The following article, Albuquerque GOP Office Firebombed, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. The Albuquerque GOP office in New Mexico was firebombed on Sunday. The attack included graffiti that referenced “ICE=KKK” painted about 50 feet away from the burned area on the front of the building. No one was injured. Firefighters responded to the fire just before 6 a.m. and brought it under control within about five minutes, … Continue reading Albuquerque GOP Office Firebombed ...

Monday morning’s edition of the RealClear Politics news aggregator contained a very interesting manifestation of their usual juxtaposition of left vs. right thought pieces. It looked like this… The articles themselves were no less notable in their approach to the dissipating relationship between a MAGA Revivalist America and a globalist declining Europe. The Nathalie Tocci Guardian piece, as a statement of the European position, is filled with emotional and hyperbolic gushing forth about the American re-examination of the cross-Atlantic relationship. A taste… The “Signalgate” scandal confirmed what Europeans already knew. The Trump administration’s disdain for Europe is deep and the transatlantic fracture is structural. While our leaders publicly play down the significance of the unravelling that is manifestly under way, few actually sound as convinced in private. Hopes persist that Europe can prevent the most extreme manifestation of the collapse in the relationship, be it an invasion of Greenland, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Europe’s NATO member states or an all-out trade war. Most urgently, European leaders are focused on ensuring that if (or perhaps when) the U.S. throws Kyiv under the bus, it is Europe collectively that will somehow succeed in securing a free, independent and democratic Ukraine. But there should be no illusion that this will happen by working in synergy with Washington or even with its tacit approval. They actually believe Trump will order an invasion of Greenland, apparently, which is comical. It’s quite obvious what’s going to happen in Greenland at some point in the near future: the Greenlanders will vote to declare their independence, and when they do, that will be followed by negotiations which will produce an economic and military alliance with the United States that will amount to a protectorate of sorts. This is obvious, because a country the size of Greenland with a population of just 56,000 can’t possibly protect itself, and the terms Trump will offer to the Greenlanders will be generous on a scale that Denmark, to whom Greenland is currently (and less-than-satisfactorily) wedded, cannot match. (RELATED: Greenland: America’s Arctic Imperative) What Tocci doesn’t bother to note in her drive-by reference to Greenland is that what security the Danes do offer the Greenlanders comes almost completely courtesy of Denmark’s membership in NATO — and by extension, America is already protecting Greenland with no direct benefits from doing so. We have a couple of bases there, but if we want to pursue mineral exploitation or other economic development opportunities in Greenland we have to do so at the pleasure (at least to some extent) of Danish bureaucrats whose pursuits of various Eurocentric agendas — climate change, most notably — do not align with our own. Signalgate was both unsurprising and shocking. It was unsurprising because the personal animosity towards European countries on display in the U.S. national security team’s supposedly confidential group chat is not very different to what administration officials have said publicly. Think of JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference in February, the U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, in his interview with Tucker Carlson, or Donald Trump himself in his ceaseless declarations and social media posts. There is remarkable consistency between the private and public pronouncements: Washington considers Europe to be obsolete, arrogant and parasitic. Because Europe is obsolete, arrogant, and parasitic. That Europe refuses to recognize its sins along these lines does not expiate them. (RELATED: Five Quick Things: Our National Crazy Eurotrash Girlfriend) And if Tocci is any barometer of European thinking, that refusal is coupled with a great deal of projection… What is shocking, nevertheless, is that the U.S. does not just view Europe as moribund. Trump’s officials seem to want to contribute to its death. Regardless of what one thinks of the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, it is U.S. policy that attacking the pro-Iranian militia is in its national security interest. But as Vance and Pete Hegseth made clear on the group chat, the U.S. also thinks that attacking the Houthis would benefit Europeans, and this is reason enough to question any attack. Helping Europeans, in other words, is seen as such a downside it could outweigh the direct upside for the U.S. itself of dealing with a perceived threat. It is the visceral hatred of Europeans contained within this twisted train of thought that is shocking. This active disdain has three major policy implications for Europe. First, trade. This week, Trump is set to launch his trade war on countries he believes are “screwing” the U.S. economy. No amount of sympathy or historic friendship will mitigate the U.S.-EU dimension of this war. Quite the opposite. However, managing trade policy for the 27 governments is the EU’s legal responsibility and the bloc has a combined economic weight the U.S. cannot ignore. There will be pain, but in a tit-for-tat conflict it will be reciprocal. If Europeans stick together on trade, as on the regulation of technology, the U.S. will be unable to behave in a predatory way, however irrational its hatred. Washington will be forced to act transactionally when it comes to Brussels and it will eventually make a deal. Europe’s combined economic weight declines precipitously each year, something hardly lost on Trump and his team. Idiotic policies of the continent’s ruling elite — Net Zero carbon emissions pursuits being the most obvious example, and systematic, unassimilable mass immigration from Third World countries to add to the welfare rolls and create such massive tax burdens on the diminishing productive classes in those countries that economic competitiveness becomes impossible being another — create a righteous disdain on the part of the U.S. administration. (RELATED: How Does an Entire Continent Fail?) And Tocci is whistling past the graveyard with respect to the trade war she decries, just as the Euros are speaking unseriously about assuming the burden of defending Ukraine. Somehow, there is no ceasefire in that ridiculous war despite the clear compelling interest on both sides to stop the killing, and none of Europe’s ruling elite seems to have the courage to join Trump in pursuing a solution. Instead, we get preening promises that countries that have no intellectual, technological, industrial, or even biological (on account of staggeringly tiny birthrates) ability to positively affect Ukraine’s war effort will intervene on their behalf and drive Russia back to its 2014 borders. There is a not-insignificant body of thought among beleaguered non-elite native Europeans that their governments — Germany is now floating the idea of reinstating a military draft — wish to send all the native young men off to die in Ukraine and therefore make their native population completely at the mercy of the unassimilable immigrants roaming their streets. Call that a tinfoil-hat theory, but it has wide circulation particularly among the anti-globalist parties ascendant there. Consider that as part of an analysis of the sustainability of a European boots-on-the-ground war effort in Ukraine. Similarly, exactly why should anyone believe that a trade war with Trump’s America won’t result in a further de-industrialization of Europe? Other than with respect to anchored agricultural products like champagne or Scotch, exactly why would a European country faced with significant tariffs on one side and economic-development overtures on the other not simply move production to the United States? Mercedes-Benz makes cars in Alabama already. BMW makes them in South Carolina now. Why manufacture industrial equipment, airplanes, steel, or ships in Leeds or Dresden or Marseille, where electric power can run 50 to 200 percent higher in cost with less reliable availability, than in Toledo, Gulfport, or Boise? Bear in mind that this “trade war” that Tocci claims will ultimately bring America to our knees is based on reciprocal tariffs. Reciprocal means tariff rates might come down as well as go up, and any dispassionate analysis of Trump’s actions should at least recognize them as a possible invitation to more free trade across the Atlantic rather than less. What reciprocal tariffs do ensure is that a one-way trade relationship, such as we’ve allowed the Euros to enjoy, is at an end. (RELATED: The Tariff Reckoning: America’s Economic Resolve in Trump’s Second Act) Why wouldn’t we objectively consider an alteration to the current unsatisfactory trade relationship, given the poor state of European economic competitiveness? Why wouldn’t we bleed them dry rather than subsidizing them? It’s plain to see that it isn’t hatred that is driving Team Trump’s disdain for Europe and our relationship with the EU. It’s self-interest. The current leadership of the United States is taking stock of modern Europe and seeing a very meager return on a very large investment in its defense. And so when Vance notes that some 40 percent of European trade flows through the Red Sea corridor that Houthi terrorists interrupt with rockets, while only a nominal amount of American trade is threatened by the Houthis, it isn’t “hatred” that drive his questions about strikes in Yemen to take out the bad guys. It’s a cold calculation of America’s interests. (RELATED: America Alone, and We Can Handle It) That this never penetrates Tocci’s conscience should tell you that if America’s assessment of Europe as obsolete, arrogant, and parasitic, well … we aren’t quite wrong, are we? As for Schmitt’s post at the American Conservative, it contains a lot less bluster. Schmitt is instead engaging in the kind of cold analysis of the relationship that is decades overdue. From the end of the Second World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall, American foreign policy was oriented toward a singular goal: defeating Soviet communism. In the 21st century, however, the greatest threat to core American interests is no longer located on the borders of Europe. Instead, it resides in the Indo-Pacific, where the People’s Republic of China is the United States’ most formidable adversary, both economically and militarily. It has been nearly a decade since Beijing debuted its Made in China 2025 initiative, by which China aims to supersede the United States in nearly every critical industry and sector imaginable. Communist China is our challenge. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have long understood these geopolitical realities. An America-First foreign policy is one based on prioritizing tangible American interests — not empty abstractions. For decades, American leaders have told European leaders what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. The kid-glove treatment is over. The foreign adventurism of the last 30 years has not been “conservative” at all. It’s Wilsonian liberalism in new clothes. The Wilsonians — neoconservatives and neoliberals alike — used to dominate both party establishments. They saw the world in terms of abstract “values,” and insisted that those values — rather than concrete, tangible national interests — must direct American foreign policy. In other words, America was compelled to be everywhere, all at once, all the time. American realism requires tough choices and recognizes scarcity, meaning that we cannot, in fact, be everywhere, all at once, all the time. As President John Quincy Adams famously said, “America goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.” This is quite right. It was Washington who cautioned us to “make no permanent alliances.” And Schmitt notes that if the Europeans don’t like the perceived loss of interest from U.S. policymakers in providing them with American protection, they might at least note we are returning to our policy roots, as our current circumstances indicate that we must… American realism asks many important questions when considering intervention, investment, or increased interest, but centers on one core question: Are American core strategic interests at stake? It’s critical that we preserve American blood and money for interventions or efforts that either directly benefit American core interests or protect American core interests. Fortunately, this White House understands that America’s resources are finite. The nature of the threats we face today and the revival of American realism demands a more resilient Europe that can defend its own sovereignty in a real, tangible way. Relying on protection from a government with $37 trillion in debt, thanks to, among other things, 80 years of coddling Europe, is childish and parasitic by any definition. (RELATED: Vance in Munich and Foreign Policy Realism for the Modern World) In his Munich speech, Vance warned Europe that this re-examination of the relationship is accelerating not just because of Ukraine but also because we question the commitments of the continent’s ruling classes to the “shared values” NATO was built on. Values like democracy and free speech, not to mention the preservation of Western civilization and culture. (RELATED: Free Speech Restrictions Are a Problem) How’s that going? Well, over the weekend we saw the conviction and two-year prison sentence of French National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen, the clear favorite to take over that country’s presidency in the next election. Le Pen is charged with “embezzlement” for, essentially, having members of her European Parliament staff double as party officials at National Rally, something that is apparently a common practice among European MPs across party and national lines. It’s almost universally recognized as a purely political conviction; the anti-Le Pen commentariat, in fact, argues that it’s a good thing in order to diminish the political prospects of a “far-right nationalist.” And given that this also happened in Romania, where a “far-right nationalist” actually won an election but was imprisoned rather than allowed to take office, and similar anti-democratic shenanigans have befallen non-elite politicians in Moldova and Turkey, while in several countries anti-globalist parties have been denied parliamentary government representation despite strong showing in recent elections — the plight of Germany’s AfD being the best example — it’s certainly worth asking whether there is any democracy left in Europe. (RELATED: Europe’s Deep State Election Meddling Threatens NATO) In Ireland, most amazingly, that country’s most famous celebrity, legendary MMA fighter Conor McGregor, is being threatened with expulsion from the roster of potential presidential candidates due to his less-than-complimentary views of the effect of mass Third World immigration on his country. There is nothing left to defend in Europe. We’ve spent trillions of dollars rebuilding and securing the continent from threats of fascism and communism, and it’s nonetheless descending into the same failed state it seems destined for. Europe’s elites will stick it to its commonfolk, no matter what form — feudalism and serfdom, or fascism and communism, or the modern hydra of wokeness, climate change nuttery, and multicultural suicide — that might take. And when any alteration of the equation sought by a dissatisfied America bent on throwing off its own globalist shackles is proposed, the woke elitists like Tocci scream that it’s driven by “hatred” and “disdain.” No, Nathalie, we’re just not interested anymore in assisting Europe’s suicide. You can do that all by yourself. We’re starting to recognize that salvaging what value Europe’s corpse might offer is the best way to recoup our lost investment. It’s not personal. It’s just business. And if Europe doesn’t like it, then it’s up to Europe to change. READ MORE from Scott McKay: Five Quick Things: The Party of Vote Fraud From Watergate … To This? RFK Jr. and the Approaching Death of Major Media The post Europe Is No Longer Worth Defending appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

The Signal app episode shows how Trump has changed Washington: Democrats now demand accountability. What an amazing turnaround for a party that demanded none for four years despite countless Biden administration failures. According to Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of the Atlantic, on March 11, he received a Signal app request from Mike Waltz, White House national security adviser, or “someone purporting to be Mike Waltz.” From this initial contact, a series of contacts occurred that peaked with Goldberg receiving on March 15 a sequence of events about upcoming U.S. attacks on Yemen. The actual attacks occurred hours later. Waltz appeared on ABC’s “This Week” the next day to discuss the attacks’ success. Eight days later, Goldberg published his piece in the Atlantic detailing his inclusion in what had transpired. (RELATED: This Aspect of the Atlantic’s “Scoop” Is All Wet) If true, and Goldberg released a series of Signal group chat texts on March 26, then glaring errors occurred. The use of common technology for the most serious military information tops the list. The lack of professionalism within the group chat communications is another: you should always presume that what you say is going to be repeated in some form or fashion. Not simply verifying the participants on such a conversation is another, especially with days lapsing after initial contact. These, and others, were mistakes that should not have been made. Now, enter the Democrats. Everyone who can find a microphone has read from the same talking points of outrage. It is a stunning conversion for a party with their record over the past four years, during which the Biden administration committed failure after failure in foreign and defense policy. (RELATED: From Watergate … To This?) Just over four years ago, the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan utterly failed. The result: the death of 13 U.S. military personnel, the collapse of the Afghanistan regime America had supported (at a cost of trillions of dollars), the Taliban’s seizure of the country, and a worldwide humiliation for America. (RELATED: Gen. Mark Milley: A Case for Treason?) Almost immediately upon taking office, the Biden administration relaxed Trump’s sanctions against Iran’s terrorist regime — and continued to. This allowed Iran to greatly increase its oil exports, amounting to $32-$35 billion by late 2023. It also released $6 billion in frozen funds to Tehran in exchange for five American hostages in 2023 — this after the Obama administration had made swaps (in 2009 and 2016) for much lower amounts — and another $10 billion in 2024. Of course, Iran has funded terrorist attacks through its proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Syria’s Assad regime. (RELATED: Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions on Iran Oil) The Biden administration’s glaring foreign policy weakness unquestionably emboldened Putin for his invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration would provide billions in aid (with inadequate oversight) to Ukraine, but with no discernible endgame for reaching a peace. China and other U.S. adversaries (e.g., Maduro’s seizure of power in a fraudulent Venezuelan election) would be equally emboldened to challenge America’s interests. (RELATED: Joe Biden: The Most Dangerous Man in America) During Israel’s war of self-defense against Hamas terrorism, the Biden administration paused arms for Tel Aviv. (RELATED: Biden’s Foreign Policy Was a Colossal Failure — From Ukraine to China) Throughout the Biden administration, there was a focus on DEI and other social initiatives in the Pentagon that diverted money, manpower, and focus from our military’s war-fighting preparedness. (RELATED: Wokeness Is Responsible for the Military Recruitment Crisis) Similarly, the U.S. southern border was thrown open as soon as Biden took office. The resulting influx of untold millions of unvetted illegal immigrants — a security threat in its own right — also allowed in untold numbers from the U.S. Terrorist Watchlist. The administration also “lost” untold numbers of “gotaways.” On energy, the Biden administration’s war on fossil fuels reduced American energy production below what it could, and should, have been, thereby reducing America’s energy security and that of allies America could have supplied. Finally, there is the glaring question as to who was overseeing U.S. foreign and defense policy for months, if not years, during the Biden administration, when the President himself was clearly not. Yet, throughout this abbreviated list of foreign and defense policy failures, seemingly no one was ever fired or resigned. Business as incompetently usual carried on. Throughout this farce, Democrats not only did not say anything, did not call for resignations, demand firings, initiate inquiries — they did everything in their power to cover up and excuse them. Had Kamala Harris won last November, these same fiascos would be continuing today. And Democrats, those now calling for accountability in the Trump administration, would be saying not a word. Make no mistake: errors should have consequences. Good intent is not a sufficient excuse for bad outcomes, especially when it comes to America’s security. This is rightfully the mentality behind DOGE: government jobs are privileges to be based on performance, not sinecures. Yet, what occurred with the Signal app episode was unquestionably an unintended error. What occurred over the last four years with the Biden administration’s frenzy of fiascos was, for the most part, not simply errors — they were the policies themselves, carried out as had been intended. In contrast, the Yemen strikes were a success, were something four years overdue, and were necessitated by failures committed during those four years by the Biden administration and brushed aside by Democrat and establishment media apologists. To have Democrats condemn (including Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, dismissively laughing at comparisons with Biden) what they more than condoned — what they facilitated by their purposeful silence — during the Biden administration is to go beyond hypocrisy. It is the rankest, most transparent, and most deplorable political opportunism. It comes from a party devoid of policy ideas and leaders; one that knows their only chance for advancement lies in the hope of dragging their opponents below themselves. # # # J.T. Young is the author of the recent book, Unprecedented Assault: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left, from RealClear Publishing, and has over three decades of experience working in Congress, the Department of the Treasury, the Office of Management and Budget, and representing a Fortune 20 company. The post Now Democrats Demand Accountability? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

With each passing day, it looks increasingly likely that Casey DeSantis, the wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, will enter the 2026 Florida gubernatorial race. In several recent public appearances, Ron and Casey DeSantis have made comments clearly intended to build up the speculation. At a joint appearance at the National Review Ideas Summit earlier this month, when Ron was questioned on whether his wife would run, he related an anecdote in which Rush Limbaugh told him that Casey should be governor after him. Ron then vouched for his wife, saying that Casey would be an even more conservative governor than him. Implicit was that she would be an even better governor than him. Ron said, “[S]he’d be great whatever she does, but I’ve been the most conservative governor in America. I’ve delivered the most conservative results, and they could say she would be as conservative or more conservative than me. So there you go.” Likewise, in February, Ron told reporters of Casey, “Anything we have accomplished, she’d be able to take to the next level.” There was also Casey’s remark when she was asked point-blank at a press conference about whether she would wage a gubernatorial bid. She quoted baseball player Yogi Berra, saying, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” NBC News has been reporting on each new development on the behind-the-scenes action as Casey prepares to wage a possible bid. This weekend, it reported on an effort to raise money for a DeSantis-aligned political committee. Earlier, NBC News reported that Casey DeSantis was “seriously considering” waging a bid, and that Ron DeSantis’s team was working to encourage Florida lobbyists not to throw their support behind Rep. Byron Donalds, who recently announced his own gubernatorial bid and has secured President Donald Trump’s endorsement. If Casey DeSantis entered the Florida gubernatorial race, it would be truly extraordinary. A victory for Casey DeSantis would represent the triumph of a political dynasty the likes of which has rarely been seen in American politics. Miriam and James Ferguson are the only married couple to both hold a state’s governorship, which they achieved nonconsecutively in a period between 1915 and 1935. The prospect of a DeSantis political dynasty is made all the more remarkable given Ron DeSantis’s transformation of Florida’s political landscape and his role in launching the conservative war against wokeness. (RELATED: Florida Turns the Tide for Social Conservatism Despite Massive Spending Gaps) In fact, Ron DeSantis has been a driving force behind the direction conservatism has taken in recent years. DeSantis led the charge against COVID restrictions when Trump was still calling for keeping things closed down. DeSantis pioneered the parental rights movement. DeSantis set off the conservative backlash against DEI. DeSantis boldly advocated pro-life laws, implementing and keeping in place a ban on abortions past six weeks of gestation. But, really, all of this is the responsibility of the DeSantises, or the DeSanti, as they are known in Florida. That is because, through all of this, Casey has been by far Ron’s most prominent adviser. The physical manifestation of this is that she, not his chief of staff, is the one with the largest office next to his. In 2023, the New York Times put it mildly when it called Casey “perhaps Mr. DeSantis’s most important adviser,” and more accurately when it deemed her “Second in Command.” In 2022, Casey was even called Florida’s “co-governor.” Politico published a tell-all article amidst Ron’s presidential campaign that chronicled Casey’s deep involvement in every aspect of Ron’s political operation. The outlet reported that, according to “hundreds of interviews,” Casey is “unusually important and uncommonly involved.” Politico reported, “For some time now she’s been seen mostly and by many as an absolute superstar of a political spouse, a not so ‘secret weapon,’ even something like his saving grace.” The outlet quoted numerous sources who expounded on the enormous extent of Casey’s involvement. “She is every bit as involved in Ron’s rise as Ron is himself,” said Florida Rep. David Jolly. “She’s the power behind the throne,” said one Republican lobbyist. “The tip of the spear,” said an anonymous Republican consultant of Casey. Notably, Casey’s intense involvement in her husband’s political career is not a new development. It’s been this way since the beginning. In fact, Ron even joked that, when he was running for Congress, people probably thought they would be voting for Casey because she was taking the lead on knocking on doors and was a widely known TV host in Jacksonville. “It’s always been a them,” one source who has known the couple for years told Politico. All throughout Ron’s time in the governorship, Casey has taken on a significant portfolio of governmental work that includes cancer research, disaster relief, and poverty alleviation. After recovering from her own bout of breast cancer, she helped Florida’s government extend greater resources to those suffering from the disease and secured $100 million in funding for cancer research. Casey also led a relief campaign following Hurricane Ian that raised over $63 million. Additionally, she oversaw Hope Florida, in which capacity she sought to help Floridians on government assistance find jobs through nonprofits and faith-based organizations. She was also involved in a program to provide job development to those suffering from opioid addiction. Beyond her role in the administration, Casey has played a major part in shaping the DeSantis brand, particularly through her promotion of her husband in press conferences, speeches, and media appearances. In all of her husband’s races, she has been a mainstay on the campaign trail, frequently introducing him. On some occasions, she has even spoken longer than her husband at such events. That’s based in large part on her previous career as a TV host. Casey hosted programs on the Golf Channel before becoming a reporter for a local TV news station in Jacksonville, WJXT. While at WJXT, she worked as a general assignment reporter in addition to being an anchor. Later, she hosted a roundtable panel discussion show before hosting the local talk show First Coast Living. Thus, by the time her husband began seeking office, Casey was — unlike Ron — highly experienced in public speaking, and in making audiences like her. Her confidence on the public stage can be seen visually through her clothes. On major occasions, Casey has not shied away from bold and attention-grabbing ensembles. For example, on the night of her husband’s reelection as governor (by a landslide), she donned a stunning floor-length sparkling yellow gown. Then, on her husband’s second inauguration day, she wore a mint green gown with a cape and long gloves reminiscent of Jackie Kennedy. The New York Times concluded that Casey DeSantis “has demonstrated a facility with the power of the visual statement.” What is striking about Ron and Casey’s relationship is that they have worked to appear as part of a joint unit who are seeking to restore conservative values together. In an interview with Catholic News Agency earlier this year, for example, Ron spoke about how he hopes that his family can be an example of how the family should be at the center of American society. “But I do think,” he told Catholic News Agency, “what we represent is kind of a restoration of the idea that family really is the centerpiece of American life.” Ron went on to connect his administration’s efforts at conservative governing to his and Casey’s role as parents. “We take our responsibilities as parents seriously,” he said, going on to say, “I think that it’s helped us really be strong on education, parents’ rights, and these core issues that matter so much to parents.” Ron and Casey have three children together: Madison, Mason, and Mamie. Their first child, Mason, was born soon after Ron began his first gubernatorial campaign. Ron and Casey have also used their strong relationship to advance Ron’s political career. In one political advertisement during Ron’s presidential bid, Casey emotionally related how Ron had stood by her side when she was fighting cancer. “He was there to pick me off of the ground when I literally could not stand,” she said, near tears. But can Casey win? Or will Floridians be confused by the prospect of electing a politician’s wife to replace him? It does seem as though Floridians have a strongly favorable view of Casey DeSantis. Last week, a poll from Mason-Dixon polling found that Casey has higher name recognition than Byron Donalds, whom she would have to face were she to wage a gubernatorial bid. Additionally, 53 percent of Florida voters have a positive opinion of her, while just 9 percent view her unfavorably. Those numbers could translate into success at the ballot box, particularly as they show her outperforming Donalds. It is also the case that Floridians know Casey has been a political partner throughout her husband’s terms in office, barring the time she took off while she was being treated for cancer. This will allow her to position herself as not just a first lady but also as a major force in Ron DeSantis’s success as governor. It also helps that Ron has portrayed Casey as a true believer on conservative principles, as he has repeatedly said that she is even more conservative than him and emphasized how she has pushed him to confront the Left head-on. At this time, it seems more likely than not that Casey will wage her own bid for the governorship. If she can succeed, it will be the culmination of an extraordinary and highly unusual partnership. It will also raise the question of what Ron’s role will be in such an administration and whether he, like Casey, will take on a role akin to “co-governor.” Perhaps Miriam Ferguson’s campaign motto, “two governors for the price of one,” could be instructive for them. A DeSantis dynasty will likewise raise fascinating possibilities about what could happen were either of them to wage a future presidential bid, being, as they are, perennial co-partners in everything. Should one of them be the presidential candidate and the other be the vice presidential candidate? And, if so, who should take each spot? Maybe it’s too early to ask these questions, but, then again, maybe it’s not. READ MORE from Ellie Gardey Holmes: What Does Someone Like Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò Do When DEI Dies? MSNBC Delicately Plots Its Post–Joy Reid Future Canadian Journalists Try to Shut Down Reporting on New Prime Minister’s ‘Trans’ Daughter The post Can Casey DeSantis Win Florida’s Governorship? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

It is being reported that an unknown disease that causes people to “cough up blood” has spread to multiple cities in Russia.  When I first heard reports that this was happening, I wasn’t sure what to make of it.  But now more media outlets are reporting on this mystery disease, and the new reports that I am seeing are extremely alarming.  Of course it is entirely possible that this is a naturally occurring illness, but since Russia is involved in a very bitter war with Ukraine we cannot ignore the possibility that some sort of a biological agent has been released inside Russia.  Since the U.S. has been very heavily involved in running the war in Ukraine from the very beginning, will the U.S. be blamed if the Russians ultimately determine that a biological weapon of some sort has been used? According to the Daily Mail, in addition to “leaving patients coughing up blood”, this mystery illness also produces an extremely high fever… A mystery outbreak that is leaving patients coughing up blood and with a severe fever has been reported in Russia. Local media and social media posts say the illness begins with Covid-like symptoms such as weakness or muscle aches. But within five days, these progress to a fever of up to 102.2F (39C) and a persistent, bloody cough. We are being told that victims are testing negative “for Covid and the flu”, and cases are popping up in numerous Russian cities… Posts on Telegram, the Russian messaging service, say cases have been reported in multiple cities, but officials have not confirmed how many cases or hospitalizations have been recorded. The posts also claim that patients have tested negative for Covid and the flu, with doctors said to be writing down a diagnosis of ‘acute upper respiratory tract infection of unspecified origin.’ This story has created so much buzz that the Russians were forced to address it. At this stage, the Russians are claiming that nothing unusual is going on… Russian authorities have dismissed growing speculation over reports of an unidentified virus that causes patients to cough up blood and suffer from prolonged high fever, saying no new pathogens have been detected. The rumors, which originated on the Telegram channel SHOT and were amplified by local media, centered on patients exhibiting severe respiratory symptoms but testing negative for influenza and COVID-19. Maybe the Russians are being straight with us. Or perhaps the Russians are just trying to keep their population calm. I don’t know. But it does appear that there are a lot of Russians that are very sick right now. Hopefully we will get a more complete explanation soon. Meanwhile, we have learned that one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s limos “exploded and caught fire”… ONE of Vladimir Putin’s limousines exploded and caught fire in Moscow as the tyrant orders sewers to be searched and the pat down of his own guards. An Aurus limousine from Putin’s “official car fleet” blew up in a huge blast on a street just north of Moscow’s FSB secret service headquarters in Lubyanka. Normally, vehicles don’t “explode” all by themselves. So was this some sort of an attack? Was someone trying to take Vladimir Putin out? If Vladimir Putin gets killed, the Russians will inevitably blame the Ukrainians. And since we have been so heavily involved in the major decisions that Ukraine makes, we would likely be blamed too and the peace process would almost certainly be dead. The New York Times has just published a piece that reveals that the U.S. has been much more deeply involved in the war in Ukraine than most people realize.  According to that report, U.S. officials have been coordinating things from a command center in Wiesbaden, Germany since the very early days of the conflict… Side by side in Wiesbaden’s mission command center, American and Ukrainian officers planned Kyiv’s counteroffensives. A vast American intelligence-collection effort both guided big-picture battle strategy and funneled precise targeting information down to Ukrainian soldiers in the field. One European intelligence chief recalled being taken aback to learn how deeply enmeshed his N.A.T.O. counterparts had become in Ukrainian operations. “They are part of the kill chain now,” he said. The Russians are going to be absolutely furious when they read this. During the Biden administration, U.S. officials and Ukrainian officials would gather together every morning and “survey Russian weapons systems and ground forces and determine the ripest, highest-value targets”… Every morning, officers recalled, the Ukrainians and Americans gathered to survey Russian weapons systems and ground forces and determine the ripest, highest-value targets. The priority lists were then handed over to the intelligence fusion center, where officers analyzed streams of data to pinpoint the targets’ locations. We have not just been supplying Ukraine with what they need to fight. We have been active participants in the conflict. Now we have a very small window of opportunity to find a peaceful way out of this mess, and that very small window of opportunity rests in the hands of President Trump. Up until just recently, Trump has been very diplomatic with the Russians, but now he says that he is “very angry” with Putin… President Donald Trump said he was “very angry” and “pissed off” when Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership, adding that the comments were “not going in the right location.” Agence France-Presse reported that Putin on Friday called for a transitional government to be put in place in Ukraine, which could effectively push out Zelenskyy. “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump said in an early-morning phone call with NBC News on Sunday. Honestly, I don’t think that the Russians want to end the war quite yet. They still have quite a few objectives that they would like to achieve, and their forces continue to steadily move forward… Russian forces have continued rolling up villages in the east and south of Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday. A full battlefield press has continued even amid President Trump’s efforts to get all sides at the negotiating table. First, on Saturday Russia’s defense ministry announced the capture of the two villages of Shchebraki in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Panteleimonivka in the eastern Donetsk region. The more territory the Russians take, the more leverage they will have, and they fully understand this. And it is also a very troubling sign that the Russians have just decided to conscript additional troops… Russia has ordered the largest increase in conscription since the Ukraine war began as a further 160,000 servicemen are called up to the frontline. The planned draft size has increased from 150,000 in 2024 and 134,500 in 2022, when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia to boost the size of its army to 1.5 million active servicemen – an increase of some 180,000 troops over three years. If the Russians were anticipating that peace was imminent, there would not be a need to conscript more soldiers. It appears that the fighting will continue at least for now, and that means that the Ukrainians will become increasingly desperate. And when a desperate animal is backed into a corner, really bad things can happen. Unfortunately, it appears that really bad things are already starting to happen. If we remain on the path that we are currently on, it is probably just a matter of time before U.S. forces and Russian forces start fighting one another directly. Needless to say, that would put us right on the verge of the unthinkable. So we better hope that peace negotiations succeed, because the alternative would be absolutely horrifying. Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com. About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today. The post Has A Biological Weapon That Causes People To “Cough Up Blood” Been Released Inside Russia? appeared first on End Of The American Dream.

by Ian Proud, Strategic Culture: President Zelensky now attends every major European meeting of Heads. While perhaps understandable, that means the agenda gets hijacked by Ukrainian demands and limits Europe’s ability to play an impartial role in peace talks. European leaders met again in Paris on 27 March to discuss ideas for a coalition of […]

from The National Pulse: PULSE POINTS: ❓What Happened: Scholars have identified how Vice President J.D. Vance could be sworn in as President of the United States and immediately resign, facilitating Donald Trump’s ascent to a third presidency in 2028. ? Who’s Involved: J.D. Vance, Donald Trump, and constitutional experts. TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/ ? Key Quote: “It’s one of those […]

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