Responding to last weekend’s massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine, Donald Trump complained that Vladimir Putin had gone “absolutely crazy.” Fascinatingly, Trump also concluded that “something has happened” to Putin. But anyone who has watched recent developments can only conclude that the bombardment of Ukrainian cities this past weekend is perfectly consistent with the direction Putin has been taking, a direction that he intends to keep on taking, so long as he can get away with it. And, by cozying up further with China, he clearly hopes to get away with it until all his objectives have been achieved. (RELATED: Russia’s Aerial Assault on Ukraine) Perhaps, then, it’s time that we said goodbye to the illusion that, if only we find the right enticements, we can split Russia from China. For many months now we’ve heard that this is a major objective of our push for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, that beyond Trump’s simple and, I believe, sincere desire to “end the killing,” there’s also a plan, one that aims to flip Putin from his connection to China and use Russia as a counterweight to Xi Jinping’s ambitions to dominate the Pacific. (RELATED: Should US Peel Russia Away From China?) This has been presented by its supporters in the foreign policy establishment as a “reverse Nixon,” referencing how Nixon’s China pivot used Beijing to bring pressure on the Soviets. However, this seriously overstates Nixon and Kissinger’s achievement. The gulf between the two great communist powers already existed, indeed to the point of a progressively uglier war of words and even the occasional border clash. Nixon’s real achievement lay in selling a rapprochement with Mao’s China to his own conservative base. Fundamentally, Nixon didn’t change the dynamics of the relationship between Russia and China; he simply exploited existing divisions. (RELATED: Nixon–Mao, Trump–Putin, and Triangular Diplomacy) The belief that Putin can be “flipped” may appeal to Trump, the real-estate developer, and, in fairness, the illusion of bringing post-Soviet Russia into our orbit is not simply Trump’s alone — it’s been a commonplace for decades. Reflecting on the most recent Victory Day parade through Red Square, I find myself saddened by might-have-beens and simultaneously reminded of how delusional our policy approach to Russia has been since the fall of the Soviet Union. Not quite 20 years ago, I travelled to Russia as part of a Department of Energy delegation dealing with how to best secure Russia’s nuclear arsenal from terrorists. During my brief time in Moscow, I saw glimpses of a Russia that genuinely wanted to become closer to the U.S. and Europe. Our delegation’s Russian counterparts seemed genuinely interested in pursuing cooperation across the most sensitive areas of nuclear security. And around the edges of our meetings, taking the opportunity to explore the city, it seemed that Muscovites were genuinely excited at the idea of becoming a truly international city and ready to embrace Western values. In retrospect, those were days filled with such delusions, delusions that have persisted in the years since, and not just in the minds of very minor folk like myself. George W. Bush famously observed of Putin: “I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy.” And then Bush continued, “I was able to get a sense of his soul.” Bush would come to regret this remark, which became a byword for foreign policy naïveté. But it wasn’t just Bush. Shortly after becoming Barack Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden called for a “reset” in U.S. relations with Russia. Not long afterward, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton endorsed this notion very publicly, ceremonially giving a red “reset button” to her Russian counterpart. In the midst of his 2012 re-election campaign, Obama was caught on an open microphone sending a message to Putin via then-Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, asking that Putin give him “space” until after the election, when he would have more “flexibility” to deal with contentious issues. Criticized for this by his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, Obama dismissively countered, “The 1980s, they’re now calling to ask for their foreign policy back.” So, Trump is not the first to invest in a relationship with Putin, and not the first to be disappointed. The trouble is that what Putin wants has never coincided with what the U.S. wants, at least not when one moves past vapid generalities. Russia has never recovered psychologically from the collapse of the Soviet Union. One can point to Putin’s accumulation of vast personal wealth, one can observe that he’s surrounded himself with kleptocrats, and yet there has always been something more at work. (RELATED: Trumpian Geoeconomics) Putin’s ‘Russian Greatness’ Objective Bluntly stated, Putin’s Russia needs to be able to see itself as a great power, not just “Canada with nukes,” to repeat a frequent and painfully apposite jibe. The uncomfortable truth, of course, is that absent its nuclear arsenal and its conventional forces, Russia’s place on the world stage would approximate Canada’s, or Italy’s, or perhaps Brazil’s, respectable to be sure, but only that. But for Russians, the comedown has been profoundly humbling. Even their vast fossil energy revenues have scarcely assuaged the sense of diminishment. One of the main levers of Putin’s hold on power lies in this fact, and in his ability to promote an abiding “Russian greatness” narrative. Hence, the recent and ostentatious celebration of Russia’s role in World War II. Hence, the need for a resolution of the war in Ukraine that Putin can present to the Russian people as a similarly decisive victory. Anything less, any “deal” that can’t be spun as something akin to Ukraine’s unconditional surrender, utterly fails to meet the need of this carefully woven narrative. Furthermore, going into the war’s fourth year, and having suffered appalling casualties, Putin needs a settlement that justifies the nation’s sacrifices. It’s scarcely accidental, then, that by far the most prominent guest at the recent Red Square Victory Day parade was none other than China’s Xi Jinping. Only Xi, after all, can give Putin the economic support he needs, above all, a ready market for Russian fossil energy, the functional equivalent of sanctions, either current or potential. Only Xi can provide a ready alternative to all the things now no longer obtainable from Europe. But more than all that, only Xi can support a conclusion to the Ukraine war that validates Putin’s need for, if not a decisive outcome, then one that can be presented as such to the Russian people. We have nothing comparable to offer Russia in any triangular arrangement, nor do we have comparable sticks — our leverage is much more paltry than Beijing’s. If Xi adheres to his announced timeline for a “resolution” of the Taiwan question by 2027, there’s no way that “flipping” Putin materially changes the military equation along the Pacific rim. Even if Putin were so inclined, we neither need nor want Russia’s nuclear weapons in, God forbid, a nuclear war with China. And it’s frankly ridiculous to expect that Russian conventional forces might be deployed in Siberia for the purpose of deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan. And if there were even a hint of such a grand Nixonian reversal, Xi has tools with which to punish Putin directly, tools that we utterly lack. In the final analysis, all we really have to offer Putin is an end to the fighting and the dying, and we kid ourselves if we think that this matters as much to him as it does to us. This weekend’s missile barrage should serve as a stark reminder of his indifference. When Trump wonderingly remarks that “something has happened” with Putin, he simply gives voice to an increasingly unsustainable delusion, the delusion that Putin wants peace on anything other than his own terms. It’s no wonder, then, that Xi is smiling these days. One way or another, the Ukraine war will end, as wars of attrition inevitably must, and likely enough, as Hemingway observed about bankruptcy, “first gradually, then suddenly.” It may be that one side will collapse, it may be both. But either way, there will be only one smiling face if things continue on their present course. And that face will be Xi Jinping’s. READ MORE from James H. McGee: Who Won World War II? Are We on the Verge of World War III? Wave of Attacks on Christian Communities in Nigeria James H. McGee retired in 2018 after nearly four decades as a national security and counterterrorism professional, working primarily in the nuclear security field. Since retiring, he’s begun a second career as a thriller writer. His 2022 novel, Letter of Reprisal, tells the tale of a desperate mission to destroy a Chinese bioweapon facility hidden in the heart of the central African conflict region. A soon-to-be-published sequel, the Zebras from Minsk, finds the Reprisal team fighting against Chinese and Russian-backed terrorists who’ve infiltrated our southern border in a conspiracy that ranges from West Virginia to the forests of Belarus. You can find Letter of Reprisal on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions, and on Kindle Unlimited. The post Splitting Xi From Putin: A Comfortable Delusion appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Joe Biden’s pardon of Dr. Anthony Fauci, without naming any crime he committed, drew extensive media coverage. It wasn’t so for Fauci’s allies, including his wife, Christine Grady. She was recently cut loose from her post as chief of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center and head of the Department’s Section on Human Subjects Research. In the style of her husband, it was a job she never should have had in the first place. (RELATED: Dr. Anthony Fauci: What Exactly Did Biden Pardon?) Dr. Fauci’s bio showed no advanced degrees in molecular biology or biochemistry, but in 1984, the NIH made him head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Nobel laureate Kary Mullis, inventor of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), believed that he did not understand electronic microscopy, did not understand medicine, and “should not be in a position like he’s in.” (RELATED: Never Forget What They Did to Us Five Years Ago) In her 1995 book The Search for an AIDS Vaccine, Grady touted Dr. Fauci but failed to reveal that she had been married to him for 10 years, a blatant act of deception for an NIH nurse who would earn a PhD in philosophy from Georgetown University. Grady also praised the highly toxic AZT (azidothymidine), Dr. Fauci’s drug of choice for AIDS, as a boon to research. And in Grady’s view, pregnant women and children were suitable subjects for drug trials. The Fauci-Grady axis also went missing when the NIH made Grady bioethics chief in 2012. This set up perhaps the greatest conflict of interest the federal government had ever seen. Whatever Dr. Fauci wanted to do, bioethicist Christine was okay with it. (RELATED: Dr. Fauci Doubles Down) Relocation of Fauci Bedfellows and the Path Forward Grady has now been offered a post in the Indian Health Service in remote locations such as Alaska. The same choice was offered to NIAID director Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo. She faithfully parroted Dr. Fauci’s masking and social distancing policies, now shown to have no scientific validity. Dr. Fauci’s longtime associate, Dr. Clifford Lane, and several CDC officials have also been offered the choice. As they move out, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) brings aboard a strategic ally. The new special advisor at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response is Steven Hatfill, a medical doctor with degrees in biochemistry and microbial genetics. During the first Trump administration, Hatfill clashed with Dr. Fauci, and before that, he stood accused of the worst biological attack in U.S. history. In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, letters laced with anthrax killed five Americans and sickened 17. Hatfill served at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and in August of 2002, Attorney General John Ashcroft named Hatfill as a “person of interest.” The FBI then targeted the scientist with constant surveillance, but never made a case. Hatfill fought back and, in 2008, won a settlement of nearly $6 million. Hatfill would face new conflicts as a special advisor during the first Trump administration, all charted in “The COVID Debacle: Merging Criminal Law and Medical Science for Accountability. In 2020, “a small number of senior federal bureaucrats promoted an experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir. This cost $90 per treatment to manufacture and package, and was sold to the U.S. government for $2,500 per treatment.” As HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. noted in The Real Anthony Fauci, remdesivir was Dr. Anthony Fauci’s “vanity drug.” It recalled Fauci’s support for AZT in the late 1980s. At $8,000 a year, AZT was the most expensive prescription drug in history. In addition to remdesivir, Hatfill explained, federal bureaucrats pushed for a multi-billion-dollar mass-immunization program using highly experimental single-antigen mRNA “pseudo-vaccines” that were still under development. Joe Biden called COVID a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” and fired 8,700 armed service members who refused the experimental vaccines. In a similar style, Dr. Fauci’s wife, Grady, supported laying off nurses if they refused the unproven vaccines. The NIH bioethicist has now been sent packing along with Dr. Fauci’s successor Jeanne Marrazzo, all part of plans to fold 27 NIH agencies into eight. In “The COVID Debacle,” HHS special advisor Steven Hatfill called for “individual and group accountability.” As reforms proceed, RFK Jr. and NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya may uncover the crime or crimes that prompted Joe Biden to pardon Dr. Anthony Fauci. In 2025, moving forward, it’s all about memory against forgetting. READ MORE from Lloyd Billingsley: Gov. Newsom Does the Saudi Shuffle Mark Carney’s Mentor Why California’s NFL Draftees and Residents Must Play Defense Lloyd Billingsley is a policy fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif. The post Fauci Allies Sent Packing appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Could the Trump administration be close to brokering a normalization agreement between Syria and Israel? The State Department just announced 180-day sanctions relief for Syria, and the special envoy to Syria and the U.S. ambassador to Turkey commended Syria’s actions on “taking meaningful steps” in cracking down on foreign fighters in the country, in addition to progress in “relations with Israel.” These developments also come at a time when Israel and Syria are speaking with each other directly over border concerns, and Israeli and Syrian officials have met in Azerbaijan to discuss Syria’s potential ascension into the Abraham Accords, in talks moderated by the United Arab Emirates and attended by Turkey. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. even predicted that Syria (and Lebanon) could join the Abraham Accords before Saudi Arabia. (RELATED: The Abraham Accords Are the Way Toward Peace) At first glance, there is enormous potential in a U.S.-brokered normalization agreement between Syria and Israel. The United States and Israel could potentially make significant deals with Syria, including in oil, agriculture, tourism, and other sectors, as the Syrian foreign minister recently boasted that such deals were open to the world. Syria can help rein in the smuggling of Captagon that originates inside its borders, a drug that Hamas and company used to enhance their genocide against Israel on October 7. Syria just proved that it could do this, as together with Turkey, the country seized 9 million captagon pills. In a gesture to Israel, Syria’s leader, Mohammad al-Jolani (also known as Ahmed al-Sharaa) conveyed that it does not see Israel as a threat, approved the return of many personal effects of famed 1960s Israeli spy Eli Cohen, and is reportedly considering returning the body of Cohen to Israel as well. (For details on Cohen’s amazing story, watch The Spy on Netflix.) But despite these positive developments, there are much larger concerns making Syria–Israel peace unlikely in the short term. Jihadists Remain In Syria Despite the above remarks from the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Syria continues to harbor jihadists. Yes, Syria has been praised for booting Iran-based Palestinian terrorist groups from its borders. But Fatah and Hamas still remain, with one Gazan Hamas official recently telling AFP that Hamas in Gaza has “channels of communication with our brothers in Syria.” Both Hamas and Fatah’s continued presence in Syria will complicate Israel’s security and prospects for Syria–Israel normalization. Further, it has not been confirmed that the other jihadi figures that came into Syria and even joined Syria’s new government and army brass have left the country. Mere weeks ago, U.S. officials reportedly conveyed to Syria’s foreign minister that Syria’s actions in expelling such foreign fighters and removing them from the leadership of the army are lacking. Additionally, in late March, the U.S. Department of the Treasury added over 400 people to the Specially Designated Nationals list that have ties to Syria. How many of those are tied to al-Jolani and are still in the country? For al-Jolani, the Golan Heights is Personal While al-Jolani stated that he is willing to discuss peace with Israel, the devil is in the details. Any normalization talks between Syria and Israel will likely succeed or fail on the issue of the Golan Heights. Any peace deal should allow Israel to retain the entire Golan Heights, including: 1) the western part that Israel captured from Syria after the latter was one of the instigators of the 1967 Six Day War, and that Israel later annexed in 1981 and the first Trump administration recognized as part of Israel in 2019, plus 2) the eastern part held by Israel since December 2024 following the fall of Assad, including Mt. Hermon and nine new Israeli army posts. Mt. Hermon is possibly one of the most strategically valuable locations in the entire Middle East, allowing Israel to see into Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The Golan Heights in its entirety also serves as a strong natural buffer for Israel against jihadis at its border, be they from a resurgent ISIS in southern Syria, or the new Syria itself should al-Jolani and his associates choose to further tap into their jihadist pedigrees. Israel’s connection to the Golan has ancient roots, referred to as “Bashan” in the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 4:43, Joshua 21:27), and includes the famous Gamla to which Rome laid siege in 67 BC, and ancient, pre-Arab conquest towns of Devora, Kanaf, Yehudiya, Pik, and Ein Nashut. In contrast, Syria is a modern country created ex nihilo in 1945, which had possession of most of the Golan for a short period (1945-1967) relative to modern Israel. Before this, the Golan was part of the French (1923-1945), jointly administered French-British (1917-1923), and the Ottoman empires. For al-Jolani, the Golan is personal. The Golan Heights is part of al-Jolani’s origins story — he stated in a Frontline documentary that his family had been displaced from there during the 1967 Six-Day War, and he later took the name al-Jolani, sometimes written as al-Golani, which references the Golan Heights. So it is unlikely that al-Jolani would agree to part with any of it. Persecution of Ethnic Minorities Continues The United States may also want to rethink how favorably it treats Syria, given reports of persecution of the Alawites, Christians, and Druze. The Biden administration expressed concerns about attacks on the Alawites, and the Trump administration has condemned attacks on minorities within Syria as well. Israel has set up a field hospital to help Druze and Sunnis in Southern Syria, and Syria’s opposition to such aid raises the question of whether it truly wants peace with Israel (as well as with its own population). While certain developments in Syria are positive, Syria will continue to antagonize the United States and Israel through its continued harboring of jihadists, a likely intransigent position on the Golan Heights, and its continued persecution of ethnic minorities. The new Syrian regime needs to reform significantly before a durable peace with the United States and Israel is possible. READ MORE from Steve Postal: ‘Operation Good Neighbor’ Leader Reflects on Israel’s Humanitarian Efforts in Syria China Ratchets Up Espionage War Against Taiwan The Trump Administration’s Innovative War on Drugs The post Despite Recent Wins, Durable Syria–Israel Peace Faces Long Odds appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

from OPERATION FREEDOM: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

from SGT Report: Reverend Robert Schuller returns to SGT Report on the same day that RFK Jr and the CDC announced that the Covid bioweapon masquerading as a “vaccine” will no longer be recommended for children OR pregnant women. It’s a long overdue but significant first step to remove the toxic death shot from the […]

by 2nd Smartest Guy in the World, 2nd Smartest Guy in the World: Another day, another admission that not a single vaccine is safe, effective, or necessary, and that the entire vaccine program is an integral component of the greater NWO globopedo depopulation agenda. by Dr. Kevin Stillwagon You can skip this 14-minute video and read […]

The performance came as Queen were awarded the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm by Sweden's King Carl Gustaf

An investigation by the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) found no trace of racism toward the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese during the Sky’s May 17 game against the Indiana Fever. During the game, the court exploded into momentary chaos after the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark fouled Reese as she attempted a layup. After the game, reports suggested that the tension was further fueled by racist comments from fans. “We have investigated the report of racist fan behavior in the vicinity of the court during the May 17, 2025 Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever game. Based on information gathered to date, including the relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well as audio and video review of the game, we have not substantiated it. The WNBA is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for everyone and will continue to be vigilant in enforcing our fan code of conduct,” the WNBA said in a statement on Tuesday. The following has been released by the WNBA. pic.twitter.com/rFlKQAHmzQ — WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) May 27, 2025 During the third quarter of an Opening Day bout between the Sky and Fever, Clark was called for a foul on Reese after Reese drove for a basket. Reese initially fell to the floor, but soon was up and ran toward Clark. Clark continued walking back toward the Fever bench. At the end of the ensuing scuffle, Clark was called for a flagrant foul while Reese and the Fever’s Aliyah Boston received technicals, according to the New York Post. Clark later dismissed controversy over her foul against Reese. Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “It’s just a good take foul, you know? Either Angel gets a wide open two points or, you know, we send them to the free throw line. Nothing malicious about it. It’s just a good take foul. Every basketball player knows that,” Clark said. The day after the controversy, the Associated Press reported that the WNBA was investigating a report of racist slurs hurled at Reese during the game. “The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society,” the basketball league said in a statement at the time. “We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.” Reese backed the investigation, saying several days later that “obviously, there’s no place in this league for that.” “I think the WNBA and our team and our organization have done a great job supporting me. I’ve had communication from everyone, from so many people across this league,” she said. After the alleged racist comments could not be substantiated, Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines issued a statement reiterating the WNBA’s findings. “We appreciate the swift and thorough process undertaken by the WNBA to investigate these allegations, which were not substantiated,” Raines said. Chicago Sky President Adam Fox thanked the WNBA and Indiana Fever for the “quick action” to investigate the allegations.