Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Netanyahu's Wife Caught On Mic Saying 'Fewer' Than 24 Hostages Alive In Gaza

 

at 4/30/25 3:45am

Netanyahu's Wife Caught On Mic Saying 'Fewer' Than 24 Hostages Alive In Gaza It appears that Israel has intelligence which strongly suggests the majority of 59 hostages remaining in Gaza are dead. It has long been acknowledged that at least some of the captives are deceased, but the Israeli government has kept a tight lid on information it has on the numbers. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara has unleashed new controversy, heightening tensions and outrage from victims' families. She was heard on a hot mic at an event on Monday saying that "fewer" than 24 hostages are still alive in Gaza. via Flash90 It's unclear whether she intended to be heard by the audience at a moment her husband, PM Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking, but she muttered something key and it was picked up by the microphone. Below is CNN's account of what happened and what was said: "We have of course an important task, not only to win but also to bring home (the hostages)," Netanyahu said at a meeting with Israeli holiday torchbearers on Monday. "Until today we have returned 196 of our hostages, 147 of whom were alive. There are… up to 24 living. Up to 24 living." "Fewer," Sara Netanyahu interrupted quietly, seated to her husband’s right. "I say up to," Netanyahu quickly responded. "And the rest are, I’m sorry to say, not alive. And we will return them." Lately Israeli officials have issued alarm, saying they believe more hostages may be in danger of dying as the conflict drags on. Ceasefire negotiations with Hamas have been collapsed and nonexistent for months at this point. Victims' families and anti-Netanyahu protesters have demanded the resumption of the truce deal, in order to see the remaining captives released. The Netanyahu government has instead opted for a military solution. "On the eve of Memorial Day, you sowed indescribable panic in the hearts of the families of the hostages – families already living in agonizing uncertainty," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, blasting Israeli leadership. "If there is intelligence or new information regarding the condition of our loved ones, we demand full disclosure," the group said, and urged that if the prime minister's wife has new information she should make it known immediately. "If the wife of the prime minister has new information about the kidnapped who were killed, I demand from her to know if my Matan is still alive, or if he was murdered in captivity because your husband refuses to finish the war," Einav Zangauker, the mother of one of the hostages, also said on social media, as quoted in CNN. Israel's military has vowed to eradicate Hamas, but that's easier said than done given the vast tunnel network of the terror group remains in place. It's also believed there are still tens of thousands of Hamas fighters. Tyler Durden Wed, 04/30/2025 - 05:45

— Decoding Baby Formula: How U.S. And European Standards Compare

 

at 4/30/25 3:00am

Decoding Baby Formula: How U.S. And European Standards Compare Authored by Jennifer Sweenie via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), From the moment Jess’s infant son transitioned from breastfeeding to baby formula, feeding became a source of distress—for both mom and baby. Every bottle of any U.S.-made brand seemed to trigger a bout of vomiting, his tiny body rejecting each feeding. Jess took to doing her research, and against her doctor’s guidance, made the switch to a European-made formula. The vomiting stopped with the swap, granting a sliver of respite for both baby and mom. New Africa/Shutterstock “My pediatrician told me that I was ‘endangering’ him by using a European formula that wasn’t FDA approved,” Jess Davidoff told The Epoch Times. However, as Jess discovered, her pediatrician’s warning didn’t quite align with reality. The debate over what makes a “good” infant formula is intensifying as American parents increasingly turn to European brands. Interest in overseas products isn’t just about preference—it also highlights significant disparities in regulatory standards, differences in essential fats, controversial carbohydrates, and how transparently formulas are labeled. Understanding these differences empowers parents to make informed choices for their children and supports the health and development of American infants. ‘Good’ Formula Choosing the best formula requires understanding labels and ingredients, regardless of its country of origin. Several critical factors come into play: Essential Nutrients Infant formula serves as the primary source of nutrition for many babies during their first year, making its composition essential for healthy development. Key nutrients found in breast milk to look for in formula include: DHA and ARA: These long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential for brain and eye development. European regulations have historically mandated minimum levels of DHA in infant formula, whereas the amounts in U.S. varieties may vary and, on average, are much lower than what Europe requires. Prebiotics and Probiotics: Gut health is vital for babies’ digestion, immunity, and even brain development. Regulations regarding the inclusion of prebiotics and probiotics, and the specific strains and amounts, can vary between the United States and Europe. European standards often impose stricter guidelines. Vitamins and Minerals: Both the FDA and European authorities set minimum, and sometimes maximum, levels for micronutrients in infant formula to ensure babies receive adequate nutrition. However, the specific requirements for certain vitamins and minerals can differ. A 2023 study published in Nutrients found that the average iron level in U.S. formulas is higher than what Europe allows. Almost 96 percent of the formulas tested in the United States exceeded the European iron limit. Quality Ingredient quality and how they are processed can impact the overall nutritional value and potential health effects of infant formula. Organic formulas, made with milk from cows raised without hormones or routine antibiotics and fed organic feed, are more prevalent and strictly regulated in Europe. European organic formulas are also more likely to be made from grass-fed cows and contain probiotics. The organic market in the United States is growing, but conventional formulas produced from cows raised according to standard agricultural practices still dominate. Processing methods can affect the bioavailability of nutrients, such as milk proteins and calcium. Some newer processing methods aim to preserve more heat-sensitive nutrients. While both U.S. and European manufacturers follow safety standards, the specific techniques they use might vary. Additives, such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, and preservatives, are common in formula, but the types and amounts allowed are more restricted in Europe. Some ingredients found in U.S. formulas might be restricted or banned in Europe due to potential health concerns, including exposure to antibiotics and pesticides. Macronutrient Content When it comes to macronutrients, lactose is the primary carbohydrate used in both regions to mimic breast milk. It is generally well digested by infants and supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. However, European standard formulas almost exclusively use lactose, while U.S. formulas use corn syrup solids, which may affect blood sugar, weight gain, and gut health. Due to these concerns, European regulatory bodies tend to be more cautious than the United States about allowing corn syrup solids in standard infant formulas. As for Jess’s son, who regurgitated his formula, it turned out he had a severe corn allergy and was reacting to the corn syrup solids in the U.S. formula. According to Dr. Michelle Perro, an integrative pediatrician with more than four decades of experience, the corn syrup solids are highly processed, but there may still be residual corn protein in the formula. She told The Epoch Times that producing corn syrup involves extensive processing, which, in her view, may contribute to health issues in some children. “We are seeing an explosion of food sensitivities, intolerances, and allergies—it is off the charts,” said Perro. Jess’s son’s corn allergy manifested with multiple concerning symptoms, including thinning hair and nails, vomiting, eczema, and hernias—one of which required surgery. Thirty-two doctors dismissed her concerns about a food-related cause, but her mother’s intuition prevailed. She meticulously tracked his food until the culprit revealed itself—all stemming from the introduction of U.S.-based formula containing corn. “The sugar used has to change. We [the United States] cannot use the synthetic corn syrup derived from GMO corn,” Perro said. Both European and U.S. formulas typically use a blend of vegetable oils to mimic the fatty acid profile of breast milk. Common oils include palm oil, soy oil, coconut oil, and sunflower oil. European formulas often highlight the inclusion of medium-chain triglycerides, which are easily digestible and provide a quick source of energy. There may also be a greater emphasis on the quality and processing of these oils compared with U.S. standards. Proteins in formula—usually cow’s milk—aim to match breast milk’s whey-to-casein ratio, often more closely in European formulas than U.S. varieties. Both markets offer formulas with partially or extensively broken down hydrolyzed proteins. Additionally, both the United States and Europe offer formulas made with goat’s milk or soy protein for infants with specific dietary needs. Regulations regarding these alternative protein sources and the extent of processing may differ by region. Ultimately, transparent labeling is essential for parents making informed choices about infant formula ingredients and nutrient content. European standards often provide more detailed information about ingredient sources and the specific types and amounts of certain components, such as prebiotics and probiotics. Heavy Metals Are a Concern Heavy metals can be present in baby formula in the United States and Europe. The European Union generally has stricter limits on heavy metals and contaminants in baby formula than the United States, and continuously updates its regulations to reduce allowable levels. The stricter regulations on heavy metals are a major reason some parents prefer European formulas. The FDA does not currently require manufacturers to routinely test infant formula for heavy metals. Instead, it has a “Closer to Zero“ initiative that aims to gradually reduce the amount of harmful metals babies and children are exposed to in food. The initiative focuses on conducting research, setting guidelines for the food industry, and monitoring progress over time Perro referenced the FDA’s Total Diet Study, a program that’s been running since the 1960s and initially focused on measuring radioactivity in food. The study, conducted periodically, monitors the safety and nutritional quality of the U.S. food supply. In its most recent publication, released in 2022, the Total Diet Study analyzed approximately 910 foods to assess contaminant levels. Of the 910 foods, four were infant formulas—and two of those contained toxic metals, including uranium. Despite these findings, Perro said, no public recalls or follow-up investigations were announced, raising concerns about regulatory oversight. “To think that the FDA is protecting us is a stretch,” she noted, voicing frustration over what she sees as inadequate action regarding contamination in infant formula Perro suggested that potential sources of toxic metals could include cow feed, processing methods, and environmental factors such as geoengineering—large-scale climate interventions like solar radiation management. While further research is needed to pinpoint the source in the U.S. formula manufacturing system, the presence of these metals is alarming due to the potential health effects. Heavy metals found in infant formula and their effects include: Lead: Per the FDA, there is no known safe level of exposure to lead. It poses the greatest risk during brain development and can cause neurological impairments, including learning and behavioral difficulties, and lower IQ. Mercury: Mercury exposure during active brain development may cause reduced intelligence, memory and cognitive problems, and motor skill difficulties. Emerging evidence also suggests attention may be affected, according to the FDA. Arsenic: The FDA links arsenic exposure with adverse neurological effects such as learning disabilities, behavioral difficulties, and reduced IQ. Fetuses, infants, and children are especially vulnerable because of their smaller bodies and rapid development. Cadmium: Because the body eliminates cadmium slowly, long-term exposure can weaken bones and may contribute to kidney and reproductive problems, heart disease, and diabetes, according to the FDA. A 2024 meta-analysis published in Science of the Total Environment concluded that cadmium exposure is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Researchers reviewed 31 studies and found that even small amounts of cadmium exposure pose a long-term concern due to its persistence in the body. Perrro said one of the most troubling effects of heavy metal exposure in infants is its effect on gut health and the subsequent lifelong repercussions. She explained that toxic metals can disrupt the microbiome, potentially preventing babies from developing a healthy innate immune response. According to Perro, this kind of gut disruption could set the stage for conditions such as eczema, gut-induced asthma, autoimmune disorders, and food allergies, possibly setting the stage for additional health challenges later in life. She also emphasized the neurological effects of toxic metals, which she believes may play a role in the development of neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sensory processing disorders, sleep disturbances, and other behavioral challenges. Additionally, Perro expressed concern about possible metabolic disruptions and the long-term risk of kidney disease, particularly from cadmium exposure. “Whatever happens to baby is setting up that baby for their immunologic well-being for the rest of their lives,” she said. Read the rest here... Tyler Durden Wed, 04/30/2025 - 05:00

— Amazon's Kuiper Enters Orbit - Trailing SpaceX's Starlink By Years

 

at 4/30/25 2:15am

Amazon's Kuiper Enters Orbit - Trailing SpaceX's Starlink By Years Amazon's Kuiper officially entered the space communications race on Monday evening, with its first 27 satellites launched into orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. These satellites will deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to customers worldwide and form the foundation of a much larger planned constellation of 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit, expected to be rolled out in the coming years. Nominal start to our KA-01 mission. We’ve already established contact with all 27 Kuiper satellites in orbit, and initial deployment and activation sequences are proceeding as planned. Thanks to @ULAlaunch for a successful launch – the first of many missions together. pic.twitter.com/XyG0UCgjuX — Project Kuiper (@ProjectKuiper) April 29, 2025 Monday's milestone marks a long-awaited step for Jeff Bezos' Kuiper, which now enters the race six years behind Elon Musk's Starlink, operated by SpaceX. Notably, it wasn't Blue Origin—Bezos' rocket company—that launched the 27 satellites. Instead, it was ULA doing the heavy lifting, while Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket has so far been better known for celebrity suborbital joyrides than serious work.  US Gov't: Katy Perry "Doesn't Meet FAA Astronaut Criteria" https://t.co/vDzQkCOJEI — zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 19, 2025 Meanwhile, SpaceX has already launched over 8,000 Starlink satellites into orbit and offers service in more than 125 countries. With more than 5 million users worldwide, Starlink remains the dominant player in the global space-based communications market. SpaceX's space dominance has turned Goldman analysts into believers. Earlier this year, analysts provided clients with a list of Starlink's suppliers to capitalize on, as tens of thousands of these satellites will be catapulted into low Earth orbit by the decade's end.  Goldman Turns Bullish On Starlink Satellite Parts Supplier As Space Race Accelerates https://t.co/GyooFrcg0x — zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 18, 2025 Just last night... Falcon 9 launches back-to-back @Starlink missions from California and Florida and completes our 50th mission of 2025! pic.twitter.com/t2tYvM6ctD — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 29, 2025 Democrats have waged war against the guy who is catching skyscraper-sized rocket boosters.  Super Heavy catch on Starship's eighth flight test pic.twitter.com/oC80r7CZ4L — SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 8, 2025 Talk about efficiency:  Summary: Over $250B spent with no new domestic human launch system until SpaceX delivered one. Meanwhile, SpaceX built Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Dragon, and Starship — all for less than 3% of NASA’s total spend. pic.twitter.com/rraK1yPccX — Sam (@futurenomics) April 22, 2025 Bezos uses Starlink terminals on his very own yacht.  The hope is that competition will innovate the space communications race, yet Starlink doesn't really have strong competitors - not Bezos, not China, not Russia. Just wait until SpaceX's mega-rocket begins launching Starlink satellites. Tyler Durden Wed, 04/30/2025 - 04:15

— Geoengineers Want Boeing 777s To Dump Sulfur Into The Sky, Risking Acid Rain Catastrophe: Study

 

at 4/30/25 1:30am

Geoengineers Want Boeing 777s To Dump Sulfur Into The Sky, Risking Acid Rain Catastrophe: Study Via JonFleetwood.com, Scientists are proposing to modify Boeing 777 aircraft to spray sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere in an attempt to cool the Earth in the name of debunked, so-called “climate change”—despite fully acknowledging the serious risk of acid rain and other environmental disasters. A new study published today in Earth’s Future openly admits that this method, called stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), would sharply increase dangerous side effects like acid rain because it requires “three times more” aerosol to achieve the same cooling effect compared to previous high-altitude schemes. “However, this low‐altitude strategy requires three times more injection than high‐altitude SAI, and so would strongly increase side‐effects such as acid rain,” the study’s authors warn​. Rather than developing new, specially-designed aircraft to reach the ideal 65,000 feet altitude, researchers from University College London and Yale now propose dumping sulfur at just 42,000 feet—within the existing capabilities of modified 777s​. The ironic catch? At lower altitudes, sulfur particles would rain out of the sky much faster—meaning a massive increase in the amount of pollutant dumped into the atmosphere. Instead of solving anything, their plan could flood the atmosphere with even more toxic material, accelerating the very environmental destruction they claim to be fighting. The study projects injecting 12 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide per year​—comparable to the volume released by the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991, which famously cooled the planet temporarily but also triggered severe acid rain​. In fact, the researchers admit outright that this new strategy would mean “a proportionate increase in the side-effects of SAI per unit cooling, such as human exposure to descending particulate matter.” The new proposal to retrofit Boeing 777s to spray sulfur mirrors the large-scale atmospheric modification that anti-geoengineering expert Jim Lee shows is already being carried out daily through commercial aviation’s sulfur-doped emissions.​ A Blueprint for Accelerated Environmental Collapse? Billed as a “shortcut” because it could use existing jets instead of waiting a decade for new aircraft, the UCL-Yale plan effectively opens the floodgates for rapid, poorly regulated deployment. The study concedes this alarming possibility, saying: “This could imply an increase in the number of actors able to deploy SAI, an earlier potential start date, and perhaps a greater risk of unilateral deployment.”​ Translation: Anyone with a modified fleet of cargo planes could start spraying the skies without global oversight. This echoes warnings from our past reporting: geoengineering is being normalized as an “emergency solution”—without serious consideration of the unintended, irreversible damage it could unleash on ecosystems, agriculture, and human health. Acid rain, after all, devastates forests, poisons waterways, and corrodes infrastructure. Even the authors admit that injecting sulfur at lower altitudes would be “a sub-optimal SAI deployment, with strongly increased side-effects, reduced cooling efficiency, and a more polar cooling profile.”​ Yet despite these known dangers, the plan is moving forward—with government agencies like Britain’s Aria already preparing field experiments​. Global Weather Control by Cargo Plane This is the continuation of a pattern we’ve exposed before: global elites quietly pushing militarized weather control schemes under the cover of “climate crisis” narratives. First it was experiments on cloud seeding, now it’s mass-scale sulfur dumping using commercial airliners. “Our results suggest that a deployment of low‐altitude, high‐latitude SAI could halt the increase in global mean temperature under current warming rates by redirecting a small fraction of the production of existing large jets (~2 new jets per year),” the researchers wrote​. In other words, they are planning for a future where the skies are permanently hazed with chemical aerosols, maintained by a growing fleet of retrofitted jets. Once this kind of geoengineering begins, it can’t be easily stopped. The sudden cessation of sulfur injection could trigger abrupt, catastrophic warming—known in scientific literature as the “termination shock.” This isn’t a solution. It’s engineering dependence on a dangerous, destructive atmospheric intervention. The Bottom Line Geoengineers are openly admitting that they want to retrofit Boeing 777s to spew toxic sulfur dioxide into the sky, risk widespread acid rain, and destabilize the global climate—all to patch over the failures of industrial policy. If the public doesn’t push back, the same establishment that wrecked the environment with reckless industrialization will now finish the job under the guise of “saving” it. Tyler Durden Wed, 04/30/2025 - 03:30

— Watch: First Video Showing Russian Instructors Training North Korean Troops

 

at 4/30/25 12:45am

Watch: First Video Showing Russian Instructors Training North Korean Troops With the full liberation of Kursk having been declared by President Putin days ago, both Moscow and its recent defense treaty partner North Korea are much more openly touting the fact that North Korean troops are operating alongside Russian forces against the Ukrainian army. For the first time, Russia’s Defense Ministry has released official footage showing North Korean soldiers undergoing combat training in Russia. The video was reportedly captured soon after reports began circulating that over 10,000 DPRK troops had been deployed to Russia, where they later fought in Kursk region in particular. Via TASS In the footage, Russian instructors teach the North Korean soldiers in shooting techniques and formations with Kalashnikov assault rifles. Anti-drone measures are also featured, as well as hand grenade training. Several live-fire exercises are featured, including firing RPGs and some sniper training. Russia did not comment on precisely where the training took place, but it confirms that the terms of the Russian-North Korean mutual defense treaty - inked last summer between Presidents Putin and Kim Jong-Un, had been enacted fairly quickly once Ukraine forces crossed the border and entered Kursk. The latest international reports have said 14,000 or more North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia amid the Kursk operation. The bulk of these are said to be from special forces units. Putin thanked them and Kim Jong-Un this week, in a first such public acknowledgement. Ukraine is meanwhile urging Washington to take more serious action in light of this confirmation, and is also calling on South Korea, per regional media: "If the Kremlin sends North Korean troops to the territory of Ukraine it would mean that North Korea is in a state of all out war with Ukraine," Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, told the Kyiv Independent. The lawmaker from the ruling Servant of the People explained that such a deployment would cause "serious legal, political, and military consequences for Russia and North Korea," prompting a stronger reaction from countries such as South Korea and the U.S. "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin understands that if he does it (U.S. President Donald) Trump will have to react rather strongly," Merezhko said. Watch: video issued by Russian military showing training of DPRK troops at a prior date: “We won’t invade Ukraine.” “No North Koreans are fighting for Russia.” “We want peace talks with Ukraine.” How many times does the West need to hear Russia lie before it finally learns? pic.twitter.com/a8spASlnLl — Shaun Pinner (@olddog100ua) April 28, 2025 Ukraine had reportedly breached the Russian border in Belgorod too, so it's possible North Korean troops might be deployed that region as well. Whether or not they are actually inside Eastern Ukraine is an open question. As for North Korea's Kim, KCNA quoted him Monday as saying, "They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland." North Korea "regards it as an honor to have an alliance with such a powerful state as the Russian Federation," he added. Ukraine has claimed to have captured a handful of both North Korean and even Chinese troops over the past month. Tyler Durden Wed, 04/30/2025 - 02:45

— Only 1 In 8 Afghan Refugees Entering Germany Was Properly Screened

 

at 4/30/25 12:00am

Only 1 In 8 Afghan Refugees Entering Germany Was Properly Screened Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, Only one in eight Afghans who entered Germany through special protection programs, such as for local staff and human rights activists, was fully vetted by German security authorities beforehand, according to a new report from Bild. Over 31,000 Afghans, including family members, reportedly arrived without complete security checks, the report claims, revealing major security lapses in Germany’s handling of the Afghan admission program. The federal government has been importing Afghan migrants from its reception center in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad since the return to power of the Taliban, insisting those being received were former collaborators with the German army against the new regime. However, in reality, only a fraction of those on board these flights met these criteria as former Bundeswehr employees or their family members. Last month, Remix News reported on a chartered flight carrying 157 Afghan nationals, of which just two individuals were former collaborators, along with 13 of their relatives. The remaining 142 individuals have been selected under broader humanitarian programs, such as the Federal Admission Program (BAP), which prioritizes Afghans identified as at risk due to their “commitment to democratic values.” Germany’s federal police union (DPolG) has long called for the suspension of Afghan refugee flights from Pakistan, citing security risks and identity verification issues among those on board. Last month, the union penned a letter to outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz urging an immediate halt. “The current procedure, in which, despite the identity not being determined without any doubt, travel ID cards are issued for foreigners, is highly risky and irresponsible,” said DPolG federal president Heiko Teggatz. “Against the background of the currently highly tense security situation in relation to Islamist terrorism, I think such a procedure is unacceptable,” he added. The lax security measures have sparked outrage among police officials and politicians. There are now loud calls for the establishment of a special asylum task force (“Soko Asyl”) to re-examine all cases and, if necessary, deport individuals who do not pass renewed security screenings. “All Afghans who have not undergone a full security check must either be transferred back to Islamabad or deported to Afghanistan, unless they can definitively verify their identity on-site with official documents and pass a security screening,” Federal Police Union Vice President Manuel Ostermann told the German tabloid. “A complete re-examination of the cases is essential.” Several CDU/CSU politicians, whose parties will dominate the incoming coalition government in Berlin, have demanded action. “What is now coming to light is inconceivable. At a time when Germany is burdened by migration pressures and rising violent crimes by individual asylum seekers, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock showed no awareness of Germany’s security needs,” noted Hesse’s Minister for International Affairs Manfred Pentz. “Her approach was amateurish, ideological, and a threat to national security.” “The governing coalition is responsible for these frightening security risks. The Afghan admission programs must be terminated immediately,” said Alexander Hoffmann, parliamentary manager of the CSU in the Bundestag. “This must not be repeated. Germany’s security interests must always come first,” added CDU MP Christoph de Vries in a stark warning to chancellor-to-be Friedrich Merz, who vowed to tackle the immigration crisis in Germany but whose coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) has raised questions about his commitment. Read more here... Tyler Durden Wed, 04/30/2025 - 02:00

— Trump Allies Say 'Mossad Agents' & 'Warmongers' Trying To Derail Iran Talks

 

at 4/29/25 9:25pm

Trump Allies Say 'Mossad Agents' & 'Warmongers' Trying To Derail Iran Talks Via Middle East Eye "Mossad agents" and "warmongers" are pushing the US into a conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Those lines aren’t coming from state-run news agencies in Tehran, but some of US President Donald Trump’s closest media allies and supporters.  Last week, conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson featured a senior Department of Defense official who he claimed was ousted because he was seen as an obstacle to the US bombing Iran. Dan Caldwell, a top advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was removed from the Pentagon earlier this month on charges that he allegedly leaked classified information about Hegseth’s use of a Signal chat, according to several media outlets. Getty Images via AFP Not so by Carlson’s telling, who has unparalleled access to Trump. "You did make maybe one career mistake by giving on-the-record interviews describing your foreign policy views…that are out of the mainstream among warmongers in Washington," Carlson said to Caldwell, adding, "Then I read all of a sudden that you are a traitor." On Sunday, another conservative podcaster, Clayton Morris, a former Fox News anchor, said pro-Israel voices were "working overtime" to destroy the "anti-war team" that Trump has assembled at the Pentagon. "We’ve learned here at Redacted that former Israeli Mossad agents are working overtime on social media and behind the scenes trying to discredit Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth," Morris said, referring to his show. He didn't name the so-called former agents.  Trump’s administration is divided between more traditional Republicans like US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security advisor Mike Waltz, and "America First" isolationists like White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Some of Trump’s most vocal defenders in the media, who exercise unprecedented influence in communicating his worldview, are media figures like Carlson and former advisor Steve Bannon. The firing of Caldwell and two other senior Pentagon officials appears to have energized America First anti-interventionists. Their slamming of the pro-Israel voices and former Mossad agents is unprecedented within the Republican Party. It reflects just how far Trump has taken the party from its traditionally hawkish worldview.  Pro-Trump media personalities have singled out Merav Ceren, who was nominated to head Iran and Israel at the White House National Security Council, for criticism.  Ceren was born in Haifa, Israel, and worked in the Israeli Ministry of Defense. On his show, Morris, who co-hosted a Fox morning news show with Hegseth, said that, "Neo-con Mike Waltz has now hired basically a dual citizen and former IDF official to work under him." The coverage reflects a growing trend in the US to view Israel with skepticism, which has intensified since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel, which sparked the Israeli invasion of Gaza and a simmering Middle East war.  According to a Pew Poll published in April, 53 percent of Americans now express an unfavorable opinion of Israel, up from 42 percent in March 2022. The shift in negative sentiment has been notable among young Republicans under 50, who are more likely to tune into podcasts like Morris’s Redacted and Carlson’s show. Dan Caldwell, a top advisor to Defense Chief Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon after being named in a Department of Defense leaks investigation. Caldwell didn’t toe the usual line on foreign policy. He openly challenged the Washington consensus on Israel, saying the… pic.twitter.com/O2ZoVSNmXd — Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) April 15, 2025 The criticism comes as Trump tries to square his muscular foreign policy instincts with his pledge to refrain from starting new Middle East wars. On Iran, Trump's closest envoys have been left contradicting themselves.  Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy who has emerged as his go-to global troubleshooter, suggested earlier this month that Washington would allow Iran to enrich uranium at low levels. After backlash from pro-Israel voices, he flipped, saying that Tehran “must stop and eliminate” its nuclear enrichment program fully. This week, Secretary Rubio said the US could re-enter a deal that sees Iran keep a civilian nuclear programme - so long as it halts enrichment, and instead ships it in from abroad.  American and Iranian technical teams met in Oman on Saturday for their third round of talks. Trump told reporters on Monday that the talks are going "very well" and that "a deal is going to be made there". "We’ll have something without having to start dropping bombs all over the place," he said. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 23:25

— $300,000 Stolen From The Back Of A Brinks Truck In Chicago

 

at 4/29/25 9:00pm

$300,000 Stolen From The Back Of A Brinks Truck In Chicago For some in Chicago, Universal Basic Income came early... Such was the case when approximately $300,000 was reported stolen last week after bags of cash tumbled from a Brinks Home Security Company truck in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, according to a police complaint, the New York Post and NBC.  Brinks stated that the truck’s rear door opened by "unknown means," causing three bags filled with U.S. currency to spill out.  While driving south on Austin Boulevard last Tuesday, a Brinks driver lost three bags of cash, according to a police complaint. When the driver returned, 50 to 100 people were seen grabbing money and fleeing. Brinks estimated the loss at $300,000. As of Friday, Oak Park officials said no arrests had been made. We're sure whoever opened the door was "just looking for bread to feed their family", to borrow AOC's parlance... ...and hey - wait til they found out those dollars have already lost 9% of their purchasing power...but we digress. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 23:00

— Trump Admin Blocked Around $430 Billion In Federal Funds, Top Democrats Say

 

at 4/29/25 8:35pm

Trump Admin Blocked Around $430 Billion In Federal Funds, Top Democrats Say Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Congressional Democrats said on April 29 that the Trump administration has blocked about $430 billion in federal funding and that they are chronicling how it is stopping the flow of funds. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrats on the Senate and House appropriations committees, released a tracker on April 29 to “shine a light on President Trump’s vast, illegal funding freeze and how it is hurting people in every zip code in America.” “Instead of investing in the American people, President Trump is ignoring our laws and ripping resources away,” said Murray and DeLauro. They said the funding that was cut or frozen by the Trump administration had been approved by Congress. The powerful Appropriations committees in the House and the Senate, where Republicans have majority control of both chambers, draft the annual funding bills that Congress passes and sends to the president’s desk for his signature to become law. Since taking office in January, Trump has said that he wants to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal government while seeking to terminate various programs that don’t align with his administration’s priorities. The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created via an executive order in January by the president and is tasked with those efforts. According to its website, DOGE says it has saved an estimated $160 billion, or around $993 per taxpayer. The White House, which has not responded to the Democrats’ claims, did not immediately respond to an Epoch Times request for comment. In a news release on Tuesday, Democrats highlighted some programs that were slashed under the Trump administration, including $1 billion for HeadStart, which provides early childhood education, health, and nutrition services. They noted $12 million in canceled funding for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program that gives grants to nonprofits to “prevent housing discrimination.” They also cited nearly $1 billion for the Green and Resilient Retrofit program; $10 million for the Citizen and Integration Grant program; $80 million in grants and contracts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more. The Trump administration is in court fighting to keep many of the administration’s cuts to federal agencies. “The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what the people are going to get,” said Musk, a senior presidential adviser and special government employee, in an appearance at the White House in February. “That’s what democracy is all about.” This past week, after Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla posted lower-than-expected profits and revenue for the first quarter of 2025, Musk told investors on a call that his work with DOGE will drop significantly in the next month or so. In any case, as a special government employee, Musk can work only 130 days for the government before departing. Musk said he will continue to support the Trump administration and DOGE “to make sure that the waste and fraud that we stop does not come roaring back.” In a statement released by the White House, Trump said that DOGE is designed to bring “accountability and transparency to federal spending, ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively,” which he said, “has already saved taxpayers billions of dollars.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 22:35

— John Wayne And The American Freedom Train

 

at 4/29/25 7:45pm

John Wayne And The American Freedom Train Authored by Jeffrey H. Anderson via RealClearPolitics, Many Americans of Generation X and older will recall the red, white, and blue American Freedom Train that was a centerpiece of America’s glorious Bicentennial celebration. But few know that the Freedom Train, pulled by a steam locomotive and filled with American historical artifacts, was the brainchild of none other than John Wayne. As we fast approach the 250th anniversary of American independence, it’s time to get Wayne’s American Freedom Train back on the tracks as part of the quarter-millennium celebration. Ross Rowland, who spearheaded the American Freedom Train effort as a young man, recently told me how Wayne came to have the idea. Rowland had run away from home in the 1950s and fortuitously ended up working as a groundskeeper for Wayne. The Duke befriended Rowland and eventually convinced him to return home. Rowland, whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been railroad men, had success on Wall Street and then commemorated the centennial of the 1869 “golden spike” – the completion of the transcontinental railroad – by having a steam train travel from New York City to Salt Lake City. Wayne joined Rowland for the final leg of that journey (and arranged to have “True Grit” premiere in Salt Lake City the night before). As they rode in an open-air train car, observing the large crowds as they passed, Rowland says Wayne told him something to the effect of, “You know, Ross, we’ve got America’s 200th birthday coming up. We should do this for that.” And they did. Rowland handled most of the planning and execution, Wayne got support from Bing Crosby and others in Hollywood, and President Nixon agreed to let the train carry artifacts usually housed at the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, and National Archives. The American Freedom Train was a tremendous success. During the bicentennial period, it traveled to all 48 contiguous states, stopped 138 times, and had an average of more than 50,000 visitors board at each stop. Riding along a moving walkway, visitors saw such artifacts as Paul Revere’s saddlebags, George Washington’s copy of the Constitution, the actual Louisiana Purchase document, Abraham Lincoln’s top hat, Babe Ruth’s bat, John F. Kennedy’s handwritten copy of his inaugural address, and enough more to fill 12 display cars.  The American Freedom Train, perhaps more than anything else, tied the national and local bicentennial celebrations together. John Warner, who headed up the congressionally created American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, said the train was “the most visible” of the bicentennial offerings and was able to “sew together” various festivities. President Ford said it “brought the story of America to the people.” During the recent period of peak wokeness, from around 2020 to 2024, it looked like the nation’s 250th anniversary risked becoming more of a condemnation than a celebration of American history. Donald Trump’s defeat of Kamala Harris largely ensured that the occasion will be a celebration. Yet there is a very real danger that this milestone anniversary – perhaps the best chance in 50 years to reset how Americans view our nation’s founding – might barely register with the public, making it a massive lost opportunity. Planning for the quarter millennium is woefully far behind where planning was at this stage for the bicentennial. The official planning entity, created by Congress during the Obama administration, is useless and focused on DEI. President Trump wisely created Task Force 250 to fill this void, but it faces a severe shortage of time.  Fortunately, the American Freedom Train could hit the tracks in the first half of 2026. Rob Gardner, president of the American Steam Railroad, told me the “sister engine” of a locomotive that pulled the train during the bicentennial is being restored and will be ready for action. All that’s really needed is for President Trump to authorize the use of federal artifacts at the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, and National Archives, consistent with his recent executive order telling the Smithsonian to stop denigrating America and instead “remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage.” Everything else would quickly fall into place. There’s still a chance to make the quarter millennium anniversary a spectacular and unifying event like the bicentennial was a half-century ago. Reprising the American Freedom Train is a big part of that. Let’s bring back John Wayne’s rolling tribute to America’s finest. Jeffrey H. Anderson is president of the American Main Street Initiative. He served as director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2017 to 2021. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 21:45

— Return To RFK: Washington Commanders Leave Maryland For New $3.7 Billion D.C. Stadium

 

at 4/29/25 7:20pm

Return To RFK: Washington Commanders Leave Maryland For New $3.7 Billion D.C. Stadium The Washington Commanders are officially returning to Washington, D.C., after securing a $3.7 billion deal to redevelop the RFK Stadium site, according to DC News Now. Announced Monday, the agreement ends months of negotiations between city leaders and the team’s ownership. The project will transform the area into a modern stadium complex surrounded by restaurants, hotels, housing, and green space. "As a native Washingtonian who grew up three blocks from RFK stadium, I’m actually happy that the team is moving back to those hallowed grounds," said Landover resident Frank Marshall. The move marks the end of the Commanders' decades-long stay at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Maryland officials, including Gov. Wes Moore (D), had tried to keep the team by proposing a major redevelopment plan but prepared for the possibility of the team’s departure. "Our priority has always been ensuring that the Landover community will see a transformative new development in the years ahead, regardless of the stadium decision," Moore said. The report says that an earlier memorandum of understanding ensures the Commanders will oversee demolition of the old stadium and maintain the property until it is redeveloped. "We’re looking at different proposals around mixed-use developments, also we’re looking at other sports venues that could potentially go there," said Prince George’s County Council Chair Ed Burroughs III. Moore emphasized that Maryland’s leaders will work closely to guarantee the site is revitalized and the community benefits: "In other words, we will not be left with another RFK Stadium." The D.C. Council must still approve the new stadium plan this summer. Construction at the RFK site is expected to begin in late 2026. Instead of a ticker tape parade if they win the Super Bowl, does this now mean they get a red tape parade? Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 21:20

— Don't Build A Ghost Fleet

 

at 4/29/25 6:55pm

Don't Build A Ghost Fleet Authored by Steve Cohen via RealClearDefense, The Trump administration seems serious about resurrecting a domestic shipbuilding industry and increasing the size of the Navy. Both are admirable objectives, and neither is possible without the other – assuming that Congress could put aside partisan trench warfare long enough to agree on a multi-year Defense appropriation. There is broad agreement that the Navy needs about 85 additional ships to do the jobs the nation expects it to do. This will cost nearly $1 trillion. That is about $40 billion annually for 25 years – about double what Congress has appropriated annually for the last five years. The President’s Executive Order establishing the Maritime and Industrial Capability Office – colloquially known as the shipbuilding office – within the National Security Council focusses almost exclusively on commercial ships. And while it doesn’t explicitly address what most knowledgeable observers already know – that we have too few yards, antiquated technology at many of them, and inadequate workforce – it makes some very good suggestions, and calls for a comprehensive Maritime Action Plan within 210 days. (That’s seven months for us history majors.) The Administration’s focus of commercial ships and yards is fine: without a larger, more predictable flow of both commercial and Navy construction, shipbuilders won’t be able to attract or retain a skilled workforce or have the right financial incentives to invest in new technologies and infrastructure. It is well documented that many of the recent Navy cost overruns were the result of frequent construction errors which had to be corrected. Similarly,  with  virtually no demand for building commercial ships domestically, the few remaining shipbuilders have failed to make adequate investments in technology or infrastructure. No discussion of Navy shipbuilding delays or cost-overruns could survive a smell test without upfront acknowledgement of the Navy’s complicity. Choose a construction program: the Ford, the LCS, the DG-1000, the new Constellation class frigate – and its history is replete with recurring mistakes: from failures to agree on capabilities, or design, or adequately proving new technologies or just changing direction midstream – the Navy’s track record is not impressive.  The 800-pound gorilla in the room, of course, is that there has been very little high-level accountability for such behavior. Ever an optimist, I’m hoping that the Maritime Action Plan will rub off on the Navy. Whether it can evolve into a mini-Operation Warp Speed is unclear. But I believe the White House needs to take on one more challenge simultaneously, or the commitment to build more ships will be for naught: we must figure out how to man not only the new ships, but our existing fleet. For years, the Navy has been unable to meet its recruiting goals. The Navy needs approximately 332,300 sailors and officers to man its current fleet of 295 ships. Because people retire and leave the service, the Navy needs 40,600 new recruits annually. And it has missed that target in two out of the last three years. In 2024, it hit its mark partly because it lowered its standards. Moreover, there is a shortfall of about 20,000 operational gaps at sea.  Moreover, if the Navy ever achieved a fleet size of 355 ships, it would need an additional 50,000 sailors. Staffing quasi-Navy ships is a problem too. The Navy has 61 U.S. Naval Service ships oilers, supply ships, transports, pre-positioned support vessels, two hospital ships – operated by the Military Sealift Command. Although owned by the Navy, they are crewed by civilians. Last summer, thee MSC announced plans to temporarily mothball 17 Navy support ships  because it didn’t have crews to man them. The Navy is not alone in its recruiting problems: the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard have all been having trouble meeting their targets. So, while it is encouraging that the Navy has met its most recent recruiting numbers, lowering standards is not a smart nor sustainable strategy, especially for a fleet that continues to get more technologically complex. Some observers argue that crewed ships and airplanes with actual pilots are a thing of the past; and given the difficulty in attracting young people to serve in the military, we should just go all-in on drones. But a larger number of unmanned aircraft and vessels are already part of mix for the fleet of the future, and that is not going to ameliorate the need for people to join the military. Just as President Trump tasked his National Security Advisor to deliver a Maritime Action Plan within seven months, he (or Congress) should demand a similar plan on how we are going to get people to serve in the armed forces. Nothing should be off the table, beginning with whether we still want – and can deliver – an all-volunteer military. One top newspaper editor I recently spoke with said his paper supports the return of the draft. A retired advertising executive complained to me about the inanity of the Navy’s recent ad campaigns – “Can anyone explain what ‘Forged by the Sea’ means?” – but doubted a new tag line would be enough to connect with Gen Z’ers or the younger Gen Alphas who follow. And last week, a freshman at Yale called me to brainstorm about how to get support for mandatory national service. (He had read several articles I had written arguing for a mandatory program of 18 months  where a voluntary option would be voluntary.) We need to build more ships, and we need to do so smarter, faster, and cheaper. But if we don't also figure out how to man them, we will be building a ghost fleet. Steve Cohen is an attorney at Pollock Cohen in New York, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the United States Naval Institute. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 20:55

— Trump Says Ukraine 'Will Be Crushed Very Shortly' Without Peace Deal

 

at 4/29/25 6:30pm

Trump Says Ukraine 'Will Be Crushed Very Shortly' Without Peace Deal US President Donald Trump in a recent interview with conservative show host Glenn Beck expressed doubt whether the White House can actually achieve a comprehensive peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Trump has made Ukraine peace the top foreign policy priority of the early part of his administration, and on the campaign trail and within his first hundred days expressed continual confidence that the US can successfully mediate, but this confidence appears to be fading with each passing week. In the interview he noted his belief - not for the first time - that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to making a deal on Ukraine, and is actually easier to deal with than Zelensky. Via CNN "When Zelenskyy was in the Oval Office. I was talking about getting it done, and he starts screaming, ‘but we need security’, meaning security, after the fact, I said, ‘security’? I don't even know if we can get this deal done," Trump told Beck. That's when he expressed rare doubt, saying he's not sure "if we can get this deal done." Referencing Zelensky, Trump continued: "He's asking for more, just more and more and more. And he doesn't have the cards. He doesn't have the cards, so hopefully he's going to get it done," Trump said.  And in reference to Putin, Trump explained, "I think he had the idea of going all the way through" if Trump were not in the Oval Office. "I think he's [Putin] willing to make a deal. And I would say thus far, he's been easier to deal with than Zelensky," Trump added. Another interesting section of the interview came as follows: Glenn Beck: Yeah, is he the problem? Is Putin the problem? Or is Europe the problem? DT: So, look: Russia is a very big military force, and Ukraine isn’t. Without Ukraine — and I’m the one that supplied the Javelins [anti-tank missiles] to them, so, you know, I did a lot for them, because the tanks got stuck in the mud, and then they got Javelined, right? And they always say, “Trump gave the Javelins,” and it was, in that case, “Obama gave sheets.” He gave sheets! They said nothing. But Biden gave money like nobody’s ever seen — $350 billion! He gave military equipment, gave storage. We had massive storage bins full of ammunition — buildings as long as the eye could see. And in a separate '100-day' interview published in The Atlantic on Monday, Trump said that without a peace deal Ukraine will soon be crushed: U.S. President Donald Trump has said he believes Ukraine will be "crushed very shortly," as it is up against Russia's "big war machine" that it cannot defeat. "I think I'm saving that nation. I think I'm doing a great service to Ukraine. I believe that," he said in an interview with The Atlantic published April 28. Trump argues it has been easier to deal with Putin than Zelensky pic.twitter.com/TsajLRSaBB — Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) April 29, 2025 Trump admin officials have called this week "very critical" for determining whether lasting peace in Ukraine can be forged: Rubio said that the coming week will be “very critical” for the White House as it makes a “determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in.” “There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic,” Rubio said, adding: “We’re close, but we’re not close enough.” “Throughout this process, it’s about determining, do both sides really want peace and how close are they or how far apart they are after 90 days of effort here ... that’s what we’re trying to determine this week,” Rubio said of negotiations. Will the US stop arming Ukraine if no peace deal is reached? Will more sanctions simply be piled onto Moscow? Or perhaps Washington will simply step aside and let Europe lead the way in fueling the proxy war. Already NATO is said to be making plans to fill the sizeable gap of US leadership in the Western military alliance, anticipating the a US drawdown of support. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 20:30

— A Key Antioxidant For Longevity Is Fading From Our Food Supply

 

at 4/29/25 6:05pm

A Key Antioxidant For Longevity Is Fading From Our Food Supply Authored by Zena le Roux via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Ergothioneine (ERGO), a potent antioxidant made by fungi and soil microbes, is making waves in the world of nutrition. However, many may wonder what it actually is. Grusho Anna/Shutterstock Research shows ERGO is important for brain health. When animals are deprived of ERGO, it harms both brain cell growth and cognitive function. People with dementia also tend to have lower levels of ERGO in their blood compared with healthy people of the same age. Fungi are a vital source of ERGO and typically grow in the rich, healthy soil of forests. However, as farming practices deplete the soil, we lose its vitality and the nutrients that nourish our food—leaving us reliant on forest-grown mushrooms and improved soil care to help restore healthy ERGO levels. ‘Longevity Vitamin’ ERGO is primarily produced by soil-borne microbes and fungi. Humans cannot produce it, so it must be obtained through diet. Researchers discovered that mammals have a specific transporter protein for ERGO, enabling its absorption from food into red blood cells. These cells then distribute it to tissues throughout the body, where it has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects—emphasizing its biological importance. In 2018, Bruce Ames, a renowned biochemist, proposed that ERGO could be classified as a longevity vitamin. These vitamins are essential for the function of longevity proteins that support long-term health and aging. Ames suggested that a deficiency in ERGO could harm long-term health. Robert Beelman, a professor of food science and director of the Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health at Penn State University, has advanced the understanding of ERGO. “ERGO is actually an amino acid, but not one that’s found in proteins,” Beelman told The Epoch Times. Unlike other amino acids that build proteins, ERGO acts as an antioxidant with special benefits for brain and organ health. This is one reason why ERGO is linked to aging and cognitive health, and why it stands apart from other amino acids. “It appears to mitigate many of the chronic diseases associated with aging,” he added. Cognitive Health and Healthy Aging Based on limited data, Americans are suggested to consume less ERGO, about 1.1 milligram per day (mg/day) than people in four European countries which take up to 4.6 mg/day, such as in Italy. These lower intakes were associated with a higher prevalence of chronic neurological diseases of aging and lower life expectancies. ERGO levels in human blood naturally decline with age, but decrease even more rapidly in people with cognitive decline. Beelman highlighted that people with low levels of ERGO in their blood face a higher risk of developing chronic neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. *  *  *  If you're into powerful antioxidants, try IQ Biologix Astaxanthin (read more here). Satisfaction guaranteed. Simply ask for a refund... Beelman and his team have estimated ERGO consumption across five countries—the United States, France, Finland, Ireland, and Italy. “Our findings showed a strong association between higher ERGO consumption and longer life expectancy, as well as a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease,” Beelman noted. While there is no official recommended daily intake for ERGO, Beelman suggested starting with 5 mg/day as a general guideline. For example, 100 grams of oyster mushrooms can provide roughly that amount. Agricultural Practices, Soil Health, and Nutrient Levels Why are ERGO levels so low and potentially declining over time? The answer lies in modern farming practices—how our food system prioritizes affordability and crop yield over the health of consumers, plants, animals, and the environment, according to Beelman. “Healthy soil is the foundation of healthy plants,” Alison Steiber, a registered dietitian with a doctorate in human nutrition, told The Epoch Times. Modern agricultural practices often rely on chemical additions to control pests and diseases, but these chemicals can harm the microbial populations in the soil that plants rely on for nutrition, said Steiber. These practices also reduce the organic matter in soil, lowering its ability to retain water and making the soil more susceptible to drought, she added. Plants and soil share a symbiotic relationship, with soil microbes playing a critical role in delivering nutrients to crops. However, certain agricultural practices, such as intensive tillage, can disrupt this relationship. Tillage reduces the diversity of soil bacteria and fungi, particularly damaging the root-like fungal structures that help plants absorb minerals, Steiber said. “Intensive tillage can decrease ERGO concentrations in crops like oats, soybeans, and corn by as much as 30 percent,” Beelman said. While macronutrient levels, like carbohydrates and proteins, may not differ much between conventional and organic farming practices, there is clear evidence of differences in micronutrient levels—vitamins, minerals, and compounds like ERGO. “Shouldn’t the focus shift to consider the interconnected health of all these elements?” Beelman asked. Mushrooms: A Powerful Source of ERGO As soil quality declines and many people fall short of getting enough ERGO in their diets, increasing mushroom consumption offers a simple and effective strategy to bridge the gap. ERGO is only made in nature by fungi, cyanobacteria—blue-green algae—and a few bacteria, Beelman said. Since mushrooms are the part of fungi that release spores to reproduce, they are by far the richest source of ERGO in our food supply, he added. While most foods contain small amounts of ERGO, thanks to fungi in the soil transferring it to plants through their roots, mushrooms stand out as a particularly potent source. Varieties like maitake, porcini, king oyster, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms are especially rich in ERGO, Beelman said. Better Soil, More Nutrients Another approach to boosting ERGO levels is to adopt regenerative farming practices that can enhance ERGO and other nutrients in our food. These practices include minimal or no tillage, crop rotation, cover crops, and reduced use of pesticides and fertilizers. Farming practices directly impact soil health, which in turn affect the uptake of essential micronutrients by plants. By improving soil quality, farmers can enhance the nutrient content of their crops—creating a win-win for both the farmer and the consumer, Beelman said. “I’ve seen firsthand over the past 50 years the relentless drive to improve crop yields, often at the cost of long-term health. The focus on yield, without considering nutritional quality, has likely contributed to poor health outcomes and rising health care costs. Someone needs to step up to help bring about change.” Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 20:05

— Over 100 Illegal Aliens Arrested In Raid Of Underground Nightclub

 

at 4/29/25 5:40pm

Over 100 Illegal Aliens Arrested In Raid Of Underground Nightclub Over 100 illegal immigrants were arrested at a Colorado Springs underground nightclub allegedly frequented by members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua (TdA) on Sunday. Officers stop a patron from a nightclub where a raid occurred in Colorado Springs, Colo., on April 27, 2025, in a still from video. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration via AP "Rocky Mountain led a multi-agency enforcement operation along with our local and federal partners early this morning. @DHSgov has taken more than 100 illegal aliens into custody. Drugs and weapons have also been seized at this underground nightclub in Colorado Springs," read a post from the Rocky Mountain branch of the DEA. #DEA Rocky Mountain led a multi-agency enforcement operation along with our local and federal partners early this morning.@DHSgov has taken more than 100 illegal aliens into custody. Drugs and weapons have also been seized at this underground nightclub in Colorado Springs. pic.twitter.com/R4Smb3voAg — DEARockyMountain (@DEAROCKYMTNDiv) April 27, 2025 The video shows the moment that approximately 300 federal and local agents breached the facility - after which dozens of people can be seen streaming outside the club only to be met with orders to get down.  In another post, the Rocky Mountain DEA said that 200 people were in attendance at the club, of which over 100 were in the custody of ICE. ? 200+ inside an underground nightclub in CO Springs had their illegal party upended this am.#DEA RMFD, ⁦@ERODenver⁩, ⁦@FBIDenver⁩, ⁦@ATF_Denver⁩, ⁦@HSIDenver⁩, ⁦@CSPDPIO⁩, ⁦@EPCSheriff⁩ & others seized drugs/guns. 100+ illegals arrested. pic.twitter.com/L5FOOyAlX3 — DEARockyMountain (@DEAROCKYMTNDiv) April 27, 2025 "DEA partners and @DHSgov placed patrons (in the U.S. illegally) on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation," read a subsequent post. ? Part of busting up the underground nightclub in Colorado Springs included the arrest of 114 illegal aliens.#DEA partners and @DHSgov placed patrons (in the U.S. illegally) on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation. pic.twitter.com/aLyQUdy5YN — DEARockyMountain (@DEAROCKYMTNDiv) April 27, 2025 As the Epoch Times notes further, photos posted to the account show containers of beer and unidentified drugs. The DEA also said that they found “tusi,” a substance laced with ketamine and other drugs, said to be a “calling card” for MS-13. At an April 27 news conference following the raid, DEA Rocky Mountain Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen said that inside the illegally-operated club was “significant drug trafficking, prostitution, crimes of violence.” “We seized a number of guns in there. We had active-duty service members who were running security at the club and involved in some of these crimes,” Pullen added. He said that more than a dozen such service members were detained, including both staff and patrons. “Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today,” Pullen said. President Donald Trump praised the raid and the arrests in a post on Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country—Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes, and Judges don’t want to send them back to where they came from. If we don’t win this battle at the Supreme Court, our Country, as we know it, is FINISHED!” Trump referenced ongoing injunctions and other orders from the judicial branch that have slowed his implementation of mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Two major cases currently pending at the Supreme Court, which both name Trump as the respondent and don’t name the plaintiffs directly, concern Trump’s attempts to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport foreigners judged to have ties to MS-13 or TdA, both of which have been named terrorist organizations by the administration. Attorney General Pam Bondi weighed in on the raid as well, saying in a post on X, “This morning @DEAHQ apprehended over 100 illegal aliens at an underground night club frequented by Tda and MS-13 terrorists. Cocaine, meth, and pink cocaine was seized. 2 people were also arrested on existing warrants.” “As we approach his 100 days in office, @POTUS Trump’s directive to make America safe again is achieving results!” Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 19:40

— CIA "Can Neither Confirm Nor Deny" Whether Secret Virginia Site Is Theirs

 

at 4/29/25 4:50pm

CIA "Can Neither Confirm Nor Deny" Whether Secret Virginia Site Is Theirs A low-profile government complex in northern Virginia - long rumored to be a CIA spook site - briefly appeared on a federal real estate for-sale list last month, only to disappear from the market within hours, in a mysterious vanishing act worthy of a spy novel. The Parr-Franconia warehouse complex from a General Services Administration report in 2015.Source: General Services Administration The nondescript Parr-Franconia warehouse complex, tucked just off I-95 a few miles from the Pentagon, popped up on a Trump administration list of “non-core” federal properties slated for potential sale, Bloomberg reports, noting that the list was yanked down less than 24 hours later - including more than 400 other buildings and offices, some housing cabinet-level agencies. But it was the Springfield cluster that raised eyebrows — 14 buildings, some going by names like “Franconia Building B” and “Butler Building 12,” which don’t appear on any other public database of government real estate. The CIA's official response? A non-denial denial. “The CIA can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence” of records related to the proposed sale, the agency said Monday in a response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Bloomberg News - deploying its classic "Glomar" language, coined during a Cold War submarine recovery op in 1974. That’s spy-speak for: Don’t ask us - we’re not telling. The site, which dates to 1952, has been the subject of decades of local speculation. Foreign Policy once identified it as a heavily guarded compound used to store “classified files, equipment, and supplies.” Marc Ambinder of The Week called it “perhaps the worst-kept secret in Springfield,” where neighbors talk openly about the strange security measures and rotating surveillance. "It’s been identified in numerous public forums. The bad guys know it exists; the CIA and the Air Force often assign counter-surveillance teams to the area," wrote Armbinder. Even Fairfax County assigns a hefty valuation: the 1.2 million-square-foot property is tax-exempt but carries an appraisal of over $115 million. The Trump administration has made waves with its effort to trim the government’s bloated real estate portfolio, but this listing — along with the headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which Secretary Scott Turner famously slammed as “the ugliest building in DC” — may have gone a step too far. In the end, the administration backtracked on all 443 proposed sales, citing a need for further review. But the sudden appearance of a shadowy Springfield site, potentially connected to U.S. intelligence, suggests someone in the bureaucracy might’ve hit "publish" without reading the fine print — or the classification stamps. Neither the CIA nor the General Services Administration will say more — not even to confirm the property exists. Which, in the world of cloak-and-dagger real estate, probably says everything. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 18:50

— "Never A Consideration" - Amazon Denies Media Claims Of 'Tariff-Tracker'

 

at 4/29/25 4:25pm

"Never A Consideration" - Amazon Denies Media Claims Of 'Tariff-Tracker' Update (1155ET): According to CNN (so who knows) - a senior Trump admin official told President Trump about the story, after which Trump called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos following the Punchbowl report that Amazon was considering displaying the cost of US tariffs next to prices on its website. Shortly after the call, an Amazon spokesman released a statement 'clarifying' that the move wasn't considered for the main Amazon site - rather, just 'Amazon Haul.' "This was never approved and not going to happen," said the spokesperson. Earlier... Well that didn't take long... Amazon has just issued a statement denying PunchBowl's reporting and explaining that showing tariffs costs on the main Amazon site was "never a consideration": “The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store has considered listing import charges on certain products.  This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.” Amazon's share price is rebounding on the statement... Of course, by NOT exposing these numbers (which the leftists and legacy media were cheering so loudly), Jeff Bezos has just shifted the crosshairs once again: Bezos is once again the second most hated billionaire by the left — zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 29, 2025 So did PunchBowl just make this up? Punchbowl story on Amazon, sponsored by Amazon, isn't completely true, per Amazon. pic.twitter.com/5JD7nCk5Pa — Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) April 29, 2025 *  *  * Shares of Amazon tumbled to premarket lows Tuesday after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the company's recent decision to display the effect of tariffs on products a "hostile and political act," adding "why didn't Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?" "It's not a surprise," Leavitt continued, adding "Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm. So this is another reason Americans should buy American." Watch: White House calls Amazon's decision to cite Trump tariffs cost on products a "hostile and political act." "Why didn't Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?" pic.twitter.com/fdof5noJp4 — Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) April 29, 2025 AMZN shares are trading over 2% lower in the pre-market following the remarks. The e-commerce giant will soon display how much of an item's cost is derived from tariffs - 'right next to the product's total listed price,' Punchbowl News reported earlier Tuesday. Of note, companies like Amazon and Shein Group Ltd. are bracing for a 120% tariff on many of their products due to the US government's decision to end the "de minimis" exemption which allowed goods valued at under $800 to pass into the US without tariffs or customs duties. Why does Amazon refuse to disclose where its crap products from companies with fake names are manufactured. Amazon won’t disclose country of origin, but it knows the exact country-specific tariff? https://t.co/KU7gr6ILMe — Sean Davis (@seanmdav) April 29, 2025 According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who attended the press briefing, Amazon's move to highlight tariffs is unfair given that the costs of policies implemented by other administrations (including regulations) aren't being broken out by Amazon. "The big tax on consumers that goes unnoticed is deregulation or regulation, and we are deregulating and bringing that down," Bessent said. "So you know, from a household income point of view, we would expect real purchasing increases that we’ve seen over the first 100 days, and we would expect that to accelerate." Needless to say, this "hostile and political" move by Amazon is catching heat... Executive order mandating that on-line sales identify country of origin for each product. — Carnot's Law (@Len54Len) April 29, 2025 Absolutely right. Amazon’s decision is clearly political. They didn't flag inflation impacts under Biden, but now single out tariffs under Trump. — VJT (@KelvinCold1234) April 29, 2025   Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 18:25

— Appeals Court Reinstates Order Barring Trump Admin From Firing CFPB Employees

 

at 4/29/25 4:25pm

Appeals Court Reinstates Order Barring Trump Admin From Firing CFPB Employees Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A federal appeals court on April 28 lifted its previous order that had allowed the Trump administration to carry out workforce reductions at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Supporters of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rally outside its building in Washington on Feb. 10, 2025. Craig Hudson/Reuters On April 11, the appeals court partially stayed a preliminary injunction issued by a district court, allowing the CFPB to proceed with laying off workers if a “particularized assessment” determined their roles were not essential to the agency’s statutory duties. However, the court barred the administration from enforcing a stop-work order at the agency. In a divided ruling, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit lifted the partial stay amid arguments over the meaning of the “particularized assessment” requirement. “The parties vigorously dispute whether this language permits judicial review of the questions whether the assessment at issue was ‘particularized’ and whether the employees subject to the RIF are ‘unnecessary to the performance of defendants’ statutory duties,’” the order stated, referring to the acronym for reduction in force. According to the order, a “particularized assessment” is defined as a determination—made by an official responsible for the workforce reduction—that each division or office within CFPB will be able to perform its statutorily required duties without the employees who are subject to termination. Judge Neomi Rao dissented, saying the district court’s injunction raises concerns about the “separation of powers” and that it interferes with the government’s management of federal agencies. “The district court overstepped our stay. Rather than remedy the judicial error, today’s order hamstrings the Executive and prevents the CFPB from downsizing until the merits of the appeal are resolved,” Rao stated in her dissenting opinion. The Epoch Times reached out to CFPB for comment but did not receive a response by publication time. In February, the National Treasury Employees Union sued Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting director of the CFPB. The union accused the Trump administration of violating the nation’s separation of powers by moving to dismantle the agency without congressional approval. Several other groups joined the suit in an amended complaint days later. On March 28, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the administration from laying off CFPB employees and from enforcing a stop-work order at the agency. “If the defendants are not enjoined, they will eliminate the agency before the Court has the opportunity to decide whether the law permits them to do it, and as the defendants’ own witness warned, the harm will be irreparable,” Jackson wrote in her opinion. The CFPB was established by a 2010 law in response to the 2008 financial crisis. According to the agency’s website, CFPB “implements and enforces federal consumer financial law and ensures that markets for consumer financial products are transparent, fair, and competitive.” President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Elon Musk previously stated on the social media platform X that the agency is “duplicative” and should be eliminated. Jacob Burg and Sam Dorman contributed to this report. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 18:25

— Dem Rep Who Filed Trump Impeachment Articles Under Fire For Dog, Monkey Abuse In Bankruptcy Scandal

 

at 4/29/25 4:05pm

Dem Rep Who Filed Trump Impeachment Articles Under Fire For Dog, Monkey Abuse In Bankruptcy Scandal On Monday, Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan announced that he's filed seven articles of impeachment against President Trump, alleging that various actions such as deporting suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Barego Garcia, cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency without congressional approval, and Trump's tariffs are impeachable offenses. "Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unfit to serve as President and represents a clear and present danger to our nation’s constitution and our democracy," Theander said in a press release. This congressman who can barely speak English is filing 7 articles of impeachment against our President. We need to ban foreign born people from serving in Congress and in our judicial system. This has only been a net negative for American society.pic.twitter.com/oqcGGEUokf — Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) April 28, 2025 But the India-born Thanedar - a chemist and business owner - is now under fire over resurfaced allegations of animal abuse in connection with a bankrupt animal testing lab he owned and operated. According to a 2018 Huffington Post report, approximately 170 dogs and monkeys had to be rescued in 2010 from an abandoned pharmaceutical testing lab owned by Thanedar - who had to shutter the New Jersey testing facility, AniClin Preclinical Services, after its Thanedar-owned parent company, Azopharma, went bankrupt in April 2010. Three months after the bankruptcy, local animal rights activists learned that 118 beagles and dozens of monkeys were still stuck inside the facility, with lab workers allegedly jumping the bankrupt lab's fences to provide food and water to the animals. Shri Thanedar left 100’s of dogs to die in cages after testing chemicals on them when his business went bankrupt. He can spare us on the moral outrage. https://t.co/3wWFR41yLK pic.twitter.com/0ZrOtHzrm3 — Senator Aric Nesbitt (@SenAricNesbitt) April 18, 2025 The situation was sickening according to local accounts. "We believe that they have never been outside, ever," said an unnamed woman in a video report by the Times Herald-Record. "I don’t think they’ve actually had their paws on the grass. When I walked in here it looked like they were walking on eggshells. They were kind of afraid to walk on the grass." A few days after the report, California-based group, In Defense of Animals, rescued 55 long-tailed macaque monkeys that were abandoned in the shuttered AniClin testing facility. Thanedar defended himself at the time, telling HuffPost "I have no knowledge how well the bank took care of the animals," and said that while the lab was in operation "No animal was harmed or subjected to any harmful conditions. No electric experiments were conducted," which is oddly specific. But wait, there's more! EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: INDIAN SCAMMER DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN WHO FILED ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP GETS CONFRONTED ON VIDEO Today, @LoomerUnleashed confronted Indian-born, Democrat Michigan Congressman Shri Thanedar @RepShriThanedar, who filed articles of… https://t.co/Ra4w1SSWQx pic.twitter.com/GNJEvvdOI3 — Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) April 29, 2025 Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 18:05

— India Is Most Likely To Sign First Major Trade Deal With US, Here's Why

 

at 4/29/25 3:20pm

India Is Most Likely To Sign First Major Trade Deal With US, Here's Why During his closely-watched CNBC interview today, Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that he has a trade deal with an unnamed country, pending approval. Speculation promptly emerged who that country may be, with the most likely candidates named as India, South Korea and Japan. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announces he has a trade deal done and he’s waiting for the country’s prime minister and parliament to give their approval. This huge news has sent the US stock market soaring! Trump’s tariffs are already working as a strong negotiation tool. pic.twitter.com/sMgfVPLRLQ — Paul A. Szypula ?? (@Bubblebathgirl) April 29, 2025 Of the three, India is the nation most likely to announce the first major trade deal with the Trump admin, not only because of Apple's decision to shift all US-focused iPhone production from China to India, but because India and China have a bit of a regional superpower rivalry between them, with the former recently surpassing the latter as the world's most populous country (China is facing a crippling demographic crisis in several decades that would rival Japan's), and with ambitions to overtake China's GDP over the next 2 decades. Case in point, Indian trade negotiators are planning to showcase the country’s large pipeline of Boeing plane orders and the potential for more to come as they seek a favorable deal with the US, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter. In the absence of a deal, Indian goods exports to the US face up to 26% levies after Trump’s 90-day pause on implementation of reciprocal tariffs ends in July. The plan is to get Indian carriers’ existing orders and under-negotiation deals with the American planemaker counted in discussions for a bilateral trade pact that could potentially shield the country from higher US tariffs. Along with Air India, Akasa Air-operator SNV Aviation and SpiceJet have placed a combined order for 590 aircraft worth $67 billion with Boeing in recent years. With deliveries and payments for 506 of those planes staggered over several years, India wants to highlight how these private purchases would serve to narrow the more than $47 billion trade surplus New Delhi runs with Washington — a key gripe of President Donald Trump. Underscoring how India hopes to use airplanes as leverage in the global trade war, Air India, the erstwhile state-owned carrier acquired by the Tata Group in 2022, is already looking to take deliveries of some Boeing planes that were rejected by Chinese carriers in a tit-for-tat move over Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. The airline is also discussing fresh orders with the American plane maker. Indian carriers growing orders with Boeing is also boosting the American plane manufacturer’s share in the South Asian market. Of the nearly 900 commercial passenger aircraft registered in India, a majority 538 belong to the Airbus SE 320 family, according to data consultancy KnowIndia.net. Only 140 are Boeing 737s, with the rest made up of widebody, turboprops and other types of aircraft. While India’s largest carrier IndiGo operates an Airbus fleet, it last year decided to lease some Boeing 787 aircraft for a few international routes. India is not alone in wanting to use aircraft orders as a leverage for trade negotiations. Vietnam is also employing a similar tactic to win favor with the White House. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi committed to buying more US goods, including crude oil, liquefied natural gas and defense items in a meeting with Trump in Washington in February, officials feel adding private commercial aircraft deals to the list could bolster New Delhi’s case for a trade deal with the US. The Modi administration has already offered several concessions to the US, including overhauling its tariff regime to bring down levies on some 8,500 industrial goods including key American exports such as Bourbon whiskey and high-end motorcycles such as those made by Harley Davidson Inc. Besides airplanes, India is also hoping to appease Trump by boosting the amount of oil the country imports from the US. Indian refiners, who have relied largely on Russian oil in recent years, have been boosting US oil purchases before trade talks between the two nations next month. Around 11.2 million barrels of crude are set to arrive in India from the US in June, the highest volume since last August, according to data from analytics firm Kpler. That comes after a drop in prices in the West Texas Intermediate benchmark as the result of lower demand because of a refinery overhaul n Singapore, along with reduced appetite in China — the world’s biggest oil importer. “WTI has to discount significantly more than usual to incentivize the rest of Asia to take in the barrels,” said June Goh, a senior oil market analyst at Sparta Commodities. “There is also a geopolitical element, where Asian buyers may seek more WTI as a negotiating tool with the US to reduce the reciprocal tariffs, per what we are observing with Indonesia and India.” India’s trade deficit widened more than expected in March, as oil imports jumped more than 60% from a month earlier. The nation’s exporters have been urging New Delhi officials to seal a bilateral trade deal with the US as soon as possible, with in-person negotiations set to start in the second half of May, after President Donald Trump paused a proposed 26% tariff on the Asian nation this month. State refiners including Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum have purchased at least 6 million barrels of June-arrival crude from the US across various tenders held this month, according to Bloomberg calculations. Bharat Petroleum — which is also seeking spot supplies including grades from the US — bought 1 million barrels for the four months through September. Indian Oil has also started buying crude for July, including 3 million barrels from the US. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 17:20

— Mark Zuckerberg Warns A 'Reckoning' Is Coming For One Of The Biggest Scams In America

 

at 4/29/25 3:00pm

Mark Zuckerberg Warns A 'Reckoning' Is Coming For One Of The Biggest Scams In America Via VigilantFox.com, The student loan bubble is about to burst, and Zuckerberg knows it. He says there’s one huge problem with college today that no one can ignore anymore. It started with a strange but telling moment. One that pulled back the curtain on the secretive world of Mark Zuckerberg. On This Past Weekend podcast, comedian Theo Von joked about wanting to dig a tunnel underground. What he didn’t expect was for Zuckerberg to casually admit he had already done it. “I do have an underground tunnel,” Zuckerberg said without hesitation. Theo, caught completely off guard, asked, “Do you really? In the USA?” Zuckerberg confirmed it was real and even bigger than Theo expected. “I have this ranch in Kauai,” he said. “There’s this whole meme about how people are saying, I built this, like, bunker underground. It’s like more of underground storage.” Theo, laughing, teased him: “Zucky got that bunky. What’s under the ground? Just more water, right?” Zuckerberg brushed it off, but he didn’t deny the core of the rumor. “It’s basically what you just said. It’s sort of a tunnel that just goes to another building.” Not exactly a bunker, according to Zuckerberg, just an underground passage connecting parts of his remote island fortress. Well… Nothing to see here, right? It started with a strange but telling moment. One that pulled back the curtain on the secretive world of Mark Zuckerberg. On This Past Weekend podcast, comedian Theo Von joked about wanting to dig a tunnel underground. What he didn’t expect was for Zuckerberg to casually… pic.twitter.com/toWveHm7H3 — The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) April 28, 2025 As the interview went on, Zuckerberg shifted gears and dropped a much bigger bomb. He admitted what millions of Americans are starting to feel: college isn’t preparing young people for the real world anymore, and the student debt crisis is heading straight for a reckoning. It’s a personal subject for Zuckerberg, who famously dropped out of Harvard to build Facebook, and now sees the system he left behind collapsing under its own weight. “I’m not sure that college is preparing people for, like, the jobs that they need to have today,” he said.  “I mean, I think that that’s like there’s a big issue on that. And like, all the student debt issues are like really big issues.” He pointed to the crushing cost of a degree and the broken promises that come with it. “I mean, the fact that college is just so expensive for so many people and then, like, you graduate when you’re in debt,” he said. “If it’s not preparing you for the jobs that you need and you’re kind of starting off in this big hole, then I think that’s not good.” In Zuckerberg’s view, the system isn’t just broken — it’s on borrowed time. “There’s going to have to be a reckoning,” he warned. “People are going to have to kind of figure out whether that makes sense.” And the taboo around questioning college? He says that’s starting to crumble too. “It’s sort of been this taboo thing to say, like, maybe not everyone needs to go to college,” he said.  “Because there’s like a lot of jobs that don’t require that.” “But I think people are probably coming around to that opinion a little more now than maybe like ten years ago.” As the interview went on, Zuckerberg shifted gears and dropped a much bigger bomb. He admitted what millions of Americans are starting to feel: college isn’t preparing young people for the real world anymore, and the student debt crisis is heading straight for a reckoning. It’s… pic.twitter.com/x7UpBt06X0 — The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) April 28, 2025 And he wasn’t done yet. The conversation soon turned to another taboo—one that most tech CEOs wouldn’t dare touch: the role of media elites in misjudging, mislabeling, and underestimating ordinary people. Strange coming from the man involved in censoring millions of Americans and the president himself, but nonetheless, Zuckerberg unleashed on the media. He slammed the entire idea that the public is too dumb to make their own decisions, a belief quietly pushed by many in the media. “Like, I’ve always been a person who really kind of believes that people are smarter than people think,” he said, “and, and I think in general, are able to make good decisions for their lives.” The real problem, Zuckerberg argued, isn’t the people — it’s the media’s failure to understand them. “And when they do things that like the media or whatever thinks don’t make sense, it’s generally because the media doesn’t understand their life, not because the people are stupid.” In one of the sharpest moments of the interview, he flipped the whole “misinformation” narrative on its head. “Like if people are saying something that seems wrong, it’s not usually misinformation. It’s usually that you don’t understand what’s going on in that person’s life.” And he didn’t stop there. Zuckerberg called out the deep-rooted arrogance that still runs through legacy media outlets. “I just think that there’s like a certain kind of paternalism in, in some of the, like, mainstream narratives and some of the media narratives,” he said. But now, he hinted, the tide might finally be turning — because the so-called “experts” are losing their grip. “I think it’s a little more receptive as maybe some of those cultural or media elite people are having a harder time predicting what’s going to happen in the world. Maybe there’s a little more humility of like, okay, maybe we don’t understand all of this.” And he wasn’t done yet. The conversation soon turned to another taboo—one that most tech CEOs wouldn't dare touch: the role of media elites in misjudging, mislabeling, and underestimating ordinary people. Strange coming from the man involved in censoring millions of Americans… pic.twitter.com/70hyuuEDYb — The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) April 28, 2025 Finally, Zuckerberg ended with a brutal warning for the tech world—one rooted in hard experience. The biggest mistake tech companies make?  Thinking they’re smarter than the people they claim to serve. Zuckerberg explained why arrogance toward everyday users almost always leads to disaster. “To me, the best predicting thing has always been like, all right, if you build something, do people actually think it’s good?” he said.  “Because like at some level, you know, it’s like, I just believe that people are actually very smart and understand their lives very well.” He reiterated that the real test isn’t winning awards or impressing other executives. It’s whether real people actually find what you build useful. “If you’re building something that is useful for them, then they will use it,” he said. “And if you’re building something that is not useful for them, then they have other options. They will do something else.” Zuckerberg said trusting people’s judgment — not lecturing them — has been his greatest advantage. “I don’t know, it’s always served me well to generally have faith in people and believe that people are smart and can make good decisions for themselves.” But he also offered a serious warning. Whenever companies start thinking they know better than their customers, it’s the beginning of the end. “Whenever we try to, like, adopt some sort of like attitude of, oh, we must know better than them, it’s like—we’re like—we’re the people building technology. That’s when you lose, right?” And when you lose touch for long enough, the fall is brutal. “If you have that attitude for long enough, then you just become a shitty company and you lose and you lose and you lose and then you’re irrelevant.” In the end, Zuckerberg said, it’s not the elites who shape the future, it’s the people. “I tend to just think that at the end of the day, yeah, I mean, I think people are smarter than a lot of people think, and I think ultimately drive the direction that society goes in.”  Underestimate everyday people and you lose everything. Finally, Zuckerberg ended with a brutal warning for the tech world—one rooted in hard experience. The biggest mistake tech companies make? Thinking they're smarter than the people they claim to serve. Zuckerberg explained why arrogance toward everyday users almost always… pic.twitter.com/3IsrG9WZd0 — The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) April 28, 2025 Watch the full conversation between @TheoVon and Mark Zuckerberg here: Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 17:00

— "The World Is Witnessing A Revolution Of Common Sense" - Trump's (Second) First 100 Days

 

at 4/29/25 2:40pm

"The World Is Witnessing A Revolution Of Common Sense" - Trump's (Second) First 100 Days At the beginning of his remarks tonight, celebrating his (second) first 100 days, President Trump proclaimed that "the world is witnessing a revolution of common sense." "In the first 100 days, we have delivered the most profound change in this country in 100 years," Trump commented, highlighting that "we are ushering in the golden age of America." "Nothing will stop my mission to keep American safe again." Trump stated, pointing out the impact of the judiciary on his orders: "judges are trying to take away presidential power... I hope the Supreme Court will save this." With regard to tariffs, Trump said that "we have been abused by friend and foe on trade." "India, France, and China officials are coming to make a deal," said Trump, adding that he is offering automakers some "flexibility". Watch President Trump's full remarks here... Upon returning to the White House, President Donald Trump unleashed a wave of executive orders and aggressive policy shifts, making his first 100 days of his second term one of the most impactful starts to a presidency in recent memory. Now serving as the 47th president, Trump has resumed many of the core initiatives from his previous administration -initiatives he says were obstructed by the Russia probe, civil unrest tied to Black Lives Matter protests, and the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. With renewed urgency, Trump has zeroed in on the cornerstone issues of his “Make America Great Again” platform: securing the southern border, confronting China’s trade abuses, and boosting American energy independence. And or course, the highly controversial tariffs that sent investors on a round-trip rollercoaster from hell this month. Trump has already surpassed President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s historic mark of 99 executive orders within the first 100 days, a sign of his determination to reshape federal policy without waiting for Congress. Which were of course met with a flood of legal challenges in front of left-wing judges... Nearly all of the legal challenges are working their way through the courts. Some of the president’s actions have been blocked or allowed temporarily pending further court action. The court allowed the deferred resignation, or voluntary departure plan, by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to continue. Harvard University’s legal challenge to the administration’s funding freeze over anti-semitism and removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs has yet to be heard by the court. -Epoch Times Backers view Trump’s opening stretch as a return to American assertiveness, while critics argue it reflects executive overreach and instability. Eager to seize the early momentum, Trump has pushed forward rapidly on both international and domestic priorities, knowing the political clock is already ticking. As his administration hits the 100-day mark, here is a breakdown of the major actions taken so far by the Epoch Times. Economic Indicators: Up, Down Economic indicators mostly improved through March, the last month for which complete data is available. Nonfarm job creation nearly doubled since Trump took office, although the unemployment rate rose 0.2 percent. Inflation declined by 0.5 percent, reaching 2.8 percent, its lowest level since February 2021. Trump’s tariff strategy, launched on April 2, which he called “Liberation Day,” appeared to cause uncertainty among investors, which could affect economic indicators for April. The president said his tariff strategy is to reverse the trade imbalance between the United States and other nations by levying reciprocal tariffs on their goods coming into this country. The tariffs will also encourage manufacturers to create products in the United States, according to Trump. The Standard and Poor’s 500, an index that tracks the performance of leading companies, dropped steeply in the days following the tariff announcement. Prices rallied on April 8, the day after Trump announced a pause in many of the tariffs. Manufacturing Build-Back: $1.75 Trillion More than a dozen domestic and foreign manufacturers have announced large investments in their U.S. operations since Trump took office. In at least one case, Trump’s tariff policy played a part in the decision to invest here. Honda is expected to manufacture its next-generation Civic hybrid in Indiana rather than Mexico. Nissan and Hyundai are expected to move some manufacturing facilities to the United States as well, according to the White House. Those investments include more than $1 trillion from tech giants Nvidia, Apple, Oracle, and others. Merck, the German pharmaceutical company, opened a $1 billion manufacturing facility in North Carolina this year. Multinational automaker Stellantis announced a $5 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing sites. Illegal Border Crossings: 90 Percent Reduction in 40 Days Trump’s early actions on border security included a national emergency declaration, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to combat speed deportation, and directing the military to augment security at the nation’s borders. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began increased deportation operations targeting criminal illegal immigrants on Jan. 21. Immigration officials reported 32,800 arrests in the first three weeks of the Trump administration, about 73 percent of whom were illegal immigrants with a criminal charge or conviction. ICE made 113,400 total immigration arrests during the last fiscal year of the Biden administration, according to the agency’s records. Customs and Border Protection reported a nearly 90 percent drop in illegal immigrant apprehensions at the southern border between December 2024, the last full month before Trump took office, and March. Taxpayer Savings: $1.6 Billion per Day Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, on Jan. 20. Headed by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, DOGE took rapid action to reduce government spending with the goal of reaching $1 trillion in cost savings. Immediate targets included tax-payer funded programs related to gender ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion. DOGE also targeted waste, such as leases on unoccupied buildings. Agency heads have reduced spending to save Americans about $160 billion in 100 days, or nearly $1,000 per taxpayer, according to DOGE. Trump offered a Deferred Resignation Program, which allowed federal employees to voluntarily resign and retain salary and benefits until Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. About 77,000 of the more than 3 million federal employees opted into the program. Other staff reductions have eliminated about 66,000 positions, nearly all of which were retirements or voluntary transitions, according to DOGE. Three other recent presidents made significant staffing reductions during their first 100 days, as did Trump during his first term. Now let's see what happens in May with all this port FUD and talk of empty shelves... Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 16:40

— Power Restored In Spain, Portugal But The Situation Reveals A Very Serious Underlying Problem...

 

at 4/29/25 1:55pm

Power Restored In Spain, Portugal But The Situation Reveals A Very Serious Underlying Problem... Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica announced on X early Tuesday that 99% of the country's power capacity had been restored following a daylong, unprecedented blackout that plunged much of Europe's Iberian Peninsula into chaos and darkness. The Iberian Peninsula… wiped off the map of lights. This is how it looked from orbit last night after a massive blackout hit Spain and Portugal. Cosmic silence over the region.”#Blackout #IberianPeninsula #Spain #Portugal #PowerOutage #SatelliteView #EarthAtNight… pic.twitter.com/0HyA7tN8m0 — David Sobolewski (@buzzyrobot) April 29, 2025 As of 0700 local time, Red Eléctrica stated: 99.95% of the demand recovered (25,794MW). We continue working from the Electrical Control Center for the complete normalization of the system. The outage paralyzed digital payment systems, disrupted communications, and brought various modes of transportation networks to an apocalyptic standstill. While a Spanish judge has launched an investigation into whether a cyberattack was responsible, early indications suggest the culprit is likely net zero. Here's an excerpt from Michael Shellenberger at PUBLIC, who provided an uncomfortable truth about the unhinged liberals in Europe who have been hellbent on retiring fossil fuel power and nuclear generation plants, swapping for unreliable solar and wind: Despite all these warnings, political and regulatory energy in Europe remained focused on accelerating renewable deployment, not upgrading the grid's basic stability. In Spain, solar generation continued to climb rapidly through 2023 and early 2024.  Coal plants closed. Nuclear units retired.  On many spring days by 2025, Spain's midday solar generation exceeded its total afternoon demand, leading to frequent negative electricity prices. The system was being pushed to the limit. And today, at 12:35 pm, it broke. ... Spain's blackout wasn't just a technical failure. It was a political and strategic failure. ... Unless Spain rapidly invests in synthetic inertia, maintains and expands its nuclear fleet, or adds some other new form of heavy rotating generation, the risk of future blackouts will only grow worse. Red Eléctrica has refused to speculate on the cause of the worst blackout in Spain's history. However, REN, the Portuguese grid operator, said Monday that a rare atmospheric phenomenon in Spain caused by extreme temperature variations was the most likely cause. Via Daily Mail... Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters that the power blackout was caused by an issue in the European grid. He described it as a "strong oscillation" but did not provide further details.  Sánchez noted that power was pulled from Morocco and France to restore power in southern and northern parts of Spain. Local grids were adding the production of hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power plants to stabilize the grid. *  *   * After selling out quickly, 10 of these just showed up! Free Shipping. (click pic) Spain's green energy revolution actually achieved net zero yesterday: blackout.  Congratulations to Portugal and Spain for achieving Net Zero today - Zero emissions, Zero electricity, Zero explanations! ⚡?#NetZero #Blackout pic.twitter.com/JP6k5Q4jcl — Paul Hennessy (@PPHennessy) April 28, 2025 An inconvenient truth for some. “Net zero blamed for blackout chaos in Spain and Portugal.” It’s time to end the nonsense of net zero - which is a threat to economic and energy security. pic.twitter.com/qymXSArQgt — James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) April 29, 2025 Net Zero blamed for blackout chaos Spain, Portugal & part of France Net Zero is damaging & dangerous Stop it pic.twitter.com/ViQ5BeQwii — Alan D Miller (@alanvibe) April 29, 2025 'Critics of Net Zero are now questioning whether renewables were to blame'.@benleo444 reports from Madrid on the nationwide power outage that Spain experienced yesterday. pic.twitter.com/6RkGKkvsB4 — GB News (@GBNEWS) April 29, 2025 So what the fuck actually happened?  Mark Nelson (@EnergyBants) posted the most detailed breakdown (and conclusion) on X: SPAIN BLACKOUTS: AN ANONYMOUS EXPERT VIEW From a deep groupchat, last night, translated from Spanish, written by an expert in transmission and distribution of power. Not my words. "What has happened on April 28 has a well-located origin: the Aragón-Catalonia corridor, which is one of the most important electric highways in Spain. There is not only the electricity produced by our solar and wind farms in the northeast, but also the electricity that we import from France. This international interconnection, although weak (it can only contribute 3% of our demand, well below the minimum of 10% that marks the EU), in times of stress is essential to balance the network. At 12:32 p.m., in that Aragón-Catalonia corridor there was an electric shock. What exactly does "shake" mean? It means that suddenly and abnormally, the power that flowed through those lines began to vary violently, rising and falling in a very short time.  Such abrupt variability can be due to three main causes: That a relay or transformer on that electric highway detects an abnormal flow of current or voltage (higher or lower than expected) and automatically disconnected to avoid burning or destroyed. This is called that "opens" a relay or switch: it jumps and cuts the passage of electricity to protect itself. That the enormous concentration of renewable energy in that area (mainly solar and wind) has created an electrical resonance: electronic inverters, which synchronize current, can sometimes be amplified between them if a small voltage alteration (for example, due to clouds, strong wind or a slight failure) extends like an echo to all devices, causing widespread oscillations. That a wrong control order has been sent (by mistake or attack) from the SCADA systems, disconnecting or reducing the generation of multiple hit plants. There is no confirmation of this possibility yet, but it is being investigated. What is known is that as a consequence of that shake, the interconnection with France jumped: we were isolated just at the worst time, when the peninsula needed external support to stabilize. Without that French help, the frequency of the peninsular network (which should always be 50 Hz exact) began to drop quickly. The frequency is like the heartbeat of the network: if it falls too much, the systems understand that the patient (the network) is collapsing and automatically disconnected so as not to self-destruct. Thus, in just five seconds, the solar and wind farms were turned off —very sensitive to frequency variations—, 15 GW of power was lost suddenly (60% of all the electricity generated at that time), and the network could not take it anymore: it was It collapsed completely, showing the Redeia Platform (REE) a "0 MW" nationwide. That does not mean that all the turbines were physically turned off, but there was no generator synchronized at the common frequency of 50 Hz. It was, for practical purposes, a country off. To ignite a completely dead network again, one essential thing is needed: plants that can start in black, that is, without receiving energy from anywhere else. Spain has identified five large hydroelectric jumps capable of doing this. However, and here is one of the great negligences that are coming to light, three of those five groups were stopped in scheduled maintenance, by business decision supervised by the administration. Only two were operational. That made the recovery much slower and weaker than it should be in a normal contingency plan. The result is that, after almost 10 hours, only 35% to 40% of the national supply has been recovered, and there are still large areas in the dark or under scheduled cuts. The situation reveals a very serious underlying problem: Spain is still an energy island: it only has 3% foreign exchange capacity compared to its total demand. The network depends a lot on variable renewables, which are disconnected quickly in the face of any instability. The lack of physical inertia reserves (i.e. large rotating masses such as thermal power plants or classic hydraulics) prevents the disturbances from damping. And poor maintenance planning left without enough hydraulic muscle to respond to a crisis. The most likely causes, with current data, are: A combination of technical failure in protection or in synchronization, added to a serious lack of operational forecast and maintenance (probability ≈ 40%). The possibility of an intentional cyber-physical attack remains in analysis (≈ 25% estimated probability). Other factors such as human error, punctual atmospheric phenomenon or mixed causes complete the rest. In short: an initial shake at the most sensitive point of the Spanish network —the Aragón-Catalonia corridor, door to Europe— left the peninsula isolated and vulnerable. The network could not sustain its own demand because it did not have sufficient assistance, nor stable physical reserve, nor enough bootable plants in black. Three of five hydroelectric jumps were out of service when they were most needed. For this reason, Spain went out in five seconds, and that is why it still continues to light little by little, fragile, slow and exposed. Great job, Western liberals, on the deranged march to net-zero, culminating in the implosion of part of Europe's power grid. Meanwhile, China is adding record amounts of coal and nuclear power capacity. It's almost as if the entire green movement is about de-growth — and, in some cases, seems like sabotage fueled by sheer stupidity. Tyler Durden Tue, 04/29/2025 - 15:55

As of 4/30/25 5:02am. Last new 4/30/25 5:02am.