Authored by Pepe Escobar,

No one ever lost money betting on the batshit crazy “policies” of the ferociously yapping Baltic chihuahuas. Their latest power play of sorts is a drive to turn the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake.

The notion that a bunch of Russophobic sub-entities have what it takes to expel the Russian superpower from the Baltic Sea and pose a threat to St. Petersburg does not even qualify as cartoonish. Yet that is indeed part and parcel of NATO’s re-configured obsessions, as their warmongering “vanguard” has been relocated to a London-Warsaw-Baltic chihuahuas-Ukraine axis.

What kind of black hole rump “Ukraine” will turn out to be after the end of the war – which may not even happen in 2025 – remains to be seen. What’s certain is that in the case of a Ukraine exit – whatever the modalities – enter Romania.

The whole electoral farce in Romania – complete with the demonization of election front-runner Calin Georgescu – revolves around the upgrading of the Mihail Kogalniceanu base, which will become the largest NATO military base in Europe.

So, once again, this is all about the Black Sea. NATO wreaking havoc in the Black Sea carries way more savory prospects than NATO via chihuahuas monopolizing the Baltic Sea.

Ilya Fabrichnikov, a member of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, has published a remarkable essay essentially focusing on the Black Sea (this is a short version on the Kommersant daily).

Fabrichnikov convincingly argues that from an European – UE/NATO – angle, what really mattered in Ukraine was “to move its borders, along with its military, political and economic infrastructure, close to Russia’s, to put under full control the strategic Black Sea trade corridor – which easily stretches further north along the Odessa-Gdansk route – in order to more conveniently and quickly explore the economic spaces of Asia and North Africa, and to begin dictating its terms to Russian supplies of oil, gas and other resources needed by the European economy.”

As this focused power play instrumentalizing Ukraine is unravelling in real time, a replacement is needed – even as warmongering Eurocrats keep peddling their Orwellian “peace is war” dementia non-stop, complete with a non-stop tsunami of sanctions and renewed promises of avalanches of weapons to Kiev.

This is a classic Brussels vassals affair – even as the toxic Medusa von der Lugen as head of the EC and Rutti-Frutti as the new head of NATO were essentially appointed by Washington and London. Collectively, Europe has pumped way more military-political funds into black hole Ukraine than the Americans.

The reason is simple. For Europe there’s no Plan B apart from that mirific “strategic defeat” of Russia.

The EU/NATO Black Sea power play would make it even more imperative for Russia to connect with Transnistria. The only one who can answer whether this is part of the current planning is of course President Putin.

Neo-nazis go pipeline bombing

Russian intel is very much aware that the Europeans have to some extent already carved up their own areas in Ukraine – from ports to mines. Not surprisingly the Brits, via MI6, are ahead of the “continentals”, mostly Germany.

All that intertwines with the extremely murky weapons-for-metals deal clinched by Trump 2.0 with the totally illegitimate sweatshirt actor-turned-gangster in Kiev. The only thing that matters for Trump is to get U.S. money back – whether the total bill is $500 billion or less (actually, much less).

Into this kabuki steps in the real power in Kiev after the proclamation of martial law: the National Defense and Security Council of Ukraine. The unelected, actually illegal actor is not taking any major decisions for some time now. These are issued by the former head of the foreign secret service, Oleksandr Lytvynenko.

It was the council that on February 17 ordered the bombing of the crucial pipeline owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) linking Kazakhstan to Novorossiysk, exporting loads of Kazakh and Russian oil.

Crucially, CPC shareholders included Italy’s ENI (2%); the Caspian Pipeline Co., which is a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil (7.5%); and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium Co., a subsidiary of Chevron (15%).

Well, that’s not very bright; the “integral nationalists”, code for neo-nazis in Kiev decided to bomb a partially owned American asset. Not only there will be blowback by Trump 2.0; it is already on.

On the equally murky rare earths front, Putin’s recent interview to Channel One seems to have thrown everyone off balance. Russia, he said, has way more rare earths than Ukraine and is “ready to work with our foreign partners, including the U.S.” to develop these deposits. That’s classic Sun Tzu Putin: the Americans won’t have rare earths to exploit in the future rump Ukraine – because they don’t exist. But they can be partners with Russia in Novorossiya.

All of the above of course would presuppose a solid U.S.-Russia negotiation on Ukraine. And yet Team Trump 2.0 still does not seem to grasp the real Russian red lines:

1. No temporary ceasefire “along the front line”.

2. No trading of new territories acquired in the battlefield.

3. No NATO or European “peacekeepers” in the western borders of Russia.

Putin discombobulating Trump

As it stands, Washington and Moscow remain divided by an abyss.

Mr. Disco Inferno simply cannot make serious concessions – or de facto recognize the strategic defeat of the Empire of Chaos. Because that would seal the Definitive End of Unilateral Hegemony.

Putin for his part simply will not give away the hard-won victories on the battlefield. Russian public opinion expects nothing less. After all Russia holds all the cards leading to a possible negotiation.

The EU/NATO will never admit their own, self-inflicted strategic defeat; hence those Baltic/Black Sea dreams, which carry the extra self-inflicted fantasy of disrupting China’s New Silk Roads as much as “isolating” Russia.

Putin is actually performing virtual somersaults to instill some common sense. In his Mr. Disco Inferno he noted how, on U.S.-Russia relations, “this first step should focus on increasing the level of trust between the two countries. This is exactly what we have been doing in Riyadh, and this is what our next high-level contacts will be devoted to. Without this, it is impossible to solve any issue, including one as complex and acute as the Ukrainian crisis.”

Trust is far from being re-established, especially vis a vis a Lavrov-defined “non-agreement capable” Empire of Chaos with its global credibility in tatters. Add to it bombast after bombast manufactured to control the news cycle 24/7: the preferred Trump 2.0 modus operandi. None of it leads to that prime diplomatic mantra: “confidence building”.

And it will get even murkier – and way more dangerous – if Russian public opinion is confronted with the fact that after 11 years fighting a vicious proxy war with the Empire of Chaos, they may become partners in strategic industry sectors that Putin himself defined as essential to Russia’s national security.

Just like that. Or that may be just Putin discombobulating Trump with some unforeseen Sun Tzu gambit.

Earlier this week I had a fabulous off the record conversation with Sergey Glazyev, formerly with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and now leading the consolidation of the Union State (Russia-Belarus). It was up to Mr. Glazyev to come up with the definitive summary of everything unrolling before our eyes: “This is a very strange war”.

* * *

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

When someone says the word whisky (or whiskey in the U.S. or Ireland), it conjures images of rolling Scottish highlands. 

Or distilleries with traditions stretching back hundreds of years.

But today, the world’s best-selling whiskies come from an unlikely source: India.

For this graphic, Visual Capitalist’s Alan Kennedy partnered with Rare Whisky 101 to explore recent whisky sales and determine what the most popular brand is today.

The Dominance of Indian Whisky

The global alcohol industry is valued at around $1.8 trillion and is forecast to grow with a 9.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2025 and 2030.

The Indian and Chinese markets are largely responsible for this growth. These markets now have incredible demand for luxury and artisanal drinks. So it should be no surprise that eight of the 20 most popular whiskies globally are Indian.

India’s alcohol market, in particular, is vast and growing much faster than the global average. The Spirits Business estimates that in 2027, it will be seven times larger than in 2019.

What Sets the India’s Market Apart?

India’s alcohol market has grown due to its people’s deep passion for whisky. While the nation imports from many of the usual sources, such as Scotland, the U.S., and Japan. Its local whiskies are so popular that they dominate global sales.

The most popular Indian whisky, McDowells, is also the most popular globally. The brand sold 31.4 million cases in 2023 alone, growing 2.1% year-over-year, nearly double the sales of the most popular American whisky, Jim Beam.

A World of Whisky

Today, the global alcohol market is driven by the massive demand for luxury drinks like whisky in large markets such as India. This demand has led to India’s complete dominance of the global whisky scene, with sales far exceeding those of any other region.

Are you interested in learning more about the diverse world of whisky?

Rare Whisky 101 is one of the world’s most extensive whisky databases, covering everything from indexes comparing regional sales to valuations of the rarest bottles of Scotch.

Authored by Micky Horstman via RealClearPolitics,

TikTok’s servers went dark for 12 hours on Jan. 19, but thanks to an extension from President Donald Trump, TikTok is back on the app stores, and its clock hasn’t run out yet.

The divestment, ban, and then subsequent extension have justifiably sparked criticism, especially among young people. And while half of Americans surveyed in March of 2023 supported a ban, now a majority of Americans disapprove. What accounts for such a swing in public opinion?

For a year, Americans watched lawmakers contradict their own claims that the app is a “national security threat.” Now, they are starting to see the ban for what it really is – an attack on consumer choice and free speech.

Originally, government leaders rejected TikTok’s kill switch and security proposal in 2022. Instead, they claimed the app was such a threat to national security that divestment was the only option. The government presented these concerns to the court which allowed them to override arguments about users’ free speech rights.

If TikTok was such a large threat to national security that it couldn’t continue to operate, then politicians should’ve suspended their accounts after the ban, instead of choosing to campaign on them. And the Trump administration shouldn’t have offered an extension if the product hasn’t changed – especially since Trump originally called for the ban.

Before the divestment vote, lawmakers were given an exclusive report that detailed TikTok’s alleged security concerns – members of Congress said it highlighted problems that existed across all social media platforms, none exclusive to TikTok. Without knowing the extent of those concerns, the public remains at risk. Why allow the data of 170 million Americans to be stolen, tracked, or whatever they believe the crisis is, for an extra year? If the problem is that serious, why haven’t they released that information?

Lawmakers’ concerns about foreign ownership were never really convincing when they singled out one Chinese owned company and not others. What about Temu and Shein? Both are Chinese-owned sites that have similar amounts of American users and data risks, plus well-documented labor violations, and you don’t see Congress talking about forcing them to divest.

What about the anonymous forum 4chan? It has murky foreign ownership and is often linked to mass shooters. Why isn’t Congress interested in regulating that?

Even American-owned X and Meta have their own documented abuses – from allowing Russian assets to buy political ads to unnaturally promoting right-wing content in feeds.

Americans aren’t buying the “national security concerns” anymore. We watched nearly the rest of the world carry on with an app said to be too dangerous for us, and as soon as it started polling poorly, we immediately had our access restored. And taking into account recent revelations from The Hill about the real motivations for ban, the pushback is warranted.

New reporting suggests that TikTok’s ban was actually expedited as a means of hiding coverage of the war in Gaza, not mounting concerns over Chinese ownership.

If true, the remaining “national security argument” unravels.

It’s time we acknowledge what this ban actually is: a muzzle. A government ban on TikTok is an attack on free speech. On this, Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who could not be further apart on the political spectrum, agreed. The American people agree. The U.S. government cannot be allowed to control the opinions that its citizens express online – even if those opinions criticize an ally.

Of course we wouldn’t want Russian newscasts broadcasting actively on U.S. airwaves or the Chinese printing and distributing newspapers on our soil. But social media is different by design. It’s user-generated content; it’s not owned by the government and shouldn’t be classified as legacy media. Both the government and news media have the option to participate in “the new town square,” but it doesn’t exist for them – it exists for the people.

To a majority of Americans, it has become clear that the TikTok ban violates the First Amendment rights of the over 170 million Americans who use the platform and, furthermore, it jeopardizes the livelihoods of thousands of U.S. residents, content creators, and businesses who rely on the app for revenue. The result of the court’s decision was unfair market manipulation – stifling the choices and financial opportunities of Americans – that will only serve TikTok’s competitors. These are hard-working Americans whose freedom of speech and right to earn a living are being steamrolled by the government.

It’s time lawmakers officially reconsider whether this violation of rights is truly warranted. If it is, the American people deserve to know all the reasons why.

Micky Horstman is the communications associate for the Illinois Policy Institute and a social mobility fellow for Young Voices. 

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) resumed automatic voter registrations on Feb. 27, saying it had strengthened the system to prevent the registration of noncitizens.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek in October 2024 ordered a pause of the process after an audit discovered some individuals were automatically registered to vote despite not providing proof of U.S. citizenship. Officials later disclosed they’d identified additional individuals, taking the total to about 1,600.

The DMV said it has strengthened its system to minimize the risk of more noncitizens and others who have not provided proof of citizenship being registered. This includes hiring a voter registration integrity analyst and modifying the internal interface, which the agency says will reduce the likelihood of DMV staff selecting the wrong option.

Since the pause was imposed, the DMV has sampled new records and manually compared them with information collected from customers. The DMV said that no new mistaken registrations have been found so far.

“We believe these enhanced processes and permanent system changes, along with DMV’s observations and measurements regarding their effectiveness, provide adequate confidence that data integrity … is sufficient to reinstitute the process,” Deloitte, which the governor hired to review the system, said in a report.

“As a partner to Oregon’s Secretary of State, Oregon DMV is proud of the role it plays in helping U.S. citizens engage in our elections,” Oregon DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said in a statement. “We will continue our work to ensure the Oregon Motor Voter process is more secure and reliable than ever.”

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office is also trying to prevent noncitizen voter registration.

The office said it has added more steps, including a daily confirmation step.

“The new protections we are adding today will help us catch and fix government data entry errors faster. These are first steps, focused on getting the fundamentals right. I will continue to dig into the system and take action whenever I can to strengthen our voter rolls and prevent future mistakes. Our highest priority is – and must always be – protecting the integrity of Oregonians’ fair, secure, and accessible elections,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said in a statement.

Automatic voter registration, with an opt-out, is required by state law for all Oregon residents aged 16 and older. The DMV collects the residents’ information and sends it to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office.

Officials say the system erroneously registered 1,619 people, some of whom were noncitizens, even though the people never proved citizenship.

“Since the error was discovered, many have confirmed their citizenship,” the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office says on its website.

Seventeen of the people voted in an election. The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office is still actively investigating six of the cases. It referred three others to the Oregon Department of Justice and closed the rest.

After the left clutched pearls for an entire news cycle over DOGE ordering federal employees to report back to the office, San Francisco is taking a page out of their book.

On Friday, the Epoch Times reported that SF Mayor Daniel Lurie (D) has ordered city workers back into the office.

“Bringing our workers back to the office will make our services more effective and responsive to our residents,” spokesperson Charles Kretchmer Lutvak told the Times in an email. “That is what San Franciscans expect and what Mayor Lurie will deliver. We look forward to working with our partners across the departments and in labor over the coming weeks to implement the mayor’s plan.”

The move reverses a July 21 decision by former mayor London Breed, who signed an amendment to the city’s Health Care Security Ordinance allowing employees to telecommute during the pandemic. Telecommuting had begun in the city on March 17, 2020, however, with the city’s shelter-in-place order.

As the Times notes further, not all city workers have been working from home since the pandemic, as the Port of San Francisco began welcoming all telecommuting employees back in November 2021, though the County of San Francisco Department of Human Resources (DHR) and SF Port at the time required all city workers to be vaccinated.

During his inaugural speech earlier this month, Lurie did not mention city workers but said he wanted to entice people to return to the downtown area.

“My job is not to demand that the private sector be back in the office every day. My job is to make you want to be downtown again for work—with your friends and with your family,” Lurie said.

“This is truly a new era of cooperation and mutual respect between City Hall, the Board of Supervisors, law enforcement, and the thousands of city employees working on the front lines—without you we cannot carry out this vision for change.”

Telecommuting in both the private and public sectors has been a problem for the economic activity of downtown San Francisco, the city has said. According to city data, nearly 470,000 people commuted into San Francisco every weekday prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns, drumming up significant economic activity for the downtown area.

Work-from-home reduced economic activity, hurting small businesses in the economic core. As recently as Feb. 5, San Francisco lagged behind major cities such as Austin, Los Angeles, New York, and San Jose in office attendance. While 55 percent of New Yorkers work in the office, only 43 percent of workers in San Francisco commute to the office.

Lockdowns resulted in San Francisco office attendance dropping to less than 10 percent of what it had been prior. It began to slowly increase in the summer of 2021 and 2022. The reduction in the city’s in-person overall workforce led to significant economic losses for the city, according to research by WFH Research Group.

Telecommuting had been framed by the city as an opportunity to increase productivity, recruit and retain talent, save employees time due to not having to commute, and decrease the city’s carbon footprint.

A Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco report, however, found little evidence of increased productivity due to telecommuting.

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,

Californians are falling behind on their bills amid the highest per capita debt levels since 2008, according to debt statistics by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in its most recent Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit.

In the first quarter of 2024, household debt per capita in California peaked at $86,940 before decreasing slightly in the fourth quarter to $86,130. The average U.S. per capita debt was only $50,540 in the fourth quarter.

Furthermore, a rising number of Californians were falling behind on said debt. New York Fed numbers show that 3.25 percent of Californians fell 30 days late on debt repayment in the fourth quarter—a nine-year high. That’s the highest level since 2016’s first quarter. The U.S. average for this metric was even higher, at 4.14 percent.

Joel Kotkin, executive director at Chapman University Center for Demographics and Policy, said that while households in other states also struggle with bills, California’s debt numbers may be high due to the cost of living.

“The pressures may be greater due to high costs,” he told The Epoch Times.

Bad habits plus a mediocre economy, he said, could mean more Californians will opt to rent instead of buy, or go into further debt to buy a home.

“They won’t be buying houses as much as elsewhere, but if they do, their debts will be enormous,” Kotkin said.

A December 2024 report by Upgraded Points, a financial information website, found that the California metropolitan area with the most severe credit card delinquencies—defined as 90 days or more past due—is the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario region with a 15.2 percent delinquency rate, the eighth worst in the nation. Meanwhile, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan area had the lowest in the nation at 6.3 percent.

According to data compiled by personal finance company WalletHub in January, California ranks 11th in overall credit card delinquency with 21.58 percent. Another WalletHub report, released in July 2024, found that the city of Chula Vista in San Diego County leads the nation in the largest increase in credit card delinquencies, nearly 85 percent during the first quarter of 2024.

Numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the unemployment rate in California remained relatively steady from July to December 2024, ticking only slightly higher to 5.5 percent. The manufacturing sector, however, saw a 3.4 percent decrease in employment over the same period.

Household debt is not only on the rise in California. 

The New York Fed numbers show that nationwide household debt increased by $93 billion to reach $18.04 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2024. Furthermore, mortgage balances nationwide increased by $11 billion in the third quarter to $12.61 trillion at the end of the fourth quarter.

Auto loan, credit card, and home equity lines of credit delinquencies slightly increased in 2024. Auto loans, in particular, saw an $11 billion increase to $1.66 trillion in the fourth quarter. Credit card balances, meanwhile, increased $45 billion in the fourth quarter for a total of $1.21 trillion at the end of last year.

A sheriff in New Mexico said Friday that Oscar-winner Gene Hackman and his wife could have been dead for weeks and noted that pills found at the scene are concerning, while noting there are conflicting reports about the incident.

Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, apparently had been dead as long as several weeks when investigators found their bodies while searching the couple’s Santa Fe home on Wednesday, said Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza.

“Just based on their bodies and other evidence on the body, it appears several days and possibly up to a couple weeks,” Mendoza told the “Today“ show on Friday morning, when asked about the timing of their deaths.

When asked whether Hackman and his wife died at the same time in their home in Santa Fe or if either passed before the other, the sheriff told the outlet, “I think that’s very difficult to determine. I think it’s going to be pretty close.”

“You know, there’s no indication that anyone was moving about the house or doing anything different, so it’s very difficult to determine if they both passed at the same time or how close they passed together,” Mendonza said. 

“We’re trying to put that information together and, obviously, with the assistance of the office of the medical investigator, I think the autopsy report is going to be the key to this investigation.”

The Epoch Times’ Jack Phillips reports that investigators are also attempting to figure out the last time anyone saw or spoke to them, Mendoza added.

“It’s very difficult to put a timeline together even with the help of the office of the medical investigator,” he said, adding that Hackman and Arakawa, a classical pianist, were “very private individuals and a private family.”

Aside from Hackman and Arakawa, one of their dogs was found dead nearby, according to a search warrant affidavit. A maintenance worker called 911 after spotting the bodies at the couple’s Santa Fe home. He reported the home’s front door was open when he arrived to do routine work, a detective wrote.

In a recording of the 911 call, though, the worker said he could see Arakawa lying on the floor through a window, but he was unable to get inside.

In the interview, Mendoza noted that there are conflicting accounts about the doors, whether they were locked or unlocked, and said an investigation is underway. Several of their doors were unlocked and a back door was open, allowing two of their other dogs to go in and out, he said, while adding he suspects the front door was unlocked and closed.

The affidavit said that their deaths were deemed “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened.”

There was also an opened bottle of prescription medication and pills scattered on a nearby countertop, officials noted.

“Deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak,” the search warrant stated.

A sheriff’s detective wrote that there were no obvious signs of a gas leak, but he noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide might not show signs of poisoning. Neither had obvious signs of blunt force trauma, the warrant added.

On Friday, Mendoza said that the pill bottle is “very important” to investigators.

“That’s obviously very important evidence,” the sheriff said., adding that “we’re looking at that specifically and other medications that were possibly in the residence. So that is something of concern.”

Hackman was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for “The French Connection” in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for “Unforgiven” two decades later. He’s also appeared in a number of other critically acclaimed films such as “The Conversation,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” and “Hoosiers.”

Update (1922ET): The significance of today’s meltdown in the Oval Office between Trump, Vance, and Zelenskyy cannot be overstated. 

Essentially here’s what went down:

A deal was done, as far as US officials were concerned, and then Zelenskyy asked for more after engaging in a spat with VP JD Vance. According to CBS News‘ Jennifer Jacobs:

“Trump fully intended to sign the minerals deal today. Two official binders were prepared — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Ukrainian counterpart and the two presidents were going to sit at a conference table in the East Room and then trumpet their success at podiums.”

…

None of this drama [was] premeditated. Trump officials were incredulous that some media outlets suggested it might have been. The greeting with Trump and Zelenskyy was warm, with jokes and a guest book signing in the West Wing lobby. They went straight into the Oval and the vibe was positive. White House wanted this deal done today.

Trump believes that Zelenskyy missed out on a huge opportunity to have the US as a business partner, with US companies helping Ukraine monetize mineral resources such as gas, oil, aluminum, tritrium, gallium and others. Trump viewed it as the 1st step in in a progression towards peace.

Which explains why Secretary of State Marco Rubio looked like this in the middle of the spat:

UKRAINE: Sec Rubio just got rug pulled. Zelensky assured him the mineral deal was locked in, and Rubio confidently told the president it was a done deal, with Zelensky visiting the White House to sign. Instead, Zelensky shifted the goalposts—demanding US ground troops, knowing… pic.twitter.com/bu0rWUWDt8

— @amuse (@amuse) February 28, 2025

Later, Zelenskyy went on Fox News, where he acknowledged that he ‘regretted’ what went down – but said he doesn’t think he did anything wrong.

“I am not sure we did something bad,” he told Baier, adding “I respect president Trump and the American people, but we have to be very honest and direct to understand each other.”

Bret Baier asks Zelenskyy if he regrets not having his heated argument with President Trump and Vice President Vance behind closed doors.

ZELENSKYY: “Yes, I think it was not good, I think it was not good…” pic.twitter.com/JQGjmAzxIl

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 28, 2025

According to Jacobs, Trump is “unwilling to talk to Zelenskyy further today.” 

Shortly before Zelenskyy appeared on Fox, Trump told the press that Zelenskyy “overplayed his hand.”

TRUMP: “Zelenskyy very much overplayed his hand. We’re looking for peace … He’s dealing with a very weak set of cards.”pic.twitter.com/Dbv2PWWVth

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) February 28, 2025

*  *  *

Anza Knives are back In Stock! We just got a huge delivery.

Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back, lifetime guarantee. If you’re looking for a great daily carry, check this one out.

*  *  *

Conservative commentator Richard Hanania lays out what happened this afternoon (emphasis ours):

I watched the entire press conference with Zelensky. There was 40  minutes of discussion up to the argument. Most people saw at most the last ten minutes. The whole video gives the proper context.

When I first watched the argument without the proper context, I thought it was possible that Trump and Vance ambushed Zelensky or were even trying to humiliate him. That’s not what happened.

You had 40 minutes of calm conversation. Vance made a point that didn’t attack Zelensky and wasn’t even addressed to him, and Zelensky clearly started the argument.

In the first 40 minutes, Zelensky kept trying to go beyond what was negotiated in the deal. When Trump was asked a question, it was always “we’ll see.” Zelensky made blanket assertions that there would be no negotiating with Putin, and that Russia would pay for the war. When Trump said that it was a tragedy that people on both sides were dying, Zelensky interjected that the Russians were the invaders.

For his part, Trump made clear that the US would continue delivering military aid. All Zelensky had to do was remain calm for a few more minutes and they would’ve signed a deal.

The argument started when Trump pointed out that it would be hard to make a deal if you talk about Putin the way Zelensky does. Vance interjects to make the reasonable point that Biden called Putin names and that didn’t get us anywhere.

The Zelensky/Trump dynamic was calm and stable. It was when Vance spoke that Zelensky started to interrogate him. Throughout the press conference to that point, everyone was making their arguments directly to the  audience. Zelensky decided to challenge Vance and ask him hostile questions. He went back to his point that Putin never sticks to ceasefires, once again implying that negotiations are pointless. Why on earth would you do this? Then came the fight we all saw.

Zelensky was minutes away from being home free, and he would have had the deal and new commitments from the Trump administration. The point Vance made was directed against Biden and the media, taking them to task for speaking in moralistic terms. This offended Zelensky, and that began the argument.

I’ve been a fan of Zelensky up to this point, but this showed so much incompetence, if not emotional instability, that I don’t see how he recovers from this. The relationship with the administration is broken. Ukraine should probably go with new leadership at this point.

One thing I think the Zelensky debacle illustrates is that European leaders have not grasped that America’s elite media institutions have lost all authority to make political consensus.

I fear Zelensky may have believed his own adoring coverage, and misread his moral leverage.

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) February 28, 2025

Imagine being completely dependent on Donald Trump to the point that your life was quite possibly on the line. And then, image your move was to try to alpha him on national television in a language you kind of speak.

— Dave Smith (@ComicDaveSmith) February 28, 2025

*  *  *

Update (1628ET): As expected, today’s Trump-Vance-Zelensky cage match that nuked that Ukraine deal has erupted into an international firestorm.

A few select reactions…

Team World Police:

• Spanish PM Sanchez says “Ukraine, Spain stands with you.”
• French Foreign Minister Barrot says Putin’s Russia is the aggressor, there is one necessity: Europe, now the time for words is over, time for action.
• German Chancellor Scholz says Ukraine can rely on Germany and Europe.
• EU’s von der Leyen says “be strong, be brave, be fearless, you are never alone, Dear President Zelensky”
• Lithuanian President says Ukraine will never be alone.
• Portuguese PM says Ukraine can count on us to support it
• Czech Republic President says “We stand with Ukraine more than ever. Time for Europe to step up its efforts.”
• EU foreign policy chief Kallas says “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to US, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
• Polish PM Tusk posts on X, “Dear Zelensky, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone”.
• French President Macron says Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the aggressed people. We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia 3 years ago, and to continue to do so.
• Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said “Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work.”

The Atlantic‘s David Frum was mega-triggered, writing: “Trump and Vance have revealed to Americans and to America’s allies their alignment with Russia, and their animosity toward Ukraine in general and its president in particular. The truth is ugly, but it’s necessary to face it.”

On the other hand:

• Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Medvedev posts on X ‘The insolent pig finally got a proper slap down in the Oval Office. And Trump is right: The Kiev regime is “gambling with WWIII,” adding “For the first time, Trump told the truth to the cocaine clown’s face.”
• Hungarian President Vicktor Orbán thanks Trump for standing ‘for peace.’

But perhaps the biggest indicator that Zelensky is fucked came from deep state tentacle Lindsey Graham, who walked out of the White House and said “I have never been more proud of the president. I was very proud of JD Vance standing up for our country.

Graham then slammed Zelensky, saying “The way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the president was just over the top,” adding “What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful. And I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again.”

Watch (via Collin Rugg):

JUST IN: Senator Lindsey Graham says he doesn’t think the United States can ever do business with Zelensky again, says he has never been more proud of Trump and Vance.

“I have never been more proud of the president. I was very proud of JD Vance standing up for our country.”… pic.twitter.com/71jLkvXUMq

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 28, 2025

Update (1530ET): Moments after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky left the White House following an explosive argument in front of the press (scroll down), and President Donald Trump shredded any chance of a Ukraine deal to end the war (anytime soon), two things happened.

1) White House staffers literally ate Zelensky’s lunch…

White House staffers reportedly eating the lunch initially prepared for Zelensky after President Trump kicked him out of the White House.

“The lunch he was supposed to have was sitting right out in the hallway… and staffers will now be eating that lunch,” per Fox. pic.twitter.com/ZswM2YmFBf

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) February 28, 2025

2) Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated US support for restoring Ukraine’s energy grid, which was funded by a USAID initiative that had invested hundreds of millions of dollars, NBC reports

The State Department this week terminated a U.S. Agency for International Development initiative that has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine’s energy grid from attacks by the Russian military, according to two USAID officials working on the agency’s Ukraine mission.

…

Based on a document obtained by NBC News, the State Department has also ordered the termination of a program focused on “financial sector reform activity.”  

“We won’t have the eyes on where this money has gone over the last few years,” one of the officials said.

How much popcorn can one consume on a Friday?

*  *  *

Update (1420ET): President Trump has effectively shredded any deal with Ukraine for the time being, writing on Truth Social following a testy exchange (see full clips below) with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelsnsky:

“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

Trump also canceled a scheduled press conference with Zelensky that was set for later in the day.

“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.” –President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/jIvkoiVdUb

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2025

Meanwhile, several GOP lawmakers and members of the Trump administration have voiced their support for Trump and Vance following the exchange.

“America FIRST. Strong, unapologetic leadership on the world stage is BACK!” said Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) on X.

“Amen, Mr. President,” said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in response to Trump’s statement above.

“Thank you, President Trump, for standing up for the American people and our nation on the global stage,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

“It is amazing to have a President and VP who put America First! Thank you President Trump and VP Vance for fighting for our country and our people!” said Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) on X.

Zelensky destroyed himself in the eyes of the American people

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2025

See the exchanges below…

*  *  *

Just days after calling him a ‘dictator without elections,’ President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday, where the two discussed US efforts to end the war in Ukraine and the related minerals deal — and then got into a giant argument that included VP Vance dropping serious shade to Zelensky’s face (see below)

As for the minerals deal to end the Ukraine war, Trump said there’s a ‘very fair deal’ on the table, which would allow the US to use Ukraine’s rare earths for AI and military applications, adding that once the minerals deal is done, the war will be over, and “Russia won’t want to return.”

Trump said they’ve “made a deal.”

Then Things Got Tense

Trump then slammed Zelensky for ‘gambling with world war three,” adding “You either make a deal or we are out…”

“I gave you the Javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets… You got to be more thankful because let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards — but without us you don’t have any cards.”

.@POTUS: “I gave you the Javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets… You got to be more thankful because let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards — but without us you don’t have any cards.” pic.twitter.com/qbRctLSkA9

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025

Vice President JD Vance chimed in, asking “Have you said thank you once? You went to Pennsylvania to campaign on the opposition.”

.@VP: “Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”@POTUS: “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards … You’re… pic.twitter.com/iTYyAmfuCJ

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025

.@POTUS: “It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this.”@VP: “Accept that there are disagreements, and let’s go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you’re wrong.” pic.twitter.com/WSZWZU4BBY

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025

Zelensky, apparently not a historian, said that Putin ‘began the war’ and ‘has to pay,’ while Trump says he’s “in the middle” regarding the war, adding “I’m for both Ukraine and Russia.” Trump also added that he’s committed to NATO.

.@POTUS: “We’re committed to NATO — but NATO has to step up and the Europeans have to step up more than they have.” pic.twitter.com/IqPLjynef9

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025

🚨NEW: Trump has no patience left when he is asked by a reporter “What happens if Putin breaks the ceasefire?”

TRUMP: “What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now? They broke it with other Presidents because they didn’t respect them. Putin went through a hell… pic.twitter.com/fj3Yp1zElm

— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) February 28, 2025

Trump also commented several times on Zelensky’s attire…

“All dressed up today” 😂 https://t.co/gEuLhxqvfu

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2025

A moment of levity in the Oval Office: “I do like your clothing, by the way.” pic.twitter.com/6kkqcpzvf2

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025

Wut…

What is Zelensky doing while 47 answers questions? pic.twitter.com/3gxEB5fXRk

— Sandy 〽️ (@RightGlockMom) February 28, 2025

The day before the meeting, Trump softened his tone on the ‘dictator’ comment, saying that he now has a “lot of respect” for the Ukrainian leader (who’s canceled elections, banned the Orthodox Church, and outlawed non-USAID propaganda media).

Earlier, Zelensky said he met with a bipartisan US Senate delegation, which he described as “an important visit to the United States.”

“We take pride in having strategic partners and friends like the United States. We are grateful for the unwavering bicameral and bipartisan support for Ukraine throughout all three years of Russia’s full-scale aggression,” he said on X.

An important visit to the United States. In Washington, I met with a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. Senate.

Our discussions focused on the continued military assistance for Ukraine, relevant legislative initiatives, my meeting with President Trump, efforts to achieve a just… pic.twitter.com/KJcosUpygc

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 28, 2025

Developing…

Authored by Victor Davis Hanson,

At some point, some president was going to have to stop the unsustainable spending and borrowing.

To have any country left, some president would eventually have had to restore a nonexistent border and stop the influx of 3 million illegal aliens a year.

Some commander-in-chief finally would have to try to stop the theater wars abroad.

But any president who dared to do any of that would be damned for curbing the madness that his predecessors fueled.

And so none did—until now.

Not since Franklin Roosevelt’s rapid and mass implementation of the New Deal administrative state have Americans seen such radical changes so quickly as now in Trump’s first month of governance.

Americans are watching a long-awaited counter-revolution to bring the country out of its madness by restoring the common sense of the recent past.

It is easy to run up massive debts and hard to pay them back. Politicians profit by handing out grants and hiring thousands with someone else’s money or creating new programs by growing the debt.

Yet it is unpopular and considered “mean” to spend only what you have and to create a lean, competent workforce.

1776, not 1619, is the foundational date of America.

Biological men should not manipulate their greater size and strength to undermine the hard-won accomplishment of women athletes.

Affordable fossil fuels, when used wisely, are still essential to modern prosperity.

American education must remain empirical and inductive, not regress into indoctrination and deduction. If college campuses no longer abide by the Bill of Rights, then perhaps they should pay taxes on income from their endowments and guarantee their own student loans.

If American citizens are arrested and arraigned for violent assaults, destroying property, and resisting arrest, then surely foreign students who break the laws of their hosts should be held to the same account—and if guilty, go home.

Tribalism and racialism, and government spoils allotted by superficial appearances, are the marks of a pre-civilized society. Such racialism leads only to endless factions and discord.

It is easy to destroy a border, and hard to reconstruct it. And it was not Trump who invited in 12 million unaudited illegal aliens, a half million of them criminals.

Who is the real culprit in the Defense Department—the new secretary with the hard task of restoring the idea among depleted ranks that our race, religion, and gender are incidental, not essential, to defeating the enemy and ensuring our national security?

Is it really wise to divert money from needed combat units and weapons to indoctrinate recruits with social and cultural agendas that do not enhance, but likely undermine, our national defenses?

Who is the real callous actor—Elon Musk, who is trying to prevent the country from insolvency by eliminating fraud and waste, or those who bloated the bureaucracy in the first place with jobs and subsidies for their constituents, friends, clients, and fellow ideologues?

No one likes to fire FBI agents.

That certainly is an unpleasant job for the new FBI Director, Kash Patel.

But again, who are the true culprits who so cavalierly turned a hallowed agenda into a weaponized tool to warp elections, harass political enemies, lie under oath, surveil parents at school board meetings, doctor court documents, and protect insider friends?

Massive borrowing is an opiate addiction that needs shock treatment, not more deficits to break the habit. An unchecked administrative state becomes an organic organism that exists only to grow larger, more powerful, and more resistant to any who seek to curb it.

Yet those who brought the cultural revolution of the last years are now screaming that it is unfair to restore what they undermined. It is as if a patient blames only the tough chemotherapy and not the invasive cancer that it seeks to cure.

Most of the Trump people are not high-fiving firing people. They are not laying off miners or frackers and directing them to go “code” or dismissing half the country as “deplorables.”

The left screams that those who are tasked with balancing a budget and pruning back a strangling bureaucracy are heartless.

No, the pitiless are those who recklessly sought to hire with borrowed money and fire people on the basis of their race, used federal programs to feather their own nests, and harassed and arrested those for their politics.

No SWAT teams are now raiding the homes of ex-presidents.

No one is trying to take a presidential rival off state ballots.

No one is coordinating local, state, and federal prosecutors to indict, harass, and bankrupt an ex-president.

And no president—his dementia sheathed by political insiders and toadish media—is working three days a week, avoiding press conferences, or stonewalling reporters’ questions.

No wonder the current normal seems abnormal to the status quo of the recent past.