Not WWIII Watch: Trump Pauses Aid To Ukraine

By William Teach March 4, 2025 – 7:00 am

The meltdown within the left-o-sphere and the Never Trumpers who love spending taxpayer money so Ukraine can send their people to die (and pocket quite a bit for Ukrainian politicians and bigwigs) is exquisite

Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office argument with Zelensky, White House official says

President Donald Trump is ordering military aid to Ukraine to be paused after his Friday Oval Office argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a White House official told CNN Monday.

“The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” the White House official said.

Another official said the pause will apply to all military equipment not yet inside Ukraine.

The pause is a direct response to what Trump views as Zelensky’s bad behavior last week, the official said. They noted that a pause could be lifted if Zelensky demonstrates new commitment to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The White House made the decision to pause military aid to Ukraine for now as officials seek an acknowledgement from Zelensky about the breakdown in relations following Friday’s blowup in the Oval Office.

What they should definitely include in this to audit where the money has gone so far. How much that has directly gone to Ukraine has gone to weapons and such and how much has been used for non-military purposes? We’ve heard that it has gone to pay for citizens to keep their businesses open (while Americans suffered from the COVID fallout). And to pay the politicians. How about those fighting? Has it gone to the soldiers? Why are we paying their politicians in the first place? Has it gone to their oligarchs? How about to the neo-Nazi’s like the Azov Brigade?

And how about to all the American companies making goods/shipping it over? Was the money a slush fund for Democrat donors/supporters?

According to several officials, Trump and his senior aides are seeking an acknowledgement from Zelensky – potentially in the form of a public apology – before moving ahead with the minerals deal, which had been close to agreement before Friday’s meeting, or a discussion on continuing foreign aid. The decision to halt the aid was made later on Monday, one person said, and is part of a pressure strategy on Ukraine.

Obviously, this means that Trump is on Putin’s side, or Putin has blackmail on Trump, or something something Orange Man Bad.

Meanwhile

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Uh Oh: Ukraine-Russia War Is Super Bad For ‘Climate Change’

By William Teach March 3, 2025 – 3:00 pm

So, if Trump ends the war, does that mean his is the best thing for helping to stop ‘climate change’?

The climate bill for the invasion of Ukraine is up to 250 million tons of greenhouse gases

In addition to deaths, injuries and displaced people, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is leaving a negative environmental footprint that is contributing to worsening global warming. The three years of war have resulted in greenhouse gas emissions of 230 million tons of CO?eq (carbon dioxide equivalent, the unit used to measure these gases). This is an enormous amount, similar to what 120 million combustion-engine automobiles would emit on average in an entire year. To understand its dimension, it also helps to remember that a country like Spain, with almost 49 million inhabitants, emitted some 270 million tons in 2023. The calculation of the climate footprint of the Ukraine war has been prepared by several experts grouped together in the Initiative on GHG accounting of war, which has already published several reports of this type.

Lennard de Klerk, the study’s lead author, explains to EL PAÍS that the figure they offer considers “all the emissions that can be attributed to the war,” including those of both sides. “For example, the use of fuel by the Russian army as the aggressor and the Ukrainian army as the defender is taken into account,” he adds by email. To prepare their calculation, explains this carbon footprint expert, they started from a premise: to track the emissions that have resulted from the conflict and that would not have occurred if Russia had not invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

I’m not seeing where the study takes into account all the shipping of military goods to Ukraine from the U.S. and European nations, nor the production of those goods. So, it could be much higher! Yay, Trump working to end the war.

The Initiative on GHG accounting of war is supported by the European Climate Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused on promoting policies to combat global warming. It also collaborated with the Ministry for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine to analyze the three years of conflict. The report argues that “the Russian Federation should be held responsible for these emissions and the resulting climate-related damages.” It estimates the climate costs of emissions from the three years of war at $42 billion.

How about all those Western leaders who have worked to keep the war going? Who created conditions where Russia said “yup, let’s take it”?

The report also breaks down emissions caused by the destruction of energy infrastructure. This takes into account Russian attacks on oil depots and refineries, along with the destruction of power plants and sabotage of the electricity grid. It also includes the methane released into the atmosphere as a result of the sabotage in September 2022 of the Nord Stream gas pipeline network, which transported natural gas from Russia to Western Europe via the Baltic. The authorship of the explosions remains unclear, but several media reports this summer pointed to an operation carried out by Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

Say, what about this?

So, while European nations pay Russia for oil and gas, despite sanctions, they are also providing money to Ukraine to fight Russia? Huh.

Read: Uh Oh: Ukraine-Russia War Is Super Bad For ‘Climate Change’ »

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If All You See…

By William Teach March 3, 2025 – 1:00 pm

…is champagne made from grapes that will disappear from ‘climate change’, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Don Surber, with a post on Trump having possibly killed NATO, too.

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Serendipidy: NY Governor Hochul Tells Fired Federal Workers To Come Work For NY State

By William Teach March 3, 2025 – 10:30 am

First, I mentioned Mark Cuban offering to hire some fired federal workers. Then I did Hochul and NY State getting sued for their climate scam “polluters pay” law. And now, I swear this was not planned

Hochul seeks to recruit laid off federal workers with ad in Washington’s Union Station

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) office is running a digital ad in Washington, D.C.’s Union Station to recruit laid-off federal employees to work for New York State amid the Trump administration’s efforts to slim down the federal government.

The ad, which started running Monday at digital director displays in Union Station, features an image of the Statue of Liberty with the caption: “DOGE said you’re fired? We say you’re hired! New York wants you!”

“Elon Musk and his clueless cadre of career killers know nothing about how government works, who it serves, and the tireless federal employees who keep it running,” Hochul said in a statement. “Here in New York we don’t vilify public servants, we value them and their efforts. So when DOGE says ‘You’re fired,’ New York is ready to say ‘You’re hired’ – and we’re making sure talented, experienced federal workers know about the many opportunities available in our state workforce.”

The ad is the latest effort from Hochul to reach out to federal employees impacted by job cuts spurred by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Hochul appealed to government employees in a recruiting video last week.

“Whatever your skills, we value public service,” Hochul said in the video. “Come join our New York State family.”

What if they’re deadbeats? Incompetent? Overly-entitled? Slackers? Will Hochul and her people put in the time to interview and determine if these fired federal employees will actually be beneficial to NY state? Will they be workers who work hard or ones who login to their computers from home in the morning and then spending most of the day doing nothing? Or, will the be over-zealous and send people to go kill a pet squirrel and raccoon (long live Peanut!)?

Last week, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), whose state boasts a large federal and military workforce, backed DOGE’s efforts but touted his “Virginia has jobs initiative” as a potential safety net for laid-off workers.

I bet Youngkin will do a deep dive on every applicant.

Read: Serendipidy: NY Governor Hochul Tells Fired Federal Workers To Come Work For NY State »

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Bummer: New York, Gov. Hochul Sued Over Their Climate Scam By Businesses

By William Teach March 3, 2025 – 7:00 am

Kathy Hochul finally signed the NY climate scam law requiring “polluters to pay” while Hochul and others continue to use the “pollution” at the end of December 2024. Twenty two states have already sued in early February. And now

Businesses sue Hochul over ‘illegal and misguided’ $75B climate law, claiming it will cause a spike in costs to consumers

A coalition of business and trade groups is suing the Hochul administration over a law that will force oil, natural gas and coal companies to pay $75 million for spewing carbon emissions.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration claimed the law was necessary to combat the companies contributing to climate change for decades — but critics said the extra costs will be passed along to consumers through prices at the pump and heating bills.

“This law is not only illegal and misguided, but it will likely increase the cost of energy, placing an unnecessary burden on New Yorkers and consumers nationwide — especially during a time of already high prices,” Marty Durbin, president of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute and plaintiff in the case, told The Post.

The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court claims Hochul and the state legislature exceeded their authority by approving the New York Climate Change Superfund Act last year, and asked that it be tossed out as unconstitutional.

The plaintiffs also include the New York State Business Council, the American Petroleum Institute and the National Mining Association. (snip)

Federal law prohibits New York from imposing liability on fossil fuel energy producers for harms allegedly caused in the Empire State by greenhouse gases emitted outside the state, the lawsuit said.

Well, it will be interesting to see where this goes. Quite a few other lawsuits along similar lines have been killed off by the judicial system, including New Jersey’s shakedown suit, over the same thing: states do not have the authority to do this.

Read: Bummer: New York, Gov. Hochul Sued Over Their Climate Scam By Businesses »

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Huh: Mark Cuban Offers To Hire Certain Fired Federal Workers

By William Teach March 3, 2025 – 6:45 am

At least these folks have usable skills…on paper

Mark Cuban offers to fund government tech unit that was cut in the middle of the night

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban waded into the latest government tech shake-up on Saturday, posting an unexpected offer of support for newly laid-off federal workers on the social network Bluesky.

His message, which quickly gained traction, urged the displaced engineers and designers to turn the upheaval to their advantage.

“If you worked for 18F and got fired, Group together to start a consulting company,” wrote Cuban. “It’s just a matter of time before DOGE needs you to fix the mess they inevitably created. They will have to hire your company as a contractor to fix it. But on your terms. I’m happy to invest and/or help.”

Cuban’s offer came after the government’s General Services Administration (GSA) abruptly gutted its 18F technology unit, which helps other government agencies build, buy, and share tech products. Per Politico, the layoffs affected roughly 70 individuals who learned the news around 1 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday. Among other things, the unit had reportedly built Login.gov, a secure and private way for the public to access services at government agencies, including Social Security and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hey, how’d that project work out?

Login.gov facing technical difficulties and cost uncertainty, watchdog says

The General Services Administration’s Login.gov, a single sign-on platform that recently made remote identity proofing generally available, needs to address technical challenges concerning the biometric validation pilot program, according to a new government watchdog report.

The Government Accountability Office said that nine of the participating 21 Chief Financial Officers Act agencies reported issues with Login.gov, including lack of fraud controls and visibility into authentications as well as high failure rates. Additionally, eight agencies shared challenges regarding Login.gov’s pricing, including the inability to get a multi-year pricing plan or insight into the service’s annual renewal process, as well as the potential for prices to rise between years.

So, that’s government speak for “it’s not working correctly, it cost a lot of money, no one seems to know what it will cost going forward (why would it cost that much beyond the initial implementation?), and it could lead to lots of fraud. There might be a reason the group was terminated. So, have at them, Mark! Maybe you can hire a bunch of the administration weenies and others who were let go. For all Mark’s caterwauling, you can bet his companies do not have lots of dead wood and unproductive employees, as well as people wanting to do their own thing rather than do what the company is supposed to do. Oh, and waste lots of money.

In the wake of these new layoffs, Cuban’s proposal presents an intriguing possibility: could the very workers pushed out of government help reshape the future of civic tech on their own terms? As DOGE moves to dismantle agencies, even Musk has acknowledged fallout tied to the speed with which his team is moving. On Wednesday, Musk shared that, “For example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled — very briefly — was Ebola prevention.” (Public health experts have since said the government’s support has not been fully restored.)

It was good to do this for a time, but, now, it is time to work the scalpel instead of the chainsaw. Everything done out of USAID of worth should have shifted to the State Department or another relevant agency. Now it is time to look for the unnecessary, the unproductive, those being wasteful, the incompetent, and those working their own personal agenda.

And they can go find a job in the private sector, with those icky requirements for performance.

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If All You See…

By William Teach March 2, 2025 – 1:00 pm

…is a rapidly rising ocean meeting land turning to desert, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Common Cents Blog, with a post on the trust in media.

It’s women with hats week!

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Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach March 2, 2025 – 9:05 am

Happy Sunday! Another wonderful day in Returned America! The Sun is shining, the birds are singing, and my new Overdrive pedal is freaking awesome! Maybe I’ll write about it at the end of this post or another one. This pinup, something a bit more modern, is by Joe Chiodo, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Moonbattery: More Inductees Into Trans Violence Hall of Horrors
  2. Outside The Beltway: Norway Cutting Off Fuel to US Navy
  3. Pacific Pundit: Media still silent after American journalist Gonzalo Lira was tortured to death in Ukraine after criticizing Zelenskyy
  4. Shot In The Dark: Open Letter To All Smooth-Brained DFL Social Media Smurfs
  5. Shot In The Dark: The New York Times and the control of language
  6. The Gateway Pundit: Elon Musk Explains the ‘Non-Profit’ Grift That George Soros Has Been Running on the U.S. Government and Taxpayers (VIDEO)
  7. The Last Refuge: U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson Rules the Bureaucracy Controls the Executive Branch, Not the President
  8. The Lid: More Un-American Craziness Discovered by DOGE
  9. The Other McCain: Zelenskyy Self-Destructed, So Why Are Media Acting Like Trump Is to Blame?
  10. The Right Scoop: BREAKING: SecDef Hegseth orders 3,000 more troops to the border with armored combat vehicles
  11. This ain’t Hell…: Dems oppose Fentanyl restrictions
  12. Vlad Tetes: Keir Starmer signs 100 year partnership with Ukraine, hints at conscription in the UK
  13. Independent Sentinel: Panicky AOC Asks AG Bondi If She Is Under Investigation
  14. Climate Change Dispatch: FBI Probes For Fraud In Biden EPA’s $20B Green Fund Giveaway
  15. And last, but, not least, Climate Depot has Net Zero is Dying Around the World But the Diehards Live on Helped by Vast Amounts of Chinese Coal

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page (nope, that’s gone, the newest Apache killed access, and the program hasn’t been upgraded since 2014, so, most are hosted internally). While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your Pinups for Vets calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me. I’ve also mostly alphabetized them, makes it easier scrolling the feedreader

Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. And do you have a favorite blog you can recommend be added to the feedreader?

Two great sites for getting news links are Liberty Daily and Whatafinger.

Regarding the foot pedal, it can be tough to find ones, because there are only so many at the guitar stores, and, really, if you go to Guitar Center they are all expensive. Can’t go to Sam Ash stores anymore. So, Internet stores. I’m not that good at guitar anymore, but, I try. I love playing. I wanted a pedal to give me some distortion. The Fender amp, a G-Dec Junior (if you can get one they are one of the best values), has a lot of choices for this, but, I wanted more control. I tried a distortion pedal, but, it goes quickly from 80’s hair metal to just mush, where you can barely tell the notes on chords. Single notes, fine. Chords? Nope.

So, an overdrive. Something that can give you nice, easy OD like a Jeff Beck to more like Hendrix and Page up to Black Sabbath and Judas Priest (Tony Iommi actually never used a pedal. Like most he overdrove the amplifier). All you can do these days is listen to videos. And there are tons. Joyo has 19 OD pedals. Caline has like 9. Other brands have multiple. You have British style. American style. Blues. Standard OD. Too many. The Mellow sounded great, and, after 20 minutes of playing it is the one. It is not really mellow. It is smooth. I can get all the distortion I want for all the stuff I play. I can even get much harder metal, like Megadeath, Slayer, Opeth, and more. The voice nob gives great control. And you can really hear the notes when playing chords, even with heavy OD.

BTW, the others from Caline were very interesting, especially the Orange Burst, which is a little harsher. Pure Sky goes even harsher, but, can give a nice OD. The Green Mamba sounds more like the hardcore Yamaha green.

Have a great Sunday.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

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Illegal Alien Supporters Protest Arrest Of Violent Gang Member

By William Teach March 2, 2025 – 7:00 am

Do they really want to die on the hill of being stupid? Because they might have wanted to hold off on their protest before knowing the full story

ICE arrest of migrant sparks anger protest before violent gang ties exposed

The arrest of an illegal migrant who was dropping students at school in Chicago earlier this week sparked local fury and a rally, but Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have since revealed the suspect is a violent gang member with a long rap sheet.

Francisco Andrade-Berrera, 37, a Mexican citizen, was picked by ICE on Wednesday near a Southside Chicago school, leading to activists and local leaders holding a rally condemning the move. Video obtained by Fox News shows two agents handcuffing Andrade-Berrera near the school.

In response to the arrest, two nearby schools activated “Community Wellness Protocols” and notified parents that additional social work support would be available to help students cope with the “stressful and upsetting” nature of the event.

During the rally, which took place outside the Chicago Public Schools, Chicago alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez asked: “When parents are being grabbed from our schools, we must ask, what is Chicago Public Schools doing to protect our children?”

Hilario Dominguez of the Chicago Teachers Union also blasted the detention and launched a tirade against President Donald Trump.

“His children watched as their daddy was put in handcuffs by agents carrying out the orders of a tyrant president,” Dominguez said.

Yeah, well, daddy was a twice deported illegal alien, meaning each re-entry was a felony. He was arrested in 2023 for attempting to purchase cocaine, and plead guilty. Possession of 5 grams is a Class 4 Felony in the state of Illinois, with a penalty of up to one year in jail. He got none, just supervised release for 3 years. And we know that was because if they jailed him ICE would be all over his ass. Oh, and he’s a member of a violent gang.

And then there is this tool

(Daily Caller) Illinois Democratic Rep. Chuy Garcia issued a scathing statement Thursday evening in reaction to an ICE arrest that took place outside of a Chicago charter school the previous day. Garcia, who referred to the apprehension as an “ambush,” touted legislation he introduced in Congress that would prohibit deportation officers from making such arrests at “sensitive locations” such as schools or hospitals.

“In my district, ICE ambushed a parent while dropping off their child at school. No family should have to fear being torn apart in a safe place meant for learning,” Garcia stated in a social media post. 

“This is why [New York Democrat Rep. Adriano Espaillat] and I introduced the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act — schools, hospitals, and places of worship are off-limits! Congress must act now,” Garcia continued. 

Well, if Democrats would stop releasing violent criminals from jail there would be no need to arrest them in “sensitive” areas. Fortunately, the GOP controlled Congress will do nothing with the stupid bill.

Read: Illegal Alien Supporters Protest Arrest Of Violent Gang Member »

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Climate (scam) Groups Worried About Bankruptcy After Trump Admin Cuts Cash Flow

By William Teach March 1, 2025 – 6:58 pm

Do you have sympathy? I don’t. When these groups decided that they were going live at the taxpayer teet for their funding, and make lots and lots of cash for producing little, I have no sympathy

Groups frozen out of $20B in EPA cash fear bankruptcy

Eight nonprofits caught in a legal crossfire over $20 billion in Biden-era climate grants are racing toward a funding cliff.

The groups have been shut out of their accounts at Citibank since Feb. 18 because of a still-unexplained freeze imposed amid criticism from President Donald Trump’s administration.

On Tuesday, the standoff enters a new phase — groups will no longer have grant money to make investments or basic needs such as payroll and rent.

It’s the latest fallout from the Trump administration’s effort to claw back tens of billions of dollars from former President Joe Biden’s massive climate and clean energy agenda, including money that agencies had already legally contracted and even placed in bank accounts for recipients to spend. A senior federal prosecutor resigned last week after saying Justice Department officials had pressured her to launch a criminal investigation into the $20 billion in Environmental Protection Agency climate grants, despite a lack of evidence of wrongdoing.

The $20 billion comes from a program, called the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, that was intended to ramp up clean-energy technology finance in low-income communities.

OK, so, here’s the question: what have they succeeded at with the money so far? Anything?

One awardee told E&E News that it won’t be able to make payroll and would begin defaulting on contracts with project partners by March 7. It is trying to raise funds to cover the shortfall.

OK, so, try and get a loan. Reach out to like minded climate Believing companies, charities, and individuals.

The leader of one grant recipient, a coalition of nonprofits called Power Forward Communities, told POLITICO this week that it still intends to deploy its initial $539 million disbursement from the grant, saying he’s “confident” Citibank will honor its funding agreements. Citibank did not respond to requests for comment.

Uh huh. The money comes from the Climate Scam Act Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed by President Brandon in August of 2022. Power Forward Communities was created in October 2023. What expertise do they have? It’s made up of

Enterprise Community Partners: An affordable housing group
Rewiring America: A nonprofit that aims to electrify homes and reduce fossil fuel use
Habitat for Humanity International: A well-known nonprofit
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): A nonprofit that specializes in financing projects in areas that struggle to attract private-sector investment
United Way Worldwide: A well-known nonprofit

So, what is the purpose of the over-arching group? Where is the money going? BTW, this is the group that moonbat lefty Stacey Abrams and $2 billion was linked to. Seems more like a shell company, like so many others, where money comes in, they take a cut, it gets spread around to the other companies, who take their cut, then contract out, and they take their cut. And there are a shitton of partners to spread the money around too. So far, everything is about “will be making investments”, nothing about “have made” or “have done”.

The other groups are not named. And the Politico article makes zero reference to what any of these groups have actually done. That should be the primary focus: what have they done so far. How many were created simply to glom onto the slush fund from the IRA.

Read: Climate (scam) Groups Worried About Bankruptcy After Trump Admin Cuts Cash Flow »

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