Roundup
(1) Rubio mentions some additional sources for Trump’s anger at Zelensky:
The tensions go back much further … , though, with the Ukrainian president slamming Trump and now-Vice President JD Vance during the 2024 presidential election, presumably believing Kamala Harris would win. Zelensky also showed up on stage with Democrats in Pennsylvania, essentially campaigning for Harris in the swing state.
Aha. Yes, I noticed at the time, but I’d forgotten that. Of course, foreign policy should not be based on personal animosity. I don’t think it ultimately will be, even with Trump, but he’s vulnerable to holding a grudge at least for a while and it worries me that it will affect his judgment.
Rubio said considerably more:
Rubio reveals why everyone in the administration is pissed at Zelensky.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) February 21, 2025
(2) The Senate voted for a budget resolution that seems to be different than what the House is looking for:
The Senate adopted a budget resolution Friday intended to serve as a blueprint to deliver the first part of President Trump’s agenda.
Senators voted 52-48, mostly along party lines, on the resolution after a marathon overnight voting session. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted against the measure. …
The resolution helps pave the way for Republicans to pass roughly $340 billion in funding, including $175 billion in for border operations and immigration enforcement and to carry out Trump’s ambitious deportation plans, as well as $150 billion in defense spending. …
Trump this week endorsed the House’s one-track plan that includes border and defense spending, combined with an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and a debt ceiling increase. But GOP leadership in the Senate, backed by a large swath of their conference, are barrelling forward with their preferred two-track process.
(3) This certainly sounds good:
?President Trump announces that Tim Cook and Apple will invest hundreds of billion of dollars into manufacturing in America to take advantage of tax incentives and to avoid tariffs. Trump continues to be America’s best salesman. pic.twitter.com/Ad85XkWScD
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 21, 2025
(4) The BBC airs unadulterated Pallywood propaganda. Please read the whole thing. I may have more to say about it in another post in the next couple of days.
(5) I wish Trump would resist the urge to perform this sort of grandstanding, which only gives ammunition to those who say he’s a wannabee dictator and must be resisted by the “resistance.’ He might be able to cut off federal funding for education for noncompliance – although I’m not sure of that. But all federal funds? I actually think Mills would win that case [emphasis added]:
President Donald Trump stood his ground when going head to head with Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) over his executive order that bans males from female sports.
At the National Governors Session, Trump called out Maine since the state won’t follow the order:
“TRUMP: Is the Maine here, the governor of Maine?
MILLS: I am here.
TRUMP: Are you not going to comply with it?
MILLS: I’m complying with state and federal laws.
TRUMP: Well, I’m — we are the federal law. Well, you better do it. You better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And by the way, your population even though it’s somewhat liberal although I did very well there, your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports. So you better — you better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any — any federal funding.
MILLS: See you in court.
TRUMP: Every state — good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that.”
(6) The Vatican says that Pope Francis is in critical condition.
Whether Trump loses or wins it will only enhance his rep. The vast majority of voters do not want males in female sports. I certainly want ALL federal funds cut off. May not win but voters will know Trump is serious.
Ukraine corruption precedes Joe and Hunter’s involvement there. It was the corruption that attracted them.
BTW, men in female sports is a revolting type of societal corruption. Most of us want it eradicated.
Corruption in the Russian Federation before Dear Leader Vladdy?inconceivable. Certainly not, and especially not since he came to save the Motherland from the Decadent West!
Poor FJB and the Smartest Man, trapped by the corrupt evil Nazi Ukranians, is that how it worked Banned Lizzard?
RE: Trump and Zelenskyy, I think it goes back even further than what Rubio discusses. The Burisma, Shokin, and Hunter Biden issue helped draw a shadow over Trump’s entire first turn as his lawful request that Ukraine and Zelenskyy investigate Burisma and the firing of Shokin (and if Biden’s demands were in line with US policy) not only saw his enemies in the US impeach and try to railroad him but also apparently so no meaningful investigation on the Ukrainian end (apparently after Zelenskyy said he would and said he did not see anything inappropriate about what Trump and he discussed). That has gone unsaid by Rubio but I think it definitely has helped poison this.
That said I do think this is going too far and hope both sides get their heads out of their asses, especially on Trump’s side. Ukrainian corruption is nothing new but it being used to help short-circuit the American Republic at base is, but at the same time failing to draw a hard enough line against Putin will just add more salt to the wound of US Credibility.
The oligarchs and the bratva in large part is how Russians see democracy
Mills is another transhumanist prog who sets back her citizens we have seen how other lefty governors have destroyed their state
On #5,
Today all the liberal catholics I monitor are saying Francis is the best pope ever, and hope his replacement will be even more effective in bringing the Church more left.
I’m definitely not Catholic, but I married one (Italian Irish). Her family fairly quiet on Francis, certainly not as supportive as with John Paul.
Oops, I meant #6
My Catholic husband, who does not admire Francis, said today he wishes him an easy passage. I wish for Francis some kind of repentance before he see the Lord face to face.
Not a Catholic (me that is). Francis has caused a lot of damage. Lets hope the next Pope really is Catholic
Weak sauce, re #5.
Regarding Maine Gov. and the Trump pushback at the Trans madness, I am sickened to see the Governor spouting recycling the fraudulent science that was exposed and oughta bern dispatched 29-25 years ago, as expert evidenced support for “Trans” people.
Child and adolescent psychiatrist Miriam Grossman gives us an outline of the horror-tale of David Reimer and his identical twin brother’s early deaths and the complete destruction of a innocent family by Johns Hopkins Med School prof Dr John Money https://youtu.be/l2p1HDnXJ_o?si=hfsLPEEPD83STA2T
Money’s gender ideology held that humans are born neutral; that only hormones and social conditioning environment creates male and female identity. And this wicked liar and sex abusing, tyrannical research academic held out Brenda as proof! When in fact David Reimer’s experience proved the opposite, that hunan gender and sexual identity is hard wired.
See John Colapinto’s 2000 book, “As Nature Made Him:The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl.”
And the PBS one hour documentary made based in it .
Because the lying fraud Money was also a sex and gender radical, he coined the term “intersexed” to medicalize a very rare birth defect which later Leftist opportunists could then turn into a newly discovered minority, instead of another birth defect among thousands — none of which is similarly valorized or exploited. One of the most common birth defects concern the male urethra that results in the misplacement of the opening (which in fact was the initial presenting condition for the baby David Reimer).
The whole matter strikes directly at the nurture over nature claims if egalitarian — and now “equalitarian” Utopian socialists who would tyrannize ALL of us.
Consistent with my cri d’cour, rhe OBS documentary from 20 years ago is now scrubbed from the internet. A tear ir si ago, ut was on Youtube and a video at archive.org.
Now I can’t even find it listed and explained in Wikipedia.
.
I will now lay off the “Is the Pope Catholic?” jokes. Still not an admirer of the man who seems to be a tool of the global left. If he passes it will be interesting to see what direction they go in replacing him.
Regarding the Maine scofflaws, IANAL but title IX violations might be enforceable
Maine’s Trans Sports Policy Could Cost State $100M In USDA Money, Trump Admin Warns
Trump’s Department of Agriculture is investigating Maine for Title IX violations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Saturday announced that it has initiated a “compliance review” of the University of Maine, and the state could be in jeopardy of losing $100 million in federal USDA funding over noncompliance with President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep males out of female sports.
The [United States Department of Agriculture] has initiated a compliance review of the University of Maine following the state’s disregard for [President Donald Trump’s]’ EO, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,’” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Saturday.
“Let me be clear: Any institution that chooses to disregard it can count on losing future funding,” she added.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/maines-trans-sports-policy-could-cost-state-100m-in-usda-money-trump-admin-warns?topStoryPosition=undefined
(5) I’m really angry at the governor and AG of Washington state. They are spending a lot of time and money “Trump-proofing” the state.
They proclaim that Trump does not represent our “values.” BS!
Mostly they’re trying to protect illegals from deportation. I hope AG Pam Bondi will send them a letter like she sent to New York and Illinois.
We have too many drugs, too many drug dealers, too many addicts, and too few police. All thanks to illegals and the drugs they bring in coupled with the “Defund the Police” movement.
It would please me no end to see the guv and his AG prosecuted for violation of federal law for aiding and abetting illegal aliens to elude ICE.
Governor Jay speaks for voters in a geographical minority of his state. He and Governor HairGel like to pretend that the large red areas of their states don’t exist.
Who is this Governor Jay?
King Jay Inslee of WA was replaced by his selected vassal, Bob Furgueson (D of the Sound). How do you like them values? Not. The rot in Olympia is deep and entrenched. Akin to white rot fungus.
Correction:
Bob Ferguson is the soundly elected Governor of WA.
(3) President Trump announces that Tim Cook and Apple will invest hundreds of billion of dollars into manufacturing in America to take advantage of tax incentives and to avoid tariffs.
I find mixed messages from Apple. This from last October:
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Apple CEO Cook says company will increase investment in China
“Apple is keen to seize the opportunities presented by China’s opening up and will continue to increase its investment in the country, thus contributing to the high-quality development of the industrial and supply chains,” Cook was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/apple-ceo-says-company-increase-investment-china-reports-xinhua-2024-10-24/
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I’m not sure if that’s real or happy talk on Cook’s part. Apple had already started to move factories out of China.
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In February [2024], Apple’s largest manufacturer Foxconn announced that it would open a new factory in India. Apple has manufactured its products almost exclusively in China since 2001, but over the last few years, it has poured nearly $16 billion into moving its factories elsewhere.
Apple’s move to diversify its production from China is part of a broader trend of “friend-shoring,” where American businesses move toward friendlier, more stable environments.
https://rdi.org/articles/american-companies-are-rethinking-china/
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Make no mistake. Western companies are leaving China and it’s another challenge to China’s economic future.
J.J. wrote We have too many drugs, too many drug dealers, too many addicts, and too few police. All thanks to illegals and the drugs they bring in coupled with the “Defund the Police” movement.
I take your points, but the American drug users are also responsible. If there was no demand, there would be no supply.