GOP analyst Scott Jennings appeared on CNN late Friday, weighing in on the mounting backlash slapping Democrats in the face this past week after far-left Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen flew to El Salvador on the taxpayers’ dime—where he met at a resort with a violent Salvadoran national recently deported from the United States.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the “death camps” & “torture”, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!🍹 pic.twitter.com/r6VWc6Fjtn

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 18, 2025

“Listening to Van Hollen explaining how you came to be sipping margaritas with an MS-13 gangbanger who had lived illegally in the United States for 14 years before he was finally deported – you’re losing – you’re losing optically – you’re losing politically – and I assume the people of Maryland are wondering: Why doesn’t this guy [senator] work this hard for us as he does for this guy [Salvadoran national],” Jennings said. 

Jennings has a great point: Why is the far-left senator working overtime for a deported gangbanger while Maryland implodes financially under Democratic leadership? 

• Maryland Dems Lose All Sense Of Reality: Focus On Condoms For Kids, Reparations As Crises Pile Up

• Far-Left Maryland Lawmakers Pass Reparations Bill While Financial Crisis Looms

• Maryland Democrats “Clearly In Denial” As State Faces Twin Crises

• “Self-Created Hole”: Education Reforms Push Maryland Toward Financial Cliff

• Maryland Democrats’ ‘Extremist’ Green Agenda Sparks Power Bill Crisis Crippling Households

Maryland Democrats, sitting high in their Annapolis castle, appear completely detached from the state’s deteriorating financial condition. 

Earlier this year, these far-left activists masquerading as politicians focused on pushing a bill to install condom machines in elementary schools; more recently, they passed legislation to establish a reparations committee aimed at advancing toxic Marxist ideology. These activist politicians have failed Marylanders as the crises pile up:

• A worsening power crisis driven by failed green policies,

• a massive budget deficit,

• looming credit downgrades,

• rising recession risks,

• violent crime,

• illegal alien mess,

• a broken state economy,

• the threat of a population exodus,

• and the looming tsunami of tax hikes. 

Van Hollen’s action has made one thing clear: illegal aliens > “Maryland First” or “America First” — and that’s precisely the problem with today’s rudderless Democratic Party. They’ve failed to grasp how the Overton Window dramatically shifted last year toward putting the nation first and restoring national security.  

“Maryland Man” 

Jennings concluded: “The American people elected Trump to deport illegal aliens. They especially elected him to deport people who are affiliated with very violent, transnational gangs that we now characterize as terrorist organizations. The American people are behind the president. And Democrats like Van Hollen look ridiculous, standing up him [MS-13 gangbanger] more than he stands up for the people of the United States of America.” 

Joined @cnn tonight after listening to a clip of @ChrisVanHollen explaining that he wasn’t actually sipping margaritas in El Salvador with an MS-13 gangbanger who, until recently, was living illegally in the US for 14 years! What a joke. pic.twitter.com/FK0RWWsU9O

— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) April 19, 2025

.   .   . 

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

Idaho has become the latest of a handful of states to legalize over-the-counter sales of the anti-parasite drug ivermectin following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, did not offer any comments on the bill, which was among many measures he signed on April 14. The bill had been passed with little resistance in the Idaho Legislature and took effect immediately.

In March, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill legalizing over-the-counter sales of the drug, as did Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in 2022.

A readout of the bill introduced in the Idaho House of Representatives says, in part, that ivermectin would be able to be used “without restriction or consultation” with a “health care professional,” and that it could also be sold over the counter, or “legally sold and purchased without a prescription.”

During the pandemic, some researchers touted ivermectin as a means to treat COVID-19, although federal health officials have said that the drug is not effective in treating the virus.

State Sen. Tammy Nichols, a Republican, presented the bill before the state Senate floor on April 3 and told local media outlets that it would eliminate a hurdle for consumers.

“We’re not mandating use, we’re not prescribing treatment, and we are not mandating that it be sold,” Nichols told KTVB-7.

“What we’re doing with this bill is simple. We’re removing a barrier.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Anthon, a Republican who helped co-sponsor the bill, said ivermectin has a broad range of uses.

“This is a drug that has had really immeasurable impacts on improving the lives of billions and billions of people throughout the world since it was discovered. It’s been called, in many places, a wonder drug,” Anthon told lawmakers in an Idaho Senate committee hearing in early April.

“It’s been able to serve in treating and in many ways curing human diseases—treating parasites, worms in humans. And in most countries, it is legal over the counter.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not cleared ivermectin to be used for COVID-19, while advising against people using forms of ivermectin intended for animals.

“The FDA has not determined that ivermectin is safe or effective for these indications,” the agency’s website says.

The National Library of Medicine says that authorities are also “concerned about the health of consumers who may self-medicate by taking ivermectin products intended for animals, thinking they can be a substitute for ivermectin intended for humans.” It also advises against people taking the medication without a health care provider and that it should be “obtained through a legitimate source.”

Officials note that ivermectin is generally prescribed for a type of roundworm known as threadworm as well as river blindness caused by a type of roundworm, head lice infestations, scabies, and other conditions.

A study released in June 2021 found that ivermectin was linked to “large reductions” in COVID-19 deaths. Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the risk of death was found to be 2.3 percent among those treated with the drug, compared to 7.8 percent for those who weren’t.

A March 2022 study found that the drug was associated with decreased mortality as compared with remdesivir by analyzing a national federated database of adults aged 18 and older with a confirmed COVID-19 infection from January 2020 to July 2021.

The drug’s possible side effects include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of appetite, constipation, weakness, body shaking, chest discomfort, and more serious problems including rash, hives, itching, blistering or peeling skin, confusion, sleepiness, disorientation, and coma.

According to a drug database website, there are more than 100 known interactions with ivermectin, including relatively commonly prescribed drugs such as warfarin, clarithromycin, mifepristone, and more. It also has a moderate interaction with Paxlovid, the Pfizer-made drug to treat COVID-19.

Authored by Matthew Vadum via (emphasis ours),

In a late-night ruling, the Supreme Court granted a request from the ACLU to temporarily block the Trump administration from deporting an unspecified number of Venezuelan man in custody suspected of belonging to a criminal gang.

The new, unsigned order granting the emergency application was issued on Saturday at about 12:55 a.m. – with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting. Alito’s reasoning will be added to the court’s file later, according to the order.

“The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court,” the order states.

NEW: The ACLU has quickly asked SCOTUS to halt an upcoming slate of apparent Alien Enemies Act deportations. The emergency injunction request went up to Justice Samuel Alito. pic.twitter.com/EEZxaHrqbN

— Kaelan Deese (@KaelanDC) April 18, 2025

As The Epoch Times continues; The order notes that a request to block the deportations is currently pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. After the Fifth Circuit acts, Solicitor General D. John Sauer should file a response to the application with the Supreme Court as soon as possible, the order states.

The order was issued after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed an emergency request on behalf of its Venezuelan clients late on April 18 asking the Supreme Court to immediately block the Trump administration from deporting the clients.

The emergency application in A.A.R.P. and W.M.M. v. Trump, which challenges President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal immigrants who are alleged or confirmed criminal gang members, was directed to Justice Samuel Alito.

The ACLU is also seeking a temporary restraining order from the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, as well as a stay of removal order from the Fifth Circuit, according to the application.

On March 14, President Donald Trump signed Proclamation 10903, in which he officially declared that Tren de Aragua, a designated foreign terrorist organization, “is perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States.”

The group is using mass illegal immigration to the United States to harm U.S. citizens, undermine public safety, and support the goal of the Venezuelan regime with which it is associated to destabilize “democratic nations in the Americas, including the United States,” the proclamation said.

The president invoked the Alien Enemies Act to authorize the “immediate apprehension, detention, and removal” of members of the group who are Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older and who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States.

The application said the ACLU’s clients are challenging the Trump administration’s use of the federal statute to deport them. The clients “are in imminent and ongoing jeopardy of being removed from the United States without notice or an opportunity to be heard, in direct contravention of this Court’s order in Trump v. J.G.G.”

“Many individuals have already been loaded on to buses, presumably headed to the airport” and are at risk of being sent to a prison in El Salvador, according to the application.

On March 15, the Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act to deport at least 137 Venezuelans to El Salvador, where they are now incarcerated “possibly for the rest of their lives” at the Salvadoran Terrorism Confinement Center, which is “one of the most notorious prisons in the world,” the application said.

The application alleged that many deported since March 15 were not members of Tren de Aragua.

“Such false accusations are particularly devastating given the present Applicants’ strong claims for relief under our immigration laws,” the application said.

In Trump v. J.G.G., the Supreme Court on April 7 granted the president’s request to pause a federal district judge’s orders preventing his administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport suspected members of Tren de Aragua but determined that detainees must be given an opportunity to challenge their removal.

“We grant the application and vacate the [temporary restraining orders],” the court said in a per curiam, or unsigned, opinion in the case. The decision applied to two original restraining orders and an extension issued by Washington-based U.S. District Judge James Boasberg.

The Supreme Court application came the day after U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas denied the ACLU clients’ request for a temporary restraining order halting removal efforts.

Although the would-be deportees told the court they “are at imminent risk of summary removal” from the United States, the court asked the government “whether it would remove A.A.R.P. or W.M.M. pending resolution of their habeas petition,” Hendrix wrote in his April 17 order.

A habeas petition is a request for a court to review a person’s detention or imprisonment. It can also be used to contest a criminal conviction.

“The United States answered unequivocally, stating that ‘the government does not presently expect to remove [the applicants] A.A.R.P. or W.M.M. under the [Alien Enemies Act] until after the pending habeas petition is resolved’ and that ‘if that changes, we will update the Court,’” the judge wrote.

This means the petitioners are not at “imminent risk of summary removal, and they cannot show a substantial threat of irreparable harm,” Hendrix wrote.

*  *  *

Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley suggested that the Court acted appropriately…

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the order. However, this is merely a hold on deportations pending further review of the emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union, which is challenging the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

This rarely used and highly controversial law stretches back to the Adams Administration. There are good-faith arguments on both sides of the case that the Court wants to consider. Accordingly, this is not surprising.

Others aren’t so sure.

🚨BREAKING: Like a thief in the night.

The US Supreme Court just blocked President Trump from Deporting illegals under the Alien Enemies Act.

Thomas & Alito dissented.

They literally just did this after midnight. This is insane. pic.twitter.com/XeE9QJ99KP

— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) April 19, 2025

Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

US control over the trans-Ukrainian and Nord Stream pipelines could incentivize the EU into concessions on their trade war while whatever seized Russian assets that the US obtains legal ownership of from Moscow could serve to justify ramping up pressure on the bloc in this context.

Reuters reported earlier in the month that the latest version of Trump’s resource deal with Ukraine includes an “Easter egg” giving the US’ International Development Finance Corporation control over its international gas pipeline between Russia and the EU. 

This prompted another report from Reuters alleging that French and German firms are open to the possibility of resuming imports via that route. 

These reports collectively suggest that the US wants to control Russia’s pipeline gas exports to Europe.

The triple rationale behind doing so would be to obtain further leverage over the EU amidst their trade war, buoy its struggling economy if a deal is reached so that it’s a more stable market for American exports, and incentivize Russia into agreeing to a ceasefire by restoring some of this lost revenue. 

In furtherance of this goal, the US might also try to obtain control over the four Nord Stream pipelines, the scenario of which was analyzed here and here.

While control over the Kiev-owned Ukrainian pipeline could be obtained via Trump’s resource deal with Ukraine, which might require forcing Zelensky to form a government of national unity if he doesn’t agree to this on his own, different means would have to be employed for the Russian-owned Nord Streams. Hypothetically returning the estimated $5 billion of seized Russian assets under American jurisdiction wouldn’t suffice for replacing the nearly $20 billion that Nord Stream 1 and 2 cost in total.

The additional $15 billion (or more if Russia demands such and the US agrees) could be obtained by pressuring the EU into releasing that amount of seized Russian assets under its jurisdiction. If the EU refuses, then Russia and the US could agree to a creative financial arrangement whereby Russia transfers legal ownership of this sum to the US, the US transfers this same amount to Russia, then Trump weaponizes the $15 billion of newly US-owned assets under EU jurisdiction as a chip in their trade war.

This formula could also be utilized by them for facilitating Russia’s reportedly requested purchase of Boeing jets that Bloomberg recently claimed that it suggested buying with some of those seized assets. Taken to its extreme, the estimated $300 billion worth of total assets that the West seized from Russia could be transferred to the US via these means for large-scale purchases across a slew of industries that would solidify the strategic economic partnership that they want to forge in the post-conflict era.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently said that “There is an incentive for Russia to end this war and perhaps that could be economic partnerships with the United States” so this could be the means to that end. Russia has also made do without those assets and doesn’t expect them to be returned in full, perhaps not even at all despite official rhetoric to the contrary, which is why this would be the most mutually beneficial use of them in the context of the nascent Russian–US “New Détente”.

The creative energy diplomacy and financial arrangements that were proposed in this analysis would give the US lots of leverage over the EU. They’d correspondingly result in control over most Russian pipeline gas imports for incentivizing the EU into concessions on their trade war while whatever seized Russian assets that the US obtains legal ownership of from Moscow could serve to justify ramping up pressure on the bloc in this context. The Trump Administration should therefore seriously consider this.

Panama City, Florida’s top cop wants to end Spring Break in the panhandle city after successive years of gunfire-infused mayhem have left his police force and residents overwhelmed and fed up. “Panama City Beach can no longer be a Spring Break town. That time is over,” wrote Chief JR Talamantez in an open letter posted to Facebook. “Every year we try to manage it, and every year it brings more challenges. I’m not willing to risk the safety of our city to hold onto something that no longer work.”

The city endured multiple shootings this year. On March 29, three people were wounded as afternoon gunfire erupted near the Sky Wheel at Pier Park, a shopping and entertainment complex:

Spring break shooting today in Panama City, Florida….#CityLife #PanamaCityBeach #SpringBreak #SPRINGBREAK2025 #crime #decay #FloridaMan #urban pic.twitter.com/xeWs6AXKW8

— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) March 29, 2025

On April 3, shots were fired in the parking lot of Hammerhead Fred’s, a popular Cajun restaurant near the beach:

Reportedly another spring break shooting in Panama City…#CityLife #SpringBreak #Panama #PanamaCity #florida #urban #decay pic.twitter.com/mpw6dUDYja

— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) April 4, 2025

According to police, none of the shooters were collegians, but rather rival gang members who came from from Dothan, Alabama, about an hour-and-a-half north. Talamantez emphasized the distinction. “To the future doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and leaders who came here for a break, you’re appreciated. You made memories, enjoyed the beach, and showed respect…Most of you went home without problems, and that’s exactly how it should be,” he wrote, before addressing “the ones who came here to bring trouble.” 

After the second shooting, the city imposed a juvenile curfew between 8am and 5pm, and police set up checkpoints to root out guns and drugs. Face masks were also restricted. Talamantez says none of that is enough to stem the tide of trouble-makers:  “Panama City Beach is a safe, family-focused community. We’ve worked too hard to build that, and I won’t let a group of criminals destroy it.

Panama City is among many beach destinations that are contending with perennial Spring Break chaos and bloodshed. Starting in 2024, Miami Beach implemented a variety of tactics, including South Beach parking lot and garage closures, beach access restrictions and security checkpoints. 

While some media outlets are reporting the Spring Break ban is a done deal in Panama City, Talamantez was merely advocating for the change — one that could obviously have a large financial impact.  In his post, chief announced his intention to hold discussions with city leaders and public stakeholders about how Spring Break should be managed in the future. He stopped short of putting forth any specific proposals of his own, but emphasized that the sitution is unfair to his department: “Our law enforcement officers should not be expected to shoulder the burden of an event that no longer aligns with the values or vision of this community.”

Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel detailed that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) exposed rampant federal spending tied to certain left-leaning NGOs, which he described as potential fronts for “borderline criminal activity.”

Thiel, founding partner of the venture capital firm Founders Fund, made the explosive claims during an interview with his Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale.

“I think there were scams. I think the nonprofit stuff is out of control. It’s sort of like virtue signaling is a sign that you’re doing something evil,” Thiel told Lonsdale on his American Optimist podcast. “So much of this left-wing philanthropy nonprofit world was just a cover for borderline criminal activity.”

Peter Thiel to @JTLonsdale: DOGE uncovered how certain leftwing NGOs were seemingly fronts for “borderline criminal activity.”

“I think you could prosecute thousands of these people, criminally, for the thing they wanted to prosecute Oliver North for in the 80s.” pic.twitter.com/kq2tVpBbe2

— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) April 17, 2025

“That’s how you shield yourself—you put a virtue signal up while you’re stealing money from everyone,” Lonsdale replied.

Thiel pulled back the curtain on the murky world of government spending, exposing how vague budget descriptions can mask the true destination of taxpayer dollars.

“There’s all the stuff you’d have to really go into the weeds of how it works, but the way it was explained to me, there’s a level five description, which is a line item description of what the actual dollars are going to. Then there are ways these things get summarized. The way they got summarized for a lot of the political appointees was a level four description, where you summarize a bunch of level five descriptions in a level four way,” Thiel explained. “You can have 20 groups providing food to different African countries, and you can summarize that as food to Africa. That’s maybe an accurate description. But if they’re actually all working on the Biden re-election, that’s an inaccurate description. At some point, the descriptions are so inaccurate that the people in the government could be prosecuted for fraud.”

Thiel then argued that fraud in government spending could warrant criminal prosecution for countless officials, drawing a stark parallel to the Iran-Contra scandal that ensnared Oliver North in the 1980s.

“One of the people who looked at this a lot thinks you could just prosecute these people for fraud. This is something like what Oliver North was prosecuted for in the Iran-Contra scandal in the 80s,” Thiel said. “He mischaracterized the money, mislabeled it, and was accused of defrauding the government. I think you could prosecute thousands of these people criminally for the thing they wanted to prosecute Oliver North for in the 80s.”

Thiel joins President Donald Trump and DOGE leader Elon Musk as the latest prominent voice warning about rampant fraud inside the government. In recent weeks, Trump teased to reporters aboard Air Force One, “They found something today that’s horrible,” adding. “You’ll find out very soon. What they found is incredible.”

*  *  *

On Sale! Grab a complete 2-day emergency survival backpack at ZH Store

Recently, Elon Musk and DOGE volunteer Antonio Gracias revealed that millions of noncitizens were issued Social Security numbers during the Biden administration. Their data, presented in a chart during a Wisconsin rally aimed at boosting voter turnout, showed a steady annual increase, peaking at over 2 million in FY 2024, which ended on September 30. In both FY 2023 and FY 2025—the latter beginning in October and running through September of this year—roughly 1 million noncitizens received Social Security numbers.

“None of this would have happened without President Trump,” Gracias told Fox News. “President Trump had the courage to allow us to go across databases. He signed an executive order. It’s never been done before, where agencies could talk to each other and databases could talk with each other.”

“That allowed us to connect all this data, to find these people across the system, across the benefit system, all the way to the voting records. It really took a lot of courage,” he added.

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

The government of Hungary has ratified a new amendment to the nation’s Constitution that recognises the biological scientific fact that there are only two genders.

The Hungarian parliament voted in favour of the resolution, which simply states a person is “either man or woman,” by a huge margin of 140 votes in favour to 21 votes against.

The amendment also asserts that “protection of children precedes the right of assembly” and grants police new powers to shut down gatherings such as Pride parades if they are determined to be lewd in nature and potentially damaging to “physical, mental, and moral development” of minors.

🚨 BREAKING: Hungary’s National Assembly has passed the 15th amendment to the Fundamental Law. The sweeping changes prioritize children’s rights, affirm biological gender in law, protect the right to cash payments, and allow new safeguards for national citizenship and community… pic.twitter.com/gDbBmoShgw

— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) April 14, 2025

The fifteenth amendment to Hungary’s constitution also enshrines other rights such as paying for goods and services with cash.

The law will also allow the government to strip dual citizens of their Hungarian passport and potentially deport them if they are deemed to be a threat to public order or national security.

🚨Hungary’s Parliament passed the 15th amendment to the Constitution, reinforcing traditional gender definitions, enshrining the right to pay with cash, and tightening rules on dual citizenship and government powers in emergencies👇https://t.co/MD4L0tIJVO

— Hungarian Conservative (@hu_conservative) April 15, 2025

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán remarked “In Hungary, common sense matters.”

🇭🇺📜 Hungary’s constitutional amendment is now law.

We’re protecting children’s development, affirming that a person is born either male or female, and standing firm against drugs and foreign interference.

In Hungary, common sense matters.

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) April 14, 2025

Orbán’s Political director, Baláz Orbán said “These measures respond to growing liberal pressure to dismantle the foundations of family, normality, and national identity. In Hungary, these are not negotiable. We will defend them—not just in policy, but in our constitution.”

Far left extremists protested the passage of the measure in the Hungarian parliament by screeching whistles and generally freaking out. They had previously set off smoke bombs inside the parliament.

💥Hungary sliding further into authoritarianism: Orbán’s close ally, Speaker László Kövér, banned the entire liberal Momentum party faction from parliament and fined them €175,000 for protesting Orbán’s Pride crackdown—setting a precedent to ban other elected opposition MPs too. pic.twitter.com/mIK50TKax7

— Szabolcs Panyi (@panyiszabolcs) March 21, 2025

Hungary Bans #LGBT* Parades: Parliament Approves Law

The initiative of the ruling Fidesz party was supported by 136 deputies, while 27 voted against. An attempt to disrupt the vote was made by representatives of the opposition movement Momentum.
☮️✌️🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/GPKjskRNSb

— Dada Shastoni (@DadaShastoni) March 19, 2025

The media is framing the move as an attack on LGBTQ communities, claiming that Hungary has completely banned Pride events.

Hungary’s parliament passes an amendment to the constitution that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ communities. https://t.co/BjwZWxjIsW

— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 14, 2025

In 2020, Hungary passed a constitutional amendment affirming the right of children to identify with their birth gender and defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

*  *  *

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Thailand has debuted the world’s first ‘Robocop’ designed to detect and prevent crime with advanced AI.

Equipped with 360-degree cameras for eyes, the cutting-edge cyborg maintains constant surveillance with real-time monitoring. The robocop, named Police Colonel Nakhonpathom Plod Phai, meaning “Nakhonpathom is safe,” was unveiled during the Songkran festival in Nakhon Pathom province on Wednesday. The debut was announced via a Facebook post by the Royal Thai Police, according to a report by The Sun.

The robocop is also able to detect weapons, such as knives and wooden batons. In neighboring China, humanoid robots have started supporting police patrols.

Interesting Engineering reports:

In Shenzhen, PM01 model robots developed by EngineAI have been deployed alongside officers, wearing high-visibility police vests. These robots have been seen engaging with pedestrians—waving, shaking hands, and responding to voice commands—according to local media reports. A recent video shows a PM01 robot waving to a crowd, sparking curiosity about its purpose in law enforcement.

First launched in December 2024, the PM01 features agile mobility, an interactive touchscreen, and an open-source platform. This design allows developers worldwide to contribute to its evolution by adding new features and capabilities through secondary development.

Last year, Logon Technology, a Chinese robotics company, unveiled the RT-G autonomous spherical robot, described as a “technological breakthrough,” with an army of these spherical robocops spotted rolling through cities across China, The Sun said. The robocop’s debut underscores the growing importance of robot technology. During Tesla’s Q1 2025 All-Hands meeting, CEO Elon Musk revealed the the company is preparing aiming to begin the production of its own humanoid, Optimus, this year.

🚨ELON MUSK: “This year we hope to make about 5,000 Optimus robots…but even 5,000 robots is the size of a Roman legion FYI. That’s a scary thought, a legion of robots. I think we’ll literally build a legion of robots this year, and maybe 10 legions next year? It’s kind of a… pic.twitter.com/R992X5OA8r

— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) March 21, 2025

“This year, we hopefully will be able to make about 5,000 Optimus robots,” Musk said. “We’re technically aiming for enough parts to make 10,000, maybe 12,000, but since it’s a totally new product with a totally new, like everything is totally new, I’ll say we’re succeeding if we get to half go the 10,000.”

“But even 5,000 robots, that’s the size of a Roman legion, FYI, which is like a little scary thought. Like a whole legion of robots, I’ll be like ‘whoa.’ But I think we will literally build a legion, at least one legion of robots this year, and then probably 10 legions next year. I think it’s kind of a cool unit, you know? Units of legion. So probably 50,000-ish next year,” the world’s richest man added.

Authored by Andrew Korybko via substack,

The US might pressure him to assemble a government of national unity on pain of once again suspending military and intelligence aid if he refuses to dilute his power in lieu of holding elections…

Ukraine extended martial law until 6 August following Zelensky’s request earlier this week, which will prevent elections from being held over the summer like The Economist claimed late last month was a scenario that he was considering in an attempt to give himself an edge over his rivals. This move therefore exposes his fear of losing re-election. It’s not just that he’s very unpopular, but he likely also fears that the US wants to replace him after his infamous fight in the White House.

To that end, the Trump Administration might not turn a blind eye to whatever electoral fraud he could be planning to commit in order to hold onto power, instead refusing to recognize the outcome unless one of his rivals wins.

As for who could realistically replace him, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed last May that the US had reportedly entered into talks with Petro Poroshenko, Vitaly Klitschko, Andrey Yermak, Valery Zaluzhny, and Dmytro Razumkov.

The New York Times (NYT) just ran a feature article on Poroshenko, who took the opportunity to propose a government of national unity (GNU) almost 18 months after this idea was first floated by Politico in December 2023, but even the article’s author felt obligated to inform readers that he’s unlikely to return to power. 

Citing unnamed political analysts, they assessed that “Mr. Poroshenko may be angling for an electoral alliance with General Zaluzhny…[who] has remained mostly silent about politics” till now.

Nevertheless, Poroshenko’s NYT feature article succeeded in raising wider awareness of the GNU scenario, which the Trump Administration might seek to advance over the summer. 

Zelensky continues to irritate Trump, most recently by alleging that Russia has “enormous influence” over the White House and accusing his envoy Steve Witkoff of overstepping his authority in talks with Putin. 

This comes as Ukraine continues dragging its heels on agreeing to the latest proposed mineral deal with the US.

From the US’ perspective, since the increasingly troublesome Zelensky can’t be democratically replaced through summertime elections, the next best course of action could be to pressure him into forming a GNU that would be filled with figures like Poroshenko who’d be easier for the US to work with. 

This could also serve to dilute Zelensky’s power in a reversal of the Biden Administration’s policy that saw the US turning a blind eye to his anti-democratic consolidation of power on national security pretexts.

The pretext could be that any Russian-US breakthrough on resolving the Ukrainian Conflict requires the approval of a politically inclusive Ukrainian government given Zelensky’s questionable legitimacy after remaining in power following the expiry of his term last May and the enormity of what’s being proposed.

In pursuit of this goal, the US could threaten to once again suspend its military and intelligence aid to Ukraine unless Zelensky speedily assembles a GNU that’s acceptable to the Trump Administration.

The purpose would be to push through a ceasefire for lifting martial law, finally holding elections, and ultimately replacing Zelensky. 

The GNU could also help prevent the fraud that he might be planning to commit if he decides to run again under these much more politically difficult circumstances, especially if they invite the US to supervise their efforts, both before and during the vote. 

Through these means, the US could therefore still get rid of Zelensky, who might think that extending martial law will prevent this.

Authored by John Mills via The Epoch Times,

The Wall Street Journal recently revealed an unprecedented meeting that occurred in December 2024, which addressed the ongoing series of cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructure. In this meeting, described as a “summit,” about 12 U.S. national security officials engaged in candid discussions with their Chinese counterparts.

This meeting marked the first acknowledgment by China that the Volt Typhoon and the Salt Typhoon cyber intrusions originated from the Chinese regime.

“The Chinese official’s remarks at the December meeting were indirect and somewhat ambiguous, but most of the American delegation in the room interpreted it as a tacit admission and a warning to the U.S. about Taiwan, a former U.S. official familiar with the meeting said,” the Journal reported.

Chinese Cyber Assaults

Volt Typhoon was first publicly reported in early 2023, as Microsoft and the Department of Homeland Security revealed cyber intrusions into critical infrastructure in Guam. A Chinese state-sponsored group was the announced culprit, and one U.S. official said this was part of a broader Chinese intelligence-gathering system.

The department’s Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released an advisory with perhaps a new cybersecurity buzz phrase of “living off the land.” One article posited whether this event signaled preparation for a Chinese attack.

In 2024, congressional testimony by then-FBI Director Wray and then-CISA Director Jen Easterly was sobering. Easterly characterized the Chinese actions starkly, saying, “This is truly an ‘Everything Everywhere, All at Once’ scenario.”

The Journal article, published on April 10, provided further information on the motives of the Chinese regime. “The Chinese delegation linked years of intrusions into computer networks at U.S. ports, water utilities, airports and other targets, to increasing U.S. policy support for Taiwan … underscoring how hostilities between the two superpowers are continuing to escalate,” the report said.

Leadership Accountability for Cyber Failures

In his first term, President Donald Trump’s initial executive order on cybersecurity stressed one theme: leadership accountability.

The executive order states: 

“The President will hold heads of executive departments and agencies (agency heads) accountable for managing cybersecurity risk to their enterprises. In addition, because risk management decisions made by agency heads can affect the risk to the executive branch as a whole, and to national security, it is also the policy of the United States to manage cybersecurity risk as an executive branch enterprise.”

To clarify, the executive order said that cyber breaches would be considered a direct reflection of the senior leadership of the affected departments and agencies.

The revelation of the December 2024 Geneva meeting may provide further background on the recent leadership changes at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Beijing’s cyber campaign has been relentless since early 2023 and includes the full spectrum of U.S. critical infrastructure, including power, water, telecommunications, air traffic control, and maritime navigation-related systems.

A Cyber ‘Plucking’ to Ensure Best Leadership

Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn, Trump’s initial national security adviser during his first term, told me “there are more flag officers [generals and admirals] that need to go,” pointing out that “this is a ‘Marshall Moment’ to effect these changes.”

This refers to the “plucking” used by Gen. George Marshall before and during the Second World War.

Herm Hasken, a retired military officer and senior adviser to several cyber and electronic warfare companies, told me that “the public is only getting a portion of the whole story regarding the size and scope of China’s intrusions across all 16 sectors of our critical infrastructure.”

Retired Secret Service Senior Executive Robert Rodriguez told me that industry practitioners are extremely concerned about the Chinese regime’s Salt Typhoon cyberattacks.

Rodriguez helped establish the early cyber capabilities of the Secret Service. He is still active in cybersecurity innovation efforts.

“The threat was so serious they formed a coalition of U.S. and Canadian [chief information security officers] to host a series of ongoing workshops” to address the broad and pervasive Chinese cyber intrusions, Rodriguez said.

He said China is “by far the No. 1 threat” to the United States and the world.

In December 2024, a Senate Hearing dove deeply into the Salt Typhoon cyberattacks. The bipartisan dissatisfaction in Congress regarding the U.S. government’s inability to shut down and remove Chinese cyber intruders was evident.

“I think the American people need to know the extent of the breach here, I think they will be shocked at the extent of it,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said at the time. 

“I think they need to know about their text messages, their voicemail, their phone calls. It’s very bad, it’s very, very bad, and it is ongoing.”

Then-Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.), who has direct experience as an executive in the telecommunications market, was concerned about the unaddressed “gaping holes” in the U.S. cybersecurity posture.

“I think there is huge concern, far and away the worst telecom hack, and the fact is that they are still in the systems,” Warner told reporters at the time.

The unabated and continuous Chinese cyber assault, confirmed by The Wall Street Journal in relation to the high-level Geneva security summit between the outgoing U.S. national security team and China, may be a significant causal factor for changes in U.S. cybersecurity leadership.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.