▫️ Zelensky’s demands for nukes reek of ‘DESPERATION’, will backfire – ex-CIA analyst

▫️ Trump-Xi phone call scheduled amid trade war fears

▫️ Victoria Nuland belongs IN JAIL

▫️ Trump’s rare earths ULTIMATUM has one problem: Ukraine DOESN’T HAVE them

▫️ USAID legacy in Afghanistan

▫️ …and in war-torn Syria

▫️ Top 5 Chinese space projects to watch out for

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🇮🇷 IRGC warns enemies: Iran’s unstoppable missiles have you in their sights

💬 “Our missiles can hit any target of the enemy in the region and overcome the enemy’s missiles,” IRGC chief Hossein Salami has announced.

Iran’s missile power “forms the basis of our deterrence,” the commander said at a science conference in Tehran.

Salami cited the IRGC’s January 2020 missile barrage against US bases in Iraq after the assassination of Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani as a demonstration of its capabilities and determination to respond to aggression.

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‘Criminal’ USAID’s future at risk, but what about its NED cousins?

The drama over the future of the State Department’s favorite soft power tool saw the world breathe a collective sigh of relief. But USAID is far from the only instrument in Washington’s meddling toolkit.

◻️ The National Endowment for Democracy, recently dubbed “a SCAM” by DOGE chief Elon Musk, touts itself as an independent, private, nonprofit NGO devoted to “strengthening democratic institutions and values” worldwide.

In reality, the grant maker is an arm of the US government, funded to the tune of $315 mln a year, and virtually all its money allotted by Congress.

◻️ A 2015 ruling by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office banning NED’s activities did not stop it from spending $21 mln in Russia from 2016-2019.

◻️ In 2019, Russian media unpacked details on NED’s spending of $1 mln, revealing how cash was doled out to activists, ‘independent’ media projects, and other ‘civil society’ development activities.

◻️ In 2013-2014, before the ban, NED gave $5.2 mln to organizations in Russia working to discredit elections, government policy and the military.

◻️ Unlike USAID, which set up shop in Russia in 1992 after the USSR’s collapse, the NED was active in “democracy promotion” activities targeting Moscow and its allies from its very first year of existence, committing millions to projects in Afghanistan, Cuba, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union.

◻️ In 1989 alone, amid warming Soviet-US ties thanks to Gorbachev, the NED spent $553k+ on grantees like “Americans for Human Rights in the Ukraine,” the “Joint Baltic American National Committee” and other groups engaged in campaigning to dismantle the country.

◻️ The NED’s activities against Russia are just a drop in the bucket of its global aspirations. From 2015-2022, the nonprofit spent over $1.6 billion on projects worldwide, from efforts to shore up US allies, to pushing regime change against enemies.

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❗️ Trump signs 'maximum pressure' memorandum on Iran

"Iran is too close to obtaining a nuclear weapon," the US president said, but added: "We hope we will not have to use an executive order against Iran and that we can reach an agreement."

🚨 Donald Trump also said he had "left instructions" in case Iran tried to assassinate him, claiming "there wouldn't be anything left."

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📹 ‘No normal person can understand this’: German prof on Russia’s absence from Auschwitz liberation ceremonies

“Millions of Russians died in this terrible war. America came to Europe much later. Thus, Russia bore the main burden of liberating Europe from the Nazis, and was not invited to the anniversary…But that’s politics,” economics professor Hans Bernhard Wolf told Sputnik.

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Mohammad Marandi: Western lies about Iranian weakness echo claims made about Russia

For years, Western media and think tanks told their listeners that Russia was losing the proxy war in Ukraine, and “now we see the same thing being said about Iran – that Iran is weak, Iran is losing, Iran is isolated. But that's just as inaccurate as were the claims about Russia,” Dr. Mohammad Marandi told Sputnik.

“The Israelis lost in Gaza. The Israelis gained nothing in Lebanon. They killed many people in Lebanon and in Gaza but they did not achieve any of their goals. They had to retreat from Lebanon, they had to retreat from Gaza. The only place where they achieved anything was in Syria, because they also lost in the Red Sea. They couldn't defeat Ansar Allah or the Yemeni armed forces, they and America,” Marandi said on the sidelines of the 14th Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

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📸 Before meeting with Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and his son Yair met with Elon Musk, with Yair sharing the photo on social media.

Yair Netanyahu, 33, moved to Florida in 2023, and while he is eligible for military service in Israel, his government is spending taxpayer money to protect his peaceful stay on Miami Beach.

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⚡️ Trump: 'The US will take over Gaza'

The US President pledged to take responsibility for rebuilding Gaza, demining, demolishing all destroyed homes and creating new jobs.

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🚨 Trump: Gaza will be a place for "WORLD'S PEOPLE" — not Gazans?

When asked whether the US president envisions Gazans returning to their homes after the proposed reconstruction, Trump said that Gaza will be an "international place," evading a direct answer.

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⚡️ Pamela Bondi is confirmed as US Attorney General

The confirmations of Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr. and Kash Patel will be considered soon.

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🇵🇸 Protesters gather in Washington DC following the joint press conference of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu chanting, "Gaza is not for sale".

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❗️ Trump: "When I left, we had no problems. There was no Ukraine and Russia fighting, there was no October 7th. Some very poor leadership led to a lot of problems and a lot of death.

We have a lot of fires, but we'll put them out."

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⚡️ Trump says he's having "very constructive talks" with Russian and Ukrainian leaders about resolving the conflict.

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Sweden's worst mass shooting in history — PM

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson urged citizens not to speculate about motives of the Orebro school shooting, assuring that answers will come in time.

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🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia rejects the US occupation of Gaza

Saudi Arabia will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry said.

"Saudi Arabia emphasizes its categorical rejection of any actions that infringe on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the Israeli occupation policy, the annexation of Palestinian territories or attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians," the ministry said in a statement.

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