The Big, Beautiful Boondoggle and the Warfare State

Ain't it funny that there's always money for war, but we gotta cut medicaid and food stamps? It is worse in the UK, they're even cutting pensions to have more war. This week Larry Johnson said in a conversation with Nima, we revolted against a colonial power only to become one ourselves. The US could sure stand a little introspection. We so need to address our own hypocrisy. We better not hold our breath. I question the entire MAGA concept. When were we ever Great? We've been conned our whole lives with the nonsense of US superiority, liberty, and democracy...
Robin Williams portrays the American flag in "I Love Liberty,"

House Republicans Pass Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

The republican response to Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries’ record-breaking address was brief and to the point, as Rep Jason Smith retorted: “I come from the Show-Me State, and what we just heard can be defined in one word. A bunch of hogwash is what we’ve heard for eight hours on that side of the building.” House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke next, noting that “we have a big job to finish.” “With one big beautiful bill we are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before.” And then came the vote… and (218-214) Republican House members passed the bill with all Democrats voting ‘nay’… The bill will now go President Trump’s desk for to signed tomorrow [5 pm].
Happy 4th ‘Murica!
Overnight, most of the Republican holdouts on the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ relented, flipping their support to advance the legislation to a final vote on the House floor after several deals were cut with President Trump.

Daniel McAdams called it to a tee.
Big Beautiful Charade - Republicans Cave; Democrats Rave (12 min)
In one of the most easily predictable moves of all time, a small group of Republican "holdouts" quickly caved and green-lit the massive spending bill for passage; while Democrat Leader Jeffries has lurked at the House Floor microphone for hours pretending that there is any opposition to the Uniparty in DC. It is a shameful preview to the celebration of 249 years since we told King George, "later."

So what's in the bill? Here's a brief (11 min) synopsis...

The Senate has officially passed the One Big Beautiful Bill — and it's now headed to President Trump’s desk. One of the biggest headlines? A brand-new $6,000 above-the-line tax deduction for seniors, along with expanded child tax credits, tip income exclusions, and more. In this video, we break down exactly what’s in the bill, who benefits most, and how these changes could impact your taxes in 2025 and beyond. Whether you're retired, working, or raising a family
00:00 - Intro
0:49 - The Senior Deduction Explained — Updated with Clarification
05:06 - Who This Bill Impacts Most
05:16 - 1. Tax Relief for Households & Workers
06:53 - 2. Reduced Access to Medicaid & SNAP
07:34 - 3. Elimination of Clean Energy Credits
07:59 - 4. Defense, Border & Homeland Security Spending
08:23 - 5. National Debt Impact
08:59 Wrap-Up

Of course some see it as great...
TOP ECONOMIST DROPS TRUTH BOMB ON BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL: "THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING."
@dlacalle_IA breaks down the urgency of the B.B.B. and how it could start healing the economy, while calling out the left’s lack of foresight and highlighting what many Libertarian colleagues have missed.
He also dives deep into tariffs and their impact on the U.S., spicing things up by comparing two opposite poles of economic planning: Austrian Economics in Argentina and Gorbachev-style reforms in China.
00:06 - About the B.B.B.: “is a lot more than tax cuts.”
02:30 - “The Projections take no assumption of economic growth”, Lacalle points out the disregard of the Laffer Curve.
05:00 - If the deficit doesn’t curb? “The confidence in the U.S. dollar will be destroyed.”
06:43 - “The U.S. uses tariffs as it uses Nuclear Weapons.”
9:59 - The New Green Deal? Same results as Roosevelt’s New Deal (and that’s not a compliment).
12:19 - U.K. Conservatives are not delivering on the Brexit promise.
14:13 - What about China? “China’s potential is hindered by central planning.”
17:15 - “Socialism of the 21st Century is the experiment, not what Milei is doing.”
20:31 - “Democracy is used to impose Authoritarianism.”
21:57 - Elon may have overreacted a bit.
25:26 - Lacalle sees this as a new beginning: “This bill starts the process of bringing the economy back to the private sector.”

Plenty of partisan opposition...
Bernie Sanders slams Trump's 'big beautiful bill' as a 'horiffic piece of legislation'
As Senators inch closer to a final vote on President Donald Trump’s "big, beautiful bill," Bernie Sanders is calling for Republicans to listen to their constituents and vote against what he calls “obscene legislation.” The Senate was supposed to break on Friday for the Independence Day holiday and return July 7. But Majority Leader John Thune opted to keep senators back until voting on the megabill could be completed.

Comments under the clip were interesting...
Blah, blah, blah.... Bernie has achieved massive financial success as a politician. Bernie is a multimillionaire because of politics. Do as I say, not as I do, is what Bernie is saying. ...
“I can’t have less than 3 houses”. Also “I have to fly on a private jet”. - Bernie Sanders.

Analysts I'm familiar with have a different take...
Richard Wolff & Michael Hudson: Trump's "The Big, Beautiful And The Ugly" (69 min)
Rick and Michael are critical.

Senate VOTED: Trump’s Plan Tears America Apart - Is It The Most Dangerous Bill in US History?

(9 min)

Massie was the only GOP rep to vote against the bill. Now the knives are out for him...
Can Thomas Massie survive Trump’s swamp machine?

Massie stands alone. While his colleagues genuflect before Trump’s Truth Social tantrums, Massie asks the hard questions. When the president bypasses Congress to strike Iran, Massie calls it unconstitutional. When Trump demands Republicans rubber-stamp another bloated spending bill, Massie votes no. When the party leadership demands lockstep loyalty, Massie chooses principle.
For this, he’s branded a “grandstander” and “Little Boy” by a man who turned the presidency into performance art.
...
He voted against every bloated stimulus package. He fought against illegal wars — not just when Democrats launched them, but when Trump did it, too. He defended congressional authority when his own party told him to shut up and fall in line. That’s not rebellion for show — it is actual courage.
Of course, the MAGA faithful will call him a traitor. That’s the tell. They don’t oppose the establishment; they have just built a new one. And Massie, by refusing to play along, exposes the absurdity of their game.

Do you think tariffs will compensate for the tax cuts? Personally I doubt it, but I really don't know.
Trump To Reinstate Sweeping Tariffs
US President Donald Trump has said his administration will begin notifying trading partners of new tariffs on their exports, as he prepares to reinstate tariffs that were paused for trade talks, which are set to expire next week.

Musk is going to create a new "America Party"...

One day after his latest poll asking his followers on X whether the USA needs a new political party, Elon Musk announced on Saturday that the “America party has formed.” “By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!” Musk wrote. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” The announcement comes after 1,248,856 people voted ‘yes’ to whether he should “create the America Party.”

I don't have any hope that a new party will actually change anything, but I'm all for trying.

Proof of the uniparty?

Former Presidents George W. Bush’s and Barack Obama’s farewell messages to staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development this week reinforce the perception that critics have called the “uniparty” culture in Washington. On Monday, the staff of USAID received video messages from the two former presidents, along with one from Bono, the ultraliberal Irish frontman of the rock band U2. Monday was the last day for foreign assistance programming by USAID, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced would be moved under the purview of the State Department. The former presidents and Bono spoke with thousands in the USAID community in a videoconference.

USAID is the regime change arm of our government. Will bringing it under the State Department change anything?

July 4, 2025 Finds Americans More Enslaved than Ever (Paul Craig Roberts)

Today we will be treated to fireworks and speeches celebrating our liberation from the British in the latter part of the 18th century. It is a false celebration, because many of our cherished freedoms described in the Constitution have been taken away, and in place of the British we have a new master–Israel–a master whose grip tightens on us by the year. In the 21st century we have destroyed a number of countries for Israel, financed and provided the weapons and diplomatic over for Israel’s genocide of Palestine, and celebrated Israel’s indicted mass murderer leader with standing ovations in the US Congress. President Trump speaks of the mass murderer as if he is the greatest person on earth. The US might yet be forced by Israel into war with Iran.
Red states such as Florida and Texas have passed laws against US citizens speaking or acting disapprovingly of Israel. No such laws exist protecting US gentiles from politically incorrect words and protests. US universities have lost to the Israel Lobby the ability to govern themselves. The Israel Lobby was able to reach inside a Catholic university and block the tenure of Norman Finkelstein, himself a Jew, and to reach inside the University of Illinois to cancel the tenure granted to Steven Salaita.

We have no money for the people or our infrastructure because we spend it all on stirring up war. The US is a war based economy, but we can't keep up with all the chaos we create around the world.

Alex explains why there are forever wars, and that all the hot spots around the world from Taiwan to the Balkans are really the same war.... The West vs BRICS+
Alex Krainer: The Russia-Iran Partnership & US-Europe Divorce

(55 min) Alex Krainer is a market analyst, author & former hedge fund manager. Krainer discusses that in the struggle for Eurasia, Russia and Iran are moving closer, while the US and Europe are heading toward a divorce.

I was asked why Alex is worth listening to. In this clip he suggests the UK and the Turks are stirring up trouble in Azerbaijan in order to annex it into a new Turkish empire. I don't hear that sort of analysis from any other commentator. To my mind he gives Trump too much credit, but his focus on the dying ember of the British empire is fairly unique.

Alex Christoforou is another commentator I admire. He does his walk and talk from Belgrade in this episode...

0:37 - IAEA inspectors asked to leave Iran
2:55 - Iran's President Peshkan at the ECO summit
5:26 - Trump's phone call with Zelensky
7:46 - Trump's comments on sanctions and Putin
11:07 - Maloney's statement on U.S. weapons to Ukraine
12:50 - Washington Post article on U.S. military commitments
17:12 - NBC News report on U.S. weapons halt
20:31 - BlackRock halts Ukraine fund talks
25:02 - Coalition of the Willing meeting announcement
30:11 - Romania's refusal to send troops to Ukraine
32:43 - Aristovich's comments on Russia's military spending
34:45 - Keir Starmer's remarks on relationship with Trump
37:45 - Conclusion and video wrap-up

Wars, Wars, Everywhere Wars...

Israel
All I can say is amen, sister!

I think Israel may have destroyed their own country.

The genocide continues...

(15 sec)

Max Blumenthal : Trump and Israeli Disinformation

(31 min)

Iran
Iran Moved Its Enriched Uranium Before US Strikes – Seymour Hersh

Last month’s US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities failed to hit the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh has claimed, citing US officials. The attack, which involved seven US B-2 ‘Spirit’ bombers carrying 30,000-pound bunker busters, was not even expected to “obliterate” the Iranian nuclear program, one of the journalist’s sources admitted. “The centrifuges may have survived and 400 pounds of 60% enriched uranium are missing,” one of the officials said, adding that the US bombs “could not be assured to penetrate the centrifuge chamber . . . too deep.”
...
The US officials cited by Hersh nevertheless believe that the location of the stockpile and its fate are “irrelevant” because of the serious damage the strike allegedly dealt to another Iranian nuclear site near the city of Isfahan. The goal of the operation was to “prevent the Iranians from building a nuclear weapon in the near term – a year or so – with the hope they would not try again,” a US official told Hersh. This could translate into “a couple of years of respite and uncertain future,” the official added. Following the strikes, US President Donald Trump claimed that the attack “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. CIA Director John Ratcliffe also told lawmakers that several key sites had been completely destroyed and would take years to rebuild.
However, intercepted communications suggested that Tehran had expected a worse impact from the strikes and that the real damage was limited, the Washington Post reported. The strikes were part of a coordinated American-Israeli military campaign launched in mid-June.

I'm looking for Israel to strike Iran again before the end of the year. I hope I'm wrong.

How did we wind up at war with Iran? Scott Horton explains.

Long almost 3 hour interview.

Ukraine
Talk about stating the obvious...
Kiev Can’t Turn Tide On Battlefield – Spy Chief
Kiev lacks the ability to push Russian forces back, Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR, has acknowledged, asserting that only negotiations can meaningfully alter the course of the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently remarked that military logic often requires occupying territories while not formally claiming them. He added that historically Russia operated on the principle that “wherever the foot of the Russian soldier steps is ours,” in the sense of defending national interests. Asked to respond to Putin’s comments in an interview this week, Budanov said the Russian president was militarily accurate.

US Halts All Military Shipments To Ukraine – The Economist

The US has suspended all military equipment and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine, including all types of shells and spare parts, The Economist has reported, citing Ukrainian officials. Washington had earlier confirmed a decision to halt certain key arms shipments, citing low stocks.The decision reportedly followed an internal review of American weapons reserves ordered by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to Politico and NBC News. The initial reports suggested that the decision would stop the supply of Patriot missile interceptors, Stinger and AIM air-to-air missiles, hundreds of Hellfire and GMLRS systems, and thousands of 155mm artillery shells. According to The Economist, the suspension of military aid was actually total. “Ukrainian officials say that, in fact, all shipments of American weapons, including shells and spare parts, have been halted,” the outlet said on Wednesday, adding that the US officials have denied that.

So no more weapons? Not so fast...

US Still ‘Giving Weapons’ To Kiev – Trump

President Donald Trump has denied media speculation that the United States has suspended all military equipment and ammunition deliveries to Kiev, insisting that lethal aid is still being sent while Washington ensures it retains enough stockpiles to defend itself and its allies. Several reports earlier this week indicated that the US had paused deliveries of various critical munitions to Ukraine, including Patriot and Hellfire missiles, GMLRS rockets, and thousands of 155mm artillery shells. The Economist even suggested that Washington could be gradually winding down its military support for Kiev altogether. Trump rejected claims of a complete halt of military aid to Kiev, echoing previous statements by the Pentagon and the White House that a decision had been made to prioritize US national interests.
“We’re giving weapons, but we’ve given so many weapons,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One on Thursday. “You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons. And we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.” “But we are giving weapons, and we’re working with them and trying to help them,” Trump added, without providing specifics about the exact weapons withheld and still being supplied.

Trump could have ended this proxy war on day one as he promised by withdrawing all support. So, is all this just kabuki theater?

It would be difficult to get a Ukraine funding package through congress
Kiev’s persecution of the country’s largest Christian church is reason enough for Washington to halt military assistance to Ukraine, US Representative Anna Paulina Luna has said, pledging to personally oppose any future weapons shipments. The Florida Republican accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of banning the Orthodox Church in a post on X on Friday, apparently referring to ongoing actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) – the largest religious organization in the country. “I can promise there will be no weapons funding for you,” wrote Luna, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “We are not your piggy bank,” she added, calling on Zelensky to “negotiate for peace” instead.

NATO started the conflict in Ukraine, but Russia will end it on its terms, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart this week in a wake-up call. It’s always refreshing and necessary to bring reality into a conversation, assuming, of course, that the purpose of the dialogue is genuinely to resolve a problem. France’s Emmanuel Macron requested the phone call with Putin this week. It was the first time the two leaders had spoken in nearly three years. The long absence was due to Moscow claiming that Macron breached diplomatic protocol after the last phone call in 2022 by leaking details to the media. In any case, Putin showed magnanimity and a willingness to engage diplomatically by taking the call this week from Macron. The two leaders talked for over two hours.
Apart from Ukraine, another topic discussed was the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran, and the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. Macron agreed with Putin that Iran has the right to pursue civilian nuclear energy production, and both appealed for diplomacy to prevent escalation, according to the Kremlin’s statement on the phone conversation. Critics might note, however, that France, Britain, Germany, and the other European states have played a double game with Iran, undermining Iran’s legitimate rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and giving political cover for the unlawful Israeli and US aggression against Tehran. Therefore, Macron’s concern for peace in the Middle East sounds hollow, if not hypocritical.

The EU wants to finish their own suicide by keeping Ukraine armed...

Germany Looking To Secretly Buy US Arms For Ukraine – Bild
Germany wants to agree a “secret deal” with the US to buy two Patriot air defense systems in order to hand them over to Ukraine, Bild has reported, citing government sources. Several US media outlets claimed earlier this week that Washington had paused deliveries of various critical munitions to Kiev, including Patriot and Hellfire missiles, GMLRS rockets, and thousands of 155mm artillery shells. The White House later confirmed that supplies of some weapons have been halted, saying the “decision was made to put America’s interests first.”The freeze in deliveries is “causing alarm” in Berlin, Bild reported on Thursday. According to the newspaper, the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz fears that the policy shift could also result in Washington rejecting a request to sell Germany two Patriot systems and interceptors.

Looks like Washington is about to steal the EU’s lunch. Again. The Trump administration just lifted sanctions on a Russian-led nuclear project in Hungary, specifically one run by Moscow’s atomic energy titan, Rosatom. “The administration of President Trump has lifted this sanction. This made it possible to guarantee the safety of Hungary’s energy supply in the long term. Finally, there is a kind of presidential administration in the United States which respects the reality of the map, takes it into account,” said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. “We are not a country with a large number of oil and natural gas factories surrounded by dry land. Thus, our sustainable, cheap and safe electricity supply can only be provided by nuclear energy.”
Translation: “Listen up, you overcaffeinated Brussels bureaucrats running this group project from hell. We were just fine running on Russian oil and gas until you snatched it away like a juice box from a toddler. Now you’re scolding us for not pulling new energy out of thin air? Fine. We’re going nuclear. With Russia.”

Russiagate debunked AGAIN...
The c99 community had it pegged from the start...We didn't need a CIA report, but it is nice to see it air in public
Explosive New CIA Report Details Russiagate Fraud

Brennan handpicked the CIA analysts to compile the ICA and involved only the ODNI, CIA, FBI and NSA, excluding 13 of the then-17 intelligence agencies.
He sidelined the National Intelligence Council and forced the inclusion of the discredited Steele dossier despite objections of the authors and senior CIA Russia experts, so as to push a false narrative that Russia secured Trump’s 2016 victory.
“This was Obama, Comey, Clapper and Brennan deciding ‘We’re going to screw Trump,’” said Ratcliffe in an exclusive interview. “It was, ‘We’re going to create this and put the imprimatur of an IC assessment in a way that nobody can question it.’”

Will there be consequences?

Some are calling for prosecution...

The X post continues...
The evidence is everywhere and shows that our own CIA and FBI under the command of a previous president, spied, orchestrated a plan, and attempted to frame a sitting president for treason. Obama, Clinton, Biden, Comey, Brennan, Clapper, Fauci, Gates and the rest of the globalist deep state cabal players.
On top of that, the monumental amount of election fraud, fake IDs, and ballots with foreign interference to steal an election, the shady deals, pallets of cash to foreign nations, the Autopen, arming terrorist groups, numerous amounts of corruption, money laundering, child trafficking, the open border, USAID, COVID-19, Benghazi, Osama Bin Laden, SEAL Team 6, you could go on for days with all the crimes and corruption.
The people NEED to start seeing actions. No more talking about it. No more recycling the stories. It's time to make a game plan, and execute it. It has to start now. The people are willing to do their part but the people also deserve our government to start doing theirs. Start the indictments and arrest these people for treason. Every single one of them.

Many are making the same call...

Health related Items
RFK keeps dropping truth bombs...

The C99 community got many things right during COVID.

Snoopy was key among those critically examining the Scamdemic. She will be sorely missed. I was already missing her insights when we got the news from OTC that she passed away. RIP Snoopy!

The thread is open. Please add anything you would like.