NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENSE Comments turned off

Important Questions Raised by Ukraine’s “Badass” Drone Attack Against Russian Bombers Ukraine’s drones may have destroyed billions in Russian bombers—exposing Moscow’s vulnerabilities, straining Trump’s peace push, and shaking U.S. defense complacency. By Fred Fleitz

Posted By on June 6th, 2025

https://amgreatness.com/2025/06/06/important-questions-raised-by-ukraines-badass-drone-attack-against-russian-bombers/

On Sunday, Ukraine carried out a bold covert operation in Russia that destroyed or damaged about a dozen Russian heavy bombers and possibly an AWACS plane. These attacks may have destroyed irreplaceable Russian military planes worth billions of dollars using drones that cost under $50,000.

Earlier in the week, President Trump reportedly described the surprise Ukrainian attack to his aides as “badass” and “strong.” However, yesterday, the president expressed his unhappiness about the operation and raised concerns about Putin’s statement to him that he plans to retaliate.

On June 1, Ukraine deployed 117 drones to attack Russian bombers at four airbases. Two bases were within 500 miles of the Russia-Ukraine border. The other two bases were distant: the Olenya airbase on the Kola Peninsula, near Murmansk (1,120 miles from the Ukrainian border), and Belaya airbase in Siberia (approximately 2,760 miles from the Ukrainian border).

Parts for the drones were smuggled into Russia, where they were assembled. The drones were driven by truck to locations near the Russian airbases and launched from the trucks. Ukraine claims to have damaged 41 Russian bombers in the drone attack, though press reports confirm that between 10 and 20 were destroyed or damaged—primarily Tu-95 and Tu-22M bombers.

The Ukrainian drone operation underscores the rapid evolution of modern warfare and its impact on the Russia-Ukraine peace process.

1. How vulnerable is the U.S. to similar drone attacks?

The Ukrainian drone attack was a wake-up call for the United States and another sign of significant advances in warfare technologies from the Ukraine-Russia War. Like Russia, American military aircraft sit in the open on U.S. airbases and are vulnerable to attack by inexpensive explosive drones. Experts believe the Pentagon has not done enough to defend against this threat. There is a similar drone threat to other U.S. government facilities and U.S. officials. The drone threat is sure to grow with the arrival of new attack drone technologies, such as difficult-to-jam drones controlled by fiber optic cables and drones navigated to their targets by AI.

U.S. officials must take action to defend against increasing threats from drone attacks against U.S. military aircraft and other government targets. These attacks could be conducted by hostile forces or by launching drones from small boats or “drone carriers” against U.S. bases, especially in the Arabian Gulf and the Pacific.

2. How will the drone attack affect President Trump’s efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the Ukraine War?

ANTI-SEMITISM, BOOKS Comments turned off

The Wake Up Call Israel Ellis reveals the global Jihad and the rise of anti-Semitism in a world gone mad. by Dave Gordon

Posted By on June 6th, 2025

https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-wake-up-call/

Israel Ellis’s most recent book, The Wake Up Call: Global Jihad and the Rise of Antisemitism in a World Gone Mad, provides an examination of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, highlighting its implications for global jihad and the sharp rise of antisemitism.

For Ellis, this attack is the culmination of decades of rising jihadist sentiment, a movement dangerously creeping its way into virtually every part of the world, including Western liberal democracies.

Ellis shares his personal reaction, especially as his son, Eitan, an IDF reservist, was called to duty that fateful morning. This connection intensifies his examination of the attack’s causes and consequences. During his visit to Israel in the aftermath, Ellis engages with those affected, listening to their stories and grappling with the broader questions of how and why October 7 could happen.

The book outlines seven critical observations that Ellis believes contributed to the attack: the East-West power struggle, the rise of non-state terror proxies backed by Iran, the misuse of international aid by Hamas, the perpetuation of the Palestinian refugee crisis by UNRWA, the spread of anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric in the West, the flaws in Israel’s political system, and the disunity among Jews. He argues that these factors, combined with hostility towards Israel, created a perfect storm leading to the October 7 attack.

To protect justice and peace, society must do all it can to push back against Jihadism, he believes, to protect the values of life, justice, freedom and peace for all peoples.

ANTI-SEMITISM, RELIGION Comments turned off

“Free Palestine” + Burned Jews = Motive Unknown An Ex-Muslim’s map of motive. by Aynaz Anni Cyrus Leave a C

Posted By on June 6th, 2025

https://www.frontpagemag.com/free-palestine-burned-jews-motive-unknown/

A man screams “Free Palestine” and firebombs Jews—yet Boulder’s Police Chief still has no clue why. So I made a cheat sheet—complete with jihadi footnotes.

On Sunday, June 1, 2025, a man named Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, reportedly screamed “Free Palestine” and hurled Molotov cocktails and used a makeshift flamethrower on a peaceful, pro-Israel gathering in Boulder, Colorado.

The event, organized by “Run For Their Lives,” was a weekly walk to raise awareness for Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Soliman’s attack injured eight individuals, aged between 52 and 88, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. At least one victim remains in critical condition.

Despite the clear indications of intent, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn told reporters:

“We are not calling it a terror attack at this point. It is way too early to speculate a motive.”

Right. Because “Free Palestine” is just a common battle cry for, say, tax reform. And Molotov cocktails? Probably a misunderstood cultural offering.

This isn’t just cowardice. It’s willful betrayal.

We live in a country where the ideology behind jihad is protected more aggressively than the people it targets. Where law enforcement agents, funded by your tax dollars, can watch an attempted arson against Jews unfold—and still pretend to be baffled by the intent.

Let me be clear: I was born and raised under the Islamic system. I lived the indoctrination. I memorized the texts.

So I’ll do the job Boulder PD won’t.

Forget the Motive. Read the Manual—Published 1,400 Years Ago

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

“Tit for Tat – Not a Good Strategy” Sydney Williams

Posted By on June 6th, 2025

https://swtotd.blogspot.com/

“Tit for Tat: The infliction of an injury or insult in return for one that one has suffered,” Oxford English Dictionary. Wikipedia: “It is an alteration of tip for tap ‘blow for blow,’ first recorded in 1558.”

When Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017 I suspect he was as surprised to be there as anyone. He had been a successful real estate developer, and for thirteen years he hosted “The Apprentice,” a successful reality TV series. But he had never run for political office. As a businessman, he donated to both Jimmy Carter’s and Ronald Reagan’s campaigns in 1980. His political affiliations have changed: a Manhattan Republican in the 1980s; member of the Reform Party in 1999; a Democrat in 2001; and back to a Republican in 2009. By some, he will always be criticized for his changing political affiliations and his out-spoken manner. But he was democratically elected President.

For those who make their living in politics, Donald Trump’s success was a threat. His victory was incredulous to Republicans in the primaries and to Democrats in the general election. How could this “orange-haired” man who garbles the English language have won? How could an interloper beat them at their own game?

America is a different place than it was a generation or two ago. Civility has declined; anti-social and unethical behavior have increased; and violence has become more common and, worse, acceptable. Scam phone calls have risen by over 20% in each of the last five years. In 2023, the United States Capital Police (USCP) investigated 8,008 threats against members of Congress. A disturbing number of young Leftists cheered on the two attempts on Donald Trump’s life, as well as the attacks on Tesla dealerships. Anti-Semitism has increased, On May 21 a young Jewish couple, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum. Four days later, in Boulder, Colorado, a man shouted, “Free Palestine,” as he threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators, injuring fifteen men and women, as they marched in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Will Trump Weaken Washington’s Power To Tax?

Posted By on June 6th, 2025

https://issuesinsights.com/2025/06/06/will-trump-weaken-washingtons-power-to-tax/

It’s obvious that Donald Trump is a different president. His divergence from the norm manifests itself in various ways. He’s even broached the possibility of eliminating the Internal Revenue Service. Count us among the tens if not hundreds of millions of Americans who wish him godspeed if he chooses dissolve this truly abusive agency.

Trump’s IRS commissioner nominee Billy Long, whose appointment passed another hurdle Tuesday, might give us a little more insight into Trump’s plans for the IRS. Long, a former Republican House member from Missouri, cosponsored more than a decade ago a bill that would abolish the IRS and enact a national sales tax administered primarily by the states.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed in February that Trump wants “to abolish the Internal Revenue Service.” The president also ordered halted the hiring of 87,000 new IRS employees the Biden administration wanted to sic on Americans.

During the second Obama term, ABC News noted that the “IRS has long history of political dirty tricks,” with presidents using “the agency as a weapon against political enemies.” The story ever-so-lightly touched on the administration’s targeting of conservative groups that opposed Barack Obama’s policies. In this particular instance of corruption, “the former president used the Exempt Organizations division of the IRS to delay or deny the approval of tax-exempt status for more than 100 new organizations between 2010 and 2012,” explains taxpayer advocate Dan Pilla

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Musk’s outbursts reveal a deeper rift in MAGA Trump is squandering the chance to build a coherent populist programme. Joel Kotkin

Posted By on June 6th, 2025

https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/06/05/musks-outbursts-reveal-a-deeper-rift-in-maga/

The deepening split between Elon Musk and the Trump administration speaks to broader divisions within an increasingly shell-shocked GOP. Musk, who left the White House only last week, has since denounced Donald Trump’s hodgepodge budget bill – the so-called Big Beautiful Bill – as a ‘disgusting abomination’, as it will add almost $4 trillion to the federal deficit. He had previously called Trump’s pro-tariff chief trade adviser, Peter Navarro, a ‘moron’, reflecting the gulf between the populists and the oligarchs in the MAGA coalition. Oligarchs, whatever their party, do not favour tariffs, curbing immigration or raising taxes on themselves.

It turns out that this incoherence, married to one-man rule under Trump, has consequences. MAGA is a coalition based largely on a shared detestation of the ‘progressive’ agenda, but it has little else in common. It includes people concerned about free speech and anti-Semitism, as well as Christian humanists. And it also contains deeply troubling elements that appeal to a stew of authoritarian, nativist, racist and anti-Semitic ideas – tropes long peddled and platformed by Trump supporters such as the pro-monarchist Curtis Yarvin and the ubiquitous, ever-ugly Tucker Carlson.

Not surprisingly, the broader base that elected Trump is now fracturing into its constituent parts. This is not to say that there has been a shift to the self-righteous and rightfully ignored ‘Never Trumpers’ in the GOP. Nor have Republicans suddenly embraced the leftist meme that Trump is a ‘fascist’ with a plan. He is nothing of the sort: lacking any real ideology or disciplined movement capable of advancing a particular programme.

In essence, Trump is a grifting narcissist with a keen sense of how to take advantage of the sustained imbecility of his opponents. But there is no fixed core to Trumpism – only impulses more expected from a toddler with ADHD than a presidential administration. He may have been a builder in his past career, but he appears clueless when it comes to constructing a clear policy agenda beyond revanchism and grift.

This incoherence is now undermining his own coalition. The tariff blitzkrieg, for instance, could be seen as justified in response to the undoubted mercantilism of Canada, the EU and, above all, China. Yet instead of leading to concessions from other countries, the chaotic rollout of the tariffs has the potential to paralyse large swathes of the US economy, including the all-important auto industry – winning few allies beyond a handful of labour-union leaders, many of whom will probably never support him anyway.

One can feel the wheels coming off, as many of the key constituencies that elected both Trump and the GOP Congress resist his impetuosity and persistent dishonesty. Like most political movements, MAGA is a fragile alliance of groups that often have little in common – and in some cases, loathe each other. This is already evident in the widening chasm between Trump’s tech bros, who favour cutting government spending and care chiefly about personal enrichment, and the working- and middle-class voters who twice put him in the White House.

ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE Comments turned off

The War on City-Dwellers ‘Climate Change’: Grift of the Century, Part III by Robert Williams

Posted By on June 5th, 2025

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21663/war-on-city-dwellers

The ostensible goal of the climate change project is to get to “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050. To do that, global leaders, led by the WEF and the UN, are apparently planning to radically transform the lives of everyone on the planet except their own.

Their plan, officially launched as the UN “Agenda 21” in 1992, during the UN’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, and now renamed “Agenda 2030,” — still under the pretext of saving the planet — sets in motion initiatives aimed at controlling every detail of people’s lives.

“On the surface, these 15-minute neigbourhoods might sound pleasant and convenient. But there is a coercive edge. The council plans to cut car use and traffic congestion by placing strict rules on car journeys. Under the new proposals, if any of Oxford’s 150,000 residents drives outside of their designated district more than 100 days a year, he or she could be fined £70,” according to the UK website Spiked. Furious residents went out to protest the measures — to no avail.

Popular demand, democratic inclusion and the free market play no role whatsoever. It reminds one of China — which is no coincidence. The idea embedded within the concept of the 15-minute city is not a new one – it has been practiced in Communist China since 1949. Tracking people’s mobility is – and remains – a way for self-appointed “elites” to efficiently control what they seem to regard as the “great unwashed (and incapable of making important decisions) masses.”

“The means of control [in China] have greatly evolved [into unparalleled surveillance]…. No one pays with money anymore: over there, they pay with WeChat or Alipay, through their phone, which is very easily to control…. The Party’s goal of controlling people hasn’t changed, it’s been updated.” — Jean-Philippe Béja, Emeritus Senior Research Fellow at the National Center for Scientific Research and the Center for International Studies and Research at Sciences-Po, forumviesmobiles.org, November 13, 2019.

China…is using biometric scanners as checkpoints, meaning that neighborhoods can turn into prisons by only being accessible through facial scans. If the social credit score is too low, you may not be able to enter or leave. China increasingly… dependent on biometric scans…. Updates… the movements of its citizens, so that it knows where they are at all times. Similarly, the “City Brain” knows what they buy – cash is no longer used – when they take public transport and so on. Anonymity and the right to privacy has been completely abolished.

[A]dding the magic words “carbon neutrality” keeps assuring many Westerners that they are saving the planet. So they keep on buying cheap China’s goods and enriching China’s military — enabling it to replace the United States even faster as the world’s leading superpower and at last to fulfill Chinese President Xi Jinping’s dream of finally ruling the planet.

Despite President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and UN executives and bureaucrats doubled down this year at the poorly attended WEF gathering in Davos — could world leaders possibly be starting to catch on? — and proclaimed that nothing can stop their radical transformation of the world in the name of “climate change.”

“We are already collaborating at a scale where no one can stop; not one country, not one leader making a decision, because it’s just the right thing to do globally,” announced Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All.

NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENSE Comments turned off

Trump Expected to Crack Down on Chinese Drones Jimmy Quinn

Posted By on June 5th, 2025

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/trump-expected-to-crack-down-on-chinese-drones/

President Trump is expected to sign multiple executive orders that amount to an effective ban on Chinese drones in the U.S. in the coming days, accelerating Washington’s crackdown on a company that makes products popular with consumers but has worrying ties to Beijing.

Shenzhen DJI Technology is the world’s leading drone manufacturer, favored by photographers and other hobbyists, but its ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s military have landed it on U.S. blacklists.

The expected executive orders could lead to a ban on the sale of new Chinese drones in the U.S. and block Americans from importing those products, an industry source told National Review. The source cautioned that the orders have not been finalized are still likely subject to change.

One of them would expedite the addition of Chinese drone companies to the Federal Communications Commission’s covered list, thus blocking companies from selling new products in America. Another expected order would direct the Commerce Department to issue new export controls targeting the companies.

The Washington Post previously reported on the possible orders.

U.S. officials and national security experts have long been concerned that the Chinese authorities could collect data from, and even remotely control, DJI products in the U.S.

These concerns have been heightened this month, with Ukraine’s use of modified consumer quadcopter drones in its surprise attack on Russian strategic bombers from inside the country. Some military analysts worry that U.S. adversaries could replicate that strategy to sabotage American jets in a future conflict.

The Pentagon, citing national security concerns, stopped using DJI products in 2018.

The Pentagon added DJI to its list of Chinese military companies in 2022, citing its ties to the People’s Liberation Army. DJI disputes that designation as incorrect and hired former attorney general Loretta Lynch last year to sue the Defense Department on its behalf.

Other U.S. blacklist designations targeting DJI also block Americans from selling components to DJI and investing in the company.

EDUCATION Comments turned off

Columbia University Failed to Meet Accreditation Standards, Department of Education Finds Haley Strack

Posted By on June 5th, 2025

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/columbia-university-failed-to-meet-accreditation-standards-department-of-education-finds/

Columbia University failed to meet accreditation standards due to its inability to uphold civil rights law and punish harassment against Jewish students, the Department of Education announced Wednesday.

Office of Civil Rights (OCR) officials have notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the body that sets Columbia’s accreditation standards, that the university is “in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore fails to meet standards.” Administrators’ unwillingness to address months of anti-Israel activism on Columbia’s campus created an unsafe environment for Jewish students, the department added, putting the university in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The news comes weeks after the Trump administration found that Columbia “failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia’s campus and consequently denied these students’ equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law.”

“After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University’s leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus. This is not only immoral, but also unlawful,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. “Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards.”

Columbia must either comply with federal law or risk losing accreditation status.

OCR began its investigation into Columbia in February. The Trump administration has given Columbia lists of demands and recommendations on how to combat the campus’s rampant antisemitism problem, some of which Columbia has resisted. The administration has cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to Columbia as a result.

Anti-Israel protests began on Columbia’s campus directly after Hamas’s October 7 attack. The campus labeled the situation a “crisis,” even switching to remote classes for a time, after students began solidarity encampments that turned disruptive and violent. Jewish students were told by religious leaders to leave school over security concerns.

Though eventually broken up by law enforcement, student encampments kept popping back up. Students illegally occupied campus buildings and were charged on multiple counts including burglary, trespass, and criminal mischief.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reviewing the visa status of some anti-Israel protesters involved in the demonstrations.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

The Mannheim stabbings are being memory-holed The German establishment is desperate to obscure the Islamist motive behind this terrible tragedy.Sabine Beppler-Spahl

Posted By on June 5th, 2025

https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/06/05/the-mannheim-stabbings-are-being-memory-holed/

A year after the deadly Islamist terrorist attack in the German city of Mannheim, the debate over what lessons to draw from it remains bitterly contested. Even the question of how to commemorate the attack, in which a police officer was killed and several members of the public seriously injured, has been anything but straightforward.

On one side stands the German establishment. It has been determined to shape both the memory of the attack and the public conversation around it within narrow, politically palatable limits. On the other side are those who argue that radical Islam represents one of the most urgent threats facing Germany today – and that the authorities’ refusal to acknowledge this reality is both dangerous and dishonest.

The depth of this divide was made painfully clear on 31 May, the first anniversary of the attack. A commemoration for the slain officer, Rouven Laur, was held by government representatives, police and Mannheim’s mayor. Germany’s president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, issued a solemn statement: ‘We will never forget Rouven Laur. He wanted to protect others – and had to pay with his life for this.’ Mannheim’s mayor, Christian Specht, used the occasion to celebrate the city’s diversity, insisting that ‘good and evil are not a question of skin colour or religion’. According to the press, the ceremony concluded with an inter-religious service involving local Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities.

Predictably, no such deference was paid to diversity of opinion. In fact, anyone who might have drawn attention to the Islamist nature of the attack was explicitly excluded. Pax Europa – the anti-Islam group the suspect, an Afghan asylum seeker, allegedly targeted – was not merely unwelcome at the official commemoration. Incredibly, its supporters were actively prevented from holding a vigil of their own in Mannheim, too.

The police union’s statement on the banned vigil was all too telling. The anniversary ‘is a day of silent mourning and dignified remembrance of our colleague, Rouven Laur, who was killed in the line of duty’, it said. ‘The fact that a group such as Pax Europa is organising its own vigil… is something we consider to be irreverent and a politically motivated instrumentalisation of a tragic event.’