Friday, February 21, 2025

February 21, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Senate border budget triumphs after all-night session while Trump-backed House bill lags . . . The measure passed by a vote of 52-48, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the only Republican to oppose. All Senate Democrats voted against it as well. "This particular budget resolution… addresses the president's priority, top priority, which is securing the border and implementing and putting in place his immigration policies, rebuilding our military, and creating energy dominance for this country," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Fox News

Politics

Trump says he is going to personally inspect the gold at Fort Knox . . . President Trump said Thursday that he personally plans to travel to the Fort Knox military base in Kentucky to find out whether all of the nation's gold reserves are still there. "I want to find out," Mr. Trump said. "So we're going to open up the doors. I'm going to see if we have gold there. We want to find, did anyone steal the gold at Fort Knox?" Washington Times

NY Gov Hochul says will not remove NYC Mayor Adams, but imposes new safeguards to limit his power

Trump Is Planning to Take Control of the Postal Service, Officials Say . . . Trump is preparing to issue an executive order, possibly this week, to fire the members of the Postal Service's governing board and put the agency under the direct control of the Commerce Department, according to two government officials. The Postal Service board is expected to fight the move and is exploring legal action, one official said. Wall Street Journal

Gosh, looks like we're going to have to get used to the Post Office not losing our packages.

Judge rules Trump administration can move ahead on mass government layoffs

National Security

Trump's art of war: Win without fighting . . . Trump is compelling NATO allies to take over responsibility for the Russia problem, which has been draining the U.S. of its weapons arsenal and cash. We have provided $200 billion to Ukraine in cash and armaments and depleted our own weapons arsenal to dangerous levels in key weapon systems and ammunition, for no return on our investment. Trump wants to stop the bleeding – both of Ukrainians and of U.S. military hardware and cash, so we can focus on China. Rebekah Koffler for Fox News

Trump Admin Reportedly Set To Can Notorious Liberal General . . . Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is reportedly set to can a top general in the Air Force known for his liberal policies, two U.S. officials told CNN Thursday. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is reportedly on a list of suggested dismissals provided to congress, according to CNN. The move comes as Trump seeks to make good on his campaign promise to root out "wokeness" in the military. Daily Caller

International

Netanyahu decries release of wrong body as a ceasefire violation. . . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge Friday for what he described as a "cruel and malicious violation" of the ceasefire agreement after a body that Hamas released as part of the deal was found to not be that of an Israeli mother of two young boys, as the militants had promised. The incident has thrown the future of the fragile ceasefire into question. Six more living hostages are scheduled to be released Saturday as part of the tenuous ceasefire that has paused over 15 months of war. Associated Press

US official warns Hamas will face 'total annihilation' if they don't release all hostages

Palestinian Terrorists Parade Dead Babies' Bodies Through Streets As Celebratory Music Plays . . . Palestinian terrorists paraded the caskets of Israeli hostages, including what Hamas said were the bodies of a mother and two small children, during a Thursday ceremony where crowds of Gazans cheered them on. Videos from Khan Younis, Gaza, showed Hamas members and other terrorists carrying the four hostages as part of an exchange with Israel for detained Palestinian criminals. Daily Caller

Savages.

Israeli Ambassador Backs Trump's 'vision' for Gaza . . . Many "innocent" Gazans joined the kidnapping and murder of Israeli civilians on October 7, while many more "celebrated" the massacre, as well as "the return of Jewish babies in coffins," noted Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan Thursday , who called for the enclave to be "denazified" and "demilitarized" while urging the implementation of U.S. President Trump's plan for the region. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called for the full eradication of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas and the transformation of Gaza in line with President Trump's vision. Breitbart

Trump wants to remove all Palestinians from Gaza at least temporarily, but it's not clear that's exactly what Erdan backed.

Money

The Wild Economics Behind Ferrari's Domination of the Luxury Car Market . . . With a list price of $3.7 million, Ferrari's new "hypercar" was revealed to the public in October with a twist: It wasn't available for sale. All 799 units of the low-slung, high-haunched F80 model had been promised to top customers. By leveraging the rabid fandom of its customers through a business model based on uber-scarcity, the storied Italian company is enjoying a new golden age. Ferrari is now worth $90 billion, making it the most valuable car company in Europe—despite delivering just 13,752 vehicles last year. Wall Street Journal

You should also know

10 New York correction officers charged in on-camera beating death of handcuffed inmate . . . Ten New York prison guards have been indicted in connection to the killing of inmate Robert Brooks — whose brutal, and fatal beating was caught on a stomach-churning body-worn camera video. Six correction officers have been charged with second-degree murder and three others face manslaughter charges for the Dec. 9 homicide of Brooks, a prisoner at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, an indictment unsealed Thursday revealed. A tenth officer is being charged with tampering with evidence. New York Post

Trudeau declares US 'can't take our country' after Canada's 4 Nations championship win . . . Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a shot at the US on Thursday night after his country's hockey team defeated the Americans in the highly anticipated 4 Nations championship game. "You can't take our country — and you can't take our game," the outgoing prime minister declared in a terse statement posted to X after Team Canada beat their North American neighbors 3-2 in overtime. New York Post

This tournament will soon be known as the "3 Nations Cup."

IVF Mix-Up: White Woman Shocked To Give Birth To Black Baby After Using White Male Donor . . . Krystena Murray, 38, gave birth to a healthy black baby boy in December 2023, following IVF treatments. However, Murray is white, as what was supposed to be the male donor, who has "dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. The clinic notified the baby's biological parents, who sued Murray for custody of the child. Murray says she gave up the five-month-old baby instead of continuing to pursue a legal fight she was told she couldn't win. "To carry a baby, to fall in love with him, to deliver him, to build that uniquely special bond between a mother and a child, all to have him taken away," Murray said. Daily Wire

Guilty Pleasures

Zoo holding auction for paintings made by penguins, giraffes . . . A New York Zoo offered a sneak preview of some of the artwork that will be available at its upcoming gala auction: creations by animals including penguins, giraffes, sloths, capybaras and others. The Animal Adventure Park and Preserve in Harpursville announced the Dream Big Gala: Night Out on the Town, scheduled for March 15, will feature a silent auction for works of art created by several of the species that call the zoo home. UPI

One penguin commented that the zoo animals were "inspired" by the success of Hunter Biden's art sales.

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