PrairiePundit

 DC Daily Journal: With Donald Trump back in the Oval Office, his administration is taking firm steps to push Ukraine and Russia toward resolving their ongoing conflict. On Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe announced that the United States has temporarily stopped intelligence support and weapons shipments to Ukraine. This decision follows a tense meeting last Friday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump, revealing Trump’s intent to force a serious commitment to peace negotiations. The suspension of aid stems from Trump’s doubts about Zelensky’s dedication to ending the war. “Trump had a real question about whether President Zelensky was committed to the peace process, and he said let’s pause,” Ratcliffe told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo during an interview. He suggested that Trump aimed to prompt Ukraine’s leadership to reconsider its stance. “I want to give a chance to think about that and you saw the response that President Zelensky put out,” Ra...

Blaze: Apple announced a $500 billion commitment to infrastructure in the United States over four years, its largest commitment to domestic spending to date. Apple said it will expand teams and facilities in Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Washington as part of its new spending. With a new facility in Houston, Texas, Apple will reportedly double its investment in advanced manufacturing along with increasing investments in AI and silicon engineering. The company said in a press release that the Houston facility will produce servers to support Apple Intelligence, the "personal intelligence system that helps users write, express themselves, and get things done." ... The Texas facility will be for advanced technologies.   Texas has become a place that is very supportive of the tech industries.  Austin and Houston have seen much of the tech growth in the state.  Texas universities have been active in the AI field.

 Trending Politics: JUST IN: GOP Rep. Informs ‘Sanctuary’ Mayors They’ll Be Criminally Referred To DOJ Mid-Hearing It is already a crime to illegally enter into the US.  Giving "sanctuary" to criminals is also a crime. See also: Skyrocketing healthcare costs for illegal immigrants sparks border state outcry An Arizona bill would track 'uncompensated' healthcare costs for illegal immigrants And:   Trump’s DOJ uncovers and busts jaw-dropping illegal migrant scheme ... In a significant law enforcement operation, federal authorities have arrested the alleged leaders of one of the largest migrant smuggling rings operating in the United States, marking another substantial success in the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal immigration. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrests and indictments of Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, the accused head of the Renoj-Matul transnational criminal organization, his alleged right-hand man Cristobal Mejia-Chaj...

  Newsmax: President Donald Trump asked Hamas militants to immediately release all hostages held in Gaza in what he called his "last warning" to them while also urging the group's leadership to leave the Palestinian enclave. Trump posted on Truth Social: "This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. "Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!" ...  Hamas is an Islamic terrorist group that should be defeated by Israel and its allies.  It is a mass murder organization that killed over a thousand Israeli civilians.  Its taking of hostages should be considered a war crime. See also: ISW: US sanctions on Houthi officials for coordinating with Russia demonstrate how Russia facilitates Iranian-backed groups’ terrorism in the Middle East. The United States designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization and sanctioned eight Hou...

 Breitbart: Tren de Aragua Suspect Faces Florida Gun Charges — Used Biden’s CBP One App to Enter U.S. A Venezuelan national and suspected member of the violent Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang is being charged by federal prosecutors with possessing a firearm as an illegal alien. According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the suspect entered the United States in Texas using the Biden administration’s now-disabled CBP-One smartphone asylum application to enter the United States in 2023. ... It looks like he took advantage of Biden's open-border policy to get here, crossing the Mexican border into Texas before making his way to Florida.  Biden's ridiculous border policy is one of the reasons voters supported Trump in 2024. See also: Jordan slams sanctuary mayor for Venezuelan gang member's alleged attack on ICE agents And:  Feds Bust Huge California-Based Guatemalan Human Smuggling Ring, Suspects Could Pay the Ultimate Price And:   E...

 CLG News: The IRS reportedly plans to cut half of its 90,000 workforce When I was a student at the University of Texas Law School I lived in an apartment complex right next to a huge IRS facility in Austin.  I suspect there were other such facilities around the country. And: DOD says it’s found $80 million in waste to trim from Pentagon budget with help from DOGE

 NY Post: President Trump was the boisterous showman in chief before a joint session of Congress Tuesday night — boldly declaring “America is back” and its “greatest era” was underway as he brushed past petulant Democratic protests to lay out both the accomplishments and the agenda of his second term. Trump, 78, described his avalanche of executive orders and new initiatives as a “common sense revolution” during the 99-minute address — the longest in modern history — echoing the theme of his second inaugural address as the opposition largely sat on their hands and seethed before drifting quietly into the DC night. “Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden age of America . From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country,” Trump said. “We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or ...

  The Warzone: A slender, partially covered naval ship that recently emerged in Washington state is the Defiant, a new medium-sized uncrewed surface vessel (USV) designed from the keel up to operate without any humans ever onboard . Developed under the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program, Defiant could be an important stepping stone for the U.S. Navy’s ambitions to add larger and more capable USVs to its fleets. DARPA confirmed to TWZ that construction of the Defiant, also known by the hull code USX-1, was completed earlier this month. As noted, the first indications that the vessel had been launched came from residents in Washington state who spotted it being pushed by a tug through the Saratoga Passage in Puget Sound north of Seattle. This area of the Sound is also just a few miles from the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island. User @IntelWalrus on X was first to bring this to our attention. ... That...

 UPI: One person was injured after a suspected Ukrainian drone strike triggered a massive blaze at one of Russia's largest oil refineries in Ufa in the southern Russian republic of Bashkortostan, 1,000 miles from the border with Ukraine. One worker at the plant was taken to hospital for injuries to his eyes but was able to return to work after treatment, according to the region's health authority. Emergency services later gave the all-clear for the surrounding area, saying they had put out the fire and that "no excess of harmful substances has been recorded near the plant." Russian social media channels reported explosions at the plant shortly before the fire broke out, but Kyiv, which has carried out numerous strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure, has not commented publicly. Ukraine's Pravda news agency said a Telegram channel linked to Russian secret services reported the plant had come under attack from drones amid powerful explosions that shook the ...

 Reuters: Israeli troops demolished houses and cleared a wide roadway through the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, in a weeks-long operation against militant groups that has forced tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes. The operation, during a fragile ceasefire in Gaza that has halted fighting there for the past six weeks, has emptied some of the biggest refugee camps in the northern West Bank in what some Palestinians see as a trial run for wider clearances later. Nur Shams, outside the city of Tulkarm, is the latest camp to be virtually emptied of its inhabitants following a camp in the volatile city of Jenin to the east and a separate camp within Tulkarm itself. Residents say bulldozers have been clearing a broad roadway through the area where houses once stood to create easy access for military vehicles, continuing one of the Israeli military's biggest operations in the West Bank for years. Of the usual population of some 13,000, almost none was le...

 Business Insider: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he remains "ready to sign" a deal with the US over Ukraine's mineral deposits, despite the spectacular breakdown in relations that played out between him and President Donald Trump on Friday. Trump and Zelenskyy had a heated exchange of words in front of cameras in the Oval Office on Friday. And the Ukrainian leader left without either party having signed the deal, which had been touted by Trump earlier in the week. The agreement would establish a jointly-owned reconstruction investment fund , with Ukraine contributing 50% of all revenues from new ventures into state-owned natural resource assets — minerals including lithium and cobalt, as well as oil and natural gas. Some of the materials are crucial for both military production and batteries used in EVs. Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that "the agreement that's on the table will be signed if the parties are ready....

 Independent: A former North Korean sergeant has said Pyongyang troops fighting in Ukraine were told their families would be executed if they are captured alive. "If the soldiers are captured and tell information to the enemy, their families will be punished, go to a political prison camp, or worse, they will be executed in front of the people," North Korean defector and researcher, Pak Yusung, told ABC News. Ryu Seong-hyeon, who defected to South Korea in 2019, said few North Korean soldiers had been captured as a result. "Most soldiers will kill themselves before they're killed by the enemy, it's the biggest shame to be captured," Mr Seong-hyeon told ABC News . South Korean intelligence echoed this, claiming that North Korea ordered troops to kill themselves to avoid being captured alive. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent more than 11,000 soldiers to join Russian troops in November last year as Moscow’s casualties continue to mount. ... It is hard...

 Blaze: The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is a piece of legislation that passed the U.S. House in a 218-206 vote in January that would have prohibited federally funded school athletic programs from allowing men to participate in programs intended for women or girls, effectively codifying an executive order President Donald Trump issued last month. Democrats led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) blocked the corresponding bill in the U.S. Senate on Monday, demonstrating both their apparent indifference to opportunistic cross-dressers' brutalization of female athletes and to the supermajority of Americans' desire to see athletes compete in sports teams that conform to their sex. To overcome a Democratic filibuster of the legislation, 60 votes were needed. Every single Democratic senator voted "no," to the great satisfaction of non-straight activist groups like the so-called Human Rights Campaign, which characterized the vote as a "major victory." R...

 Blaze: ... Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency project is exposing the depth of corruption and waste within the administrative bureaucracy and its NGO partners. As a result, Americans are starting to see how these networks leave ordinary people struggling to afford basic needs like food and rent. The findings also reveal the extent of the country’s precarious financial situation. However, fewer Americans realize how European countries have drained U.S. resources — and arguably poisoned the relationship — through their actions. While the United States has shouldered most of NATO’s expenses and defense efforts, European nations have neglected their own militaries and failed to meet their defense commitments. European nations have made things worse by burdening their own economies with unsustainable welfare programs and excessive regulations that stifle innovation. At the same time, they have imposed unfair tariffs on U.S. goods, increasing the economic s...

  DC Daily Journal: ... In yet another sign that the Left is terrified of President Trump’s leadership, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) lashed out on Monday, outrageously calling him an “enemy” of the United States. Her tirade followed Trump’s decisive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance stood firm on protecting American interests. The meeting, which showcased Trump’s no-nonsense approach to foreign policy, turned tense when Zelenskyy demanded even more U.S. taxpayer dollars. Unlike the Biden administration’s blank-check policy, Trump pushed back — putting the needs of American citizens ahead of foreign entanglements. Clearly rattled by Trump’s America-first stance, Crockett took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent her anger in an unprofessional and rambling tirade. “It’s been a long day… but in short, bullies ain’t s[—]! I don’t care what title you hold! This isn’t some long gone reality TV show or failed casino… this is war!” she...

 National Review: President Donald Trump defended his tariffs — both those that have been implemented against Canada and Mexico, and more to come next month — during an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, which comes at a tumultuous time for the administration with brewing trade wars and resulting market volatility. “We have been ripped off for decades by nearly every country on Earth and we will not let that happen any longer,” Trump said. “Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” he said, pointing to the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Canada as examples of countries that charge “tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them.” Though Trump claimed the U.S. trade deficit with Canada is “hundreds of billions,” the trade deficit is actually about $60 billion, without including Canadian energy experts, which would give the U.S. a trade surplus with Canada. Trump...

 Daily Caller: EXCLUSIVE: Trump Invites Volleyball Player Seriously Hurt By Trans Opponent To Be Special Guest At Address To Congress I have played volleyball with both men and women on the teams.  More athletic men slam the ball much harder than women or less athletic men.  It does create an unfair dynamic.  I don't think I have ever played against a transgender person.

 Trending Politics: President Donald Trump’s looming tariffs are twisting the arms of auto manufacturers, including one that on Sunday announced it will be making a sizable investment in a key midwestern red state. Over the weekend, North American executives for Honda stated that the company’s next generation of Civic hybrids will be assembled inside an existing Indiana plant, shifting the Japanese company’s manufacturing from another location in Mexico to avoid the tariffs. The president intends to slap the southern neighbor with a 25% tariff on all imports by midnight Tuesday unless President Claudia Sheinbaum doubles down on her commitment to reducing the flow of deadly drugs and illegal immigrants. Previously, Honda had intended to build its newest fleet of Civics at a plant in Guadalajara starting in 2027. The change now means that the vehicles will almost certainly be built in Greensburg, home to the company’s sole manufacturing facility in Indiana. A company spokesperson dec...

 I&I: The end is near. That’s what we’ve been told since the beginning. The doomsdayers have cited a variety of cataclysms that will do us in, from asteroids to resource exhaustion to a dying sun. But they all have one thing in common: So far, they’ve all been wrong. Same with the climate alarmists. And the public is catching on. A study, published by the  Stanford University School of Sustainability , no less, found that “resistance to climate action has become a global movement that strengthens after governments implement climate-related policies.” “We found that counter climate change organizations tend to emerge after pro-environmental policies are institutionalized in government,” said the study’s senior author. Of course they do. As our friends at the  Committee to Unleash Prosperity  observed, this has happened “maybe because the war on fossil fuels has deindustrialized Germany and many other European nations. Maybe it’s because green energy is so muc...

 The Hill: A group of oil-producing countries known as OPEC+ will proceed with a long-delayed hike in oil production. Eight countries that have repeatedly delayed production increases will now move forward with them. Those countries are: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman. They cited “healthy market fundamentals and the positive market outlook,” which could mean they expect oil prices to rise in the near future. The production increases will begin in April, though the countries noted they could change their minds in response to “evolving conditions.” The increase in oil output comes as President Trump has called on OPEC countries to “cut the price of oil.” The Trump administration has repeatedly engaged with Saudi Arabia. The president’s call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was his first foreign leader call after being sworn in. ... The US should increase its own production in order to lower prices.  Restr...

 Townhall: A reporter with ties to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is facing backlash after being caught exposing sensitive details about ongoing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids. The reporter, who initially published a report revealing the operations, quickly backtracked amid mounting controversy and scrutiny after leaking the whereabouts of ICE raids that could jeopardize law enforcement efforts and endanger officers. ... Reporters should not be facilitating illegal immigration or warning illegals of upcoming law enforcement efforts.  See also: DNC-Linked Reporter Under Fire For Leaking Plans For ICE Raids And:  Feds Bust Huge California-Based Guatemalan Human Smuggling Ring, Suspects Could Pay the Ultimate Price And:   VA Governor Glenn Youngkin Signs New Executive Order To Assist Trump Admin And:   Mexican cartel operatives truly fearful of Trump's drastic actions ... "One cartel leader says he’s trying to figure out how to protect hi...

 Trending Politics: Republican lawmakers are ramping up efforts to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS, with Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) leading the charge. His proposed “No Propaganda Act” aims to prohibit taxpayer dollars from subsidizing what he calls “left-of-center opinion journalism.” Kennedy took to the Senate floor, making the case that NPR and PBS are entitled to publish editorial content but should not be funded by taxpayers. “We’re spending half a billion dollars a year—14 and a half billion dollars over time—to give to people at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NPR, and PBS to participate in opinion journalism, which they’re entitled to do, but they can’t do it on the taxpayer dime. They’re doing it on the taxpayer dime, but they shouldn’t be able to,” Kennedy said. Kennedy pointed to NPR’s $201 million headquarters near the Capitol, questioning why public money is being used to finance what he calls a declining media institution. “The folks at PBS and NPR are d...

  The Federalist Wire: ... In a candid conversation with The New York Times , Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey didn’t mince words when assessing the Democratic Party’s struggles in the recent election. She pointed to former President Joe Biden’s tenure as the party’s leading voice, arguing it left Democrats at a disadvantage. “I think the party was hampered by having President Biden as the communicator in chief, if I’m being honest,” Healey told journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro. “He wasn’t the strongest communicator in chief, and that hurt us because they weren’t able to sell all of the important accomplishments effectively.” Healey’s critique comes as the party wrestles with the repercussions of Biden’s exit from the 2024 race. After a shaky debate performance in June, Biden faced mounting pressure from within his own ranks to step aside—a chorus Healey herself joined, urging him to “carefully evaluate” his next steps. He eventually bowed out, paving the way for Vice President Ka...

  The Federalist Wire: ... In a move that reinforced the aggressive counterterrorism tactics seen during his first term, former President Donald Trump expanded military authority to conduct strikes on terrorist organizations worldwide, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Friday. The changes, which were initially reported by CBS News, mark a significant shift from the restrictions imposed by President Joe Biden’s administration, granting U.S. military commanders greater freedom to target terrorists in areas outside of active combat zones. Trump’s policy changes come as the Biden administration had largely continued the counterterrorism strategies put in place by President Barack Obama. Biden’s rules were more focused, often limiting strikes to senior leadership of terrorist groups. Under Trump’s adjusted policies, however, there is a broader scope for conducting special operations and airstrikes, potentially including targets like al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Houthi rebels ...

 Newsmax: Billionaire Elon Musk, head of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, called Social Security the "biggest Ponzi scheme" in history during an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan last week. Musk's comments came during a 3-hour plus interview on the "Joe Rogan Experience" on Friday. He was discussing solvency of the entitlement program, saying that the combination of falling birthrates and the increasing life expectancy is putting stress on the system. "Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time," Musk told Rogan. "There are fewer babies being born," Musk said, adding, "and you have more people who are retired that live for a long time and get payments." "We better fix what we've got right now, because if it's bad now, it's going to be much worse in the future," Musk continued. President Donald Trump has vowed not to touch Social Security or Medicaid, asserting ...

 NY Post: President Trump ordered a pause on all US military aid to Ukraine Monday, days after he kicked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky out of the White House following a heated Oval Office meeting between the leaders. The pause will remain in effect until Ukrainian officials demonstrate a good-faith commitment to peace negotiations, a White House official told The Post. “The President has been clear that he is focused on peace,” the official said. “We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well.” “We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” The official noted that the temporary pause is a direct response to Zelensky’s conduct over the last week. Trump has ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to execute the directive, which will halt the shipment of all US military equipment not already in Ukraine, including weapons in Europe that were heading toward the war-torn country. “This is not permanent termination of aid, it’s...

 The Hill: ... In the 2024 election, the traditional red state-blue state firewalls again collapsed, as they had in 2016. The response among Democrats has been to unleash a type of new Red Scare, questioning the loyalty of those who are supporting or working with the Trump administration in carrying out his promised reforms. Elon Musk is the designated disloyal American for many on the left. That rage has reached virtual hysteria on ABC’s “The View.” This is the same show before the election on which hosts warned that, if Trump were elected, journalists and homosexuals would be rounded up and “disappeared.” After the election, democracy seemed to stubbornly hang on, so the hosts had to resort to attacking as disloyal anyone joining the government or supporting Trump’s policies. This week, co-host Joy Behar followed many others in questioning Musk’s loyalty and attacking him over being a naturalized American citizen: “The guy was not born in this country, who was born under aparthe...

 Twitchy: John Harwood Removes All Doubt About How Democrats REALLY Feel About People Who Break Cycle of Poverty After President Donald Trump selected J.D. Vance as his running mate, the Left made it very clear how they felt about Vance's impoverished upbringing and his rise out of Appalachia. They derided him as 'weird' and said he 'ran away' from Ohio to attend Yale , which isn't true . The reality is that the Democrats' form of governance depends on people being and staying poor, and when someone does manage to break out of that cycle of poverty, Democrats are livid if they don't turn into a Left-wing lunatic, just like them. Enter insufferable douche-nozzle John Harwood: ... Vance is a product of the American dream where people can rise above their being born into poverty. Vance did so by getting a good education and working hard.  It is a route that is open to those willing to work at it.  He is clearly not a "wretched person."