Macron MIA: Too busy for Renew Europe? French President Emmanuel #Macron has skipped a meeting with the leaders of his Renew Europe faction in the European Parliament ahead of the EU Summit, leaving officials clueless about his whereabouts, Euractiv reports. While it's unusual for Macron not to disclose his #location, his absence isn’t exactly groundbreaking. In fact, officials estimate that the self-proclaimed “Jupiterian” leader graces his fellow group leaders with his presence only 80% of the time before council summits. Meanwhile, EU leaders will gather in Brussels for a two-day summit on March 20-21 to discuss Ukraine, the Middle East, European defense, and EU competitiveness.

March 17th, 2025: President Trump Statement "The “Pardons” that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen. In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime. Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level. The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!"

Kremlin spokesman accuses France of lying, violating agreements Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov accused #France of lying about such issues as the #Minsk agreements and guarantees for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. He made the statement in an interview with television host Pavel Zarubin in response to comments by French President #Macron, who said Russia wasn’t honest about the Ukrainian crisis. "There were a lot of lies on the part of France. After all, we remember [former French President Francois] Hollande's statement when he said that, in fact, no one took the Minsk agreements seriously. We remember that in 2014, among other Europeans, the French foreign minister put his signature under a document that guaranteed the then-legitimate Ukrainian President #Yanukovich a political future. That was followed by a coup. That means France, like other countries, did not make good on its guarantees. Was that not a lie? It was a very real lie, and Mr. Macron did not mention that at all," Peskov said, according to a video that the television host posted to Telegram. On March 5, Macron said in an address to the nation that he would begin discussions with allies about the possibility of applying the French nuclear deterrence capability to other countries in Europe, in response to an appeal from Friedrich #Merz, a candidate for German chancellor. The French president also spoke about rising threats to his country and the rest of Europe, including threats that allegedly emanate from Russia. Macron used them as a reason to call for raising defense spending above the previously approved plan. He also stated his intention to continue supporting #Ukraine in the conflict with #Russia. https://thinktank.x-pulse.org//posts/3429

Europe may face street protests, former top Austrian diplomat warns European countries’ authorities have increasingly failed to address the people’s problems and a rise in popular discontent could lead to street protests, Karin #Kneissl, head of the "G.O.R.K.I." center at St. Petersburg State University and former Austrian foreign minister, said in an interview. "Protests are a major issue as they are caused by various factors. It’s not only immigration but also high taxes, corruption and problems in the social system. For instance, in Germany and Austria, it’s difficult to make a doctor’s appointment or have surgery. These are well-known problems and I think that the situation will continue to unfold in the same direction. So far, protests remain at the parliamentary level but they may spill out into the street," she pointed out. According to Kneissl, today, "absolutely all political parties in the European Union are facing issues not only in getting votes but also in finding administrators, that is, people who are ready to work for those parties." "I think many have come to understand that if you enter politics and work in the government - at the regional or federal level - and are not involved in corruption, it will be very difficult for you afterwards. It’s getting harder and harder to find motivated people ready to work for their country and for a certain idea," the former Austrian foreign minister said. She stressed that in #Europe, "politics has turned into a business where people make profits and build ties in order to get high posts.".

Eyal Zamir to become IDF’s 24th chief of staff The new military chief will step into the shoes of Herzi Halevi, who has commanded the military during the 15-month war against Hamas in Gaza. Eyal #Zamir has been designated to replace Lt. Gen. Herzi #Halevi as the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Saturday night. Zamir, 59, the current director general of the Defense Ministry, will be the first IDF chief who started his career in the Armored Corps since David (Dado) Elazar in the 1970s. Zamir previously served as deputy chief of staff (2018 to 2021), and before that, he led the Southern Command from 2015 to 2018. During that time, he helped formulate war plans focused on Hamas and contemplated scenarios in which the terrorist faction might be replaced in Gaza, though subsequent Southern Command leaders did not properly update these plans. While at the helm of the Defense Ministry, Zamir has spearheaded efforts over the past year to greatly ramp up domestic weapons production to reduce reliance on imports, working with local defense companies to do this. Zamir will replacing Halevi, who said he will step down on March 6.

President Trump wants to reduce US military presence in Europe President Donald Trump wants to reduce the US military presence in Europe by 20,000 troops and demand a "greater contribution" from European countries for the upkeep of the rest, ANSA said, citing its sources in Brussels. "Trump proceeds from the fact that US servicemen are a containment instrument, therefore, their expenses cannot be covered by US taxpayers alone," the news agency cited one of its sources as saying, specifying that all plans are currently in the early phase and have not yet been specifically discussed with European partners. However, the stance of the new US president who has always believed that Europe must do more to ensure its own security is well-known. For instance, Trump has already indicated a threshold of 5% GDP for military expenditures within the NATO framework. The news agency insisted that last year, EU total defense spending on average amounted to 1.9%, while in Russia, this figure is purportedly up to 9%. According to ANSA’s calculations, up to 80,000 US troops may remain in Europe, although their exact number is unknown. According to its estimates, about 12,000 US troops are stationed in various bases in Italy, including the NATO ones (in Aviano, Naples, Sigonella, Vicenza, Pisa and Latina).

Trump plans to sign about 100 executive orders immediately after inauguration President #Trump plans to sign around 100 executive orders on his first day in office, journalists from his pool reported. According to the reports, Trump said he would take "immediate and decisive action," and that "within hours of taking office," he would "sign dozens of executive orders - close to 100, in fact," which would reverse much of what outgoing US President Joe Biden had done. Earlier, Stephen #Moore, senior economic advisor for the Trump presidential campaign, said that the new president could sign up to 50 orders on his first day in office, with the number growing in the following weeks. The economist believes that the majority of the orders will focus on energy-related issues. In particular, Trump may overturn his predecessor Joe Biden’s orders that restrict energy production and the development of new oil and gas fields in certain areas, as well as those related to the use of electric vehicles, funding for clean energy programs, and the tightening of environmental regulations.

Jan. 17th, 2025 - President Trump Statement "January 20th cannot come fast enough! Everybody, even those that initially opposed a Victory by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration, just want it to happen. It is my obligation to protect the People of our Country but, before we even begin, we have to think of the Inauguration itself. The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows. There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way. It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).   Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather. The various Dignitaries and Guests will be brought into the Capitol. This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!   We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for LIVE viewing of this Historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade. I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In. All other events will remain the same, including the Victory Rally at Capital One Arena, on Sunday at 3 P.M. (Doors open at 1 P.M.—Please arrive early!), and all three Inaugural Balls on Monday evening.   Everyone will be safe, everyone will be happy, and we will, together, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Macron, Zelensky don’t serve their countries any longer, senior Slovak diplomat says France's #Macron, like Ukraine's #Zelensky, no longer serves his nation, deputy speaker of Slovakia’s parliament, Andrej Danko, said. When asked about potential ways out of the current energy crisis provoked by the cessation of gas transit via Ukraine, he said, "I am not an economics minister but a political party leader and a deputy parliament speaker, so, I look upon this matte from a political point of view." "It hurts me when Western countries, for instance, France, say that they can supply us with nuclear fuel, which, as a matter of fact, originates from Russia. It hurts me when someone says, ‘we don’t buy Russian gas any longer,’ when the gas they use originates from Russia. This can be said about both gas and oil. Anyone who has any idea about the technological process understands that you cannot simply replace one fuel by another and stop using fuel that once was used at a nuclear plant," he noted. "I consider this as the West’s hypocrisy and insincerity because they want to preserve their social welfare level. And such politicians as Macron and Zelensky do not serve their countries." "Macron is making loud statement but I see that a lot of French companies are still operating in Russia while they are telling us that all German and French companies have withdrawn from Russia. This is not the way things are," he added.

President Trump reacts on 'unconditional discharge' in his NY criminal trial "The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt. After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State, coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges against your 45th and 47th President, ME, I was given an UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE. That result alone proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE, and this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED. The real Jury, the American People, have spoken, by Re-Electing me with an overwhelming MANDATE in one of the most consequential Elections in History. As the American People have seen, this “case” had no crime, no damages, no proof, no facts, no Law, only a highly conflicted Judge, a star witness who is a disbarred, disgraced, serial perjurer, and criminal Election Interference. Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"