Economic confidence increased to 111.3 in this month’s Rasmussen Reports Economic Index, nearly eight points higher than January.
Enthusiasm about the economy surged under President Donald Trump’s first term, reaching as high as 147.8 in January 2020 before tumbling after the coronavirus lockdown threw Americans out of work and closed many businesses.
By November 2020, it had recovered to 126.4, but dropped sharply after President Joe Biden was elected. The index reached a low of 78.6 in July 2022. – Rasmussen Reports
Our Take: We’re only one month in, and consumer confidence is rising fast. In President Trump’s first term, he earned my unwavering support because he did the things he said he was going to do. I hadn’t seen a politician do that before and, by 2018, I was no longer a quiet Trump voter but a loud Trump advocate.
Heading into this second* term, I fully expected President Trump to do the things he said he was going to do. That’s his track record and his brand. But some Americans are just learning that for the first time.
All that to say, I bet consumer confidence breaks records by the time this season is finished. MAGA! –
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Axios has released a devastating report full of quotes from Trump admin officials which strongly suggests the growing rift with Zelensky is only about to worsen. The Ukrainian leader is seen as having overstepped by the White House.
A US administration official involved in peace negotiations with Russia bluntly told the publication that "Zelensky is an actor who committed a common mistake of theater kids: He started to think he's the character he plays on TV."
"Yes, he has been brave and stood up to Russia. But he would be six feet under if it wasn't for the millions we spent, and he needs to exit stage right with all the drama," the unidentified official said. This strongly suggests that Trump is pursuing a full political transition in Ukraine at this point.
Another official, also involved in negotiations, described that "We created a monster with Zelensky," and that "these Trump-deranged Europeans who won't send troops are giving him terrible advice."
Speaking of which, one Saturday headline has revealed the European Union is still seeking ways to seize part of Russia's frozen $280 billion in assets held abroad. – ZeroHedge
Our Take: The powers that have been and will never be again begin to consider the prospect that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is no more theirs at this stage of the game than Joe Biden was, perhaps for the entirety of his fake presidency.
In essence, they've noticed the Ukrainian Dwarf King's reckless moves when it comes to the Peaceful Pincer he's caught in, and have summarily noted Trump's seemingly-sudden turn on the Prussian Proxy Prince.
The net effects of Zelenskyy's moves have been absolutely devastating to both the Nazi-aligned Azov Battalion operating in the Donbas AND to his former handlers both within and without Ukraine. Remember, it was Zelenskyy's own anti-corruption purge that resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of Ihor Kolomoisky, the man who first thrust him into the spotlight as [their] regime candidate.
So, when US officials are quoted as saying, "we created a monster with Zelensky," they're right, albeit bicamerally.
They created the monster. But Trump unleashed it. –
Friedrich Merz's conservatives have won Germany's election, well ahead of rival parties but short of the 30% vote-share they had expected. "Let's celebrate tonight and in the morning we'll get to work," he told cheering supporters. He said he was "aware of the responsibility that now lies ahead" of him.
The other winner was the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), who are celebrating a record second-place result of 20.8%. The AfD's candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, did a victory lap of her supporters, but even her party had hoped for a greater result and the mood at AfD HQ was subdued.
As results came in during the early hours of Monday, it became clear the AfD was far ahead of the other parties in the east, with a projected 34% according to a survey for public broadcaster ZDF. "Germans have voted for change," said Alice Weidel. She said Friedrich Merz's attempt to forge a coalition would ultimately end in failure: "We'll have fresh elections - I don't think we'll have to wait another four years." – BBC
Our Take: Has anyone figured out whether Germany has real elections or not?
I know that doesn't matter during the stroke session but, maybe afterward, we should figure out if their elections are fake like ours are. –
Pope Francis offered reflections on the most serious medical crisis of his papacy Sunday, saying in the written text of his regular Angelus prayer that he was “confidently continuing” his extended hospitalization while acknowledging that “rest is also part of the therapy.”
The pope was admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital with a respiratory tract infection on Feb. 14. Early last week, the Vatican disclosed the pope had double pneumonia. On Saturday, it acknowledged the 88-year-old, who had one lung removed in his youth, was in “critical condition.” It added he had suffered a “prolonged asthmatic crisis” and a low platelet count on Saturday. He was alert and sitting in an armchair but suffering more pain than the day before.
Doctors treated his respiratory crisis with more oxygen, and his thrombocytopenia — a deficiency in platelets, which clot the blood — with transfusions. The Vatican said Sunday that after Saturday’s crisis, the pope had slept well. – The Washington Post
Our Take: Pope has pneumonia. Pope is entering kidney failure.
I’m sure it’s a coincidence that this movie was released last year. –
Seventy Christians were brutally beheaded with machetes by Islamist militants in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on February 13, according to Open Doors, an organization monitoring terrorism and persecution. The attackers, members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS), rounded up the victims from the Lubero district before executing them inside a Protestant church in Kasanga.
Witnesses reported, as per the report, that the rebels shouted, "Get out, get out," as they forced the Christians from their homes. Following the attack, many Christians fled the region, seeking safety. Muhindo Musunzi, director of the Kombo Primary School, stated that churches, schools, and health centers had already shut down due to the deteriorating security situation.
“We had to move all activities towards Vunying,” Musunzi said. Families were unable to retrieve or bury their dead for days due to ongoing insecurity.
A church elder from the CECA20 church expressed the community’s despair: “We don’t know what to do or how to pray; we’ve had enough of massacres. May God’s will alone be done.” Despite the scale of the atrocity, the massacre has received little international media attention. — Mint
Our Take: Newsweek reported on this story last week but, other than that, there has been very little coverage. Call me cynical, but that makes me think it really happened — but it doesn’t fit anyone’s narrative. As you will read in the next couple stories, there are plenty of narratives about DRC right now.
But 70 Christians beheaded inside of a church isn’t one that we are hearing.
Jesus promised his followers they would be persecuted for His name. Western Christians don’t really think about it much, but in other regions of the world, the name of Jesus can get you killed. Now. Today. In 2025.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” — Matthew 24:9
It’s naive to think the persecution of Christians will remain on the other side of the world. If you believe the Word of God, it seems guaranteed to not.
I pray for the families of these victims and that this region may know peace. —
In his first interview since an armed group backed by Rwanda seized swaths of his country’s territory this year, Felix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, offered the United States and Europe a stake in his country’s vast mineral wealth, a sector currently dominated by China.
Congo is considered to be among the world’s wealthiest country in terms of natural resources. It provides much of the world’s coltan, which is used to power smartphones and computers. It also holds more than half the world’s cobalt reserves, used in electric vehicles.
Mr. Tshisekedi seemed eager to capitalize on this as he tries to manage a conflict he says is similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Tshisekedi has pinned his hopes on Western pressure against Rwanda, calculating that major investments in Congo — including a possible minerals deal — would bring his country much more security and stability.
China currently has far greater access to Congo’s mineral wealth than the United States, while the European Union has negotiated with Rwanda, agreeing to give it about $935 million in return for access to minerals like tin, tungsten and gold. – The New York Times
Rwanda’s government on Friday asserted solidarity with a top official sanctioned by the U.S. over violence in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed rebels have captured two major cities in an armed conflict that now threatens the Congolese government.
Rwanda’s government described the sanctions against Gen. James Kabarebe, a deputy minister of foreign affairs, as “unjustified and unfounded.” Responding to the sanctions, Rwanda’s government said in a statement that such action makes “no contribution toward long-term security, peace and stability for all the countries of the Great Lakes region.”
Securing the border with Congo is “a matter of national security, and that is our only driver,” it said. Sanctions against Kabarebe are a blow to Rwanda, which for years has evaded the international community’s punishment over its aggression in neighboring Congo. – AP News
Our Take: We have been tracking this story in this Brief and on Badlands Daily for the past year. The TL;DR is that President Trump froze the assets of Israeli mining oligarch Dan Gertler in December 2017 using Executive Order 13818. Because Gertler was the golden goose for the entire Israeli elite (according to the Paradise Papers leak), every effort has been made to regain control over Gertler's lost mineral rights.
It should be noted that the estimated value of the minerals in the Congo are in excess of $24 Trillion.
This Badlands Daily clip from last May explains the background:
When mercenaries recently descended upon the eastern Congo from Rwanda, I speculated that Rwandan President Paul Kagame — an ardent Zionist and loyal henchman to the Israeli oligarchy — may be working on behalf of Netanyahu and Gertler. I've since stumbled onto a rabbit hole that seems to implicate not only the Israeli elite, but also the largest technology companies in the world — Apple, Intel, Sony, and Lockheed Martin, to name a few.
Last year, the law firm of Amsterdam & Partners — working on behalf of the government of the DR Congo — published a damning report that accused these technology companies of illegally smuggling these rare earth minerals out of the Congo and into neighboring countries (primarily Rwanda) so they could be laundered into the global supply chain as "clean," meaning they weren't mined using child slavery — a common practice in the deep jungles of the eastern Congo.
The report goes further, however, accusing these technology oligarchs of using UN-connected organizations like the International Tin Supply Chain Initiative (ITSCI) and the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) to legitimize these supply chains with fraudulent certifications. The report names a number of individuals, including Vincent Bolloré, who was arrested in 2018 and charged with fraud related to these African mining operations. Bollore is a protege of the French-branch of the Rothschild banking dynasty.
Two months ago, Amsterdam & Partners filed a lawsuit against Apple on behalf of the DR Congo government.
Now the DRC President, Félix Tshisekedi — who in 2018 replaced Joseph Kabila, the man that granted Dan Gertler his mining monopoly in the first place — has turned to President Trump for help, offering those same mineral rights to America in exchange for assistance in dealing with the Rwandan mercenaries.
This is likely in exchange for assistance in dealing with the Israeli mercenaries, as Rwandan President Paul Kagame is reasonably acting on behalf of Tel Aviv. –
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to give up his position to bring peace, saying it could be in exchange for his country joining NATO. Speaking on February 23, Zelenskyy said talks with the United States on the matter were "making progress." The same day, Trump aide Steve Witkoff told CNN that he expected the deal to be signed this week.
Russian forces launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine, deploying 267 Shahed-type attack drones, various decoy UAVs, and three Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said on February 23. U.S. President Donald Trump on February 22 said he wants Ukraine to pay back billions of dollars the United States sent to the country to help it defend against Russia’s full-scale invasion. – Radio Free Europe
Our Take: Counter striking is not a defensive fighting style; it relies on setting patterns, provoking enemy responses and punishing them accordingly.
Donald Trump describes himself as a counter striker. Put simply, the Deep State's defensive instincts are only accelerating its demise. –
In what sounds like the plot of a Cold War thriller, a former KGB officer has dropped a bombshell claim: Donald Trump was allegedly recruited as a Russian spy in 1987 and given the codename "Krasnov." Yes, you read that right—the former U.S. president, known for his bold tweets and unconventional diplomacy, is now being accused of being a Soviet asset.
This jaw-dropping allegation comes from Alnur Mussayev, a former Kazakh intelligence chief who served in the KGB’s 6th Directorate in Moscow. Mussayev insists that recruiting Western businessmen was a top priority for Soviet intelligence—and Trump was apparently high on their wish list.
According to Mussayev, Trump’s recruitment took place during his 1987 visit to the Soviet Union, a trip that was supposed to be about real estate but may have had deeper political implications. Back then, the New York real estate mogul was eyeing a hotel project in Moscow, facilitated by Soviet officials. But according to Mussayev, those meetings weren’t just about marble lobbies and penthouse suites—they may have been a covert intelligence operation. – The Economic Times
Our Take: "Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987 and given the codename "Krasnov", claims a former Soviet intelligence officer."
***34 Crying-Laughing Emojis***
Man... I almost feel sorry for these people. It's just pathetic at this point. –
Federal workers received an email on Saturday instructing them to document five things they accomplished in the past week, and Elon Musk said those who don't reply would risk losing their jobs. The email from the Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, had the subject line, "What did you do last week?" It instructed recipients to reply with five examples of what they got done last week, excluding any classified information, and asked workers to include their supervisor in their response.
Musk, who is overseeing the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, said in a post on X that "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation." He said the directive was "Consistent with President [Trump's] instructions." The email itself did not include the threat of forced resignation.
The deadline to reply is Monday at midnight, according to the email. However, at least three agencies told workers to ignore the request and not to reply, raising doubts about the enforceability of Musk's threat. Federal workers outside of OPM do not report to the agency, and it cannot dismiss employees directly. – CBS News
Our Take: This sort of “standup” tactic is used in manufacturing, engineering, technology development and, because it’s so effective, is now used in many areas of non-technical business operations and project work.
Most professionals are used to reporting their progress and, importantly, identifying barriers – and they’re used to doing it DAILY.
Bureaucrats complained all weekend about it.
These government leeches are upset because they’re being asked to report five bullets for an entire week? Yikes.
I’d fire every single person that complained. They have a culture problem, yes; but for something this basic, they’ve got a character problem. –
Conservative commentator and ex-Secret Service agent Dan Bongino has been named deputy director of the FBI, President Trump announced Sunday night.
“Great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice! Dan Bongino, a man of incredible love and passion for our Country, has just been named the next DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI, by the man who will be the best ever Director, Kash Patel,” the president posted on Truth Social.
Bongino, 50, is a former NYPD officer and worked as a special agent for the Secret Service before pivoting careers, Trump said. He previously hosted the Fox News show “Unfiltered” on Saturday nights before he parted ways with the network in 2023. – New York Post
Our Take:
Soon, we will be totally ruled by the television. Unless, that is, these agencies don't exist anymore. And they must not. –
Argentinian President Javier Milei promised officials of the Simon Wiesenthal Center his full cooperation in granting access to documents related to the financing of so-called “ratlines” that helped Nazis escape Europe after the Holocaust. The promise was made in Buenos Aires at the presidential palace, Casa Rosada, during a meeting with Milei and activists on Tuesday.
For decades, organizations including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, named after the famed Nazi hunter, have sought records related to unofficial escape routes taken by thousands of Nazis during the years after World War II. Up to 10,000 Nazis and other fascist war criminals escaped justice by fleeing to Argentina and other countries.
“While some previous leaders promised full cooperation to get to the hard truths that involved Argentina’s past, Milei is the first to act with lightning speed to enable the SWC to uncover important pieces of the historic puzzle, especially as it related to involvement with Nazis before, during and after the Holocaust,” Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told The Times of Israel. – The Times of Israel
Our Take: Last week on Breaking History, Matt and I discussed — among other things — the enigmatic nature of Germany since its Unification in 1871. Before then, it was a collection of roughly 300 kingdoms of various sizes, dominated by the influence of the largest kingdom in the north — colloquially known as "Prussia."
The history of Prussia is both convoluted and complicated, spanning over centuries and layered with elitist occult intrigue that goes back to the Order of the Teutonic Knights, who organized the Crusades. It is also deeply intertwined in the history of both the modernization of Russia and the creation of the United States, with the House of Hesse providing King George III with over 30,000 elite mercenaries that were used to pummel George Washington for the first 18 months of the American Revolution. That is, until Washington finally implemented irregular warfare tactics on Christmas Night 1776 and attacked the Prussians in Trenton while they slept, where he won his first battle.
When Prussian Minister-President Otto von Bismarck created the German Empire in 1871, he did so on behalf of King Wilhelm I, who was a member of the House of Hohenzollern. Bismarck achieved the Unification through three relatively brief wars of conquest: The Schleswig War, which claimed the northern territory of Schleswig–Holstein from Denmark (from which all black and white dairy cows in the world originate); the Austro-Prussian War, which didn't annex any territory but made Austria a protectorate of Prussia; and the Franco-Prussian War, which claimed the highly coveted French borderland of Alsace-Lorraine — one of the most disputed territories in European history. (Think Gaza/Palestine but in Europe.) These land disputes would carry over into the 20th century, playing roles in both World Wars.
Not only did the victory over France win that coveted farmland, it also convinced the larger Germanic kingdoms to bend the knee to the Prussian King, and join his emerging Empire. During these wars, one of Bismarck's top field marshals, Helmuth von Moltke, developed the doctrine of Maneuver Warfare —which would later be used by the Third Reich as the foundation for Blitzkrieg, and then by the Russians to defeat it.
So what does all this have to do with the price of tea in China? Or, rather, the Nazis in Argentina?
Like all things in this world, there is a good twin and an evil twin, h/t
. The German immigrants who came to America in the 19th century were essential, not only to the development of the American steel industry, but to the entire Industrial Revolution. German engineering is the best in the world, because the culture of the German lands has bred an enterprising people who are meticulous and brilliant. I suspect that is why the legions of Hell have sought to destroy Central Europe (achieved with the wars of the past century).
Whatever we are about to learn from Argentina, I suspect that it will be connected to whatever we are about to learn from the JFK files. This moment of revelation will require incredible courage and patience. –
DOGE wants to see where our tax dollars go, and we should let them. No surprise that the “government industrial complex” will resist every effort to bring transparency and accountability to how those funds are spent when the system is ripe with problems.
I’ve had first-hand experience with USAID and other international aid organizations, such as the World Bank, UNESCO, and even the Red Cross, during my 40-plus trips to Haiti after being invited by then Haitian President René Préval to help rebuild the nation following the devastating 2010 earthquake.
And I’ve seen how USAID, along with other NGOs, delivered on very few of their promises, failed to coordinate relief activities, and even skimmed money off the top. The continuing disaster status in Haiti and so many similar places is in part a product of these agencies’ handiwork.
What happened in Haiti captures, at the very least, the incompetence — if not the outright corruption — of these international relief organizations. There is probably no more corrupt government agency than USAID. Since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed as many as 300,000 people, the US government has disbursed around $4.4 billion in foreign assistance to the small island nation. – New York Post
“[President Trump] believes very strongly that Russia is willing to make a deal...very confident we can get it done this week” [according to] WH PressSec Leavitt. – RT
The Great American Restoration Tour 7 is taking place from March 6 through 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Join us for the first GART event in 2025! Click the image below for in person and virtual tickets. — Badlands Media.
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Regarding USAID as a corrupt organization—it is only the mechanism by which the monies were distributed. I would like to see the decision makers brought out into the sunlight. Otherwise they will regroup and devise a more clever and stealthy approach, likely with lethal protection.
Great Brief today guys. I have to say, Ghost's last paragraph kicked ass.
***Whatever we are about to learn from Argentina, I suspect that it will be connected to whatever we are about to learn from the JFK files. This moment of revelation will require incredible courage and patience.***
Regarding USAID as a corrupt organization—it is only the mechanism by which the monies were distributed. I would like to see the decision makers brought out into the sunlight. Otherwise they will regroup and devise a more clever and stealthy approach, likely with lethal protection.
Great Brief today guys. I have to say, Ghost's last paragraph kicked ass.
***Whatever we are about to learn from Argentina, I suspect that it will be connected to whatever we are about to learn from the JFK files. This moment of revelation will require incredible courage and patience.***
– GhostofBasedPatrickHenry