The Restructuring of American Government
Vice President JD Vance said he was surprised to hear of Pope Francis’s criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration policy while speaking at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Feb. 28.
Despite that disagreement, Vance prayed for Pope Francis at the event, as the pope remained in critical condition on Feb. 28 after suffering a bronchospasm that caused vomiting and the need for non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the Holy See announced.
Vance also said he believes that the pontiff is a man who deeply cares about the spiritual direction of the faith and the world’s Christians.
“I will always remember the Holy Father as a great pastor, as a man who can speak the truth, the faith, in a very profound way at a moment of great crisis,” Vance said. He recalled a sermon of hope that the pope delivered in March 2020 at the height of the pandemic in an empty St. Peter’s Square, likening it to the gospel in which Jesus calmed the sea after his terrified disciples awakened him during a storm.
Vance, the first Catholic convert to serve as vice president, asked fellow Catholics to say a prayer that he and his family had been praying daily for the pope ever since he was admitted to the hospital.
Pope Francis has criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and condemned mass deportations.
“The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness,” he said in a Feb. 10 letter.
Vance had argued that his administration’s immigration policy was aligned with his Catholic faith, citing “Ordo Amoris,” a centuries-old teaching that suggests a hierarchy of how one is supposed to love, justifying the needs and concerns of the immediate family before those of strangers.
Pope Francis appeared to correct Vance’s understanding of the concept in his letter.
“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups,” he wrote.
“The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan,’ that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”
Vance’s address also came as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken the Trump administration to court over the cut-off of millions of dollars in funding for refugee programs in the United States.
The vice president also discussed using social media to respond to messages and criticism from the pope, bishops, and other religious leaders.
“Sometimes the bishops don’t like what I say,” Vance said. “I’m sure, by the way, sometimes they’re right, and sometimes they’re wrong. My goal is not to litigate when I’m right and when they’re wrong or vice versa. My goal is to maybe articulate the way that I think about being a Christian in public life.”
Vance said that he believes Christians are not called to obsess over social media controversies involving the Catholic Church, clergy, “or the Holy Father himself,” he said.
“I think that we should frankly take a page out of the books of our grandparents who respected our clergy, who looked to them for guidance, but didn’t obsess and fight over every single word that came out of their mouth.”
Vance said that the clergy are important spiritual leaders with a 2,000-year-old duty to speak on the issues of the day, but that they are now faced with the challenges of social media, and it is just as important for the Church’s clergy to recognize that as it is for lay people.
“I think it’s incumbent upon our religious leaders to recognize that in the era of social media, people will hang on every single word that they utter, even if that wasn’t their intention, and even if a given declaration wasn’t meant for consumption in the social media age,” he said.
The vice president’s speech touched upon his conversion to the faith and the emotional declaration that his 7-year-old son’s baptism was far more significant than winning the election in November 2024.
He stated that the administration’s door was open to feedback from the nation’s faithful.
“I’ll make this commitment to you in front of God, and in front of all those television cameras back there, that we will always listen to people of faith and people of conscience in the United States of America,” Vance said. “You have an open door to the Trump administration, even and especially, maybe, when you disagree with us.
“So, please use that opportunity to communicate with us when we get things right, but also when we get things wrong.”
In the wake of a meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which was cut short after an argument at the Oval Office, President Donald Trump told reporters what his Ukrainian counterpart had to do to receive an invitation back to the White House.
“He’s got to say, ‘I want to make peace,’” Trump said while walking to board Marine One on Friday evening.
“He doesn’t have to stand there and say, ‘Putin this, Putin that,’ all negative things. He’s got to say, ‘I want to make peace. I don’t want to fight a war any longer.’ These people are dying. He doesn’t have the cards.”
Hours earlier, a meeting between the two parties in the Oval Office devolved into a shouting match. Matters broke down when Zelenskyy began to demand that the deal be changed to include more security guarantees from the United States before he signed the deal.
Trump told Zelenskyy in the Oval Office that Ukraine is “not in a very good position.”
“You don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards,” Trump said.
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III,” Trump said. “What you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country.”
The White House later disclosed that the Ukrainian leader was asked to leave early, no deal had been signed, and the joint press conference scheduled later that day had been canceled.
“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump went on to write on Truth Social.
Trump shared before leaving the White House that Zelenskyy had already expressed his desire to come back to the White House, and Trump said he couldn’t let the Ukrainian leader return.
The president also said that Zelenskyy no longer wanted a cease-fire with Russia and stressed to the members of the press, “You can’t embolden somebody that does not have the cards.”
“I want it to end immediately,” Trump said of the war in Ukraine. “I want a cease-fire now. He says, ‘Oh, I don’t want a cease-fire.’ Well, all of a sudden he’s a big shot because he has the U.S. on his side.”
“Either we’re going to end it or let him fight it out,” Trump said. “And if he fights it out, it’s not going to be pretty, because without it, without us, he doesn’t win.”
Zelenskyy later told Fox News’s Bret Baier that no one wanted the war to end more than he and the people of Ukraine. As to the primary reason he came to Washington, to sign the minerals agreement, Zelenskyy said he was ready to sign it.
However, Zelenskyy said he won’t agree to a cease-fire until his country has security guarantees from the United States safeguarding them from another Russian offensive.
“We want peace,” he said. “That’s why I’m in the United States. That’s why I visited President Trump. And thanks for the invitation again. The deal on minerals is the first step to security guarantees. It’s meant for the peace. Closer to peace.”
When asked if he felt like he owed Trump an apology for how he acted in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy appeared to disagree and stressed the need to talk with Trump again to hear his plans to stop Russian leader Vladimir Putin and secure peace for Ukraine.
“I respect [the] American people,” the Ukrainian leader said. “I think that we have to be very open and very honest, and I’m not sure that we did something bad. I think maybe sometimes, some things we have to discuss [outside] of media, with all respect to democracy and to a free media.
But there are things that, where we have to understand the position of Ukraine and Ukrainians, and I think that is the most important thing.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly said he doesn't know where most of the $200 billion in American aid went, despite the U.S. providing Kyiv with over $75 billion. His statement was reportedly in response to President Donald Trump’s claim last month that Ukraine has received $200 billion from the U.S.? Click below for Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xOzAc9dArM
A damning report by a U.S. journalist has put Volodymyr Zelensky's in a spot. In his latest report, Seymour Hersh has claimed that Zelensky and his entourage embezzled at least $400 million that was sent as aid to Ukraine. He added that the level of corruption in Kyiv is approaching that of the Afghan War. Ukraine has been battling widespread systematic corruption even before Russia's invasion. Watch this video for details.
Zelensky - Dancing in Heels. The President of Ukraine dances on heels
No more... Trump and J. D. Vance will STOP the madness!
Zelenskyy Defends Oval Office Remarks, Stresses Need for Security Guarantees
WASHINGTON—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 28 defended his comments made during a tense White House meeting.
In an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier, Zelenskyy reiterated his stance on a cease-fire agreement, suggesting that he was open to peace, but insisted on securing lasting peace through security guarantees from the United States.
“We are ready for peace, but we have to be in a strong position,” he said.
His comments came after a heated argument that erupted during his visit to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump. During the meeting, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance expressed concerns over Zelenskyy’s public insistence on security guarantees as part of a proposed minerals deal.
The exchange left the minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine on hold as the Ukrainian leader was asked to depart the White House.
Trump told reporters that Zelenskyy wanted to return to sign the deal and noted that the Ukrainian president was not yet ready for a peace deal.
“Well, he says he wants it now. He wants to come back right now, but I can’t do that,” Trump said as he was departing the White House.
Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the invitation, stating that the minerals deal was the first step to security guarantees. He told Fox News it was meant to bring both sides closer to peace.
“That’s why I’m here,” he said.
Zelenskyy also stated that without U.S. support, it would be extremely difficult for Ukraine to continue its fight against Russia. He acknowledged that the United States and other countries would not offer NATO membership to Ukraine.
“If not NATO, let’s build NATO in Ukraine. That’s my position,” he said.
“When we say no NATO, what security guarantees can we have? I’m not pushing. We’re not pressuring. We’re just asking.”
Zelenskyy added that Europeans have already committed to providing security to Ukraine with boots on the ground. He also noted that the United States might consider offering support, potentially as a backstop “just to guarantee that they are with Europeans.”
The meeting escalated after Zelenskyy was accused of being disrespectful and failing to show gratitude for Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
During the Oval Office meeting, Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin had broken cease-fires 25 times.
In response to the Ukrainian leader’s repeated request for security guarantees, Vance said to Zelenskyy: “It’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
After the bilateral meeting, both sides were expected to reconvene for lunch, but the Ukrainian representatives were asked to leave, a White House official told The Epoch Times. And the lunch, which was meant for Zelenskyy and his team was given to the White House staff.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz delivered the message to Zelenskyy that Trump and Vance no longer wished to continue the meeting, the official said.
Zelenskyy Says No Reason to Apologize
During the Fox interview, Zelenskyy said he had no reason to apologize to Trump after their heated exchange.
“No, I respect the president and I respect American people,” Zelenskyy said in response to a question on whether he should apologize.
“I think that we have to be very open and very honest, and I’m not sure that we did something bad,” he added.
At the start of the interview, Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Trump and Congress for their bipartisan support, saying he has always been very thankful.
“I think that we have to be on the same side, and I hope that the president is on our side together with us, and that is very important to stop Putin,” Zelenskyy said while defending his remarks at the Oval Office.
When Baier asked if he regretted the conversation in front of the media, Zelenskyy said, “Yes, I think it was not good. I think it was not good because we had a lot of different dialogs.”
Baier asked Zelenskyy about a comment from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who on X accused Trump of being beholden to Putin.
“Do you agree that President Trump is too close to Vladimir Putin in your mind?” Baier asked.
Zelenskyy said Trump had told him that he sought to be “in the middle” of the two warring countries to ensure all parties participate in negotiations.
“I want really him to be more at our side,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s not just that the war began somewhere between our countries. The war began when Russia brought this war to our country.”
During the Oval Office meeting, Trump rejected criticism of being too aligned with Putin.
“You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say, ‘Hi, Vladimir! How are we doing on the deal?’ It doesn’t work that way,” Trump said. “I’m not aligned with anybody. I’m aligned with the United States of America and for the good of the world.”
During the Fox interview, Zelenskyy also addressed worries about how Ukraine has handled the weapons and money it has received from the United States.
Baier asked the Ukrainian leader if there would “be a very rigorous accounting of where the money has gone,” raising concerns about possible corruption and equipment sales in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy told Baier that the concerns were unwarranted.
“It came through the border. It’s checked and it’s fixed by everybody,” he said of weapons shipments to Ukraine. He then offered a similar reassurance regarding direct financial support from the United States to Ukraine.
“It’s very open. It’s digitalized,” he said. “If somebody wants to check it again, we are very, very open with this.”
Since the start of the war three years ago, U.S. Congress has passed several bills to provide a total of $174 billion to Ukraine, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on March 2 that Europe must continue to provide funding for Ukraine to sustain its position during peace negotiations, while also committing to roughly $2 billion in export financing to supply Ukraine with 5,000 air defense missiles.
Starmer hosted a security summit in London on March 2 with other European and world leaders as Britain, France, and Ukraine work on a cease-fire plan to present to the United States as an effort to end the Russia–Ukraine war.
Starmer emphasized that despite the breakdown in talks at the White House on Feb. 28, the United States remains an important ally to Britain.
“The U.S. has been a reliable ally to the U.K. for many, many decades and continues to be,” Starmer said. “There are no two countries as closely aligned as our two countries.”
Starmer said he is working on a Ukraine peace plan intended to receive U.S. backing and warned that Europe must do the heavy work of defending itself.
Starmer’s March 2 summit of leaders stands in contrast to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting in the White House on Feb. 28, during which U.S. President Donald Trump scolded him for not being ready for peace and not being grateful for America’s support in his nation’s defense against Russia’s three-year-long invasion.
Starmer said he’s working on restoring discussions of peace and is using the breakdown on Feb. 28 as an opportunity to reengage with Trump, Zelenskyy, and French President Emmanuel Macron rather than “ramp up the rhetoric.”
“We’ve now agreed that the United Kingdom, along with France and possibly one or two others, will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, and then we’ll discuss that plan with the United States,” Starmer told the BBC, adding that he and Macron have both spoken to Trump since the latter’s meeting with Zelenskyy.
At the summit, European leaders discussed shoring up the continent’s defenses in defending Ukraine, including discussions to create a European military force to send to the war-torn country to cap a cease-fire. Starmer suggested the military force would include a “coalition of the willing.”
While he does not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, Starmer said he trusts Trump.
“Do I believe Donald Trump when he says he wants lasting peace? The answer to that is yes,” he said.
Starmer added that “intense discussions” to obtain a security guarantee from the United States are one of the three components of lasting peace.
“If there is to be a deal, if there is to be a stopping of the fighting, then that agreement has to be defended, because the worst of all outcomes is that there is a temporary pause, and then Putin comes again,” Starmer said. “That has happened in the past. I think it is a real risk, and that is why we must ensure that if there’s a deal, it is a lasting deal, not a temporary pause.”
The summit, held at Lancaster House—a 200-year-old mansion near Buckingham Palace—will also include leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Romania.
Other attendees include the Turkish foreign minister, the NATO secretary-general, and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council.
Zelenskyy received support from European leaders after the contentious Feb. 28 meeting at the White House in which a rare earths deal was abandoned and Trump told Zelenskyy to come back when he was ready for peace.
After the Ukrainian president arrived in Britain on March 1, Starmer embraced him.
“As you heard from the cheers on the street outside, you have full backing across the United Kingdom,” Starmer said. “We stand with you, with Ukraine, for as long as it may take.”
Starmer also pledged to boost military spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. Other European nations may follow suit.
On March 1, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said European countries must increase military spending to at least 3 percent of GDP as the continent faces a historic test in defending itself.
“If we don’t increase our effort fast enough and let the aggressor dictate its conditions, we won’t end up well,” he said.
In calling for unity among his European neighbors, Macron embraced more defense spending after saying it was legitimate for the United States to shift its military focus to China and Asia.
“We should have woken up earlier,” Macron said. “I’ve been saying for years that we need a more sovereign, more united, more independent Europe.”
As Alice would say, observing the evolving Ukraine situation, "Curiouser and curiouser." There may be a Ukraine mineral deal with the UK which conflicts with the US deal proposed by Trump.
UK's 100-year deal with Ukraine 'under threat from Trump' - The Paper, 2/27/25, click below to read online:
Questions are being asked about whether a deal on minerals between Washington and Kyiv is compatible with the UK's own agreement with Ukraine, which commits both countries to exploring opportunities for natural resources
Donald Trump’s minerals deal with Volodymyr Zelensky risks undermining the UK’s own interests in exploring opportunities for Ukraine’s natural resources, the government has been warned.
In January, Sir Keir Starmer and President Zelensky signed a 100-year partnership for closer cooperation between their two countries on everything from defence and security to culture and sport.
That agreement included a clause on minerals, which proposed a joint working group to maximise the “benefits from Ukraine’s natural resources” as well as support the development of a Ukrainian “critical minerals strategy”.
But the US-Ukraine deal, which is expected to be approved when Zelensky visits Washington on Friday, is understood to give the US wide-ranging access to that country’s mineral riches in exchange for investment and rebuilding infrastructure after the war – fuelling fears that British interests could be squeezed out.?
Was Zelensky sandbagging Trump and the US?
[The NYPost has posted a number of articles critical of Zelensky in the past day.? This is a paper, that up to now was printing the Ukrainian flag on its masthead.]
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reveals Zelensky nixed Trump’s mineral deal twice prior to Oval Office blowup - NYPost, 3/1/25???
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already twice refused to sign a minerals deal with the United States.
“This has to be one of the greatest diplomatic mishaps of all time by President Zelensky,” Bessent said in an interview Friday with Laura Ingraham, host of Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”
Bessent explained that Zelensky told him during a meeting in Kyiv that he would not sign a mineral deal, which would exchange billions of dollars in US aid funding for rare earths and other resources from Ukraine. [Why then accept an invitation to the WH for a highly publicized agreement signing? Was it Zelensky's intent to cause a scene which would cause a breach between the US and Europe and force Europe into more support for Ukraine?] Zelensky also refused to close the deal with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Bessent stated.
If one goal of Trump's strategy towards Ukraine was to provoke Europe to take a more active part in its own defense, it may be working.
Zelensky receives warm welcome — and $3.3B loan — from UK PM one day after heated spat with Trump at White House - NYPost, 3/1/25???
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a warm welcome – and a $3.3 billon loan – from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Saturday, just one day after a heated, public argument with President Trump at the White House.
The leaders embraced outside 10 Downing Street in London, where the prime minister reaffirmed the Ukrainian leader had the “full backing across the United Kingdom,” as scores of onlookers cheered.
Starmer announces 'coalition of the willing' to guarantee Ukraine peace - BBC, 3/2/25
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a four-point plan to work with Ukraine to end the war and to defend it from Russia.
The UK, France and other countries in a "coalition of the willing" would step up their efforts and seek to involve the US in their support for Ukraine, he said.
"We are at a crossroads in history today," Starmer said after a summit of 18 leaders - mostly from Europe and including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
It comes two days after a fiery exchange between the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump in the White House.
Speaking at a news conference after the summit, Starmer said four points had been agreed:
Sir Keir also announced an additional ￡1.6bn ($2bn) of UK export finance to buy more than 5,000 air defence missiles. This comes on top of a ￡2.2bn loan to provide more military aid to Ukraine backed by profits from frozen Russian assets.?
Jared Silverman Email:?? [email protected]
Video: Treasury Secretary Bessent is shocked at the behavior of Zelensky
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sits down for an exclusive interview with Bloomberg's David Westin after a shouting match between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Bessent discusses the fallout and the future of the US-Ukraine relationship, as well as the status of tariffs and inflation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is making significant strides in cutting federal spending, adding that he is “slightly shocked” by the extent of fraud uncovered—not just waste and abuse.
Speaking in a Feb. 28 interview on Bloomberg Podcasts, Bessent was asked whether DOGE’s cost-cutting measures would have a “material” impact on deficit reduction.
“I think we can make a pretty big hit here,” he replied, explaining that if DOGE identifies $300 billion in savings—which he suggested is possible—it could reduce the annual deficit by approximately 1 percentage point as a share of gross domestic product (GDP).
Even if the savings total only $150 billion, he said, this is still “moving us back toward the target, and we’re determined to get this down.”
Bessent emphasized that DOGE, which was tasked by President Donald Trump with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending, has already uncovered substantial inefficiencies—and a surprising amount of outright fraud.
When in comes to “waste, fraud, and abuse, I think most of us think in terms of waste and abuse,” Bessent said. “I’ve got to tell you that I’m slightly shocked at some of the fraud we’re finding, and you’re going to be hearing about more of that over the next couple of weeks.”
As for the ultimate savings that DOGE will deliver, Bessent said: “We'll see.”
DOGE, led by Elon Musk in a special government role, has an 18-month mandate to slash $2 trillion in federal spending before its scheduled dissolution on Independence Day 2026. Musk has acknowledged the ambitious nature of this goal, saying that even cutting half that amount would be a major step toward reducing inefficiency and lowering deficits.
Over the past month, Musk and DOGE staffers have moved aggressively to pursue reforms across federal agencies, reporting $65 billion in savings through canceled grants, asset sales, workforce reductions, and terminated contracts and leases.
Trump recently urged Musk to push even harder to root out waste and fraud. He also signed an executive order directing federal agencies to work with DOGE to eliminate costly or duplicative regulations, further accelerating its deficit-cutting mission.
“We either solve the deficit, or all we'll be doing is paying debt,” Musk said in a recent interview with Fox News.?“It’s not optional. America will go bankrupt if this is not done.”
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the federal deficit is projected to average $1.9 trillion per year between 2025 and 2034, or approximately 5.4 percent of GDP over that period. If DOGE’s projected $300 billion in savings materializes—a figure Bessent said was not out of the question—it would lower the deficit to $1.6 trillion and reduce the deficit-to-GDP ratio by nearly 1 percentage point, improving fiscal sustainability.
The CBO has warned that persistently high debt could slow economic growth, increase interest payments to foreign creditors, heighten the risk of a fiscal crisis, and limit policymakers’ ability to respond to future downturns. It has stressed that lawmakers must pursue comprehensive fiscal reforms, including spending cuts, revenue increases, or a combination of both, to put the budget on a sustainable long-term path.
Meanwhile, DOGE’s aggressive efforts have drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress, who accuse the agency of overstepping its authority and operating without sufficient oversight or transparency. The agency also faces multiple lawsuits, some challenging its access to federal data and others questioning its constitutional legitimacy.
Despite the legal and political battles, DOGE appears to have significant public support. A recent poll of Epoch Times readers found overwhelming backing for DOGE and the Trump administration’s push to curb waste, fraud, and abuse. At the same time, respondents called for greater visibility into DOGE’s findings, with some demanding greater accountability—including the prosecution of individuals found to have engaged in fraud.
Bessent’s remarks suggest that such accountability may be on the horizon.
SEOUL—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test-launch of strategic cruise missiles and ordered full readiness to use nuclear attack capability, which would ensure the most effective defense for the country, state media said on Friday.
The test was designed to warn “enemies, who are seriously violating the security environment of the [country] and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment” and to demonstrate “readiness of its various nuke operation means,” KCNA state news agency said.
“What is guaranteed by powerful striking ability is the most perfect deterrence and defense capacity,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
“It is the responsible mission and duty of the DPRK’s nuclear armed forces to permanently defend the national sovereignty and security with the reliable nuclear shield by getting more thorough battle readiness of nuclear force and full preparedness for their use.”
DPRK is short for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The missile launch was conducted on Wednesday over the sea off the west coast of the Korean peninsula, it said.
South Korea’s military said on Friday it had detected signs of missile launch preparations on Wednesday and tracked several cruise missiles after they were launched at around 8 a.m. (2300 GMT Tuesday) over the sea.
North Korea has pursued the development of strategic cruise missiles over several years, intended to deliver nuclear warheads.
The type of missile tends to bring less alarm and condemnation from the international community than ballistic missiles because they are not formally banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The Security Council has banned the North from ballistic missile and nuclear weapons development and imposed a number of sanctions for violations.
The report of the missile test came in the same week that Kim made back-to-back visits to military schools driving home the message of loyalty and the importance of ideological and tactical training of young military officers.
Kim did not mention any country by name when he spoke of warning the enemies but has kept up harsh rhetoric against the United States and South Korea despite comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that he would be reaching out to him.
Trump and Kim held unprecedented summit meetings during the U.S. president’s first term.
By Jack Kim
The United States issued a stern warning to the Nicolás Maduro regime on Saturday following reports that a Venezuelan patrol boat entered into Guyanaese waters, threatening ExxonMobil’s offshore operations.
“Venezuelan naval vessels threatening ExxonMobil’s floating production, storage and offloading unit is unacceptable and a clear violation of Guyana’s internationally recognized maritime territory,” the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in its X account.
“Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime.
The United States reaffirms its support for Guyana’s territorial integrity.” Earlier on Saturday, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali denounced the presence of the Venezuelan military vessel near the oil block run by ExxonMobil in the Essequibo, a Florida-sized region claimed by both countries.
Speaking in a televised address, Ali said that his Government had notified all of its international allies, including the United States.
“This incursion is a matter of grave concern,” the president said. “Guyana’s maritime boundaries are recognized under international law.
This is a serious development concerning our nation’s maritime territory.
We will not tolerate threats to territorial integrity.”
In a statement released on Facebook, Ali added that during the incursion, the “Venezuelan vessel approached several assets in our exclusive waters.”
Tensions between the two South American nations over the disputed mineral-rich region goes back for more than a century but intensified following a referendum held in December 2023, in which Maduro asked Venezuelans to grant him special powers to invade the neighboring country to take over the Essequibo by force if necessary.
Despite clear evidence that the regime had tampered with the election’s results, Maduro claimed that he got the approval from 98% of voters. All throughout the following year, Maduro sought to keep the issue alive in Venezuela through repeated TV spots asserting that the regime would not yield Venezuela’s claim over the Essequibo region, which has been under Guyanese control since 1899.
Maduro also issued laws declaring the region as the country’s newest state and boosted Venezuela’s military presence near the border.
The Essequibo contains six of the 10 regions that make up Guyana and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 inhabitants.
Saturday’s events follows an incident occurring on Feb. 17, when the Guyana Defence Force reported that six of its soldiers were injured in an ambush on a supply transport carried out by alleged members of a Venezuelan criminal gang.
The Caracas regime labeled the incident a “vile frame-up.”
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article301242254.html#storylink=cpy
The green field represents the nation's agriculture and its vast forests. The red triangle represents dynamic action and the zeal of the citizenry, while the black triangle represents the nation's endurance. The gold portion represents the nation's mineral wealth, while the white stands for the country's rivers and waterways.
Government of Guyana
His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali is the President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, was sworn in as Guyana’s Ninth Executive President on August 2, 2020.
Dr Ali is one of two sons of his parents, who are both educators. He was born on April 25, 1980, into a Muslim, Indo-Guyanese family at Leonora, West Coast Demarara,?
His early education started at Leonora Nursery and Primary schools and progressed to the Cornelia Ida Primary School, while he completed his secondary education at the St. Stanislaus College in Georgetown.
Dr Ali is the holder of a Doctorate in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Arts Degree in Manpower Planning, a Post Graduate Diploma in International Business, a Post- Graduate Certificate in Finance from Anglia Ruskin University, an LLM Degree in International Commercial Law at the University of Salford and a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Hons.) in Business Management from the University of Sunderland.?
He was also a member of the Canadian Institute of Management (up to 2017) and Project Management Professional-PMP (2006).
He previously served as Project Manager of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Project Implementation Unit in the Ministry of Finance and Senior Planner in the State Planning Secretariat. He became a member of the National Assembly of Guyana in 2006 and was subsequently appointed to the portfolios of Minister of Housing and Water and Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce. During his time at the Ministry of Housing, he implemented the most extensive endowment campaign in the history of the country, backed by a massive distribution of lots to citizens of all social strata and geographic regions.
In the National Assembly, Dr Ali was also a leading spokesperson on the economy and finance. He served as chair of one of the most important committees, the Public Accounts Committee, and co-chair of the Economic Services Committee of the Parliament of Guyana.
Dr Ali is married and is a father.
Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo was born on January 23, 1963 in the quiet village of Unity, Mahaica, Region Four. Prior to his appointment as Vice President in the administration of President Dr. Irfaan Ali, Mr. Jagdeo held the office of the Minister of Finance before being elected to serve as the President of Guyana from August 11, 1999 to December 3, 2011.?
He was the first Head of State to relinquish office in accordance with the two term limits he signed into law during his presidency.
Following his party’s electoral defeat at the General and Regional Elections in 2015, Mr. Jagdeo became the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.
He also holds a number of global leadership positions in the areas of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Green Energy.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After a thorough 3-minute investigation, the FBI announced that the highly anticipated Epstein list had shredded itself.
The list, which had long been purported to link human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein to elites around the globe and was allegedly so damning that it threatened to bring down Hollywood, Congress, and Prince Andrew, apparently shredded itself and no one at the FBI remembered what it said.
"We have no idea how this could have happened," said spokesman Special Agent Sean Kellar. "The list must have gotten up out of its file cabinet, scooted over to the paper shredder, and fed itself into it one page at a time. It's an unfortunate turn of events, but the case is now closed due to lack of evidence."
This was not the first time paper had seemingly gotten up and moved around at the bureau on its own. Files related to Hunter Biden, the JFK assassination, and January 6 have all gone missing and are now presumed to have committed suicide by shredder. The bureau has since opened an investigation into how paper can suddenly get up and move on its own and why cameras always seem to power down when it happens.
According to sources, the bureau made no attempt to piece the shredded paper document back together because "that would be really hard" and "DOGE won't let us buy that much tape."
At publishing time, Patel had informed the agents under his command that their paychecks had somehow shredded themselves. FBI Organizational Chart, signed in 2010/2020
In Florida, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) issues concealed carry permits, also known as Concealed Weapon Licenses (CWLs).
Town of Miami Lakes Calendar of Meetings and Events:
https://www.miamilakes-fl.gov/our-community/calendar/
03-17-2025 Blasting Advisory Board Meeting in the Community Conference Room
First movement of Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 6 ; Mendelssohn - String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 12. Andrés Caveda · 225 views
Graduating with a masters in violin from New York School of Music, Andrés Caveda has played at Carnegie Hall...
Kudos to alumnus violinist Andrés Caveda '22, Assistant Concertmaster of The Amarillo Symphony, on winning a trial as Associate Principal Second Violin with the Tulsa Symphony! He will perform on next month's classics concert featuring Dvorak’s 7th Symphony, Dance of the Comedians from Smetana’s Bartered Bride, and the Butterfly Lovers Concerto performed by Robert Chen, concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony!
ANDY CAVEDA, Violin