Tag: Tariffs

Chokepoints Are The Focus Of A New Cold War

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

By Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) In 1883, Alfred Thayer Mahan laid out the brutal truth of global power: Whoever rules the waves rules the world. He wasn’t just talking about fleets of warships. He was talking about chokepoints—the narrow passages through which the vast majority of the world’s trade must pass. Control them, and you don’t need to launch an invasion. You can starve an economy and restrict military sealift without ever firing a shot.

Chokepoints Are The Focus Of A New Cold War

Related:

Trump orders military to plan invasion of Panama to seize canal: report

US Seizing Panama & Greenland Aimed at China (archived)

Stranglehold: The Context, Conduct and Consequences of an American Naval Blockade of China

Offshore Control: A Proposed Strategy for an Unlikely Conflict

US ‘just about’ ready to lift Ukraine intel freeze, Trump says ahead of Saudi meet

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

US ‘just about’ ready to lift Ukraine intel freeze, Trump says ahead of Saudi meet

The U.S. is “just about” ready to lift its freeze on intelligence sharing with Ukraine, President Donald Trump said Sunday, as American and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia intended to move toward a peace deal to end Russia’s three-year-old invasion.

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The U.S. delegation in Saudi Arabia will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz. The Ukrainian team will be led by Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelenskyy’s presidential office. The U.S. side is expecting Ukraine to show willingness to make peace, Trump suggested on Sunday.

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Trump and his top officials have said that both Ukraine and Russia will be expected to make concessions in pursuit of a peace deal to end Moscow’s invasion, which itself is only the latest chapter in more than a decade of cross-border aggression.

Trump last week suggested in a post to Truth Social that he was “strongly considering large-scale sanctions” and tariffs on Russia until a deal is reached, adding that Moscow “is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now.” Trump also told a joint session of Congress he had received “strong signals” that Russia is ready to make peace.

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The Kremlin has also cited a September 2022 Ukrainian decree in which Zelenskyy declared negotiations with Putin “impossible,” after Moscow claimed to have annexed four partially-occupied Ukrainian regions.

On Monday, Peskov told journalists that Russia’s read on this week’s meeting “is not important.”

“What is important here is what the United States expects at various levels,” he continued. “We have repeatedly heard statements that the U.S. expects the Ukrainians to demonstrate their desire for peace. That’s probably what everybody is waiting for. Whether the members of the Zelenskyy regime really want peace or not. Of course, this is very important and it is necessary to decide.”

Trump is negotiating with BOTH Russia AND Ukraine for Donbass’ minerals.

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Ukraine expected to sign a deal with Trump giving U.S. access to its rare minerals—but almost half are impossible to get to

Ukraine is nearing a deal to grant the U.S. access to its rare minerals in exchange for continued political and, perhaps, military support, though negotiations face challenges since 40% of these resources are in Russian-occupied territory. With Trump pushing for access to these minerals while also engaging in talks with Russia, Ukraine faces uncertainty over its strategic partnerships as it navigates its war effort and economic future.

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That being said, information about what materials Ukraine has and where they are located presents snags for negotiations. Namely, Ukraine can’t promise access to all its materials when a reported 40% of the minerals are under land currently occupied by Russia.

On top of that, the main motivation for Zelensky agreeing to swap minerals is likely to be in return for military aid from America—which Ukrainian officials say has not been explicitly penciled into the draft.

Despite this, yesterday sources in Kyiv confirmed the terms to share materials—including oil and gas—are almost agreed after months of negotiation.

Related:

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Trump’s Medicaid reversal should worry Social Security recipients.

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Trump’s Medicaid flip-flop should worry any American on Social Security

House narrowly passes budget resolution containing $100B for defense

The House budget resolution would add about $3 trillion to the deficit in a decade while mandating deep cuts that threaten to significantly shrink Medicaid and food programs for low-income people. It also calls for the debt limit to be raised by $4 trillion.

Democrats decried the blueprint as a “betrayal of the middle class.”

Rep. Mark Takano of California, the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said the plan would harm 9 million veterans that rely on Medicaid for health insurance coverage and more than 1 million veterans who use the SNAP food assistance program, formerly known as food stamps.

He said the Republican budget blueprint would also “take a chainsaw” to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The resolution does not specify exact cuts, but it mandates committees find $2 trillion in total spending reductions to finance tax cuts or reduce the amount of the tax cuts.

Previously:

Speak Up Before VA Health Care Is Gutted #Project2025

Donald Trump’s Next Diversity Target: People With Disabilities

DOGE Sets Its Sights on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

Trump Treasury pick Scott Bessent could become highest-ranking openly LGBTQ+ person in US history

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
The Pink Palace (Wikimedia Commons)

Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, who lives in Charleston, South Carolina with his husband and family, could become first Senate-approved LGBTQ+ member in a Republican cabinet.

Trump Treasury pick Scott Bessent could become highest-ranking openly LGBTQ+ person in US history

The Battle of Pokrovsk Begins

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Weeb Union

Ukraine War Map Looks ‘Grim’ for Zelensky as Russian Offensive Accelerates

Russia’s offensive has concentrated around the Donetsk logistics hub of Pokrovsk as well as Kurakhove. Moscow captured Vuhledar in October and advanced quickly to Velyka Novosilka.

“The Ukrainians have had issues in stabilizing the front here for a long time, and in November, the pace of Russian advance there only quickened even from September and October,” Kastehelmi told Newsweek.

Previously:

Russia’s Swift March Forward in Donbass [Pokrovsk is the prize]

Trump 2.0: Project 2025 Could Impact the Economy and Your Finances

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Cass is wrong. See related below.*

The Trump team lied. Project 2025 is influential with his transition team and his second cabinet.

Project 2025 Could Impact the Economy and Your Finances

What economic proposals are in Project 2025?

Most of Project 2025 would have economic implications if implemented and many proposals would affect Americans on a personal finance level. While this is not an exhaustive list, here are some key proposals:

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