World News Random, Random

[ponchi101]

Straight out of the Conspiracies book:
"Somewhere in a dark room behind a dark room, a special branch of the Iluminatti planned for Russia to invade Ukraine, so they could make the USA give weapons to Ukraine and make a profit out of the manufacturing of those weapons".
The same thing could be said about European countries, who have a given weapons to Ukraine.
I would like to hear Mick's comments.

And to say that the US has not paid any price at all misses the point that the US government keeps increasing its debt, precisely because it has to pay for all those unexpected expensive weapons that they were not planning to use in 2022.

[ashkor87]

Ad hominem

[Suliso]

Ponchi is right of course.

[ashkor87]

A bit off-topic but by sending weapons abroad, the US is pumping money into its own economy, which acts as a stimulus. Debt really doesn't matter in itself -that is old- school economics. @mmt

[ti-amie]

Why does his handler want Greenland?

[ti-amie]

Trump tells Gazans 'you are dead' if Israeli hostages are not immediately handed over
Trump's warning, posted on social media, came after it was confirmed US officials had held direct talks with Hamas. Washington has a long-held policy of not negotiating with terrorists - and Hamas has been labelled as such by Washington since 1997.

Wednesday 5 March 2025 23:20, UK

US President Donald Trump has told Gazans to hand over Israeli hostages or "you are dead".

The threat, made over social media, came hours after the White House confirmed that US officials had broken with tradition to hold direct talks with Hamas.

The US has previously avoided direct contact with the group owing to Washington's longstanding position not to negotiate with terrorists - with Hamas having been designated as a terrorist group in the US since 1997.

In a press conference on Wednesday, White House press secretary Ms Keavitt said there had been "ongoing talks and discussions" between the US officials and Hamas.

But she would not be drawn on the substance of the talks - taking place in Doha, Qatar - between US officials and Hamas, but said Israel had been consulted.

Ms Leavitt continued: "Dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what's in the best interest of the American people, is something that the president has proven is what he believes is a good faith, effort to do what's right for the American people."

There are "American lives at stake," she added.

Adam Boehler, Mr Trump's pick to be special envoy for hostage affairs, participated in the direct talks with Hamas.

A spokesperson for Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel had "expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas".

Hours later, Mr Trump warned Hamas to hand over Israeli hostages or "it's over for you" - adding: "This is your last warning".

On his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump wrote: "Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered or it is over for you.

"Only sick and twisted people keep bodies and you are sick and twisted. I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say."

Mr Trump met with freed Israeli hostages on Wednesday, something he referenced in his social media post, before adding: "This is your last warning. For the leadership of Hamas, 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. Make a smart decision. Release the hostages now, or there will be hell to pay later."

Israel estimates about 24 living hostages, including American citizen Edan Alexander, and the bodies of at least 35 others, are still believed to be in Gaza.

The US has a long-held policy of not negotiating with terrorists - which it is breaking with these talks as Hamas has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US government's National Counterterrorism Center since 1997.

The discussions come as a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire continues to hold, but its future is uncertain.

Mr Trump has signalled he has no intention of pushing the Israeli prime minister away from a return to combat if Hamas does not agree to terms of a new ceasefire proposal - which, Israel says, has been drafted by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages - the group's main bargaining chip - in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.

https://news.sky.com/story/us-holds-tal ... sf-twitter

[ti-amie]

[ponchi101]

A bit off-topic but by sending weapons abroad, the US is pumping money into its own economy, which acts as a stimulus. Debt really doesn't matter in itself -that is old- school economics. @mmt

The USA spends about $700 BN a year servicing its debt, on a budget of about $6 trillion. So, servicing the debt is at about 10% of their budget.
And that really doesn't matter at all?

[ashkor87]

A bit off-topic but by sending weapons abroad, the US is pumping money into its own economy, which acts as a stimulus. Debt really doesn't matter in itself -that is old- school economics. @mmt

The USA spends about $700 BN a year servicing its debt, on a budget of about $6 trillion. So, servicing the debt is at about 10% of their budget.
And that really doesn't matter at all?

No it doesn't. It is only an accounting entry. The USD is a sovereign currency.

[ponchi101]

If the USD is a sovereign currency, and these laws of economics don't matter, then the USA could print money at will and nothing would happen or matter.
And look at what happened when they did that during the pandemic.

[skatingfan]

If the USD is a sovereign currency, and these laws of economics don't matter, then the USA could print money at will and nothing would happen or matter.
And look at what happened when they did that during the pandemic.

Because the stimulus during the pandemics was demand side instead of supply side it didn't need to be as big as it was. Hopefully it's a lesson for next time that they could give money to citizens, but structure the fund differently to reduce the impact on inflation. The pandemic poured billions of dollars into the wealthy, and uber-wealthy.

[ti-amie]

Tristan Snell
‪@tristansnell.bsky.social‬
BREAKING - Trump team met with Ukraine’s top 2 opposition leaders to try to topple Zelenskyy

The plan has FAILED - both opposition leaders have officially said they do NOT support calling an election to replace Zelenskyy while the war is going on
March 6, 2025 at 11:38 AM

Nancy
‪@plaintanjane.bsky.social‬

Follow
KYIV — “Four senior members of Donald Trump’s entourage have held secret discussions with some of Kyiv’s top political opponents to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, just as Washington aligns with Moscow in seeking to lever the Ukrainian president out of his job.”

Yulia Tymoshenko & Petro Poroshenko
Archive

[ti-amie]

Trump weighs revoking legal status of Ukrainians as US steps up deportations
By Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke
March 6, 20255:39 PM ESTUpdated 9 min ago

Summary
Trump administration move is part of broader rollback of Biden-era migration programs
Some of those migrants could be subject to fast-track deportation
Ukrainian and Afghan migrants face uncertainty under new policies

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would soon decide whether to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, following a Reuters report that his administration planned to take that step.

Such a move would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden's administration and potentially put them on a fast-track to deportation.

"We're not looking to hurt anybody, we're certainly not looking to hurt them, and I'm looking at that," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about revoking the Ukrainians' status and deporting them. "There were some people that think that's appropriate, and some people don't, and I'll be making the decision pretty soon."

The planned rollback of protections for Ukrainians would be part of a broader Trump administration effort to strip legal status from more than 1.8 million migrants allowed to enter the U.S. under temporary humanitarian parole programs launched under the Biden administration, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

A move to revoke the Ukrainians' status could come as soon as April, all four said. They said the plans to revoke their status got underway before Trump publicly feudedwith Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on the Reuters report in a post on X, saying "no decision has been made at this time." U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said on Wednesday that the department had no new announcements. Ukrainian government agencies did not respond to requests for comment.

A Trump executive order issued on January 20 called for DHS to "terminate all categorical parole programs."

The administration plans to revoke parole for about 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans as soon as this month, the Trump official and one of the sources familiar with the matter said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The plan to revoke parole for those nationalities was first reported, opens new tab by CBS News.

Migrants stripped of their parole status could face fast-track deportation proceedings, according to an internal ICE email, opens new tab seen by Reuters.

Immigrants who cross the border illegally can be put into the fast-track deportation process known as expedited removal, for two years after they enter. But for those who entered through legal ports of entry without being officially "admitted" to the U.S. - as with those on parole - there is no time limit on their rapid removal, the email said.

The Biden programs were part of a broader effort to create temporary legal pathways to deter illegal immigration and provide humanitarian relief.

In addition to the 240,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, and the 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, these programs covered more than 70,000 Afghans escaping the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

An additional 1 million migrants scheduled a time to cross at a legal border crossing via an app known as CBP One.

Thousands more had access to smaller programs, including family reunification parole for certain people in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Trump as a candidate pledged to end the Biden programs, saying they went beyond the bounds of U.S. law.

The Trump administration last month paused processing immigration-related applications for people who entered the U.S. under certain Biden parole programs - placing Ukrainian Liana Avetisian, her husband and her 14-year-old daughter, in limbo. Avetisian, who worked in real estate in Ukraine, now assembles windows while her husband works construction.

The family fled Kyiv in May 2023, eventually buying a house in the small city of DeWitt, Iowa. Their parole and work permits expire in May. They say they spent about $4,000 in filing fees to renew their parole and to try to apply for another program known as Temporary Protected Status.

Avetisian has started getting headaches as she worries about their situation, she said.
“We don’t know what to do,” she said.

Ukrainian community leaders are informing people of their rights, in case they are approached by immigration officers, and what their options are for staying in the country long-term, said Andrij Dobriansky, the director of communications for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.
“Many of these people do not have homes to return to,” he said. “We're talking about people whose entire towns have been leveled altogether. Where would we be sending them back to? Nothing."

WANING WELCOME

U.S. allies from Afghanistan who entered under Biden have also been swept up in Trump's crackdown.
Rafi, a former Afghan intelligence officer who asked to be identified only by his first name to protect family members still in Afghanistan, entered the U.S. legally in January 2024 using the CBP One mobile app at the U.S.-Mexico border. He was given a temporary humanitarian parole status that allowed him to live and work in the United States for two years.

On February 13, just over a year into that status, he was detained at a check-in appointment at an ICE office in Chantilly, Virginia. His status was revoked.

In Afghanistan, Rafi was trained by American officers and provided intelligence on “High Value Targets”, according to an October 2022 recommendation letter.

“As a result of his active efforts against the enemy, he is currently in extreme danger, and in need of assistance in departing the country,” the former CIA officer who trained him wrote.

The officer described Rafi as “truly one of the most dedicated and hardworking individuals I had the honor to serve with in Afghanistan.” Reuters reviewed the letter but was not able to reach the officer.
In the United States, Rafi applied for asylum and was scheduled for a hearing before an immigration judge in April.

At his February ICE check in - one of the conditions for his temporary status - he was asked to remove his belt and shoelaces, he said. He knew immediately what was happening, he said, and still, he asked: “Are you arresting me? I have broken no law.”

Rafi said he felt betrayed.

“When someone stands shoulder to shoulder with American troops and puts his life in danger…” he said in a phone call from detention, his voice shaking.

“I wasn't expecting this behavior from them. I wasn't expecting it.”

On February 24, his lawyer wrote to ICE asking them to release her client, noting his lack of a criminal record, that he was not a flight risk and had an active asylum case related to his work supporting the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

James Mullan, the assistant field office director at ICE’s Washington field office responded that ICE was declining to release him.

“The priorities that you mentioned in your email ended on January 20, 2025,” Mullan wrote, referring to the date of Trump’s inauguration.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump- ... 025-03-06/

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]