On Monday the Zelensky government laid out its red lines concerning the US-proposed peace plan with Russia, which demands that Kiev agree to territorial concessions in the eastern Donbas region. 

Ukraine’s senior political leaders and lawmakers, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, set firm non-negotiable conditions for any future peace agreement with Russia, coupled with a warning that Moscow is attempting to force the international community to accept its territorial seizures, according to Ukrainian media. 

Kyiv Post cited parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk as making clear that Ukraine will not accept “any form of legal recognition of Russia’s occupation,” nor will accept that restrictions be placed on its armed forces, given the US 28-point plan calls for just that. The statement is said to also express with will of the presidential office.

Most importantly, the Zelensky government has said it will reject outside attempts to control its future alliances, which is a reference to the US plan’s call for a commitment that Ukraine never join NATO.

Additionally, frozen Russian assets should serve as the “cost of aggression” – speaker Stefanchuk made clear. The current US draft plan envisions that merely some – possibly about one-third of what’s been frozen in European banks – would be used for war reparations. 

The so-called European counter-plan currently being floated in leaked draft format is actually more consistent with these demands of Kiev. President Putin has said that Trump’s plan could form the basis of a future peace, but the Kremlin is unlikely to see anything workable in the European plan.

Meanwhile President Zelensky is still trying to walk a fine line between pleasing Trump while showing willingness to work toward an end to the conflict, and sticking to a firm ‘pro-Ukraine’ wartime stance.

In a Sunday Truth Social post Trump had blasted Zelensky and the Ukrainians for showing “zero gratitude” for the US efforts.

But in follow-up, Zelensky is trying to make nice, pledging in his own response post that Ukraine would “never be an obstacle to peace” – but also emphasized the importance of his country remaining independent and sovereign. 

Zelenskyy responded to Trump’s latest post about “zero gratitude” from Ukrainian leadership. pic.twitter.com/IdQ1j1qkeY

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) November 23, 2025

“Everyone is offering support, giving advice, providing information — and I am grateful to each and every person who is giving this help to us, to Ukraine. It is important to ensure that the steps to end the war are effective, and that everything is doable,” Zelensky explained. “Ukraine has never wanted war, and we will never be an obstacle to peace.”

Update (2010ET):

A little more than one day after Just The News published John Solomon’s exclusive interview in which President Trump confirmed plans to designate the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the White House formally announced on Monday evening that the president has initiated the process to classify specific chapters and subdivisions of MB as FTOs. 

🚨 America will NOT tolerate those who fund & fuel radical terrorism.

Today, President Trump took decisive action to secure America from terrorist threats by initiating the process to designate certain Muslim Brotherhood entities as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. pic.twitter.com/Ec4qGbPLkm

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 24, 2025

Trump’s order cites MB’s violent activities and support for militant factions, including participation in attacks on Israeli civilians and military targets after October 7, 2023, as well as calls for violence against U.S. allies. These actions, the order says, threaten American citizens and destabilize the Middle East.

Here’s what Trump ordered:

Within 30 days:

• The Secretaries of State and Treasury must deliver a joint report to the President, recommending which Muslim Brotherhood chapters should be designated under FTO and SDGT authorities.

Within 45 days after the report:

• The Secretary of State or the Treasury must take appropriate legal steps to finalize those designations.

On X, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the White House, announced, “History has been made.”

“Just moments ago, in the presence of my NSC colleague who helped author the Executive Order, President Trump designated multiple chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the Egyptian branch which is the progenitor of all modern Jihadists, al Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas included,” Gorka said, adding, “As we left the Oval, President Trump explicitly instructed us to inform the World of his tectonic act.”

History has been made.

Just moments ago, in the presence of my NSC colleague who helped author the Executive Order, President @realDonaldTrump designated multiple chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the Egyptian branch which is the progenitor of all modern Jihadists,… pic.twitter.com/Ql9CcLhJtF

— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) November 24, 2025

Seems like these folks do not want to assimilate… 

Muslim brotherhood says they hope to have 50 members of Congress in the next 6 years.

He suggests that’s how they dismantle America.

WAKE THE HECK UP. pic.twitter.com/kcqQYeGF7E

— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) November 24, 2025

Let’s not forget that former CIA targeting officer Sarah Adams has warned that the Biden-Harris regime’s open southern border allowed an estimated “10,000 foreign Islamist terrorists” to enter the country.

*   *   * 

John Solomon’s Just The News reports, in an exclusive interview with President Trump on Sunday morning, that the president will formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as a foreign terrorist organization.

Trump explained that the MB’s FTO designation will be imminent and drafted “in the strongest and most powerful terms,” adding, “Final documents are being drawn.”

MB was founded in Egypt nearly a century ago with branches across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the U.S. The org has been outlawed or labeled a terrorist group by several governments, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain. 

Trump has weighed the FTO designation since his first term, and his comments come days after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as an FTO and transnational criminal organization.

This tells you everything you need to know about the true allegiance of CAIR.

“Connected via the Turkey App Store.”@CAIRAction pic.twitter.com/cnu4F5nS1G

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) November 23, 2025

Abbott’s proclamation authorized “heightened penalties” against CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood and prohibited both entities from acquiring land in Texas, alleging that CAIR had “repeatedly employed, affiliated with, and supported individuals promoting terrorism-related activities.”

GOP officials, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), have requested that the Treasury Department probe CAIR’s financial networks.

In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the FTO designation was being prepared, though the process is complex because of MB’s sprawling network of affiliates.

We introduced the Muslim Brotherhood Is a T*rrorist Organization Act because it’s time to call it what it is, a jihadist network fueling t*rrorism.

While radicals like Zohran Mamdani cozy up to extremists tied to Islamic t*rrorists and Hamas, we’re putting AMERICA FIRST and… pic.twitter.com/5atqKgRqkX

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) October 27, 2025

Bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers have urged Rubio and the State Department to move forward with the FTO designations. Sen. Ted Cruz has warned that MB supports terrorist orgs such as Hamas.

As we’ve previously reported:

• The Shadow Of Terror: Zohran Mamdani’s Radical Islam Problem

• Report Warns “Woke Army” & Dark-Money Funded NGOs Could Take Iran’s War “To America’s Streets”

“To this day, the IRS hasn’t stripped Muslim Brotherhood 501 (c) (3) s of their tax-deductible status. Jihadi is getting a tax deduction on U.S. soil,” Laura Loomer wrote on X while responding to Solomon’s exclusive interview earlier today.

Oh boy… 

According to Linda Sarsour, the MAJORITY of Zohran Mamdani’s campaign money came from CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. AKA the unindicted co-conspirator named in the FBI’s 2007 terrorism finance case. ‘Turn the volume up’ on THIS. pic.twitter.com/lE8U4NEAxk

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) November 5, 2025

Things are about to get very interesting. 

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Says They Will Push Sharia Law in America “By Ballot or Bullet.”

The organization openly states they will change U.S. law by elections or violence.

Elections or violence. Their words.
We either take this seriously, or we regret it later. pic.twitter.com/fxRqKCT2vL

— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) November 5, 2025

Muslim Brotherhood Leader: Will Push Sharia Law in America “By Ballot or Bullet” … 

Following the surprise announcement by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) that she’s retiring from Congress in 42 days – claiming that President Trump and House Republicans have abandoned America First priorities, it appears that others within the GOP are looking for the exit as well. 

According to Punchbowl News, they received several messages over the weekend from disaffected Republicans who may follow MTG’s lead. 

One particularly pissed Republican told Punchbowl: 

“This entire White House team has treated ALL members like garbage. ALL. And Mike Johnson has let it happen because he wanted it to happen. That is the sentiment of nearly all — appropriators, authorizers, hawks, doves, rank and file. The arrogance of this White House team is off putting to members who are run roughshod and threatened. They don’t even allow little wins like announcing small grants or even responding from agencies. Not even the high profile, the regular rank and file random members are more upset than ever. Members know they are going into the minority after the midterms.

“More explosive early resignations are coming. It’s a tinder box. Morale has never been lower. Mike Johnson will be stripped of his gavel and they will lose the majority before this term is out.”

The outlet does note that MTG has “never been representative of the House Republican Conference writ large,” and “clearly has a bone to pick with Trump and the leadership.”

While she denied rumors that her early retirement means she’s running for president in the next election, some have suggested that she may be running for Georgia governor. 

Johnson, meanwhile, points out that they have “impossibly small margins” and say they’re doing the best they can with “the hand they were dealt.” 

If Republicans lose another House member to death, retirement or illness, the GOP could even end up in the minority in 2026. 

Punchbowl does the math:

Republicans have 219 seats and Democrats have 213. There’s a special election in Tennessee on Dec. 2 to fill former Rep. Mark Green’s (R-Tenn.) seat. Democrats and Republicans are pouring piles of money into that district, which Trump won by more than 20 points.

If Republicans win, their margin will remain the same after MTG’s retirement.

But Democrats will gain a seat in Houston at the end of January when voters choose the late Rep. Sylvester Turner’s (D-Texas) replacement. And on April 16, New Jersey voters will choose Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s replacement. That’s a seat that former Vice President Kamala Harris won by nine percentage points in 2024.

Let’s say Democrats are able to steal the Tennessee seat based on subpar GOP turnout — unlikely but possible — Johnson would have 218 members to Democrats’ 214. Texas and New Jersey would bring Democrats to 216. If any members retire or fall ill, Johnson would be sunk.

House retirements and resignations are common after holidays. How appealing is it to return to the Capitol when the House spends most of its time voting on censure resolutions or meaningless messaging bills?

Meanwhile, government funding runs out again Jan. 30, and House lawmakers are privately acknowledging that there will be another battle with the Senate. And with so many pissed off Republicans in the House, Johnson is facing a slew of discharge petitions on health care, Russia sanctions, and a likely DP to ban stock trading in Congress. Discharge petitions are notably how the rank and file lodge their complaints with leadership – and it’s so bad that Johnson has floated the idea of changing House Rules to make it harder to file them.  

The plot has again thickened, and got a bit weirder, in the arrest and trial saga of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison in September for an alleged coup attempt related to not accepting the results of the last presidential election.

We detailed Saturday that federal police rushed to his residence Saturday to take him out of house arrest, and initiated what’s being called a ‘preventative arrest’ – and he was whisked away to police headquarters in Brasilia. The arrest order issued from the country’s top court came hours after his ankle monitor was shown to be violated at 12:08am on Saturday. From there, authorities considered Bolsonaro a flight risk, explaining he is in close proximity to foreign embassies where he might try and gain asylum.

Bolsonaro was in court Monday for a full day of trial, part of what’s likely to be a lengthy appeals process, where he surprisingly confirmed that he did indeed tamper with the ankle monitor. His explanation got strange, telling the court that he suffered a nervous breakdown and hallucinations caused by a change in his medication, after which was fearful of the device as it might be ‘wiretapped’.

Assistant judge Luciana Sorrentino said following a meeting with Bolsonaro where she inquired of the incident, “he had ‘hallucinations’ that there was some wire tap in the ankle monitoring, so he tried to uncover it.” Sorrentino described further of the conversation that Bolsonaro told her he “did not remember having a breakdown of this magnitude in another occasion” and that it could be linked to a change in medication, but he insisted there was no intention of trying to escape.

The former Brazilian leader “said he was with his daughter, his elder brother and an aide at his house and none of them saw what he was doing to the ankle monitoring,” according to a court document which has been made public. “He said he started to touch it late at night and stopped around midnight.”

Photos released by the court show the ankle monitor’s cap heavily damaged, after he reportedly at one point took a soldering iron to it. According to The New York Times:

At first, Mr. Bolsonaro told the police that he had banged his ankle monitor causing it to malfunction, according to a report from the capital region’s prison authority.

But when an agent on the scene asked about the burn marks on the device, Mr. Bolsonaro admitted using a soldering iron to try to melt it. In a video of the exchange released by the authorities, Mr. Bolsonaro can be heard apparently telling the agent that he had started torching the monitor hours earlier.

His legal team has since claimed that “Bolsonaro would have no way of escaping” as he is “an elderly man who suffers from serious health problems.

However, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has long been a political enemy (the US has even sanctioned him personally) as well as chief overseer of the case, described over the weekend, “He is located about 13 kilometers (8 miles) away from where the United States of America embassy lies, in a distance that can be covered in a 15-minute drive.”

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro told a judge that medicine-induced paranoia and hallucination caused him to tamper with an electronic ankle monitor, court records showed, a day after police took him into custody out of fear he might flee https://t.co/UDE85hVyXg pic.twitter.com/cmCan0ehnS

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 24, 2025

There’s also the fear that the Embassy of Argentina would be open to helping him find safe-haven. But his legal team has said that he must serve his prison sentence at home as his severe health problems “makes his safe stay in a prison environment impossible.” President Trump has long decried the case as a ‘witch hunt’ while the Lula government has condemned Washington’s ‘interference’ in the internal affair.

Update (1935ET):

Our earlier report exposing Reuters’ false claim that DOGE had “disbanded” has now been confirmed.

DOGE’s official X account blasted the outlet operating under an Ireland-based X account as “fake news.”

“As usual, this is fake news from @Reuters. President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernize the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse,” DOGE wrote on X.

DOGE added: “Just last week, DOGE terminated 78 wasteful contracts and saved taxpayers $335M. We’ll be back in a few days with our regularly scheduled Friday update.”

As usual, this is fake news from @Reuters. President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernize the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Just last week, DOGE terminated 78 wasteful contracts and saved taxpayers $335M. We’ll be back in a few… https://t.co/S1pSmx26s0

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) November 24, 2025

Reuters’ fake news raises a far larger concern: foreign media outlets inserting themselves into U.S. political narratives and, in Reuters’ case, actively fueling an information war by spreading misinformation and disinformation. 

*   *   * 

President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has “disbanded” – or at least that’s the narrative Reuters is pushing to start the week, as the globalist left-leaning media outlet tries to rile up the progressive base and claim a victory. 

Reuters ran with the headline, “Exclusive: DOGE ‘doesn’t exist’ with eight months left on its charter,” and recently quoted Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor saying, “That doesn’t exist,” when asked about DOGE’s status.

It’s no longer a “centralized entity,” Kupor added, in the first public comments from the Trump administration. 

Perhaps there was some misinterpretation, because the report goes on to state that “OPM, the federal government’s human resources office, has since taken over many of DOGE’s functions.”

In fact, Reuters was hit with a Community Note on X, where the top note pointed out:

There is no evidence that DOGE has shutdown. There is no mention of it on the press secretary, Elon, Trump, the WH , DOGE or any other gov official account. Including DOGE official website. As of 9 hours ago DOGE was still posting about the work they are doing.

• https://x.com/Sec_Noem/status/1992433682074743257?t=YwneTda8TLPrnMyOY6VO1A&s=19

• https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1977928905169269143?t=7xhRsok88w0c2pVZsElwTA&s=19

• https://x.com/DOGE/status/1992615954065330507?t=HqjAT2L5MTKGdEd1wy7o0w&s=19

• https://www.doge.gov/join

• https://x.com/PressSec/status/1991932554908225586?t=LpC36ggtJNJ4S5Zf9Za4nw&s=19

• https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1992605677144207798?t=B3UBu7_4bcxNn_4vFKNoyA&s=19

Shortly after Reuters ran its DOGE narrative, Kupor combatted the misinformation: 

Good editing by @reuters – spliced my full comments across paragraphs 2/3 to create a grabbing headline 🙂 The truth is: DOGE may not have centralized leadership under @USDS . But, the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen; etc. DOGE catalyzed these changes; the agencies along with @USOPM and @WHOMB will institutionalize them! 

Good editing by @reuters – spliced my full comments across paragraphs 2/3 to create a grabbing headline 🙂 The truth is: DOGE may not have centralized leadership under @USDS. But, the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse;…

— Scott Kupor (@skupor) November 23, 2025

The latest from DOGE, not even one day ago, states: 

Contracts Update! Over the last 9 days, agencies terminated and descoped 78 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $1.9B and savings of $335M, including an $616k HHS IT services contract for “social media monitoring platform subscription”, an $191k USAGM broadcasting contract for “broadcast operations and maintenance in Ethiopia, Africa”, and a $4.3M IRS IT services contract for “Inflation Reduction Act transformation project management support”.

Contracts Update!

Over the last 9 days, agencies terminated and descoped 78 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $1.9B and savings of $335M, including an $616k HHS IT services contract for “social media monitoring platform subscription”, an $191k USAGM broadcasting… pic.twitter.com/83ldxUZ1NY

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) November 23, 2025

The official government website for DOGE shows no indication that the operation to root out significant government waste and fraud has been wound down. In fact, cost savings so far this year total $214 billion – however, far short of Elon Musk’s $1 trillion goal.

This is not the first time for Reuters…

Reuters is lying (again)

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2024

Hmm, a media outlet based in a foreign country publishing propaganda pieces on US politics?

Can Reuters be trusted? Latest polls show American trust in the mainstream media has collapsed. So the short answer is…

The Pentagon has opened a misconduct investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly following his participation in a video, alongside several other crazed Democratic lawmakers, urging military and intelligence personnel to “refuse illegal orders.”

The video message, delivered as “You must refuse illegal orders,” has been assessed as a direct challenge to lawful command authority and has been described as “sedition at the highest level” by President Trump. 

On Monday, the Department of War wrote in an X post that an investigation has been launched into the Arizona lawmaker and former US Navy officer, Mark Kelly, over “serious allegations of misconduct.”

DoW emphasized that military retirees remain subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and to federal laws that bar efforts to undermine military loyalty or discipline.

.@PressSec: “You can’t have a functioning military if there is disorder and chaos within the ranks, and that’s what these Democrat members were encouraging. It’s very clear.” pic.twitter.com/2HH2SZ2UQG

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 24, 2025

The department also reiterated that servicemembers must obey lawful orders, which are presumed lawful, and that personal views do not justify disobedience.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT:

The Department of War has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.). In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations…

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) November 24, 2025

Here’s the video: 

We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.

The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.

Don’t give up the ship. pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r

— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) November 18, 2025

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich, also featured in the video, was forced to acknowledge after pressuring military and intelligence personnel to “refuse illegal orders” to admit on Monday to ABC’s Martha Raddatz that “To my knowledge, I am not aware of things that are illegal—but certainly there are some legal gymnastics that are going on with these Caribbean strikes and everything related to Venezuela.” 

‘NOT AWARE’: SLOTKIN PRESSED OVER URGING MILITARY TO DEFY ‘ILLEGAL’ TRUMP ORDERS

After urging members of the military to refuse “illegal orders” from the Trump administration, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., admitted she is not aware of any such orders.

“Do you believe President… pic.twitter.com/XTqE84c9tq

— Rob Bluey (@RobertBluey) November 24, 2025

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called left-wing lawmakers, including Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Chris DeLuzio (D-Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), as well as Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), all featured in the video, the “Seditious Six.” He described their actions as “despicable, reckless, and false” in the propaganda video to encourage “our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders.”

The video made by the “Seditious Six” was despicable, reckless, and false. Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of “good order and discipline.” Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion — which only puts our warriors in… https://t.co/UvLXChZnmF

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 24, 2025

What’s troubling is that the real aim of the video appears to be delegitimization, paralysis, or even an attempt to undermine the Trump administration. It mirrors the broader color-revolution playbook that Democratic operatives and their billionaire-funded dark-money NGO networks have been deploying for years in regime-change style operations against Trump.

Calling on the military to “disobey unlawful orders” without identifying a single unlawful order, combined with judicial lawfare, deploying the protest-industrial complex, and a long list of coordinated pressure attacks, makes it increasingly clear that the billionaire power brokers behind the Democrats are manufacturing chaos, and some of these sinister NGOs coordinating chaos are from other countries. 

Sigh.

Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations,

Topline: In 2007, California invested $468.4 million of its pension funds into private companies through its Clean Energy and Technology Fund. Today, the money is worth just $138 million, and the state won’t explain why its investment performed so poorly. Several open records requests filed by The Center Square were denied by the California Public Employees Retirement System, citing legal exemptions. 

Key facts: CalPERS’ clean energy investments declined by 71% and lost the state $330.4 million. It’s unclear where the money was spent, except that it was invested “across the spectrum of the global clean energy and technology value chain.” The state’s website lists two equity firms that received nearly $48 million in investments and lost almost $32 million of it.

The Center Square estimated that if California had invested its $468.4 million in an S&P 500 index fund in 2007 instead of the Clean Energy Fund, the money would now be worth $3 billion.

Private equity firms were paid at least $22 million to manage California’s clean energy investments, according to The Center Square. 

CalPERS has been increasing its investments in private companies for years, as opposed to public equity investments in publicly-traded stocks and bonds. The state now plans to invest 17% of its pension fund in private equity, up from 7% in 2021, according to The Center Square.

Critical quote: State Assemblyman Carl DeMaio was among those to respond to the report. He wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice asking for an investigation into how California’s pension savings were spent, and claimed that “If CalPERS were a private entity, people would be going to jail over this outrageous violation of fiduciary responsibility — but California politicians have passed laws allowing CalPERS leadership to get a pass.” 

“CalPERS’ job is to safeguard retirement funds, not gamble them away to score political points,” DeMaio said. “This is financial malpractice and a betrayal of public trust, and the public deserves to know exactly who made these reckless decisions.”  

Background: CalPERS only has 79% of the money it needs to pay pensions it has already promised to retirees. If the money does not materialize before the pensions are due, taxpayers will likely be responsible for the remaining 21%.

In dollar terms, CalPERS is underfunded by $174.6 billion, according to Equable. No other retirement system in the country has more than $85 billion worth of debt. Executive Officer Marcie Frost earned a $530,000 salary last year.

California also manages a separate pension fund for teachers, which is underfunded by $69 billion. Its Chief Investment Officer Christopher Ailman made $561,000 last year, the highest salary on the state payroll. 

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Summary: Taxpayers deserve full transparency into even small amounts of government spending, but oversight of one of the largest pools of state funding in the U.S. is especially important.

With talk of anti-Caracas US covert operations set to begin imminently, President Trump’s labelling of the so-called “Cartel de los Soles” as a foreign terrorist organization has become official, and taken effect Monday.

However, Venezuela has hit back, rejecting the label and going so far as to call the group, which translates to “Cartel of the Suns, as “non-existent”.

“Venezuela categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous fabrication by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, Marco Rubio, which designates the non-existent Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization,” said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil on his Telegram account. Caracas is dismissing it as an ‘absurd’ lie.

Gil claimed that this revives “an infamous and vile lie to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela, under the classic U.S. regime-change format. This new maneuver will meet the same fate as previous and recurring aggressions against our country: failure.”

Indeed the Trump administration has admitted that regime change targeting President Maduro is an option which is on the table, amid the unprecedented military build-up in the Caribbean. 

Reuters has said that Trump held several meetings with senior advisers last week to explore options for a possible military strike on Venezuela.

But then later the commander-in-chief said, “I can’t tell you what it would be, but I’ve kind of made up my mind” while aboard Air Force One.

President Maduro has lately compared the situation to the US invasion of Iraq, well-known to have been launched on false claims about weapons of mass destruction. He accused Washington crafting “a bizarre narrative” since it cannot accuse Venezuela of hiding chemical or biological weapons.

The US has lately linked Fentanyl trafficking with “chemical weapons” – given the substance is technically classified as dangerous chemical substance. 

Meanwhile, on Monday Fox News has issued the following headline: Venezuela ‘covert actions’ could begin soon, reports say.

U.S. MILITARY SURGE TO PUSH RUSSIA, CHINA AND IRAN OUT OF THE AMERICAS

Fox News is reporting that the sweeping U.S. buildup in our own hemisphere shows this is about far more than Maduro.

“It’s about getting Russia, China and Iran OUT of the western hemisphere.”

“Should… pic.twitter.com/NiwCKqddT1

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 24, 2025

But at this point, nothing about any of this seems so “covert” after all. There’s a possibility that power grid disruptions could ensue, or also missile or drone strikes could begin targeting cartel locations by land.

Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA,

Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., and his twin brother Alexander are reportedly under investigation for illegally acting as “paid brokers” for U.S. defense firms seeking business in Ukraine.

“Pentagon General Counsel Earl Matthews alleges that Vindman and his twin brother Alex did not have approval from the U.S. government before seeking to act as ‘paid brokers’ for American defense firms pursuing contracts with Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion,” the Washington Post revealed over the weekend, citing a Nov. 19 letter for War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“The letter does not explicitly allege the Vindmans received money from the Ukrainian government, arguing only that they “did not insulate themselves from the requirements of federal law,” the Post added.

Eugene Vindman confirmed the investigation Friday on Twitter/X. He claimed it’s politically motivated in response to his calls for the White house to release the transcript of a recent call between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth just launched a sham investigation into me for my support for Ukraine, all because I demanded Trump’s call transcripts with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman be released.

Instead of transparency, I was met with retaliation.

— Eugene Vindman (@YVindman) November 22, 2025

“Instead of transparency, I was met with retaliation,” Vindman claimed.

However, the Trump administration has signaled that it may investigate since before Trump took office. Last November, billionaire Elon Musk accused Alexander Vindman of treason.

“Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States, for which he will pay the appropriate penalty,” Musk said in November on his platform, Twitter/X.

Vindman could be in real trouble and I’m OK with that https://t.co/LlKeQrMe6Z pic.twitter.com/Fz95l6XnMg

— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) January 20, 2025

Politico revealed in 2023 that that Alex Vindman is heading a group called Trident Support, which wants to send American military contractors to Ukraine. According to the documents, Vindman, who is of Ukrainian origin, is seeking $12 million for his project—$2 million for “initial operating capability” and another $10 million for “full operating.”

While such a scheme may not be illegal, it demonstrates that the Vindman brothers are war profiteers who benefit from an escalation in Ukraine.

Before President Joe Biden left office, Alexander’s wife vented about the administration not pardoning her husband.

“Whatever happens to my family, know this: No pardons were offered or discussed,” said the wife, Rachel Vindman, in January. “I cannot begin to describe the level of betrayal and hurt I feel.”

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

With the Democratic Party still reeling from its defeat in the 2024 elections, there is no shortage of speculation about who might be the party’s best chance for victory in 2028. Now a familiar power broker has stepped forward: Former President Bill Clinton. The 42nd president has reportedly indicated which contender he believes offers Democrats their strongest shot at reclaiming the White House.

According to a Democratic source speaking to Jonathan Martin of Politico, Clinton has been telling allies that California Governor Gavin Newsom is the one Democrat who looks ready to win the White House. 

The former president, who interviewed Newsom at this fall’s Clinton Global Initiative, has told people how impressed he is by Newsom’s talent, a well-connected Democrat relayed to me recently. Clinton said he thought his dedicated student had what it takes to be elected president. -Politico

Martin called Newsom the clear front-runner. “No Democrat has had a better two years than Gavin Newsom,” he writes. “And because of it, the California governor — a national figure since he was a 36-year-old boy mayor — has claimed a new title: front-runner.”

Polling certain bears that out. The latest Atlas Intel poll had Newsom at 37%, a full 16 points ahead of the nearest opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, whose chances of winning the nomination are slim after her billion-dollar defeat in 2024.

Though he’s made no official declaration, Newsom’s White House ambitions are no secret, and he’s been positioning himself to run for president for years now. He has been using social media and public appearances to position himself as a counterweight to President Trump. In September, he signed multiple laws aimed at restricting Trump’s immigration enforcement, including limits on officers’ access to schools and health facilities, requirements for officers to identify themselves, and bans on wearing face masks while on duty.

Not all Democrats are convinced that Newsom is the future of the party, however. Earlier this month, Sen. John Fetterman called out Newsom’s “shift to the center” as pure political theater, and not representative of his true values.

Fetterman on Newsom Moving to Center:

“Everyone’s going to go into the middle. But people [forget] that the Internet exists forever and all of the clips and all of the outlandish things that they’ve said or they’ve done … ” pic.twitter.com/wToIvB7zJn

— Trump2024_no_matter_what (@TexasTrump2024) November 2, 2025

“Everyone’s going to go into the middle,” Fetterman said. “But people forgets [sic] that the internet exists and all of the clips and all of the outlandish things that they’ve said or they’ve done, that’s going to have about 20 or 30 million dollars that can pound you for those things.”

Newsom has been trying to have it both ways on cultural issues. In 2023, he vetoed AB957, legislation that would have allowed state courts to weigh a parent’s affirmation of a child’s “gender identity” in custody disputes. His veto was widely seen as a calculated effort to appear more moderate on transgender issues. But three years earlier, he signed SB145, ending automatic sex offender registry requirements for certain adults who commit sexual acts with minors, which was deemed unfair to the LGBTQ community.

Fetterman made it clear he thinks Newsom and other Democrat contenders for the 2028 nomination won’t be able to hide from their radical records.

“They’ll pander, scream to the base,” he said. “Then they’re going to have to try to just walk it back, or now just pretend that all these things weren’t said or done. That’s how it works. And that’s one thing I refuse to do.”

By signaling his support for Gavin Newsom, Clinton is weighing in significantly early on the battle for the 2028 Democratic Party nomination. But whether his endorsement will translate into real momentum is far from certain.