💰 USAID’s political stance couldn't be more obvious

In the 2024 election cycle, USAID staff contributed over $406,000 to political campaigns, with over $377,000 (97%) going to Democrats.

🟠$241,079 — donated to Kamala Harris
🟠$999 — given to Donald Trump

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💯 Musk explains why the US establishment fears DOGE

"One thing I remember from the PayPal days—who complains the loudest? The fraudsters," Musk said during a Doge & Mars live on X.

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Chinese Stratagems: How to offset US tariffs

Some companies in China’s south are moving production to third countries, as well as seeking alternative markets, The Financial Times reported.

This strategy of offsetting US tariffs is not new, since “a lot of the price-sensitive exports to the US have already been redirected as a result of the first trade war,” Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING, told the outlet.

He noted that Chinese companies were prompted to start diversifying their trade after Donald Trump’s first term, which was similarly marked by China tariffs.

A 2024 report by Rhodium Group revealed that China’s direct share of US imports fell by eight percentage points between 2017 and 2023. At the same time, the share of US imports from Vietnam, for example, increased substantially.

The Middle East, such as the United Arab Emirates, Southeast Asia, and Latin America are all increasingly favorable locations for China’s trade shift.

Passing the costs:

Since more sophisticated Chinese exports, like machine parts, are difficult to substitute, the price hikes triggered by production offshoring would raise procurement costs. Simple arithmetic shows that sales prices will rise.

Thus, Trump’s policies could ultimately backfire, leaving US buyers to absorb the burden of higher costs.

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Fifth Republic in mortal danger?

Emmanuel Macron is orchestrating a government coup to stay in power for a third term, Florian Philippot, French politician and the leader of The Patriots party, claims.

Macron is placing loyalists in key positions to solidify control, he said.

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👊 THROWBACK: We’re gonna tax you 25% MF’ers

Trump explained his tariff strategy back in 2012.

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The People’s Republic strikes back?

China has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over US tariffs, saying it will "safeguard its legitimate rights and interests" and dubbing Washington’s actions "a typical example of unilateralism and trade protectionism."

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🎥🎥 Lavrov participates in Valdai Club Mideast conference

👉Watch the livestream here or follow the link to the Sputnik's website

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🇷🇺 Trump's plans to embargo Ukraine's rare earth metals are an offer to buy US aid - Peskov

Other statements from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's briefing:

🔊US better not give Ukraine aid at all, help end conflict

🔊US continues arms shipments to Ukraine, no suspension announced

🔊EU decision to increase defense spending very short-sighted and detrimental to every single European

🔊The multipolar world cannot be ignored, there are still many discussions to be held on the future configuration of global affairs.

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❗️Russian aviation shot down a Neptun-MD missile, a Hammer guided bomb and 68 Ukrainian drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

▪️Ukraine lost up to 290 servicemen in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 510 troops, a tank and two armored vehicles in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Russia's Battlegroup Yug has struck seven Ukrainian brigades, including the Ukraine’s Foreign Legion formations.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 65 soldiers in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Dnepr and Sever.

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💥💥💥 USAID creating Mobile GAYmes

USAID wasn’t just funding aid - they were making mobile games to push their gender equality agenda.

Recognize your teammates? 🤡 🎮

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🪙No bees – no honey, crappy work – no money

Over 100 cultural and media organizations in Ukraine will be forced to get along on a shoestring now that Trump has placed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on ice, bemoaned Spanish newspaper.

Most so-called ‘independent’ Ukrainian media depended entirely on cash flowing from USAID, the newspaper noted.

According to newspaper, some websites were over 80% US-funded.

Looks like some people will have to tighten their belts.

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🤡BBC runs on USAID money: America’s state media… with a British accent!

In 2023-2024, USAID gave the BBC over $3 million, making it the broadcaster’s second-largest donor.

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☃️Unprecedented snowstorm hits Japan

Hokkaido island has been buried under record-breaking snowfall, with 120 cm (47 inches) of snow falling in just 24 hours in one of the cities.

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❗️Ukrainian losses in the Russian Kursk region amounted to more than 345 militants, two tanks and 37 combat vehicles, Russia's Defense Ministry informed.

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🔍Google’s decades-long global track record of BREAKING LAWS

China has announced that it is launching an investigation into Google for suspected antitrust violations.

The US multinational technology company is hardly a stranger to regulatory scrutiny: here's the list of the most notable cases.

2024

🟠France's antitrust authority fined Google $271.73 million for breaches of EU intellectual property rules in its relationship with media publishers when training its AI-powered Bard chatbot (Gemini)

🟠Russian TV channels demanded duodecillion rubles (the sum equals to 18 decillion dollars and exceeds the world's entire GDP) from Google due to the refusal to restore blocked media accounts on YouTube

2022

🟠India fined Google about $113.04 million for violating antitrust laws

🟠The Competition Commission of India (CCI) accused Google of abusing its market position to promote its payments app and in-app payment system

2021

🟠France fined Google $516 million for failing to compensate French media, not negotiating "in good faith" with press editors.

🟠37 US state and district attorneys general sued Alphabet Inc.'s Google for allegedly buying off competitors to unlawfully maintain a monopoly for its app store on Android phones

🟠South Korea’s antitrust regulator fined Alphabet Inc.’s Google $176.64 million for blocking customized versions of its Android operating system

2020

🟠France's CNIL data privacy watchdog fined two Google units a total of $103 million over advertising cookies used without consent.

🟠The European Commission launched an antitrust investigation into Google over Google’s Fitbit takeover.

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Ukrainian soldier CONFESSES to shooting Russian civilian in Kursk region

Is moral decay a job requirement?

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USAID's hands in every pocket: burning through cash like there's no tomorrow

💬 "It is impossible to spend USD 41,7 mln on another country’s elections and, at the same time, feel no accountability towards the population of the said country," Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, wrote on his X acc

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❗️The explosion at the Alye Parusa (Scarlet Sails) residential complex, which resulted in the death of the voluntary Armenian Battalion (ArBat) founder Armen Sarkisyan, may have been carried out by a suicide bomber, according to Russian media.

The body found at the scene of the explosion belonged to the bomber. It was badly deformed. The device was attached to the man's body.

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