One Week Down, 207 Remaining

Trump has sucked all the air out of the news cycle. On Joe Rogan Trump mused, "I don't know why the media is so fixated on me". To which Joe responded, "I know why...cause you say lots of crazy shit!". Well Trump has been true to form in the first week of his presidency. Larry Johnson wrote an article about the first 24 hours with the title "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", in which he lists all the many executive orders and actions. It is an apt title. To my mind in general he's better on the domestic front than foreign policy. Larry Johnson thinks he's being misled by the CIA, et al. about foreign issues. One thing seems certain, it will be an interesting and entertaining 4 years. Of course there's much more than just Trump news this week. The EU and UK continue their decline, BRICS continues to rise, Ukraine is in dire straits, the Gaza ceasefire is temporarily holding although the IDF continues the capture of the West Bank, plus more below the fold.

Looks like Trump and the establishment dark state will go head to head...
De-Weaponizing The Federal Government
We’re going to be seeing a lot more swamp creatures quickly exiting their positions at the DOJ and throughout our intelligence apparatus. Donald Trump, from his first day in office, has served notice he isn’t kidding. He’s taking names and he’s going to be kicking ass. His orders are going to be obeyed or he’ll find people who will obey them. From the relevant executive order: Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to the weaponization of law enforcement and the weaponization of the Intelligence Community.
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That’s going to be Pam Bondi, who is going to have to clear out a lot of people determined to keep the DOJ weaponized and who plan to sabotage Trump and Bondi. But oh, won’t such a report be something? (b) The Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the heads of the appropriate departments and agencies within the Intelligence Community, shall take all appropriate action to review the activities of the Intelligence Community over the last 4 years and identify any instances where the Intelligence Community’s conduct appears to have been contrary to the purposes and policies of this order, and prepare a report to be submitted to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the National Security Advisor, with recommendations for appropriate remedial actions to be taken to fulfill the purposes and policies of this order.
The DNI would be Tulsi Gabbard, a convert to sanity and a long-serving military officer. This EO gives the DNI not only a new focus, but new power over the heads of every part of the Intelligence Community, and that report is also going to be explosive. We can expect remedial actions will not only involve reorganization, but large-scale firings and even prosecutions. That’s going to be a real problem for Pam Bondi. Some criminals and Biden dead-enders have already left the DOJ, but many remain behind, hoping to stay under the radar so they can stealthily sabotage everything Bondi hopes to accomplish. She’s going to have to spend a great deal of time getting rid of those enemies of liberty. At least some of them will have an inherent conflict of interest in investigating or prosecuting traitors, because they were conspiring with them.

COL. Lawrence Wilkerson : Can Trump Tame the State Dept?

(21 min)

Trump vs. The Establishment, Who Will Win? (Paul Craig Roberts)
What Trump and his Attorney General need to understand is that there is no one in the Department of Justice who has an ounce of integrity and who is not anti-American. The DOJ has not protected Americans’ constitutional rights for a quarter century and longer. Instead, the DOJ has been busy inventing rights for immigrant-invaders and criminals. For Trump to move forward, the entire Justice Department has to be replaced. Trump has issued executive orders making it easier to fire civil service obstructionists of the president’s orders and the will of the people. But the civil service union is already at work relying on federal judges to block Trump’s executive order. The law suits will continue forever. If Trump and his administration accept this prohibition on its ability to govern and keep its campaign promises, the corrupt American Establishment will have won.
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Trump and his supporters need to understand that the Establishment is institutionalized in the bureaucracies of his own government. For decades Americans have been suffering violence from their government. It is way past time to send the violence back, in a double dose, to the criminal American Establishment. If Trump and his government cannot bring themselves to the real challenge, America is lost. Trump’s agenda will spend four years tied up in law courts. Democracy is the most effective system ever invented, not for bringing change, but for blocking it. The Establishment intends to block every Trump change.

I must admit I'm all for trying, but not very hopeful the beast can be slain.

Jimmy was hopeful about both the inauguration speech and most of the executive orders:
Trump Restores Free Speech, Two Genders, Reverses Vaccine Mandates & Much More!

(29 min) Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, and during his inaugural speech insisted that he will, in fact, return America to its past greatness. Some of the highlights from the speech include Trump’s pledge to declare a state of emergency at the border, restore all back pay to soldiers who refused the vaxx mandates, retake control of the Panama Canal, rename the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali and declare that there are only two genders.

Trump Makes Promise Every President SHOULD Make But Don’t! (29 min)
Jimmy thinks his call for peace was the most important part of the speech.

SHOCK & AWE! 200 Executive Orders On Day One! Trump Hits The Ground Sprinting!

President Donald Trump put pen to paper Monday, signing an estimated 200 executive orders relating to ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government, strictly defining two genders and enforcing heightened border security.
Trump signed a few nominations and executive orders from Capitol Hill following his inauguration and then more in front of a crowd of his supporters at Capital One Arena. The first order he signed at the arena revoked 78 executive orders signed by former President Joe Biden.

As to the Jan.6 pardons, some truth is leaking out about how it was a psyop.

(49 min - worth a quick listen to at least part of the interview)
All charges against actor Jay Johnston, known for his roles on Arrested Development, Bob’s Burgers and other TV and film comedies, have been dropped over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
Johnston, 55, was arrested in June of last year, charged with a felony count of interfering with law enforcement officers during civil disorder and several misdemeanors. He pleaded guilty to the felony civil disorder charge before U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols and was originally sentenced to a year in prison.

What about all of Biden's Pardon's. Rand Paul speaks about the blanket pardon for Dr Falsie.

Sen. Rand Paul : Is Fauci a Felon?

Trump Cancels Fauci’s $15M Security Detail: Fallout Begins

Overnight, Donald Trump made a decisive move, canceling Dr. Anthony Fauci’s $15M-per-year taxpayer-funded security detail. This dramatic decision is already sending shockwaves through political and public health circles.
The controversy doesn’t stop there. Fauci, previously shielded from accountability under a sweeping presidential pardon issued by Joe Biden, may now face renewed scrutiny. Questions about his role in COVID-19 vaccine approvals, gain-of-function research, and the pandemic’s origins are far from settled.
This move has international implications too. Both Labor and Liberal governments in Australia have repeatedly blocked investigations into COVID-19 vaccines, relying heavily on Fauci’s U.S. certification of safety. With Fauci’s protective shield crumbling, calls for transparency and accountability in global vaccine decisions are growing louder.
Trump’s decision to revoke the security detail signals that the matter is far from over. Critics argue it’s time for an independent investigation into Fauci’s actions, while supporters see this as a necessary step toward uncovering the truth.
Is this the start of Fauci’s reckoning?

May be he doesn't get off Scot free.

There's beginning to be some truth leaking about the COVID con.

Dr. Pierre Kory Unveils the Immunological Catastrophe: The Misattribution of Post-Vaccination Syndromes to Long COVID in a Flagrant Display of Scientific Negligence
"I tell you another deception. The entire country medical system calls the chronic problems after COVID, they call it long COVID, right? You've heard of the term disease long COVID. So I'm an expert at it."
"But the reality is, if you look at my practice, maybe 1,200 patients, 70% are long vax, not long COVID, meaning all of their issues, the syndrome started after the vaccine, not COVID. The vast majority are long vax. And so, The only disease that's recognized in this country is long COVID."
"All the academic medical centers, they have these little long COVID clinics. It's not vaccine injury clinics, it's long COVID clinics. So there's this constant burying of the role of the vaccine in what's befallen society. Well, why? I mean, that's so evil that it's hard to believe it's happening."
"It threatens so much. It not only threatens... the reputation credibility of our health agencies, which is already, I think, splintered and fragmented. Yes. I mean, a week ago, a paper was published in the Journal of American Medical Association."
"I just saw it this morning where they actually surveyed people's attitudes towards the agencies and the vaccines. And a majority, about half to 60%, all have concerns over whether these things are safe."
"Now, I don't think that was going to be the answer two years ago, but a good portion of society now is now questioning whether the agencies are telling the truth when they make these proclamations, but you can see it in their hesitancy to get the boosters. I mean, those numbers are plummeting."
"So I do think that people are slowly becoming aware. But for those of us who've been aware for a long time and have been trying to fight to get people informed, it's been a war. It's been a long couple of years."

Trump is pulling the US out of the WHO. Given their COVID performance that seems a good thing to me. The WHO appears to be a power grab.

The pandemic treaty provided for WHO control of national policies.

The Shocking Crimes Biden’s Family Committed & Why They Needed Pardons! (15 min)
President Biden announced pardons for members of his family in the last minutes of his presidency, a development that came as President-elect Trump’s inauguration was already underway. The blanket pardons were granted to his brother, James Biden; his sister-in-law, Sara Jones Biden; his sister, Valerie Biden Owens; his brother-in-law, John T. Owens; and his youngest brother, Francis Biden.
Biden said the pardons do not acknowledge any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be viewed as an admission of guilt. They cover any nonviolent offense from Jan. 1, 2014, to Sunday.
Jimmy and Kurt Metzger discuss just why Biden’s siblings would need pardons and the allegations of money laundering, influence peddling and human trafficking against them.

Biden Pardons Jan 6 Committee CRIMINALS!
On his last day in office, President Joe Biden issued pardons to members of Congress and staff who served on the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol and recommended that Trump be prosecuted for his role in the insurrection.
Those pardoned include former Wyoming Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, who helped lead the investigation, and now-Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California who also led the prosecution in Trump’s first impeachment trial. The chair of the panel was Representative Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat. Former Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, along with Cheney, were the only Republicans on the committee.
Jimmy and Kurt Metzger discuss the stunning turnaround from Democrats who insisted that anyone receiving a pardon issued by Trump meant an admission of guilt in the commission of a crime.

On the foreign side, Trump doesn't look so well to my mind...now he talks a big game about peace, but seems to have no depth of understanding how to achieve it.
Trump Goes on the Offensive against Russia, China, and Iran | Alastair Crooke Interview (68 min)

UK diplomat Alastair Crooke joins Counter Currents host and former CIA analyst Larry Johnson to discuss the following issues:
What is the current Trump's stance to Russia?
What is the expected move the US gonna make to divide Russia and China?
What is wrong wit US policy towards Iran?

As Alastair describes the UK and Eu circling around the drain. The Duran had some discussion about it this week.
The EU is in freak out mode with both Trump's election and the rise of nationalists parties which they describe as far right.
Germany elections, momentum with AfD Alice Weidel

The video discusses upcoming German elections, with AfD and Alice Weidel gaining momentum. It analyzes potential outcomes, the decline of traditional parties, and the implications for German and EU politics if AfD performs strongly.

‘Future of Europe’ Hangs On German Snap Elections – Musk
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed his “full support” for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) at a campaign rally held by the party in the city of Halle on Saturday. The US-based billionaire called on party backers to “go all out” to convince Germans to vote for AfD, arguing that the upcoming snap parliamentary elections could be key for the future not only of Germany but of the world.
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“I think it could decide the entire fate of Europe, maybe the fate of the world.” The businessman has said he was convinced that people in Germany wanted “something different” from what they have had over the past decade. Voting for the AfD was the only way to bring about this much-desired change, he stated, calling on party supporters to do everything possible to convince their “friends and family” to join them, one person at a time. Musk also praised the policies proposed by the AfD as the “common sense” ones and compared them to the approach advocated by US President Donald Trump.

Keir Starmer, AI SUPERPOWER and gas shortages
(18 min) The video discusses UK political issues under Keir Starmer, including budget problems, gas shortages, and AI plans. It also covers Germany's political landscape, focusing on Alice Weidel's stance on reopening Nord Stream and addressing economic challenges.

Stammer and the UK are delusional and destroying their economy and society...

(26 min) Keir Starmer visited Kiev and signed a 100-year UK-Ukraine deal, proposing military cooperation and bases. The agreement aims to defeat Russia, not achieve peace. British establishment's anti-Russia stance and attempts to keep US involved in Europe are discussed.

Ukraine
Larry writes:
Mr. President, I believe that the CIA is providing you inaccurate, false intelligence about Russia’s casualties and the condition of its economy. If you hope to realize your goal of opening negotiations with President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, you must be equipped with the best information available.
You have been briefed that Russia has suffered devastating losses — as many as 800,000 casualties — and that Russia’s economy is weak and fragile. Data from open sources paint a diametrically opposite picture.
According to Mediazona’s latest data, there are 88,726 confirmed Russian combat deaths since February 2022. Mediazona estimates, using probate registry data, that the number may be as high as 120,000. This is a far cry from the numbers claimed by Ukrainian intelligence, which forms the basis of CIA estimates.
It is essential that you understand that Russia views this war as vital to its continued existence. Russia is not fighting to reconstitute the Soviet Empire. It sees Ukraine as a Western-proxy being used to attack Russia with US-and NATO-supplied weapons and intelligence, with the ultimate goal of destroying the current government. Accordingly, the only satisfactory outcome for Russia is to end this threat. President Putin is willing to accept a negotiated settlement provided that Ukraine is stripped of its capacity to launch future attacks on Russia and that NATO ends any consideration of making Ukraine a member of NATO.
The Russian government view of its economy remains upbeat, with officials highlighting strong growth figures and resilience in the face of Western sanctions.

Mearsheimer offers his advice to Trump too...

Did Trump Halt Aid to Ukraine?

“A Pentagon official confirmed that Trump’s executive order freezing foreign aid applies only to development programs, not security assistance to Ukraine.” -VOA

Trump’s order does not curtail security assistance (i.e., weapons, vehicles and ammunition) already in the pipeline, it does freeze the assistance funds that flow through State Department channels:
The projects that were frozen reportedly include support for schools and healthcare, including maternal care and the vaccination of children.
So part of the Ukrainian grift machine is shut down for the next three months. That is a start in the right direction.

Politico is reporting all aid has stopped to Ukraine, but I bet Larry has better inside sources and I'm buying his story until I see more evidence.

US President Donald Trump’s administration is not interested in taking part in the reconstruction of Ukraine after the conflict is resolved, Bloomberg reported on Friday. Trump’s team has signaled that it doesn’t intend to engage directly in rebuilding the country, suggesting that this responsibility would be handled by the private sector, the outlet said, citing a senior diplomat. The stance marks a significant shift from the policies of Joe Biden’s administration, which has spent around $100 billion on financial aid and military assistance to Kiev since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, and pledged support with the post-conflict reconstruction. Kiev has ramped up its privatization efforts to draw in foreign capital as it seeks private investors to support the country’s reconstruction.

Israel/Palestine

Here's a nice summary of the situation in Gaza/Palestine/Israel

(16 min) Sounds like it is narrated by PCR, but this channel is from Douglas Macgregor.

Yesterday more hostages were exchanged.

Max and many others think this is just a temporary cease fire until the hostages are returned and then the genocide starts again. It hasn't stopped in the West Bank.

(20 min) Max Blumenthal : Blinken and Rubio: Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?

LA fires and NC Helene Damage

While Biden spent 4 months ignoring us, Trump spent his first 4 days helping us.
He gave us his OWN microphone and said “tell me your story.”
That’s my president.

Trump issues an Executive Order to eliminate all regulations on road construction for North Carolina’s rebuilding efforts: “Today, I’ll be signing an Executive Order slashing ALL RED TAPE to ensure the rapid reconstruction of the roads.”

Trump proposes 'getting rid of FEMA' during WNC visit with families impacted by Helene
Trump toured areas hit hard by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. His focus was on the community's ongoing recovery efforts.
"I'm pleased to announce that under our leadership, the federal government will be surging housing solutions to the state that go beyond mere temporary hotel stays that ended up being very short term. The government wouldn't do it any longer, which is ridiculous," Trump said. "We'll marshal all available resources to bring back potable water and make your water and infrastructure dramatically more reliable very quickly. Today, I'll also be signing an executive order, slashing all red tape and bureaucratic barriers and permits to ensure the rapid reconstruction of the roads here in western North Carolina. We're going to go through a permitting process that's called no permitting. Just get it done."

People seem to either despise or love Trump. I feel like an oddball cause I don't see him either way. Like us all he is a flawed individual. As I wrote earlier I think he will do better on the domestic front than with our foreign policy despite his claims to be a peace president. However I'm willing to give him a chance...at least he seems to be trying. More than you can say about warmongering Biden!

How do the BRICS+ fit into Trump world? First of all he has little understanding claiming this week Spain was the "S" in BRICS+.
Pepe Escobar: Trump in DEEP Trouble as Putin & China's BRICS Power Move SHOCKS the World

(24 min) At the 4 min mark you can here the Trump Spain gaffe.
Geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar reveals a stunning reality that everyone is missing as Trump gets deeper onto a war footing with the growing BRICS alliance. In this must-watch video, Mr. Escobar details just how Russia, China and Iran laid the foundations to withstand anything the Trump regime throws at them, and why Trump is making a big mistake that is already causing the US empire of chaos to pivot back West.
In this video:
• Putin, China and Iran's big moves in response to Trump's threats
• How Trump is preparing to attack BRICS
• An assessment of who prevails in the Trump vs. BRICS war for the world

Nima and Pepe also discuss many of the same topics. (30 min)
Pepe Escobar: Trump in DIRE Straits as Putin & China’s BRICS MEGA-DEAL ROCKS the ENTIRE World

China’s DeepSeek Bombshell Rocks Trump’s $500B AI Boondoggle
The future of humanity is being decided as we speak. And it is not being decided on a battlefield in Eastern Europe, or the Middle East or the Taiwan Strait, but in the data centers and research facilities where technology experts create “the physical and virtual infrastructure to power the next generation of Artificial Intelligence.” This is a full-blown, scorched-earth free-for-all that has already racked up a number of casualties though you wouldn’t know it from reading the headlines which typically ignore recent ‘cataclysmic’ developments. But when President Trump announced the launching of a $500 billion AI infrastructure project (Stargate) on Tuesday just hours after China had released its DeepSeek R1—which “outperforms its rivals in advanced coding, math, and general knowledge capabilities”—it became painfully obvious that the battle for the future ‘is on’ in a big way.
And this is not a battle that either side can afford to lose. Here’s how technology expert Adam Button summed it up: “Imagine we’re back in 2017 and the iPhone X was just released. It was selling $999 and Apple was crushing sales and building a wide moat around its ecosystem. Now imagine, just days later, another company introduced a phone and platform that was equal in every way if not better and the price was just $30. That’s what unfolded in the AI space today. China’s DeepSeek released an opensource model that works on par with OpenAI’s latest models but costs a tiny fraction to operate. Moreover, you can even download it and run it free (or the cost of your electricity) for yourself.

Speaking of China they are doing some amazing things re-vegetating their deserts and creating energy.

(9.5 min) This is the absolutely bonkers story of China's Taratan solar farm – a project that went hilariously sideways and somehow became a massive success! Initially designed to generate clean energy, the farm ended up as a giant sheep pasture thanks to some overly enthusiastic grass growth. But that’s not all! This "solar sheep takeover" actually led to a genius solution for weed control, a thriving local economy, and a groundbreaking model for renewable energy. Discover how this wild, accidental experiment is helping China reduce coal use, combat desertification, and create a uniquely sustainable future.
In another nearby desert they used chickens instead of sheep to accomplish similar reclamation.

It's too bad we don't innovate anymore. No, war, theft, conquest, and exploitation is our business model.

I hope you'll comment with your innovative ideas of what the hell is going on in this crazy world. Take care. Stay warm. And be well!