Reader’s Links for February 6, 2025

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Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

For those interested, please check out https://vladtepesblog.substack.com/ as an another avenue of expression. The Substack is a different project in a sense. It is older videos that in the light of subsequent events, look different or of increased importance, Check it out now and again if you like.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

32 Replies to “Reader’s Links for February 6, 2025”

  1. The Green T-Shirt (aka Zelensky) started out as a comedian starring in a show about a comedian who becomes President.

    Justin Trudeau starred in the role of greatness in his own head prior to his debut, then won the part playing Prime Minister of Canada. Both are artificial political actors created to serve foreign masters. Both have much in common.

    https://youtu.be/xq_hlbmjnQc?si=X_X5WfQARxhDMwuC

    Each man plays a leading part in their own dramatic pseudo-reality. Trudeau’s version destroys Canada for the benefit of the globalists, while Zelensky’s even darker character sacrifices hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives while trying to secure the World Island, and while overseeing a Democrat money-laundering enterprise. The advertised defense, in this tragic saga, is to stop Putin who, if left unopposed, will conquer the whole of Europe.

    Both men are supported by epic legacy media mass-line narratives.

    Enter from stage right counter-revolutionary Donald Trump. As if the world suddenly became a 30-dimension game of chess, the world in the process of globalist deconstruction is, itself, deconstructed.

    One goal of President Trump appears akin to reducing the number of dimensions our information battlespace presents to us. In other words he will decimate and simplify the leftist house of cards that so confuses everyone. While President Trump may not even understand it all, he does understand that 30-dimension chess can be wildly reduced by pulling but a single plug from the wall. The money plug. Let’s do that, he says, then we’ll see what’s left.

    One small distinction that should be made between Trump the Destroyer and Leftism the Destroyer is that President Trumo is recreating a great society as he works. The Left destroys into oblivion.

    Here, the Trump Effect is manifesting in a serious effort by Ukrainian intelligence to undermine some of its neighboring countries. In a sign of desperation, Zelensky is diverting some of his laundry money to finance colour revolutions in Serbia, Slovakia and Hungary.

    Since these Ukrainian operations were launched before Trump’s victory, one wonders how they will finish. One wonders, too, how long the Green T-Shirt gets to continue acting, or even living.

    https://rmx.news/article/ukraine-funds-left-wing-smear-campaign-to-oust-hungarys-orban/

    https://rmx.news/article/color-revolution-despite-attempts-to-overthrow-serbias-leader-serbs-still-back-government-by-large-majority/

    https://rmx.news/article/the-situation-is-extremely-serious-slovak-pm-fico-warns-of-maidan-revolution-plans-from-opposition-to-overthrow-government/

  2. Speaking with a friend yesterday I tried to explain price insensitivity vis-a-vis gold. What I tried to say was that a “giant” who measures its GDP in trillions of dollars cares not what the ounce costs when it decides it needs gold. Price is meaningless in USD, especially when you are the U.S. Government who has decided to get the stuff as fast as possible before the audit. I think I did a lousy job trying to explain it. Try these guys:

  3. While the U.S. and Russia may be in preliminary peace talks, this report tells me Putin remains hard at work prepositioning before meaningful negotiations begin. He is unveiling the Minsk agreement, but it’s nothing like the first:

    • Putin knows how to negotiate, he isn’t Trumps equal in the Art of the Deal but he is good. He knows that everyone will take his threats seriously just as he knows that the US now has a negotiator that he has to take seriously.

      Putin can be trusted to keep the deals he makes as long as he knows that breaking the deal will bring about real punishment. When the US had Dems in office he knows that all they do against a strong opponent is run their mouths and get the Lame Stream Media to lie for them.

      This is why it is vital that JD Vance has to follow Trump into the Oval Office and that he has to pick a successor that will take a realistic stance towards negotiation and following through when the other side breaks the deal. And it is vital that Vance is followed by a strong patriotic person who will protect the US and our allies rather then spend their time lining their pockets with stolen cash.

    • Yes they were but we can’t stop looking because there are probably several more piggy banks that the left has been using to fund the destruction of the West.

  5. Federal Judge BLOCKS DOGE from Gaining Access to “Sensitive” Treasury Department Payment Records – DOGE Team Previously Discovered Treasury was Funding Terrorist Groups
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/federal-judge-blocks-doge-gaining-access-sensitive-treasury/
    Feb. 6, 2025 11:15 am
    U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly

    A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from obtaining access to ‘sensitive‘ Treasury Department payment records for a period of time.

    Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in her order that Treasury officials “will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the [Treasury] Bureau of Fiscal Service.”

    Here is a link to the order here.

    This ruling comes after multiple government employee unions sued the Treasury Department over who could access the material.

    The lawsuit claimed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent improperly allowed Elon Musk’s team to access the materials, supposedly exposing personal financial information to unauthorized people.

    The ruling comes after the Justice Department on Wednesday agreed in a proposed court order to limit access to the “sensitive” records to two “special government employees” within DOGE. They will have read-only permission.

    From NBC News:

    Attorneys for the Justice Department have agreed to temporarily restrict staffers associated with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing information in the Treasury Department’s payment system.

    The agreement comes after a group of union members and retirees sued the Treasury Department alleging that providing DOGE access to the federal government’s massive payment and collections system — and the personal data housed in it — violated federal privacy laws.

    The order would allow exceptions for two special government employees at the Treasury — Tom Krause and Marko Elez — saying they are permitted access “as needed” to perform their duties, “provided that such access to payment records will be ‘read only.’”

    As Jim Hoft previously reported, the DOGE team previously discovered that payment approval officers at Treasury were always instructed to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.

    They never denied a payment in their entire career.

    David Lebryk, the top-ranking career U.S. Treasury Department official, announced he was leaving his post where he had been a top official for years following the shocking news of terror funding.

    READ MORE:

    Top Treasury Official Announces Resignation — Comes at the Same Time Elon Musk and DOGE Team Discover Treasury Is Funding Terrorist Groups

    This is a breaking news story and will be updated

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/federal-judge-blocks-doge-gaining-access-sensitive-treasury/

    • Top Treasury Official Announces Resignation — Comes at the Same Time Elon Musk and DOGE Team Discover Treasury Is Funding Terrorist Groups
      thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/top-treasury-official-announces-resignation-comes-same-time/
      Feb. 1, 2025 11:20 am
      David Lebryk (Credit: U.S. Department of the Treasury)

      David Lebryk, the top-ranking career U.S. Treasury Department official, will leave his post where he has been a top official for years.

      Elon Musk and the DOGE team are currently examining the treasury payment systems.

      Lebryk clashed with Musk over access to a “sensitive system” used to pay over $6 trillion a year in Social Security and Medicare benefits.

      The results of the audit may not bode well for David Lebryk.

      According to Elon Musk, the payment approval officers were told to ALWAYS approve payments, even to fraudulent groups or terrorist organizations!

      “The DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups. They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once,” Musk wrote.

      The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.

      They literally never denied a payment in their entire career.

      Not even once. https://t.co/kInoGWdw4C

      — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 1, 2025

      Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene weighed in on this bombshell revelation.

      “What is the point in even having payment officers at the Treasury if they were directed to literally pay anyone and everyone no matter what?! Even terrorists! The outright rot that is being uncovered and ripped out of our government right now is shocking. Thank God!”

      What is the point in even having payment officers at the Treasury if they were directed to literally pay anyone and everyone no matter what?!

      Even terrorists!

      The outright rot that is being uncovered and ripped out of our government right now is shocking.

      Thank God! https://t.co/CK6JVU4oI2

      — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) February 1, 2025

      Lebryk reportedly stepped down following a clash with Trump adviser Elon Musk over payment system access, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

      The news outlet reported:

      The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department left the agency after a clash with allies of billionaire Elon Musk over access to sensitive payment systems, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private talks.

      David A. Lebryk, who served in nonpolitical roles at Treasury for several decades, announced his retirement Friday in an email to colleagues that was obtained by The Washington Post. President Donald Trump named Lebryk acting secretary upon taking office last week. Lebryk had a dispute with Musk’s surrogates over access to the payment system the U.S. government uses to disburse trillions of dollars every year, the people said. The exact nature of the disagreement was not immediately clear, they said.

      Officials affiliated with Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” have been asking since after the election for access to the system, the people said — requests that were reiterated more recently, including after Trump’s inauguration. Tom Krause, a Silicon Valley executive who has now been detailed to Treasury, is among those involved, the people said. Krause did not respond to requests for comment.

      This comes after Scott Bessent was sworn in to serve as Trump’s Treasury secretary.

      Meanwhile, Musk aides have locked career staff out of computer systems at the US government personnel agency.

      MUSK AIDES LOCK CAREER STAFF OUT OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS AT U.S. GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL AGENCY, SOURCES SAY- RTRS

      Oh look, a countercoup

      — zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 31, 2025

      https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/top-treasury-official-announces-resignation-comes-same-time/

    • I seriously doubt that the people suing are worried about protecting the privacy of anyone besides themselves, so what have they been doing that they are afraid of the public hearing about?

  6. Bloomberg
    Citi Sees Gold Soaring to $3,000 on Tensions Triggered by Trump
    Jack Ryan
    Thu, February 6, 2025 at 10:07 AM CST 2 min read

    (Bloomberg) — Citigroup Inc. expects gold prices to hit a record $3,000 an ounce within three months, with geopolitical tensions and trade wars stoked by US President Donald Trump boosting demand for safe-haven assets.

    Trump jolted markets with the prospect of tariffs that could slow economic growth, reignite inflation and disrupt global commerce. Investors will continue to seek bullion’s security and central banks are likely to keep building out their reserves, analysts including Kenny Hu wrote in a report.

    “The gold bull market looks set to continue under Trump 2.0,” the Citi analysts said, citing risks such as slower growth and high interest rates.

    Gold hit successive records in the past few days as concerns about the tug of war between the US and China, as well as the possibility Trump will impose duties on other nations, support bullion’s role as a store of value in uncertain times.

    Citi upgraded its three-month price target for gold from $2,800 an ounce, which the precious metal has already surpassed. Spot gold slipped as much as 1.2% to $2,834.26 an ounce on Thursday.

    The bank also said that an appreciating US dollar will increase the incentive for central banks from emerging economies to boost gold holdings in order to support their own currencies, while investors will turn both to physical gold and exchange-traded funds.

    Trade-war fears have also led dealers in London to shift metal to the US, fearing the possibility that bullion won’t be excluded from potential tariffs. Premiums as of Wednesday implied a roughly 20% chance of Trump including gold in a 10% blanket global tariff, Citi said.

    “A Russia/Ukraine peace deal, and confirmation of whether gold would be exempt from broad tariffs (or not), could provide a buying opportunity over the next 2-3 months,” the Citi analysts said.

    The bank raised its average price target for the year by $100 to $2,900 an ounce, while leaving its 6 to 12 month price target of $3,000 unchanged.

    Silver and palladium edged lower, while platinum rose. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed.

    Bullion rose earlier in the week after President Donald Trump said the US could take over Gaza, a comment that his aides sought to tone down, and that he wants to start working on a new nuclear deal with Iran. Washington is also expected to present a plan to end Russia’s war on Ukraine next week.

    • What is Trump planning for the world?

      What are his intentions for the Sovereign Wealth Fund?

      How much gold is in the US repositories?

  7. Leak Shows ATF Continues to Disregard Court Orders on FRTs
    Ammoland Inc. Posted on February 6, 2025 by John Crump
    The ATF is still informing law enforcement agencies that FRTs are machineguns.
    The ATF is still informing law enforcement agencies that FRTs are machineguns.

    In a recent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) leak released by AmmoLand News and Gun Owners of America (GOA), the government agency shared its fears about 3D-printed machinegun conversion devices (MCD), but not everything the ATF listed is an MCD.
    The ATF included the Super Safe AK in its documents, claiming it was in a drop-in auto-sear (DIAS). The issue with that designation is that the Super Safety is not a machinegun or an MCD. It is a forced reset trigger (FRT), and the Bureau might be violating a court order by designating the device as a machinegun in its January 15, 2025, documentation.
    Each time a shooter uses the AK Super Safe, they must pull the trigger. The statute definition of a machinegun is a firearm that expels more than one round per function of the trigger. For each function of the trigger, the Super Safety only expels a single round. It does not fit the definition of a machinegun as defined under the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). The Supreme Court has already ruled that the ATF cannot change the statutory definition of a machinegun in the Cargill case.

    The Cargill case involved a bump stock. SCOTUS found that since a shooter must pull the trigger between each round, a bump stock is not a machinegun. The Cargill case has been referenced in NAGR v. Garland, which challenged the ATF’s definition of FRTs as machineguns. In that case, the judge found that only one round is expelled per trigger function. The judge issued an injunction against the ATF from taking enforcement actions against the owners and manufacturers of FRTs. Yet, the ATF is still informing law enforcement agencies that FRTs are machineguns.

    The ATF also refers to the AK Super Safe as the AK-DIAS. The AK-DIAS is not the same as the AK Super Safe. The AK-DIAS is a separate project and is a machinegun conversion device. It does convert a semi-automatic AK into a fully automatic firearm. The AK Super Safe engages the safety between every round making it impossible to fire automatically. It appears that the ATF is trying to conflate the two different devices which could lead to confusion amongst law enforcement, and the false arrest of Americans for possessing something that is completely legal.
    This situation isn’t the first time the ATF rebelled against the courts or the White House. The ATF was criticized for disregarding an executive order demanding that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions be eliminated. The order explicitly stated that those employees should be placed on administrative leave, and agencies should not try to hide them. The ATF did the opposite of the order. Lisa T. Boykin was the ATF’s “Chief Diversity Officer” responsible for implementing DEI at the Bureau. After President Trump issued the order, her title was changed to “Senior Executive.”
    The ATF also recently came under fire for disregarding multiple court orders blocking the pistol brace rule. In that case, the ATF told a Gun Owners of America (GOA) member that their CZ Scorpion equipped with a brace would have to be registered with the NFA division of the ATF and pay a $200 stamp fee, or they could be charged with a federal felony. The ATF said that even though the rule was blocked, they could interpret the statute however they wanted. GOA forced the issue, and the ATF finally issued a retraction.

    The situation is similar in this case. Even though the courts have barred the ATF from taking action against FRTs by a permanent injunction, they seem to be doing just that. Many view the Bureau as an out-of-control rogue government agency that ignores the law and does what it wants to do. This situation doesn’t instill confidence in those running the ATF, including the default head of the Bureau, Marvin Richardson.

    Some have campaigned for Richardson to become the permanent head of the ATF, but this situation is the third time in a month that the ATF has disregarded a Presidential or court order. It leads many to wonder if Richardson is complacent or incompetent.

    https://www.ammoland.com/2025/02/leak-shows-atf-continues-to-disregard-court-orders-on-frts/

    • The Dems have been using the Activist Judges and the Regulatory Agencies as unelected legislators getting things that Congress would never pass written into law. Now the Chevron Deference decision is blocking this and the left is discovering that the people are working hard to regain our rights under the Constitution and the Amendments. The Dems are delaying and ignoring SCOTUS hoping that they will regain enough power to pack the Court and return to the days of destroying the Constitution in their quest to create a neo feudal society.

  8. Denver Activist Group Cries Foul After Man Acquitted in Road Rage Shooting
    By Cam Edwards | 11:31 AM | February 06, 2025
    Court Gavel – Judge’s Gavel – Courtroom” by weiss_paarz_photos is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED.

    After a jury in Jefferson County, Colorado acquitted a man of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges this week, activists with the Denver Justice Project were quick to object to the decision. Blaming both prosecutors and the jury, the activists accused the Jefferson County D.A. of undercharging Jeremy Smith, and claimed the man was the beneficiary of “racial bias in the application of self-defense laws”.
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    Unfortunately for the Denver Justice Project, the facts of the case suggest that the jury made the right call, regardless of the color of Smith’s skin.

    Smith was accused of murdering 33-year-old Adam Fresquez after the pair were involved in a road rage dispute back on May 3, 2023. Witnesses reported both men cut each other off on the road before pulling into a Tesla charging station in Edgewater, Colorado. Fresquez got out of his car and approached Smith’s vehicle. Smith told investigators that Fresquez pulled a gun on him and was trying to fight, which led to Smith macing Fresquez. Smith alleged that Fresquez then pulled a gun, which led to Smith firing shots in self-defense.

    Police did find a gun on Fresquez and another in his vehicle, both of which were lawfully owned and possessed. Toxicology reports, however, also discovered Fresquez had cocaine and fentanyl in his system at the time of his death. Eyewitnesses described Fresquez as the aggressor in the encounter with Smith, though at least two of them said they never saw Fresquez draw his firearm.

    Fresquez was shot twice in the back, and passed away at a local hospital the same day. Prosecutors argued that when Smith maced Fresquez, the spray did cause him to retreat, and when Smith fired his gun he was not in imminent danger. Smith’s attorneys, meanwhile, argued that their client was acting to protect his life.

    Smith’s attorneys said Smith could’ve reacted differently but had to figure out how to survive.

    “We don’t all react the best way when we encounter difficult people, but what that shouldn’t mean is that somebody approaches your car with a gun when all you wanted to do was charge your car and do your job,” said defense attorney Nate Smith.

    The prosecution said Smith already neutralized Fresquez with mace and didn’t need to shoot him. They described Smith’s actions as reckless in killing the 33-year-old.

    “In that moment that Mr. Smith shot Adam, Adam did not pose an imminent threat. He was not about to use imminent force or unlawful physical force against Mr. Smith,” prosecutor Stephen Scheffel said. “He reasonably believed a lesser degree of force was inadequate. We know that this is not the case because he maced him and the mace worked. Adam stepped away, and the mace worked. He used a lesser degree of force to neutralize the situation and then chose to shoot him in the back twice.”

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    It took seven months for prosecutors to charge Smith, which itself is an indication that the case against him wasn’t cut-and-dried. But the Denver Justice Project maintains that when the Jefferson County D.A. did formally charge Smith, they cut him some undeserved slack.

    In a released statement, the advocacy group acknowledged the district attorney’s efforts in holding Smith accountable. But, they believe justice wasn’t served for Fresquez. They have maintained that the outcome would’ve been different if Fresquez was white.

    “We firmly believe that if the roles in this case had been reversed, Adam Fresquez would have been arrested immediately and charged with first-degree murder. Instead, Jeremy Smith was granted an extraordinary level of leniency that is almost never afforded to people of color, people like Adam,” the Denver Justice Project said in a statement. “This case is yet another example of racial bias in the application of self-defense laws, where white defendants are far more likely to be justified, especially when the victim is a person of color. The system grants them the benefit of the doubt — a clear message about whose lives are valued and whose are not.”

    I supposed it’s possible that the Denver Justice Project is right and a jury in Jefferson County saw Jeremy Smith’s pale skin and gave him the benefit of the doubt. But it’s also possible (and I’d say far more likely) that the members of the jury still had reasonable doubts about whether Smith’s acts constituted cold-blooded murder or were a legitimate act of self-defense.
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    Smith wasn’t the initial aggressor. In fact, he never left his vehicle. It was Fresquez who approached Smith, and eyewitnesses reported that he was banging on Smith’s car window and appeared to be looking for a fight. While prosecutors alleged that Fresquez retreated after being maced and didn’t pose a threat to Smith at that point, he did have a gun on his person (and another in his vehicle), and may very well have been reaching for his gun when he was shot, even if he was facing away from Smith at the time.

    I didn’t sit in the Jefferson County courtroom to hear all six days worth of testimony, but based on the reporting of the trial that I’ve seen the jury’s verdict doesn’t sound wildly off-base. Remember, it wasn’t up to Smith’s attorneys to prove he acted in self-defense. It was up to the D.A. to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Smith wasn’t defending himself; that he had no legitimate fear for his life at the time of the shooting, and think they simply weren’t able to do that. Fresquez’s death may be tragic, but that doesn’t mean it was murder, and Smith’s acquittal certainly isn’t evidence of racial bias on the jury or within the Jefferson County D.A.’s office.

    https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2025/02/06/denver-activist-group-cries-foul-after-man-acquitted-in-road-rage-shooting-n1227598

  9. (Richard: The left is use to ideal threats from the government, they are about to discover that the new people in charge aren’t making ideal threats. They are making promises and hopefully the Judges will deal harshly with the people who are working to destroy our nation.)

    WHOA! Homan Says Tren De Aragua Gang Members Tipped Off to ICE Raid – ICE Agents Show Up to Empty Colorado Apartments After Leak (VIDEO)
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/whoa-tren-de-aragua-tipped-ice-raid-when/
    Feb. 6, 2025 12:40 pm
    This X screen shot, captured from a video posted on Aug. 28, allegedly shows various armed gang members taking over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. (@vicentearenastv / X Screen Shot)

    Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan revealed someone leaked to Tren de Aragua gang members that ICE was raiding Colorado apartments.

    When ICE agents showed up, the apartments were empty.

    Homan told Fox News correspondent Harris Faulkner that someone leaked the ICE raid plans to the Venezuelan gang members.

    “We’re addressing that immediately today – Operation Security – how these leaks are happening,” Tom Homan said. “We’ve already identified how this operation got leaked. I’ll deal with that today!”

    WATCH:

    Whoa. Someone leaked to Tren de Aragua gang members that ICE was raiding Aurora, CO. When ICE showed up, the apartments were empty.

    Protestors also had bullhorns to warn illegals about ICE coming.

    Tom Homan now says he’s in touch with the DOJ about potential prosecutions. pic.twitter.com/sNibiEG8ls

    — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 6, 2025

    Activists shouted into bullhorns as ICE agents raided a Cedar Run apartment complex on Wednesday morning.

    Of course, this put ICE agents in danger.

    Tom Homan said he’s working with the DOJ to see if he can have these activists arrested for impeding.

    WATCH:

    I’m at Cedar Run Apts in Aurora where ICE has raided this morning. Activists are here saying they support their immigrant neighbors as federal agents pace the neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/QXVLSlYFRK

    — Elizabeth Hernandez (lizzy-hernandez.bsky.social) (@ehernandez) February 5, 2025

    The Biden-Harris Regime subsidized the Venezuelan gangs that took over apartment complexes in Colorado and extorted the tenants for rent payments.

    In one instance, Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members threatened to kill the property managers at the Whispering Pines apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, according to a lawsuit filed by a law firm that represents the lender on the property.

    One tenant at Whispering Pines was stabbed by the gang members for refusing to pay “rent” to them.

    The gang members told a housekeeper, “This is our business plan,” and if the property manager doesn’t like it, “we’ll fill him with bullets.”

    The property manager told investigators that the TdA gang members host “parties” in the vacant units where they “serve drugs and child prostitution.”

    An Aurora, Colorado, apartment employee at CBZ Management was beaten bloody by Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members for confronting them about taking over a vacant unit in an apartment.

    The employee was brutally beaten and left bloody. Part of the attack was caught on a security video.

    WATCH:

    After some time, we noticed a rise in crime and tenant complaints. The most alarming moment occurred when our local CBZ representative was attacked at the end of 2023.

    He had gone to inspect a recently vacated three-bedroom apartment (a rare occurrence for such a large unit)… pic.twitter.com/VkzMwmlixA

    — Cbz Management (@CbzManagement) October 11, 2024

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/whoa-tren-de-aragua-tipped-ice-raid-when/

  10. BREAKING: Trump Buyout Offer for Federal Workers PAUSED by Federal Judge Just Hours Before the Deadline
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-trump-buyout-offer-federal-workers-paused-federal/
    Feb. 6, 2025 12:59 pm
    District Judge George Augustine O’Toole Jr. (Credit: United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts)

    Yet another federal judge had decided to legislate from the bench.

    As CNN reported, U.S District Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. of Massachusetts announced today that he was blocking the “fork in the road” buyout program, pausing Thursday’s deadline for federal employees to accept the Trump administration’s generous resignation offer. According to the outlet, the judge wants to see more court proceedings on the program’s legality play out.

    The government will also send a notice to the employees informing them that Thursday’s deadline is on ice.

    Another hearing is set for Monday at 2 p.m. ET, according to MSNBC.

    Before O’Toole, Jr.’s ruling, eligible federal workers had until 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday to decide whether to take the Trump Administration’s offer.

    In the meantime, O’Toole, Jr., who Bill Clinton nominated, has at least temporarily saved hundreds of thousands of federal employees from potential termination as the Trump Administration plans massive layoffs for those who refuse to accept the buyout offer.

    As CNN notes, today’s pause is the result of a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees and multiple other unions in the US District Court in Massachusetts two days ago. They were seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the February 6 deadline.

    As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Trump offered buyouts to millions of federal workers if they resigned by today. The workers who accept Trump’s offer will receive pay and benefits through September 30.

    DOGE leader and X owner Elon Musk has pointed out this is a fair and generous deal, especially compared to what happens when private sector workers get canned.

    It’s important to note that Trump’s offer does not include postal workers, military personnel, immigration officials, or people in national security roles.

    Over 40,000 federal workers have so far taken Trump’s offer. Between 5% and 10% of federal employees were expected to take Trump’s buyout offer.

    But that still leaves almost a million federal employees eligible for termination even under the most generous scenario.

    This is a breaking news story and will be updated

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-trump-buyout-offer-federal-workers-paused-federal/

  11. (Richard: If the 14th Amendment means what the Left says why was the Indian Citizenship Act necessary?)

    BREAKING: Judge Issues Nationwide Injunction Against Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-judge-issues-nationwide-injunction-against-trumps-birthright/
    Feb. 6, 2025 3:20 pm
    Credit: White House

    Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan-appointed judge in Seattle, issued a nationwide temporary injunction against Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order on Thursday.

    Last month Judge John Coughenour temporarily blocked Trump’s birthright citizenship order until February 6 (today) in response to a lawsuit filed by Democrat state attorneys general.

    According to President Trump’s order, the 14th Amendment is being misinterpreted by the left to give citizenship to ‘anchor babies.’

    “It is the policy of the United States that no department or agency of the United States government shall issue documents recognizing United States citizenship, or accept documents issued by State, local, or other governments or authorities purporting to recognize United States citizenship, to persons: (1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth,” Trump’s order stated.

    Trump’s order argued the 14th Amendment has always excluded babies born to people in the US illegally.

    “[The] Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment has always excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” Consistent with this understanding, the Congress has further specified through legislation that “a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” is a national and citizen of the United States at birth, 8 U.S.C. 1401, generally mirroring the Fourteenth Amendment’s text,” the order stated.

    A DOJ lawyer argued that the 14th Amendment interpretation by the plaintiff is “demonstrably and unequivocally incorrect.”

    ABC News reported:

    A federal judge in Seattle has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship — one day after a judge in Maryland also issued a temporary block on the order.

    “It has become ever more apparent that to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals,” Judge John Coughenour said.

    “The constitution is not something with which the government may play policy games,” Coughenour added. “The preliminary injunction is granted on a nationwide basis.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-judge-issues-nationwide-injunction-against-trumps-birthright/

  12. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Stomps on Hillary Clinton AGAIN For Attacking Musk’s DOGE Team – Calls Out Clinton Family Grift Scheme!
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/transportation-secretary-sean-duffy-stomps-hillary-clinton-again/
    Feb. 6, 2025 4:40 pm
    Hillary Clinton / CBS

    Trump’s newly-confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stomped on twice-failed presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton again on Thursday after she launched an attack on the agency.

    The feud started on Wednesday after Secretary Duffy said he spoke with Elon Musk’s DOGE team to help upgrade the aviation system after do-nothing bureaucrats destroyed the US’s infrastructure over the years.

    “Big News – Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system,” Secretary Duffy said on Wednesday.

    Big News – Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.

    — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 5, 2025

    Elon Musk said his DOGE team is working with Secretary Duffy to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system.

    “Just a few days ago, the FAA’s primary aircraft safety notification system failed for several hours,” Elon Musk said referring to NOTAM’s failure over the weekend.

    Hillary Clinton responded to Secretary Duffy and attacked the young Gen Z whiz kids working on Elon Musk’s DOGE team.

    “They have no relevant experience,” Hillary Clinton said taking a shot at the young geniuses. “Most of them aren’t old enough to rent a car.”

    “And you’re going to let them mess with airline safety that’s already deteriorated on your watch?” Clinton added.

    Secretary Sean Duffy hit back hard.

    “Madam Secretary, with all due respect, “experienced” Washington bureaucrats are the reason our nation’s infrastructure is crumbling. You need to sit this one out,” Secretary Duffy said on Wednesday.

    On Thursday, Hillary Clinton responded to Secretary Duffy and blamed the DCA plane-helicopter crash on Trump’s policies:

    US airlines had gone 16 years without fatal crashes.

    Then MAGA fired the FAA chief, gutted the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, and threatened air traffic controllers with layoffs.

    Now there have been two fatal crashes.

    Hope your unvetted 22-year-olds fix things fast.

    US airlines had gone 16 years without fatal crashes.

    Then MAGA fired the FAA chief, gutted the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, and threatened air traffic controllers with layoffs.

    Now there have been two fatal crashes.

    Hope your unvetted 22-year-olds fix things fast. pic.twitter.com/kxss1jPjgf

    — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 6, 2025

    Sean Duffy went for it on Thursday. He went after the Clinton crime machine and called them out for their grifting/money laundering:

    I know you’re lashing out because DOGE is uncovering your family’s obscene grifting via USAID, but I won’t let you lie and distort facts. The FAA administrator announced he resigned over a month before Trump took office, and the air traffic controllers were always exempt from Trump’s civil service buyouts.

    The previous administration shamelessly used USDOT as a slush fund for the Green New Scam, throwing away money and resources on wasteful environmental and social justice projects rather than updating our nation’s antiquated air traffic control systems and other critical infrastructure.

    Trending: Unveiled Hypocrisy: Nasty Bishop Who Chastised Trump’s Immigration Policies Revealed to Have Pocketed $53 Million in Taxpayer Money

    I’m returning this department to its mission of safety by using innovative technology in transportation and infrastructure. Your team had its chance and failed. We’re moving on without you because the American people want us to make America’s transportation system great again. And yes, we’re bringing the 22-year-olds with us.

    I know you’re lashing out because DOGE is uncovering your family’s obscene grifting via USAID, but I won’t let you lie and distort facts. The FAA administrator announced he resigned over a month before Trump took office, and the air traffic controllers were always exempt from… https://t.co/WOI5K4242D

    — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 6, 2025

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/transportation-secretary-sean-duffy-stomps-hillary-clinton-again/

  13. (Richard: Just when you think the Dems can’t get any stupider they prove you wrong.)

    Michigan Democrat State Legislator Sterilizes Herself to Avoid Giving Birth in “Donald Trump’s America”
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/michigan-democrat-state-legislator-sterilizes-herself-avoid-giving/
    Feb. 6, 2025 2:20 pm
    Michigan State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) Screenshot

    Trump Derangement Syndrome has caused a young Democrat legislator to ensure she’s never able to reproduce.

    As Michigan Advance reported, 36-year-old Michigan state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) announced on Wednesday during a protest on the lawn of the Michigan Capitol in Lansing that she underwent surgery to sterilize herself.

    She claimed she did so because she was scared President Trump might make contraception inaccessible.

    “Just under two weeks ago, I underwent surgery to ensure that I would never have to navigate a pregnancy in Donald Trump’s America,” Pohutsky said to her fellow lunatics. “I refuse to let my body be treated as currency by an administration that only sees value in my ability to procreate.”

    “If you know people who are questioning how serious this is, I’m going to repeat myself: A sitting government official opted for voluntary sterilization because she was uncertain she would be able to access contraception in the future,” she added.

    Pohutsky, who is bisexual, also demanded the hundreds of protesters gathered to do more to stop Trump.

    “We need to demand that our elected officials at all levels stop pretending that this is politics as usual,” she said. “It is beyond time that all elected officials force the issue instead of preemptively capitulating.”

    The Michigan Advance noted that the protest Pohutsky was at was part of the national “50501 Movement,” which aimed to hold 50 protests in 50 states on one day.

    In addition to Michigan, demonstrations were held at state capitals in West Virginia, Georgia, Alaska, Arizona, Florida and Washington state.

    As The Gateway Pundit reported, the attendees were mostly older, white, aged female protesters, matching the demographics of Harris voters from the November election, which skewed increasingly towards older government employees and retirees.

    Their protest signs were mostly complaining about Elon Musk, Project 2025, Trump, transgender rights, among other left-wing issues. Many signs complained generally about “fascism.”

    One Michigan legislator, Rep. Matt Maddock (R), decided to film the protest and walk through showcasing the event. Maddock, speaking to The Gateway Pundit, said that “the only way to stop left-wing fascism is to stand up to left-wing fascists.”

    He was later accosted by the protesters.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/michigan-democrat-state-legislator-sterilizes-herself-avoid-giving/

  14. Need Proof of USAID Funding Being Utilized to Orchestrate Coup D’Etat? Look No Further Than Joe Biden’s Own Admission
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/need-proof-usaid-funding-being-utilized-orchestrate-coup/
    Feb. 6, 2025 1:45 pm

    President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, along with a team of young men at the Department of Government Efficiency, dealt a massive blow to the bureaucratic ‘Deep State’ last week with the temporary pause on funding to USAID. The organization has previously come under scrutiny for its lack of transparency in how it allocates its almost $50 billion in funding, with many suggesting that the organization is a “front for the CIA.”

    J. Michael Waller, author of Big Intel: How the CIA and FBI Went From Cold War Heroes to Deep State Villians,” pushed back on the “front for the CIA” claim in a post on X. In it, he claimed, “It’s worse than that. USAID became its own unaccountable covert operations agency. USAID ran covert ops without presidential finding as required by law.”

    USAID is not a front for the CIA.

    It’s worse than that.

    USAID became its own unaccountable covert operations agency.

    USAID ran covert ops without a presidential finding as required by law.

    — J Michael Waller (@JMichaelWaller) February 4, 2025

    While most of the “covert ops” may, in fact, be opaque and without presidential findings, not all are. On Wednesday, Just The News reported on several examples of USAID exerting influence on foreign countries to sway political winds in favor of U.S. interests.

    Among them was the East-West Management Institute, a Soros Open Society-backed organization that also received more than $260 million in USAID grants over the years. This money, according to Just The News, was used to “promote rule of law in Georgia, strengthen civil society in Uganda, and advance Serbia’s accession talks with the European Union.”

    The group also received $9 million for a “Justice for All” campaign in Albania that was uncovered by Judicial Watch during the Obama Administration. Just the News reported:

    The assistance concerned several GOP Senators, who sent a letter to the newly appointed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in 2017, alleging the campaign funded by the U.S. government helped craft an Albanian judicial reform proposal that may “give the Prime Minister and left-of-center government full control over the judiciary.”

    Those same Senators also raised concerns about a similar Soros-backed program in neighboring Macedonia where they said a local affiliate called Foundation Open Society-Macedonia received backing from USAID through the Open Society Foundations and pushed “a progressive agenda.”

    While the influence USAID funding exerts on foreign populations to induce and influence regime change may sometimes be subtle at best, other times it is much more apparent. Joe Biden’s trip to Ukraine as Vice President in March 2016 may be one of the more well-known examples.

    After the 2020 Election and the exposé of the Hunter Biden Laptop From Hell, quite a bit of attention was given to an outburst that Joe Biden made during a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in January 2018.

    During his remarks, Biden infamously bragged about pressuring Ukraine officials to fire Viktor Shokin, the special prosecutor who was investigating Burisma, where Hunter Biden was a board member making almost $1 million per year.

    Biden recalled going to Kyiv for the “12th or 13th time” to announce a third billion-dollar loan guarantee. He said he had gotten a commitment from Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian President who was installed following the ousting of Viktor Yanukovich during the Maidan Revolution, and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to “take action against the state prosecutor.” But when Biden arrived, the two Ukrainians had yet to remove Shokin.

    “‘I’m leaving here in, what, six hours? If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” Biden recalled saying. “Well, son of a bitch. He got fired!”

    https://youtu.be/hXjLqhtnIRI

    In June of 2016, the loan guarantee was signed and entered into force a few months later in September. The announcement of the USAID loan was made on September 30th, 2016 and stated:

    Yesterday USAID announced the issuance of a $1 billion loan guarantee from the United States to the Government of Ukraine to support the implementation of key economic and governance reforms necessary for Ukraine’s democratic transition and sustainable economic recovery.

    …

    “USAID is proud of our ongoing commitment to the Ukrainian people and government to foster critical economic and democratic reforms,” said USAID Administrator Gayle Smith. “This loan guarantee and USAID’s ongoing assistance in Ukraine will bolster the process of implementing meaningful reforms and will bolster efforts to combat corruption and build a more independent, democratic, and financially viable and prosperous Ukraine.”

    Ya’ll remember when Joe Biden bragged about withholding that “$1 billion loan guarantee” to Ukraine in exchange until the prosecutor investigating Burisma was fired??

    That was USAID.

    That is how Nuland and her cronies at the State Department were able to fund the Maidan and… pic.twitter.com/nlhqOdoUiD

    — CannCon (@CannConActual) February 6, 2025

    Merriam-Webster defines a “coup” as “a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics” that leads to the “overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group.” Because there was no violence in the specific actions taken by then-Vice President Biden, it would be considered a “soft coup.”

    Whether or not there was violence is irrelevant. Biden utilized the threat of withholding $1 billion in USAID loans to remove the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, a man who was appointed by the Ukrainian President (the US-friendly Poroshenko rather than the Russian-friendly Yanukovich) and was confirmed by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) by a vote of 318 out of 382 deputies. He also just happened to be investigating corruption in a company Hunter Biden had a financial interest in.

    As the disgraced John Bolton, unburdened from his security clearances and security detail, once eloquently stated to CNN’s Jake Tapper:

    Trending: BREAKING: FCC Releases RAW ’60 Minutes’ Train Wreck Interview with Kamala Harris – CBS Responds (VIDEO)

    John Bolton should be in prison.

    Plenty of security from Iran there. https://t.co/jfwTJM0P3x pic.twitter.com/TEj753RL3B

    — CannCon (@CannConActual) January 29, 2025

    Smoking Gun: Hunter Biden’s “Pay for Play” Contract/Emails Revealed From Days Before the Infamous “Son of a Bitch Was Fired” Trip to Ukraine

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/need-proof-usaid-funding-being-utilized-orchestrate-coup/

  15. DEVELOPING: Four Dead After US Military-Contracted Plane Crashes in Remote Area in Philippines
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/developing-four-dead-after-us-military-contracted-plane/
    Feb. 6, 2025 1:20 pm

    A tragic incident occurred Thursday when a US military-contracted plane met a catastrophic end in a remote rice field in the southern Philippines, claiming the lives of all four crew members on board.

    The aircraft, identified as a Beech King Air 300 with registration number N349CA, was confirmed by U.S. Embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay as being under contract with the U.S. military.

    Tim Ambolodto, head of the Maguindanao Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, reported that the bodies recovered appeared to be foreigners.

    The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that one U.S. service member and three defense contractors were killed on the tragedy. The identities of the victims have not yet been released.

    According to the press release:

    On February 6, 2025, an aircraft contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense crashed in the Philippine Province of Maguindanao del Sur.

    The aircraft was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies. The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.

    We can confirm no survivors of the crash. There were four personnel on board, including one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors.

    The names of the crew are being withheld pending next of kin notification.

    The cause of the crash is currently under investigation and we have no further details to release at this time.

    AP reported:

    The aircraft was conducting a routine mission “providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” the command said in a statement. It said the cause of the crash was under investigation.

    The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines also confirmed the crash of a light plane in Maguindanao del Sur province. It did not immediately provide other details.

    The bodies of the four people were retrieved from the wreckage in Ampatuan town, said Ameer Jehad Tim Ambolodto, a safety officer of Maguindanao del Sur. Indo-Pacific Command said the names of the crew were being withheld pending family notifications.

    Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster-mitigation officer, told The Associated Press that she received reports that residents saw smoke coming from the plane and heard an explosion before the aircraft plummeted to the ground less than a kilometer (about half a mile) from a cluster of farmhouses.

    Nobody was reported injured on or near the crash site, which was cordoned off by troops, Beaty said.

    A water buffalo on the ground was killed as a result of the plane crash, local officials said.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/developing-four-dead-after-us-military-contracted-plane/

  16. Trump Vows to Sanction International Criminal Court with Executive Order After Senate Democrats Block Bill Targeting ICC for Witch Hunts Against U.S., Israel
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/trump-vows-sanction-international-criminal-court-executive-order/
    Feb. 6, 2025 1:30 pm
    Credit: Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour

    President Donald Trump is poised to sign an executive order on Thursday, wielding the might of American sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    This development follows the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes during Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

    The ICC alleges that Netanyahu and Gallant employed “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians—charges that Israeli officials have vehemently denied, labeling them as false and antisemitic.

    Other accusations are:

    Wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health contrary to article 8(2)(a)(iii), or cruel treatment as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
    Wilful killing contrary to article 8(2)(a)(i), or Murder as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
    Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime contrary to articles 8(2)(b)(i), or 8(2)(e)(i);
    Extermination and/or murder contrary to articles 7(1)(b) and 7(1)(a), including in the context of deaths caused by starvation, as a crime against humanity;
    Persecution as a crime against humanity contrary to article 7(1)(h);
    Other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity contrary to article 7(1)(k).”

    President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) follows the recent blockage by Senate Democrats of a Republican-led bill aimed at sanctioning the ICC for issuing arrest warrants.

    On Tuesday night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at sanctioning the ICC for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leadership, with a vote of 247 to 155. All opposition came from Democrat lawmakers.

    Despite this, the bill was ultimately thwarted by Senate Democrats, leading to Trump’s decision to act unilaterally with sanctions.

    According to Reuters, the executive order will authorize financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their family members who assist in ICC investigations involving U.S. citizens or allied nations, including Israel.

    A White House official stated, “The United States will not stand idly by as the ICC targets our citizens and allies with politically motivated investigations.”

    More from the news outlet:

    The ICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The court has taken measures to shield staff from possible U.S. sanctions, paying salaries three months in advance, as it braced for financial restrictions that could cripple the war crimes tribunal, sources told Reuters last month.

    In December, the court’s president, judge Tomoko Akane, warned that sanctions would “rapidly undermine the Court’s operations in all situations and cases, and jeopardise its very existence.”

    This is the second time the court has faced U.S. retaliation as a result of its work. During the first Trump administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.

    The 125-member ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals. The United States, China, Russia and Israel are not members.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/trump-vows-sanction-international-criminal-court-executive-order/

  18. My grandmother, the emergent Catholic right, and why Massimo misses it

    By Peter Wolfgang ( bio – articles – email ) | Feb 01, 2025

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    My grandmother died yesterday at the age of 96. There is no single person to whom I owe a greater debt for imparting to me my Catholic faith than her. I have explained why in numerous Facebook posts over the years and in a Catholic Herald piece commemorating the centennial of Our Lady of Fatima.

    One thing she did not pass on to me (at least not permanently) was her lifelong support for the Democratic Party. My grandparents were the “ancestral white Catholics” mentioned in passing in a recent First Things podcast. Immigrant Catholics in places like Southern New England with a deep historical attachment to the Democratic Party in general and a feudal-like loyalty to the Kennedys in particular.

    During the 2020 Democratic convention, when “Scranton Joe” Biden turned on the old working-class Catholic piety, I scoffed. 2020 was a year of Peak Wokeness. Covid lockdowns, George Floyd riots, statues of our founding fathers vandalized, and so forth. Surely “ancestral white Catholics” were wise to the Democrat Party’s false claim to speak for them by now, I thought.

    I was wrong. Or, rather, I was early. Biden’s 2020 campaign turned out to be the last gasp of the old ruse. He hadn’t the strength to pull it off again in 2024, before he was yanked from the stage. And there is no longer anyone else left who can do it. With Biden’s exit from public life, an era has finally ended.

    That, in fact, was the point of the “ancestral white Catholic” mention in the First Things podcast. They voted to put Trump back in office. And by a significant swing from four years earlier. As George Marlin explains in The Catholic Thing, “The Numbers Show the Catholic Vote Still Matters.”

    I might tweak that thesis a little. Not that the Catholic vote still matters but that it matters once again. That there was a period where the Catholic vote mattered, followed by a period where the Catholic vote became indistinguishable from voters in general, followed by a new era beginning just in 2024, where Catholics are once more voting in a way distinguishable from the public at large.

    I have been hoping for this new Catholic Moment in Catholic voting for almost 20 years. Again, as I laid out here, the Democratic Party really had to go out of its way to lose me. But by 1996, I was there. The day after Bill Clinton’s reelection I subscribed to Crisis Magazine, joined the Catholic Alliance (a Catholic auxiliary of the Christian Coalition) and something called the Catholic Campaign for America. Wherever Catholicism and conservative political action overlapped, count me in. I was there.

    Most of those entities are largely forgotten now. But again, I was not wrong. I was early. The goals those 1990s Catholic groups sought to achieve are now being accomplished—with far greater effectiveness—by CatholicVote.

    That is my sense from this wonderful hitjob on the “emergent Catholic right” by USA Today. The mainstream media knows its enemy:

    In contrast to the bishop conference’s overall sentiments, CatholicVote heralded those same executive orders as evidence of God answering the prayers of this emergent Catholic right. “And I wanted to remind you: this is what we fought for,” CatholicVote vice president Joshua Mercer said in an online post on Jan. 21. “By the grace of God, we have been given an opportunity that’s been vanishingly rare in modern history: to bring our Catholic political worldview to the halls of the world’s greatest power.”

    But the “emergent Catholic right”—whether it be CatholicVote or Vice President J.D. Vance or any of the other recent figures who so terrify the leftist anti-Catholic press—are advancing a project of which the old Catholic Left hasn’t quite gotten its head around yet. The emergent Catholic right is not simply trying to Republicanize the Catholic Church. They are trying to Catholicize the Republican Party. And they are succeeding.

    That is the point of Vice President Vance calling out “radical individualism” at the March for Life. And his situating the pro-life cause in a larger pro-family framework. And his telling Catholic critics of Trump’s immigration policies to Google Ordo Amoris. When Massimo Faggioli criticizes the emergent Catholic right for having a “more libertarian, more focused on individual freedom” focus, he is completely missing it. Vance is mixing traditional American social conservatism with an economics more rooted in Catholic social solidarity. Watch Josh Mercer rightly roast Faggioli for his blindness on this point in the last four minutes of this video.

    This new convergence between Catholicism and conservatism comes too late for my grandmother. She cast her final vote—alas, for Kamala Harris—about twelve weeks before her death. She died wearing her scapular and, this being the first Saturday after her death, I pray the Mother of Grace is, even now as I type these words, freeing her from purgatory. I know how much she loved God and his Mother.

    And, sadly, the Kennedys. I loved her with all my heart. I owe her so much. But if God permits political arguments to continue in the afterlife, someday I might still show her this.

    https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/my-grandmother-emergent-catholic-right-and-why-massimo-misses-it/