USAID in a Nutshell
Posted By: Dreadnought, 2/18/2025 4:52:24 PM
USAID is/was an octopus, with tentacles extending everywhere. What did those tentacles do? First and foremost, they extended into the taxpayers' pockets to extract tens of billions of dollars a year, transferring those dollars to organizations and agencies favored by the transnational elite. The projects could be anything from overthrowing a government or two to putting some spending money into the pockets of the favored elites. A grain or two of rice might be given to some starving people for appearance's sake, but that was hardly the point. The grift and the power were.
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Dreadnought"
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday eliminating federal taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants.
The order will direct all federal agencies to identify all federally funded programs currently providing any financial benefits to illegal immigrants and "take corrective action." The order is intended to ensure that any federal funds to states and localities "will not be used to support sanctuary policies or assist illegal immigration."
It will also mandate improvements in eligibility verification to prevent federal benefits from going to anyone in the U.S. illegally. The order will show that Trump is "committed to safeguarding federal public health benefits for American citizens
Want to know how DEI proliferated in corporate America, especially with federal contractors? Just follow the money ... while you still can.
Over the last several months, major American corporations have retreated rapidly from the progressive quota system in hiring and promotions, in virtue signaling as well. Earlier, I wrote about the financial industry hitting reverse on policies they adopted just a few years ago, presumably after discovering just how unpopular those turned out to be with Americans. Today, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump administration has ordered executive-branch agencies to no longer consider DEI compliance in contracting, removing the financial incentives from the rotten progressive structure:
Trump Brings the Receipts...
2 replies
Donald Trump has never been able to keep his mouth shut, and in the past, that has been a liability.
So far, in his second term, his ability to speak for hours has been a huge asset. Nature abhors a vacuum, and Donald Trump's willingness to explain in exhaustive detail what he and his team are doing has drowned out all the criticisms and attacks being aimed at him and his. Trump's remarkable success this term compared to his last isn't accidental or simply due to a vibe shift. It's not just that Americans are much more willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt and less willing
Microsoft believes it has made a key breakthrough in quantum computing, unlocking the potential for quantum computers to solve industrial-scale problems. The software giant has spent 17 years working on a research project to create a new material and architecture for quantum computing, and it’s unveiling the Majorana 1 processor, Microsoft’s first quantum processor based on this new architecture.
At the core of a quantum computer are qubits, a unit of information in quantum computing much like the binary bits that computers use today. Companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Google have all been trying to make qubits as reliable as binary bits for years now because
I can’t imagine why anyone would be upset over this news: according to a report from the New York Times, sources say that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) “will begin laying off roughly 6,000 employees on Thursday as part of the Trump administration’s push to downsize the federal work force.”
The report says the layoffs “will target relatively recent hires at the I.R.S., which the Biden administration had attempted to revitalize with a surge of funding and new staff, the people said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.”
The Trump administration has begun laying off probationary employees — who do not enjoy as much job protection
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance alternated scathing criticisms of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, signaling a shifting, albeit unified, front in relations between the administration and officials in Kyiv.
Things have been growing somewhat contentious between Zelensky and President Trump, with the latter having insisted on a rapid and reasonable end to the ongoing war with Russia.
A leaked document from earlier this week reportedly outlines Trump’s demand for a $500 billion “payback” from Ukraine in any negotiated peace deal to end the war with Russia. According to the Telegraph, which viewed the confidential document,
WASHINGTON — Arkansas Senator John Boozman has joined Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Mark Warner (D-VA) in introducing a bipartisan resolution to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. This significant World War II battle between U.S. and Japanese forces in the Pacific theater began on February 19, 1945, and concluded on March 26, 1945.
"The 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima is a solemn yet important reminder of the sacrifice of the Greatest Generation," said Boozman. "The resilience and courage of our U.S. Marines was famously characterized as a display of uncommon valor. Decades later, we continue to remember and honor our servicemembers’ heroism.
Trump Executive Order Wipes Out 90 Years
of Practice and Permanently Changes the
Executive Branch 13 replies
of Practice and Permanently Changes the
Executive Branch 13 replies
President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday affirmatively pulled all the "independent" boards, commissions, and agencies that have proliferated since the Roosevelt administration under the management of the White House. The order, titled Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies – The White House, states, "For the Federal Government to be truly accountable to the American people, officials who wield vast executive power must be supervised and controlled by the people’s elected President."
In an informational document about the executive order, shared with The Washington Post, White House officials referred to “so called independent agencies,” citing the FTC, FCC and SEC as examples
Trump and Ukraine: What Is Going On?
10 replies
Over the last year, I have been surprised to learn that in some quarters I am considered a “Never Trumper.” That is ridiculous: I have voted for Trump three times, and through the fall of 2024 I had a Trump sign in my front yard. I have commented on Trump’s actions many times, probably in the hundreds, and I would guess my assessments have been 85% positive. And I am wildly enthusiastic about the early days of Trump’s current administration, as Power Line readers know.
But: Trump’s recent actions with regard to Ukraine are hard to explain. They have caused great consternation in Europe (not, I know, the acid test).
A senior prosecutor at the Department of Justice quit rather than force a major bank to stop disbursing $20 billion in “climate change” funding to an array of left-wing groups flagged by new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin.
As Breitbart News reported last week, Zeldin discovered that the outgoing Biden administration had rushed $20 billion to the left-wing groups, via Citibank, last year before leaving office. Zeldin promised to recover the funds. But Denise Cheung, criminal division chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, refused to order Citibank to stop disbursing the funds, saying that they had been legally allocated
We reported on a preview clip that was dropped from the interview that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk did with Fox's Sean Hannity. In that clip, the two made clear they spoke about the leftist tactic to try to separate them and break up the power team they've formed. Both Trump and Musk said they were aware of it, and the left would not succeed. They spoke about their relationship, which was clearly a mutual admiration society. Trump explained how impressed he was with what Musk did to save lives in North Carolina with Starlink, and the amazing things he's done, such as the ability SpaceX
We’re Going to Win
4 replies
It is often said that the future belongs to those who show up. And the most relevant way of showing up, is having children.
Anecdotally, it has been obvious for a long time that conservatives are more likely to have children than liberals, and apt to have more children. But the data are clear, and getting clearer: I think it is totally rational for liberals to respond to President Trump’s election by not having children. I encourage them to stand firm in that decision. And never forget global warming! Who can contemplate bringing into being a new generation, when the Earth might get warmer? (Or colder, since it’s “climate change.”)
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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced Monday that some $4.7 trillion in payments from the Treasury Department were missing a critical tracking code which made tracing the transactions “almost impossible.”
The transactions were reportedly missing the Treasury Account Symbol, or TAS, an identification code which links a Treasury payment to a budget line item, according to DOGE, which described the use of such code as a “standard financial process.”
“In the Federal Government, the TAS field was optional for ~$4.7 Trillion in payments and was often left blank, making traceability almost impossible,” read an X post from DOGE.
Cynthia Erivo is taking on another musical for her next role. On Tuesday, it was announced that the "Wicked" star and three-time Oscar nominee will play Jesus in the upcoming Hollywood Bowl production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar."
Actor Robert Picardo, who played The Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager, said that America should cancel Presidents Day due to Trump allegedly canceling “our justice system” and other causes.
Picardo issued his decree on the social media platform Blue Sky.“Being that papers straws, The Gulf of Mexico and our justice system have been recently cancelled, let’s cancel Presidents’ Day,” he said.
Being that papers straws, The Gulf of Mexico and our justice system have been recently cancelled, let’s cancel Presidents’ Day.
— Robert Picardo (@robertpicardo.bsky.social) February 16, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging its decision to suspend federal funding for refugee resettlement.
The move comes as part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to realign American priorities—protecting the homeland first, rather than funding programs that facilitate unchecked migration.
To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, there are two ways to descend into autocracy: gradually and then suddenly. Right now, we are on the bullet train.
With President Trump in office only a month, many say his “shock and awe” campaign — issuing executive orders to abolish birthright citizenship, defund national health, invade sensitive Treasury payment systems, shutter USAID, impound funds allocated by Congress, fire civil servants and the like — puts us well on the road to autocracy. And the presence of his satrap, billionaire Elon Musk, makes even Republicans nervous and underscores the anxiety over where we are headed.
The Democrats are stunned, wringing their hands.
Kamala Harris Signs With CAA
26 replies
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has signed with CAA for representation in all areas, with a focus on speaking engagements and publishing. CAA will work closely with Harris on her post-White House initiatives, creating strategic opportunities that expand her platform in support of the issues she has championed throughout decades-long career in public service.
This marks a return to the agency for Harris, which previously represented the then-U.S. Senator prior to her being sworn in as the 49th Vice President
Former FBI agent Peter Strzok has abruptly wiped his X account clean just as Kash Patel awaits confirmation as the new FBI Director. Strzok, whose name has become synonymous with controversy following his involvement in anti-Trump text messages and the Russia investigation, made the decision to erase his online presence amid growing anticipation of Patel’s confirmation. The move raises questions about Strzok’s intentions and whether it is linked to Patel’s expected leadership at the FBI. Strzok, who was dismissed from the FBI in 2018 for breaching bureau policies, played a key role in initiating the "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Tesla and X CEO-turned-special government employee Elon Musk claimed to have uncovered “the biggest fraud in history” when he stumbled across more than 20 million people listed in the Social Security database as over 100 years old.
“According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!” Musk posted on X late Sunday, showing a chart of ages ranging from zero to 369 years old.
“Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security,” he joked, adding that “there are FAR more ‘eligible’ social security [sic] numbers than there are citizens in the USA.
Acting head of Social Security Administration
resigns after dispute with Elon Musk’s
DOGE: report 25 replies
resigns after dispute with Elon Musk’s
DOGE: report 25 replies
The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner reportedly resigned over the weekend after a dispute with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over the Elon Musk-headed group’s efforts to access sensitive government records.
Michelle King, a career federal worker who had been with SSA since 1994, quit over the DOGE disagreement Saturday and was replaced by Leland Dudek, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
Dudek, who has been supportive of DOGE’s efforts to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, will serve as acting commissioner of SSA until President Trump’s pick to lead the agency, Frank Bisignano, is confirmed by the Senate, according to the outlet.
Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg unleashed a foul-mouthed rant against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) late Tuesday after his grandfather’s namesake JFK Presidential Library and Museum temporarily closed due to layoffs of taxpayer-funded staff.
The 32-year-old grandson of President John F, Kennedy told the cost-cutting DOGE initiative to “eat s–t” after the Boston-based library shut its doors Tuesday afternoon because of staffing cuts.
The library blamed the closure on President Trump’s recent executive order overhauling the federal workforce.
“Hey, it’s Jack,” Schlossberg said in the clip posted online — just two weeks after he dramatically claimed he was quitting social media. “I’m OK, but our country is not.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has sued the Trump administration, asserting that President Trump's order suspending refugee grants was illegal and demanding millions in what it claims is owed to Catholic charities for work performed under the grant. The USCCB represents the leadership of the Catholic Church in the United States,
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, names as defendants the State Department, the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and the Department of Health and Human Services. It says the bishops have partnered with the U.S. government
ROME — Pope Francis is seriously worried about his health after being hospitalized with severe bronchitis, and is rushing to tie up loose ends ahead of the battle to succeed him. The pope was admitted to a special ward earlier this month in Gemelli Hospital in Rome with a respiratory infection, and he has since been forced to cancel a number of public appearances. (Snip) As his health has deteriorated over the last month, Francis has also moved to complete key initiatives and appoint sympathetic figures to key posts, following a progressive-tinted papacy marked by bitter ideological divisions. Since he became