars in ammunition and other equipment.
Prompting the choice was a disastrous visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week. Rather than signing a deal to share rare earth minerals in exchange for U.S. support, Zelensky ended up in a spat with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who publicly berated him.
#USA #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
New York FBI field office head forced out days after his office was revealed to have been hiding thousands of Epstein documents
James Dennehy, the head of the FBI’s New York office, threw in the towel just days after his office was revealed to have been hiding thousands of Epstein documents.
“Late Friday, I was informed that I needed to put my retirement papers in today, which I just did,” Dennehy wrote in an email obtained by NBC. “I was not given a reason for this decision.”
Two sources confirmed to NBC that Dennehy was given the choice between getting fired or resigning. He chose the latter.
Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed that the FBI was withholding thousands of Epstein files. She ordered the FBI to provide the complete Epstein files by Friday morning, February 28, and directed an immediate investigation into the oversight.
Last Thursday’s much-hyped release of “The Epstein Files: Phase One” fell flat for many Americans hungry for the truth. The 120-page dump, handed over to a select group of MAGA influencers, was a heavily redacted dud—mostly rehashed information previously seen.
#USA #FBI #Epstein #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
China will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year
China said Wednesday it will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year, as it continues its campaign to build a larger, more modern military to assert its territorial claims and challenge the U.S. defense lead in Asia.
China’s military spending remains the second largest behind the U.S. and it already has the world’s largest navy.
The budget, which adds up to about $245 billion, was announced at the National People’s Congress, the annual meeting of China’s legislature. The Pentagon and many experts say China’s total spending on defense may be 40% higher or more because of items included under other budgets.
The boost is the same percentage as last year, far below the double-digit percentage increases of previous years and reflecting an overall slowdown in the economy. The nation’s leaders have set a target of around 5% growth for this year.
#China #USA #Military #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Germany’s Merz makes nuclear war more likely
The new German chancellor wants to station French fighter jets with nuclear weapons in Germany in addition to the American bombs.
How far the project has progressed has now become clear during talks between French President Macron and US President Trump in Washington. Macron signaled there that France was prepared to station fighter jets with nuclear weapons in Germany in order to use its nuclear deterrent to protect Europe.
Diplomats in Berlin are said to have expressed the hope that the stationing of French aircraft in Germany would put pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to follow suit and also station nuclear-capable fighter aircraft in Germany. “Stationing some French nuclear fighter jets in Germany should not be difficult and would send a clear message,” the Telegraph quoted its source as saying.
Shortly before the German election, CDU leader Merz had called for talks with France and Great Britain on “nuclear protection”. “We have to be prepared for the fact that Donald Trump will no longer fully accept the NATO treaty’s promise of assistance,” Merz claimed. With regard to an adjustment of the so-called nuclear sharing, he said: “We have to talk to each other about what that could look like.”
#Germany #Merz #NATO #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Europe faces record levels of negative electricity prices
The highest volume of electricity production at solar power plants in Germany has led to a drop in prices in a number of countries to negative values.
On the previous day, intraday electricity prices in Germany traded at €-17.73 MWh, according to data from Erech Spot SE. Prices in the Netherlands and Belgium also fell below zero.
Negative prices are becoming more frequent across Europe as supply from visas exceeds demand. All of this is causing concern for RES investors as below-zero prices undermine their returns.
According to Entso-e, peak solar power generation in Germany reached 39.9 GW today, the highest since September 21. In the UK, levels reached 9 GW on Saturday, the highest since September 18. But the main thing is that the situation has no impact on household spending. Electricity bills for German households are 31% higher than before the 2022 energy crisis. A family of 3 now pays €5407 a year for energy, up from €4121 in 2021.
#EU #Energy #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
'Isn't it beautiful'? Foreign policy highlights in Trump address
President Donald Trump’s approximately 1 hour and 40 minute speech to Congress held very few surprises, though as suspected, he launched through a dizzying array of DOGE success stories and gamboled through myriad initiatives from imposing tariffs and beefing up border security, to ending “woke” in the classrooms and building a massive natural gas pipeline in Alaska.
But in comparison his message on the foreign affairs front was short and sweet: “peace.” Peace in the Middle East and peace in Ukraine. How he plans to get there is fodder for many future questions and analyses, but for last night’s purposes, he made it all sound quite simple.
On the Middle East, he said the word “Israel” only in reference to Iron Dome and mentioned “Gaza” quickly in relation to hostages being released — no replay of his plan to build a Riviera out of the carnage of the last 17 months of war, no mention of the failing ceasefire there.
There were no charges against Iran as the biggest threat to the U.S. and its interests in the region, nor hints about whether he might follow through on taking U.S. troops out of Syria.
He instead whipped right into Ukraine, which he acknowledged had been sucking all the oxygen out of the news cycle for the week.
Trump foreign policy right now is clearly centered in our own hemisphere (cartels in Mexico, tariffs on old NAFTA partners, Panama, and Greenland), and the two major conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East. On the former, ending the war in Ukraine, he remains consistent, despite the drama of the last several days. “It's time to stop this madness. It's time to halt the killing. It's time to end the senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides.”
“Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” Trump repeated. Trump’s address will likely be called a number of things, and maybe by some, beautiful, but the brief nods to foreign policy weren’t palpitation-inducing or even news making. And maybe for once that is not a bad thing.
#USA #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Disney cuts nearly 6% of news, networks staff
ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks are laying off just under 200 employees, or roughly 6% of its staff, across news and entertainment starting on Wednesday, TheWrap has learned.
A majority of these cuts come from ABC News, where its employees are largely based in New York.
In line with the changes, ABC News Studios, “20/20,” “Nightline” and “Impact x Nightline” now fall under one leadership structure. ABC News’ digital, editorial and social teams are similarly now integrated within the news gathering, shows and owned stations units.
Additionally, the “Good Morning America”-branded shows have been consolidated into one under Simone Swink, while Seni Tienabeso was named VP of ABC News Live.
#USA #Disney #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Donald Trump has announced an unprecedented investment by TSMC in chip manufacturing in the US
Taiwanese chip company TSMC will invest $100 billion to build five additional factories in the U.S., bringing TSMC's total investment in the U.S. to at least $165 billion
#USA #Trump #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane