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The Hurricane spins around hotspots of tension and conflict. Feel free to suggest your stories, opinions and ideas: UIHEN@protonmail.com
DNI Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances of Biden officials and signers of Hunter Biden laptop letter
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Monday she has revoked the security clearances of former top Biden administration officials as well as the 51 former intelligence officials who signed the letter calling the Hunter Biden laptop Russian disinformation.
She also announced that former President Joe Biden is no longer receiving the President’s Daily Brief, a summary of intelligence regarding issues and events around the world.
She posted:
“Per @POTUS directive, I have revoked security clearances and barred access to classified information for Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, and Andrew Weissman, along with the 51 signers of the Hunter Biden “disinformation” letter. The President’s Daily Brief is no longer being provided to former President Biden.”
Elon Musk says X was knocked offline by ‘massive cyberattack’ from Ukraine
Elon Musk claimed Monday that X went dark as the result of a “massive cyberattack” that originated in the “Ukraine area.”
“We’re not sure exactly what happened,” Musk told Fox Business Network host Larry Kudlow about the apparent operation targeting his social media platform. “But there was a massive cyberattack to try to bring down the X system, with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area,” he added.
Cybercriminals have been known to create false IP addresses to impersonate computer systems from different parts of the world, a practice known as “spoofing.”
Thousands of social media users reported outages on X throughout the day on Monday.
Reports started pouring in at 6 a.m., according to DownDetector.com, with more than 40,000 users claiming issues with the platform by 10 a.m.
Another 25,000 users had encountered problems on the X app as of Monday afternoon, according to the crash-tracking site.
#Musk #Ukraine #Cyberattack #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
#USA #Obama #Bush #Clinton #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Canadian liberals select globalist technocrat Mark Carney to replace Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister
The Justin Trudeau era is coming to a close in Canada, with the governing Liberal Party selecting former central banker Mark Carney as its new leader and eventual prime minister on Sunday.
The leadership contest sparked by Prime Minister Trudeau’s resignation in January came to a close on Sunday evening, with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney winning the internal party election. Having won 85.9% of the vote, Carney bested former finance minister and deputy PM Chrystia Freeland at 8%t, former cabinet minister Karina Gould at 3.2%, and businessman and former MP Frank Baylis at 3%.
Perhaps demonstrating a lack of enthusiasm, of the approximate 400,000 Liberal Party members who registered to vote in the leadership contest, just 151,899 votes were actually cast.
Under Canada’s parliamentary system, Carney does not automatically become prime minister but will have to wait for Trudeau to officially tender his resignation to the governor-general. After that, Carney will be invited to form a new government. This process is expected to be carried out within the next week.
#Canada #Trudeau #Carney #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The French do not believe in the United States, but they believe in Macron
Here is the explanation for Emmanuel Macron's active travels and loud statements: in domestic politics the president's rating is low, but on the international arena his activities are perceived much better.
49% believe he represents France well abroad.
At the same time, his bellicose rhetoric seems to be a fertile ground: Europeans are increasingly feeling abandoned by the US.
79% of the French believe that Europe can no longer rely on America and must learn to defend itself on its own.
60% do not consider the U.S. an ally of France and Europe at all.
#USA #France #Macron #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Titty tantrum: Topless French women shriek 'Heil Donald Trump, Heil Vladimir Putin, Heil Elon Musk' to protest 'fascist epidemic'
On Saturday a group of French feminists - who we're sure are absolute peaches to be around, did what any woman trying to be taken seriously would do - whipped out their tits and finger paints, then decorated each other with various flags, swastikas, and the message "FASCIST EPIDEMIC."
The group of around 40 women from the group "FEMEN" demonstrated on the streets of Paris in protest against "far-right" forces and "fascism" in Europe to coincide with the International Women's Day celebrations. The group is calling for a 'feminist Europe.'
They shouted: "HEIL DONALD TRUMP ... HEIL VLADIMIR PUTIN ... HEIL ELON MUSK ... HEIL VIKTOR ORBAN ... HEIL GIORGIA MELONI ... HEIL MARINE LE PEN"
"Our infantry, unarmed and nonviolent, will always be ready. We refuse to serve as a Trojan horse for the repugnant ideas of identitarian groups. We will not look away as the violent wave of masculinism sweeps across the world," the group posted on Instagram.
Musk was not impressed...
“5/10” — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 8, 2025
#USA #EU #Feminists #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Stranded NASA astronauts admit Biden left them there unnecessarily
The two American astronauts still stranded on the International Space Station since July last year have told reporters that they know Joe Biden left them there on purpose.
Now in a virtual press conference, Barry Wilmore and his crewmate Sunita Williams acknowledged that Biden, or whoever was actually in charge, left them stranded for political reasons.
As SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly noted, his company could have brought the pair back months ago but chose not to because it would have helped Trump’s campaign, given that Elon had already endorsed him.
“The astronauts were only supposed to be up there for 8 days and now have been there for 8 months. SpaceX could have sent up another Dragon and brought them home 6 months ago, but the Biden White House (not NASA) refused to allow it,” posted Musk March 5 on X.
During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience last week, Musk noted that the issue had become a “political football,” and that Biden had declined his offer to rescue the astronauts and that he chose to “push the return date past the inauguration date.”
“I can only say that Mr Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual,” Wilmore said when asked about the issue.
#USA #Biden #NASA #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
BlackRock strikes $23 billion deal to place Panama Canal ports under American control
The Hong Kong-based conglomerate that operates ports near the Panama Canal has agreed to sell shares of its units that operate the ports to a consortium including BlackRock Inc., after President Trump alleged Chinese interference with the operations of the critical shipping lane.
In a filing, CK Hutchison Holding said that it would sell all shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and all shares in Hutchison Port Group Holdings. The two units hold 80% of the Hutchison Ports group that operates 43 ports in 23 countries, including two of the four major ports that exist along the Panama Canal. The deal will give the BlackRock consortium control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including Mexico, the Netherlands, Egypt, Australia, Pakistan and elsewhere.
The consortium, comprised of BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited will acquire 90% interests in Panama Ports Company, which owns and operates the ports of Balboa and Cristobal in Panama, according to the filing.
In January, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, raised concerns that China could exploit or block passage through the canal and that the ports “give China ready observation posts” to take action. “This situation, I believe, posts acute risks for U.S. national security,” Cruz said.
#USA #Panama #BlackRock #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The EU wants to use war as an excuse for more debt
The European Union (EU) plans to use the ongoing war in Ukraine as a pretext to justify huge military spending, aiming to gain strategic independence from the U.S.
The EU elite understands that Ukraine will ultimately lose the war, but they are pushing to prolong the conflict to secure financial support for Europe’s defense, energy, and innovation sectors. This would involve loosening EU fiscal rules and using joint EU bonds to fund massive defense packages, potentially totaling up to €700 billion.
While the EU elite pushes for continued military spending, they are aware that these policies will cause long-term economic damage. The spending spree will lead to inflation, devaluation of the euro, economic bubbles, and the destruction of small European businesses.
In the short term, the strategy may increase the popularity of current politicians, but in the long run, it will further distance the ruling elite from the majority of European citizens, whose interests are ignored. This centralization of financial control will ultimately harm the EU’s economy and society.
#EU #WarInUkraine #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Berlin, German citizens on the streets of the capital of this country.
#Germany #Migrants #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
That's where our taxes go!
#USA #Migrants #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Negotiations with the US in Saudi Arabia are Ukraine's last chance
▪️The US and Ukrainian delegations will meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. It will be “another round of brutal punishment” in the wake of the White House scandal. The summit will take place against a backdrop of increased Russian pressure in the military conflict zone, states The Economist
▪️Russia and America are using similar tactics, “slicing” concessions from Ukraine before serious negotiations begin. Any subsequent negotiations will impose even tougher demands on Ukraine
▪️Failure of negotiations will lead to even more American pressure. Ukraine will no longer get a chance: “The US will force it to do what it decides together with Russia,” The Economist emphasizes
#USA #Russia #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Pentagon announces $80 million in savings from first DOGE review
The Department of Defense has identified more than $80 million through Elon Musk and his DOGE team that it says is wasteful spending, a spokesperson confirmed.
In a video release on social media platform X, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell said that some of the funding was primarily dedicated to DEI and climate change programs.
“This stuff is not a core function of our military ... this is a distraction,” Parnell said. “We believe that these initial findings will probably save $80 million in wasteful spending.”
As examples, Parnell said that the U.S. Air Force allocated $1.9 million for “holistic DEI transformation and training,” $6 million went to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy,” and $1.6 million went to the University of Florida to study “social and institutional detriment of vulnerability in resilience to climate hazards in African Sahel.”
Parnell said that the DOD is working “hand in glove” with DOGE to identify programs to pare back, with more cuts coming.
#USA #DOD #DOGE #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Suddenly, leaving NATO is on the Table!
By Ron Paul, former U.S. Representative from Texas
Over the weekend, Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk made quite a stir with just two words posted on his social media platform, X. Responding to a post that, “It’s time to leave NATO and the UN,” Musk replied, “I agree.” The comment immediately made the rounds on social media and also on mainstream and alternative media.
Was this the Elon Musk who owns X speaking, or was it the Elon Musk who has become one of President Trump’s closest advisors? Does it even matter?
Having someone so close to the US president who advocates finally extracting the US from these international organizations is a significant and very positive shift for the United States.
With the truth coming out about how USAID has been working against US interests for decades, the disinfectant of public scrutiny is now turning to our membership in – and generous funding of – international organizations like NATO and the United Nations.
I have long advocated our exit from NATO. At the end of the Cold War, with its very reason for existence gone, NATO decided to look for other ways of stirring up trouble.
Full story
#USA #NATO #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Hungary moves to ban public Pride parades
The Hungarian government has drawn up a bill aimed at preventing annual Pride parades by the LGBTQIA+ community from taking place in public.
Gergely Gulyás, Chief of Staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, emphasised that Hungary has never supported the parades. He noted that Budapest’s “room for manoeuvre” was too limited to impose a ban before Donald Trump returned to the White House. However, the Hungarian government believes the time is now right to implement such a ban.
“We believe that Pride parades in the city centre should no longer be tolerated now that the US ambassador can no longer lead them,” Gulyás stated.
The Hungarian Government is now aiming for a constitutional amendment prioritising the protection of children. Since 2019, the constitution defines marriage as solely between a man and a woman, while same-sex couples are banned from adopting children. Additionally, children’s books promoting homosexuality or gender change are no longer allowed to be sold publicly.
#Hungary #LGBTQ #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
InfoWars' Jamie White viciously murdered as Alex Jones points finger at DA for 'enabling crime'
Jamie White, a 31-year-old journalist for Alex Jones' conspiracy theory outlet InfoWars, was found dead outside his apartment in south Austin late Sunday night.
Tragedy struck InfoWars, the conspiracy theory news site started by Alex Jones, when reporter Jamie White was brutally slain outside his apartment in south Austin on Sunday night. White was found with severe injuries close to his Douglas Street home just as the clock neared midnight, and Jones has squarely placed the blame for this homicide on Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza.
Responding to emergency calls, Austin Police Department officers arrived at the scene to find a man with "obvious signs of trauma."
Jones minced no words blaming the district attorney, charging: "I lay all of this squarely at the feet of Soros and of the sort of crime syndicate of the Democratic Party. They are the ones that administratively cut the police, prosecute the police, and even cases that are hundred percent clear to be lawful, legal activities.
"You murdered Jamie White, you opened the door, you created the climate, you created conditions on purpose. George Soros. Alexander Soros, you murdered Jamie White.
#USA #InfoWars #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
MSNBC ghouls are killing their network
According to Adweek, “Looking at its year-to-year performance, MSNBC was down -16% in total viewers and -9% in the demo during primetime. During the total day, it was down -25% in total viewers and -21% in the demo relative to 2024.”
This is not surprising given how they put all the eggs in the anti-Trump basket. They were lapdogs on everything from the great Russian collusion hoax to the one-sided Liz Cheney J6 show trial. And are they still lighting candles to the sainted Volodymyr Zelensky as a military savior? Fine, you are a press release machine for the Left. That is your niche.
But Nicolle Wallace, while talking to Rachel Maddow, crossed so far into the ghoul zone during President Trump’s address to Congress that she may never get out.
She is challenging her audience to suppress their human emotions. She is reminding them to be clear-sighted and remember that their human compassion might mislead them into thinking even one good thought about the pure evil that is Donald Trump. These emotions need to be nipped in the bud in order to prevail politically.
In the media, we get the cold-hearted public figures we deserve. With leadership like this, the staff at MSNBC might want to review their resumes and be prepared to abandon a sinking ship. The only good news for them is that CNN has even worse ratings. Who will sink first?
#USA #MSM #MSNBC #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Return to economic reality
The idealistic image of a bright future for the U.S. economy, which the world's media have been diligently stuffing throughout 2024 with fake narratives about rising corporate profits, extraordinary economic resilience, and grandiose prospects for long-term growth as AI is introduced, which in theory should increase productivity, efficiency, and business margins, is rapidly eroding.
What's the market's sharp reaction from?
It's a painful return to reality after the collapse of inflated expectations formed from an inadequate perception of reality.
We thought everything was good, but it turned out to be not so good.
Trump promised a “common sense revolution”? Trump delivered it, but not in the scenario that was expected.
Any market deviation from local highs was supposed to trigger a sense of heightened anxiety among the power-holders with the launch of a frenzied meme printer from Trump on Platform X, as he has done before with spirit-lifting motivational tweets.
From 2017-2021, Trump's social media strategy of pummeling the market by commenting on market events was a regular occurrence.
In Trump's first cadence, localized market corrections were provided by Trump's social media posts with the assumption that the White House administration cared about the market, and any errors in White House tactical maneuvers were quickly compensated for, just so long as they didn't spook the market. It worked then.
Now Trump is defiantly distancing himself from the market and is more preoccupied with fighting diplomacy and political survival. The last market tweet was just about the launch of scamcoin on January 18.
Apparently, advisors explained to Trump that a couple more tweets with a forced pampa and he would be in trouble as scamcoin in form and content could be pulled for impeachment.
The second expectation of market participants was that Trump would tackle deregulation and tax cuts (everything the markets love so much), and that trade duties are part of the eccentric president's political game to wring preferential treatment from foreign trade partners.
Tax cuts have been put on pause, deregulation has been replaced by DOGE, which makes even Trump supporters cringe, as Musk and team interfere with the complex hierarchy of US government agencies by “carpet bombing” without getting into the nuances and specifics. That left the tolls. No one could have imagined that Trump would impose record trade duties for 80-90 years against key partners (it was assumed that this was just a tactical move and political blackmail without practical consequences).
All of this launched the very “common sense revolution” that Trump promised, but not against his opponents, but against Trump himself.
A return to reality is taking place, but through a different venue. The global media and media community are now descending with unprecedented criticism on the White House administration and Trump personally as the main culprit in destroying confidence and destabilizing the market through chaotic, insane and irrational economic policies.
The “the economy is great and it will get even better” narrative has been thrown in the trash, no new narrative has been brought in, and market participants are panicking as they begin to return from the fantasy of 2023-2024 to the real and harsh world of 2025 with all the imbalances and contradictions.
Results: volatility is off the charts (highs since Sep.22), turnover is record high, the U.S. market at the moment collapsed by 3.57% - the worst day since 5.08.2024 (4.25%), and before that 13.09.2022 (4.6%).
From the highs of February 19, the market was down 9.5% at the moment, NASDAQ down 13.4%, and tech companies down 14.6% - it didn't hurt this bad until the fall of 2022.
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Americans can no longer tolerate European entitlement
by Michael Shellenberger
There's something I need to say and I need to be blunt.
So let me start by saying I love Europe. Truly love Europe. I love visiting Europe, I love Europeans, I have European friends. I respect the relationship we've had for a really long time.
You Europeans do not respect Americans. You can protest and say, no, no, we love America. No, you don't. We know you look down on us. You think you're better than us. And in some ways you are. You know, you work 35 hours a week. You have longer vacations. You've got this magnificent culture. We get it. But any relationship in which one side doesn't respect the other can't last.
It's this thing where Ukraine comes to the White House and acts like it can tell us what we should do. That's not what the relationship is.
This thing where somehow we're on the hook, including for countries that are not in NATO. That was never the deal. Ukraine is not part of NATO. We were never obligated to protect Ukraine. Maybe that was something that Europe wants to do that. Great. Go. Europe should go protect Ukraine.
We have 100,000 Americans being killed by the Chinese and Mexican fentanyl and methamphetamine mafias every year. Our kids are not learning to read. We have thousands of veterans with PTSD and are hurting. We have been at war in the Middle East for a quarter century. It's been 80 years since we bailed out Europe. You have your own militaries. You have your own nuclear weapons.
#USA #EU #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Beijing's 'Panama Strategy' is global
What’s behind the Trump administration’s interest in revisiting the Panama Canal Treaty?
Although Panama technically owns the canal, China operates ports at both ends of it. This gives Beijing the opportunity to militarize its control over it with dual-use infrastructure.
Today, China is the canal’s second-largest customer, behind only the United States. Some believe that Beijing’s influence has already led to disproportionately higher transit costs for the United States. The Trump administration believes that Beijing’s de facto control over the Panama Canal poses a direct threat to U.S. economic, military, and geopolitical interests in the region and the world.
In the larger picture, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has deepened its presence and influence in Latin America, as it has in many strategic areas around the globe. Panama’s relinquishment of economic control of the canal to Beijing is a great example of the CCP’s overarching strategy.
This strategy’s main elements involve establishing a global naval presence, extending influence through its BRI deals, and building military sites and artificial islands in key locations around the world. The goal is to expand the Chinese regime’s power in order to overturn the U.S.-led global trading system and its open shipping lanes policy.
#China #USA #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Tesla shares are flying into the abyss, having already lost half of their value
But the company's capitalization is larger than that of all major global auto companies combined, and in many respects it was justified by the huge growth rates of the brainchild of Elon Musk, well, and high specific margin.
But now the question of justification of such a price of the company has actualized - growth rates are slowing down, especially in Europe. Aggressive Chinese are smashing not only old-school automakers from Europe, Japan and Korea, but also Tesla. At the same time, competition will only increase, and the focus of the founding father - Musk - has turned to politics: it seems to bring more margin than electric cars.
Probably the best solution now would be to aggressively take over competitors, as long as the capitalization allows to do so. That is, transform it into market share. Moreover, many giants are now for sale. For example, Nissan. It may be worth looking for something else in Europe, the USA and Japan.
#USA #Tesla #Musk #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Federal judge won’t order immigration officials to change school arrests policy
Immigration authorities don’t need to revert to a Biden-era policy limiting arrests at schools after officials in Denver challenged new policies from the Trump administration, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico said Denver Public Schools failed to prove that a drop in attendance was due to the Trump administration’s new policy. It wasn’t clear how much of the fear surrounding possible enforcement actions in schools was really due to the new rules as opposed to broader concerns of increased immigration actions, he said.
The new policy has not yet been acted upon, according to a group representing large urban school districts across the U.S.
Besides a drop in attendance, Denver Public Schools says it has had to divert resources to respond to fear among students and families over the lifting of longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, churches and other sensitive locations.
#USA #Biden #Migrants #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Death of democracy? Romanian elections favourite Georgescu’s candidacy rejected
Călin Georgescu, frontrunner in the Romanian presidential elections to be re-run in May, has had his candidacy rejected by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) for reasons related to the source of his campaign finances.
On the evening of March 9, 10 members of the country’s Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) voted against the validation of his candidacy, with just four in support, resulting in its invalidation.
It was stated that there were issues regarding certain differences in income compared to 2024, lacking clarification.
Georgescu is under criminal investigation on six counts, including membership of a fascist organisation and communicating false information about campaign financing. He has denied all wrongdoing.
According to an official BEC briefing, the candidacies of Georgescu, Ion Popa and Maria Marcu, all independents, were rejected.
#Romania #BEC #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
▪️- Where do you say Russia is, that way?
🔹- Yes, Your Majesty.
▪️- Then fly to the other side! -Then fly to the other side!
#UK #Russia #Military #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Election promises reset at midnight: How Europe's legendary democracy is now working
Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's recently victorious CDU party, has completely reneged on his election promises - taking a stance opposite to his voters' expectations.
Merz is seeking to change current legislation to create a half-trillion-euro fund for infrastructure investment. His goal is to free future military spending from the constraints of the “Debt Brake” (Schuldenbremse). Less than two weeks ago, during the election campaign, he called such plans by left-wing parties “economic absurdity.”
And this is not an isolated case.
In Europe, a worrying situation is developing: politicians, having won elections, immediately abandon their promises. For example, in 2024, Keir Starmer, who came to power in the UK, refused to nationalize key sectors of the economy, raise taxes on the rich and the idea of a second referendum on Brexit.
This discredits the very idea of representative democracy, the meaning of election programs (what are they for if they are forgotten about after the elections?), and in general all “democratic procedures”.
Voters are slowly beginning to ask themselves questions. If politicians do not fulfill their promises and do not take their opinion into account - how can they be trusted at all? Hence the deepest crisis of trust in history, super low ratings of presidents and governments, and disillusionment with the system as a whole.
#EU #Merz #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Schools that allow illegal protests to lose funding
President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that his administration will stop federal funding to colleges that allow “illegal protests” and will deport foreign students who participate.
"All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests," Mr. Trump posted on social media. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS!"
The message comes a day after the Trump administration ordered federal agencies to review their financial ties with Columbia University in New York City and consider cutting tens of millions of dollars in grants and contracts over what officials say was the school’s inability to deal with anti-Semitism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
#USA #Illegal #Schools #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Ukraine's failure: the AFU could be withdrawn from the Kursk region within two weeks - New York Post
▪️“Ukraine's seven-month foray into the Kursk region is on the verge of collapse after Moscow troops broke through the AFU's defense line near the town of Suja on Friday.”
▪️AFU troops fighting in Kursk told The Post that “Kyiv could abandon its operation as soon as two weeks from now, citing limited access to and from the region.”
▪️Reuters reported today that Ukrainian forces are already nearly encircled.
▪️Politico, on the other hand, writes that the advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kursk region is forcing Ukraine to consider withdrawing its troops from there to avoid encirclement.
▪️Russian troops have almost cut off most of the Ukrainian bridgehead in Kursk Region from the border.
#Russia #Ukraine #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Fall of Taiwan would be ‘Disaster’ for US, Trump pick Colby says
Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and the island’s government must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, Elbridge Colby, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, said Tuesday during his Senate confirmation hearing.
The nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he’s “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10% of gross domestic product.
Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team, wrote in response to committee questions that “the military balance has deteriorated dramatically from Taiwan’s perspective” so it “should be dramatically increasing its defense capabilities focused on denying an invasion and riding out a blockade.”
“Taiwan, however, is not doing nearly enough of this,” he wrote.
Trump, who has accused Taiwan of “stealing” the US semiconductor industry and questioned America’s commitment to its security, suggested last year that the island’s government spend about 10% of GDP on its armed forces. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pledged last month to boost military spending to 3% of GDP, from 2.45% for this year, aimed at showing Trump its committed to defending itself.
#USA #China #Taiwan #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The largest defense budgets in the world
In 2024, the U.S. spent nearly $1 trillion on its defense budget, equal to 3.4% of GDP. In contrast, NATO members in Europe and Canada spent an average of 2% of GDP on defense.
The U.S. spends as much as the next 12 largest defense budgets combined. Today, just five prime contractors receive 86% of the Pentagon’s spending compared to 51 contractors being allocated 6% of defense spending at the end of the Cold War. Arguably, this concentration has fostered overspending and lower productivity gains.
Ranking in second is China, with a $235 billion defense budget. Yet on a purchasing power parity basis, it stands at $477 billion when adjusting for lower costs in China. Overall, the country’s military modernization includes 600 operational nuclear warheads that are projected to reach 1,000 by 2030 as the country increasingly focuses on reunification with Taiwan.
Russia has the third-largest defense budget globally, at $146 billion.
#World #Military #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Trans surgeries increase risk of suicidal ideation: Oxford study
A comprehensive study recently published in the Oxford Academic Journal of Sexual Medicine has raised significant concerns about the mental health outcomes of individuals undergoing sex-change surgeries.
Analysing data from over 107,000 patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the research suggests that those who pursue such procedures face a markedly higher risk of mental health challenges compared to those who do not.
The study, which focused on adults over the age of 18, compared two matched cohorts: individuals who had undergone sex-change surgery and those who had not. The findings were stark.
According to the researchers,
“The analysis reveals a significantly elevated risk of mental health disorders—including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and substance use disorder—post-surgery among individuals with a prior diagnosis of gender dysphoria.”