Reader’s Links for February 21, 2025

38 Replies to “Reader’s Links for February 21, 2025”

1. Well, Team Canada beat Team USA in the big hockey game in Boston last night (I’m sure that was you I saw in the crowd, Yucki, half-way up behind the U S. bench.) What amounts to a last vestige of Canada’s spiritual, symbolic military force survives until next time.

   The comment section for this highlight clip has the expected sentiments. The win is linked to tariffs in one or two comments, and the general bias seems to be towards Canada, though I didn’t read all.

   There was a floating conspiracy theory that 32-year NHL Commissioner Gary Bittman would not allow a Canada win in the name of promoting the game in the U S .. Fortunately, this wasn’t true. My own family lore has it that my grandmother, Gertrude Schintzel, was once helped out of an Ottawa snowbank after a slip. A limousine pulled up beside her, and none other than then NHL commissioner King Clancy jumped out to give her a hand. He even gave her, and her grocery bag, a lift home. Civility prevailed then, as it did in last night’s game.

   The illusion of two solitude prevails following such a patriotic, international contest. However just as PT recently called our shared border an “artificial line” (paraphrased), the distinction between our peoples is obscured even more on a night like this. It showcases the white, European warring stock that dominates our continental demography (for now and just barely).

   In our new epoch of falling pseudo-realities one wonders just how long until this line is erased.

   https://youtu.be/hUaL56hw-jc?si=6m6ToEf2ZdSoOk–

   • Every Canadian boy’s dream. Happy Friday:

2. It didn’t take JD Vance long to be proven right about free speech in Europe. BTW Vlad has as one of his rotating photos a shot of the same in Ottawa from some years ago:

   https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/20/vp-vance-vindicated-scottish-police-arrest-woman-for-silent-vigil-outside-abortion-clinic/

3. I like the quotes, Richard. Can’t get tired of them.

   “As a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.”
   –James Madison

   • Yeah it is time for people to learn how the Founding Fathers thought, I’ll put more of them up from time to time.

     Wish I had thought of them earlier.

   • “It must never be forgotten…that the liberties of the people are not so safe under the gracious manner of government as by the limitation of power.” ~ Richard Henry Lee

     “The question is, not what rights naturally belong to man, but how they may be most equally and effectually guarded in society.” ~ Roger Sherman

     “Sad will be the day when the American people forget their traditions and their history, and so longer remember that the country they love, the institutions they cherish, and the freedom they hope to preserve, were born from the throes of armed resistance to tyranny, and nursed in the rugged arms of fearless men.” ~ Roger Sherman

     “One useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three is a Congress.” ~ John Adams

     “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” ~ John Adams

     “There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” ~ John Adams

     “Always stand on principle even if you stand alone.” ~ John Adams

     “But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” ~ John Adams

   • “Power always thinks… that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.” ~ John Adams

     “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” ~ John Adams

     “Those who trade liberty for security have neither.” ~ John Adams

     “Every problem is an opportunity in disguise.” ~ John Adams

     “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty.” ~ John Adams

     “We have no Constitution which functions in the absence of a moral people” ~ John Adams

     “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.” ~ John Adams

     “My God! This is a revolution! We have to offend someone!” ~ John Adams

     “Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” ~ John Adams

     “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

     “War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is.
     Revolution is when you decide that for yourself.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

     “He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

     “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

   • “When a government betrays the people by amassing too much power and becoming tyrannical, the people have no choice but to exercise their original right of self-defense — to fight the government.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

     “Give all the power to the many, they will oppress the few. Give all the power to the few, they will oppress the many.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

     “One great error is that we suppose mankind more honest than they are.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

     “A sacred respect for the constitutional law is the vital principle, the sustaining energy of a free government.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

     “A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

     “There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

   • “Law is whatever is boldly asserted and plausibly maintained.” ~ Aaron Burr

     “The rule of my life is to make business a pleasure, and pleasure my business.” ~ Aaron Burr

     “If our nation is ever taken over, it will be taken over from within.” ~ James Madison

     “The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded.” ~ James Madison

     “Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.” ~ James Madison

     “Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant.” ~ James Madison

4. OT but funny:

   https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MQQzFXOFK8c

5. CJ Hopkins on the Musk and Trump psyops, back in 2024

   https://cjhopkins.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-two-psyops

   A Tale of Two PSYOPS
   CJ Hopkins
   Nov 15, 2024

   Once upon a time, on a planet called Earth, there was born a global-capitalist empire. It was the first global empire in the history of empires. It dominated the entire planet.

   No one knew what to call the empire, because there had never been anything like it in history. It had no external adversaries, so it had nothing left to do but “clear and hold,” i.e., neutralize internal resistance and consolidate its domination of the planet.

   So that is what it set about doing.

   It did this first in the territories of its final ideological adversary, an empire called the Soviet Union, the ideology of which was known as “Communism.”

   This was known as the “Post-Cold-War Era.”

   It did this next in the Greater Middle East, where people were still trying to live their lives according to a religion known as “Islam.”

   This was known as the “Global War on Terror.”

   The Global War on Terror was originally intended to go on forever, and it would have, and it will, but it had to be temporarily suspended, and rebranded, because something unexpected happened.

   One day, in the Summer of 2016 — theretofore officially “The Summer of Fear” — the global-capitalist empire noticed that a new form of resistance to its domination of the entire planet had risen up, not in the former Soviet Union, or the Greater Middle East, but throughout the West, right in the very heart of the empire.

   And so the War on Terror was suspended, and the War on Populism began.

   The War on Populism raged for four years, and culminated in the rollout of the New Normal, officially known as “the Covid pandemic.”

   For over two years, i.e., from March 2020 to approximately December 2022, the global-capitalist empire morphed into a new form of totalitarianism, a global-capitalist form of totalitarianism, which was not like any other previous form of totalitarianism.

   This period was the shock-and-awe phase of the rollout of the New Normal Reich.

   The transition to the New Normal Reich was broadcast throughout the global empire. The message was unmistakeably clear. From now on, there would be a “New Normal.” It would be like a permanent state of war, a permanent state of civil war. And so, from now on everyone would need to pledge their allegiance to the New Normal Reich, and follow orders, or be labelled an “extremist,” a “science denier,” a “conspiracy theorist,” or some other type of seditious deviant.

   The vast majority of the citizens of the West understood the message, followed orders, and pledged allegiance to the New Normal Reich. But a sizeable minority did not. The global-capitalist empire needed to neutralize this sizeable minority.

   The majority of this sizeable minority was comprised of conservative, libertarian, and other basically right-leaning people. It contained a few old-school left-leaning people, but they were a minority within a minority, and so they weren’t really a factor when it came to neutralizing the larger minority, which the empire promptly set about doing.

   The Free-Speech Twitter PSYOP
   In October 2022, Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire military contractor, electric car salesman, and transhumanism enthusiast, and a coterie of serious global-capitalist entities and individuals purchased the social media platform known as Twitter, Inc. for 44 billion US dollars.

   Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters grinning like a chimpanzee and carrying a bathroom sink, and the Free-Speech Twitter PSYOP began.

   During the War on Populism and the shock-and-awe phase of the rollout of the New Normal Reich, Twitter, Inc., and every other social-media platform and mass-media outlet in the Western world, had been functioning as the empire’s Ministry of Truth, disseminating official New Normal propaganda, censoring dissent, and unpersoning anyone challenging the empire’s official narratives. And thus, it provided the perfect stage for the PSYOP the empire was about to conduct.

   Musk reinstated a number of prominent, primarily conservative Twitter accounts that had been deplatformed for “posting misinformation” about Hunter Biden’s laptop and the “Covid vaccines,” and for posting “incitement” and “glorification of violence,” and bigotry and other such offensive content, among them, the account of Donald Trump, and tens of thousands of Trump supporters.

   As Elon had promised, “the bird was freed”! Elon acolytes and grateful garden-variety Trumpians and other right-leaning persons poured onto Twitter to thank their savior for reversing the company’s target demographic, thus saving America from “Cultural Marxism,” and “Communism,” and the “Woke Mind Virus.”

   The PSYOP continued with a textbook limited hangout known as the “Twitter Files.” Musk let a few carefully selected journalists run a few searches at Twitter HQ, which exposed how the former staff of Twitter had been collaborating with elements of the Biden administration (i.e., not the global-capitalist empire) to censor and deplatform people — mostly those in the new “red” target demographic — and was part of some strictly-USA-operated “Censorship Industrial Complex,” which was absolutely not a global operation, and had nothing to do with any global-capitalist empire, or a “New Normal Reich,” because all the censorship and “shadowbanning” — which was all in the past now that Elon was in charge — was the work of a cabal of deep-state libtard bureaucrats, who were all a bunch of “Commies.”

   These revelations in the “Twitter Files” prompted Republicans in the US Congress to hold a series of subcommittee hearings into the possibly unconstitutional behavior of the Biden administration and its libtard proxies (i.e., not the global-capitalist empire), which had forced Twitter, Inc., and the other totally helpless Internet corporations to “shadowban” and censor Americans (i.e., not everyone else all throughout the empire that these corporations were also censoring in a clearly coordinated fashion).

   And then, right on cue, once the story had been framed within a US-centric “red/blue” narrative, Musk shut the “Twitter Files” limited hangout down, i.e., before it could do any damage to the global-capitalist empire itself.

   For the next two years, Elon and his cronies inundated their new target-demographic with “Free-Speech-Twitter” propaganda, sentimental Elon Musk-hagiography, and a never-ending series of PR-stunts. Twitter was officially rebranded as “X.” Musk went to war with Brazil’s Darth Vader, and Thierry Breton, and assorted other “Commies.” Twitter users were besieged with memes of Elon dressed up as Captain Free-Speech America. Et cetera.

   And so the Musk Cult was born.

   Meanwhile, X is continuing to censor and “visibility-filter” content at the behest of governments throughout the empire, as well as in furtherance of its own objectives.

   If you think that fact has had a negative impact on the Free-Speech Twitter PSYOP, on the contrary, the Musk Cult has only grown broader and stronger. Like any other cult, it is impervious to facts. All that matters is loyalty to the cult, and the leader of the cult, and the cult’s official narrative. You can direct Musk cultists to the Twitter Safety pages where “visibility filtering” is explained, and cite countless examples of Musk’s hypocrisy, and it will have absolutely no effect whatsoever. Like every other successful cult leader, Elon is beyond reproach, incapable of sin, a god made flesh.

   But deifying Elon was not the primary objective of the Free-Speech Twitter PSYOP.

   The primary objective of the Free-Speech Twitter PSYOP was to harness, corral, and establish control over the majority of the sizeable minority of people who refused to follow orders and pledge allegiance to the New Normal Reich when it was rolled out during the “Covid pandemic.” These people needed to be herded into a manipulable mass and redirected away from the global-capitalist empire and into a harmless cul-de-sac where they could scream and shout at the empire’s designated scapegoats to their heart’s content. The Musk Cult was just a means of herding and leading them into this cul-de-sac.

   “Free-Speech Twitter” is this cul-de-sac, and is a microcosm of a larger cul-de-sac.

   Which brings us to the second PSYOP.

   The America Made Great Again PSYOP
   One of the most effective ways to neutralize an opponent is to let them win. This is especially true when you’re dealing with an opponent you can never entirely defeat.

   What you do is, you lure your opponent into a battle you can afford to lose, because you need to actually lose the battle, and let your opponent actually win, i.e., not just trick them into thinking they have won, because … well, your opponent isn’t stupid.

   This battle that you lure your opponent into and let them win will be a battle over a territory within a territory, but which your opponent believes is “the territory.” You can afford to lose control of this territory within a territory because you control the territory it exists within, and because your opponent doesn’t know that.

   The trick is getting your opponent to believe that, by winning this battle, they have won “the war,” and that they now control “the territory,” and have destroyed you, or have otherwise removed you from power, when, actually, all that your opponent has destroyed or removed from power is a corporeal decoy, a material incarnation of an invisible, immaterial adversary, an adversary they do not know exists, or which they refuse to acknowledge the existence of … assuming, of course, that is what you are.

   At which point, you have neutralized your opponent.

   For example, say you’re a global empire, a supranational global-capitalist empire, and say your opponent is a populist insurgency, a potentially revolutionary mass, that you need to distract from contemplating your supranational, invisible, immaterial nature, and from the fact that the governments of nation-states are essentially administrative components of this invisible immaterial empire that you are, and thus it doesn’t really matter to you which political party administers these nation-states or who the leaders of these parties are, because they can’t really do much damage to you, because all they control are the material territories within the immaterial territory you control, which predetermines the context and the scope of their actions, and the parameters of their imaginations, and … OK, you probably see where this is going.

   Or, I don’t know, maybe you don’t. So let me try to simplify it.

   There is no “America” to make great again. “America” is a simulation. It is a map of a territory that does not exist. It is a dream within a dream in a film that no one can see because everyone is watching. It is a brand name for an imaginary product.

   OK, that didn’t make it any simpler, did it? Let me try this one more time.

   We are living in a global-capitalist empire. One big global-capitalist empire. We have been for the last thirty-something years. All of us. Americans. Canadians. The British. The French. Australians. Germans. Russians. Israelis. Palestinians. Iranians. All of us.

   The global-capitalist empire is not a cabal of powerful individuals. It is a system. And that system is evolving. Metamorphosing. Transmogrifying. Evolving into a new form of totalitarianism. A global-capitalist form of totalitarianism.

   It is the system, and not its servants, that is driving … driving this systemic evolution. It makes no difference whether Elon Musk, or Donald Trump, or Macron, or Starmer, or Netanyahu, or Gates, or Bezos, or Soros, or any other political “leader” or powerful figure knows what they are doing. They serve the system, as the system requires, each according to their specific role and scope of action within the system.

   Elon Musk did not “save free speech” or “rescue Twitter” from a “Woke Mind Virus.” He purchased a corporation and rebranded its product for new market demographic. In so doing, he corralled and neutralized most of the conservative populist resistance to the evolution of the global-capitalist system … which is what the system needed to happen. It makes no difference whether Elon Musk understood his role. He played it perfectly. He is continuing to play it perfectly.

   The Musk Cult is growing. Its apostles are preaching the Gospel of Elon throughout the empire, paving the road to The Privatization of Everything! Verily, it is the dawn of a golden age of “Freedom” ruled by global corporations and beneficent oligarchs!

   However, before that golden age can begin, America must be made great again! And so the Free-Speech Twitter PSYOP has to be repeated on the macro-level. The same conservative populist resistance to the evolution of the global-capitalist system that Musk corralled and neutralized needs to be corralled and neutralized everywhere … not just in America, everywhere, all throughout the West and the rest of the empire.

   Once it is corralled, and neutralized, and whipped up into a frenzy over “Wokeness,” “Cultural Marxism,” and “Communism,” it can be unleashed on the remnants of the dying age of nation-states, national sovereignty, constitutions, and so on, which will prompt the Global Powers That Be to take extreme measures to “defend democracy,” which will prompt the Other Global Powers That Be to take more extreme measures to “Rescue the Republic,” which will prompt the Global Powers That Be to take even more extreme extreme measures to “defend democracy from fascism” and … OK, this time, I do think you see where this is going.

   Or, I don’t know, maybe you don’t. But I don’t think I can make it any simpler. And I don’t see any way to stop it or fix it. It isn’t an error to be corrected. It is the organic evolution of a system … a supranational system evolving into a new totalitarian form.

   So, there you have it, a tale of two PSYOPS. I’m sorry that it isn’t as comforting as a story about how Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their global-capitalist investors, and their subsidiaries, agents, and assigns, are going to “make America great again.”

   If it’s any consolation, one thing is certain … whatever happens, it won’t be boring.

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   CJ Hopkins
   Nov 16

   This column is generating a fair amount of anger from Trump and Musk fans, which I expected. So, I’ll make a deal with you folks. If the new Trump/Musk administration constitutes and empowers an open-ended fact-finding commission to investigate and publicly expose the facts behind the rollout of the New Normal (i.e., the “Covid pandemic”) in 2020-2022 throughout the Western world — i.e., not just focused on “red/blue” politics in the USA, not just another club to beat the Democrats over the head with, though they deserve it — if the new Trump/Musk administration does that, I will put on a MAGA hat, take a selfie, post it, and otherwise eat crow on the Internet. Fair enough?

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   A. Montana
   Nov 15

   While some of what you write is most likely true, it is really grating that it keeps coming across as you being the sage, the one who can see through this, and you need to let us , the blind folks know in a very talk-down manner. Your psyops also always assume that these folks have everything under total control, that there’s not the possibility of chance, chaos, human fallibility, in-party fighting, and, after all, the existence of possibly a higher power that might interfere.

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   The Verdict
   So, my show trial for thoughtcrimes in criminal court in New Normal Germany went pretty well.
   Jan 24, 2024 • CJ Hopkins
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   The Last Days of the Covidian Cult
   This isn’t going to be pretty, folks.
   Jan 18, 2022 • CJ Hopkins
   1,121
   396

   Guilty
   So, the Berlin Appellate Court overturned my acquittal today.
   Sep 30, 2024 • CJ Hopkins
   1,346
   346

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   • CJ Hopkins: queen of the pretentious cliche salad. No matter: she’ll have a guaranteed place in alt-media circles by virtue of her consistent, anti-American posturing.

6. Trump DOJ Declares Multi-Layered Protections for Administrative Law Judges Unconstitutional, Dismantling Longstanding Shield for Unelected Bureaucrats
   thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/trump-doj-declares-multi-layered-protections-administrative-law/
   Feb. 21, 2025 8:45 am
   Photo credit: depositphotos.com

   The Department of Justice under President Trump has determined that the multiple layers of removal restrictions shielding administrative law judges (ALJs) are unconstitutional.

   The DOJ has concluded that current laws make it too difficult for the government to remove ALJs from their positions. These laws require multiple steps and layers of approval before an ALJ can be fired, which limits the President’s power.

   ALJs in the United States are supposed to be “impartial officials” who preside over administrative hearings within federal agencies. They operate within the executive branch, not the judicial branch.

   A letter from Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) outlined the DOJ’s stance, explaining that restrictions preventing the removal of ALJs under 5 U.S.C. 1202(d) and 7521(a) are unconstitutional under Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

   5 U.S.C. 1202(d) states, “Any member may be removed by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”

   5 U.S.C 7521(a) states, “An action may be taken against an administrative law judge appointed under section 3105 of this title by the agency in which the administrative law judge is employed only for good cause established and determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board on the record after opportunity for hearing before the Board.”

   The DOJ’s position aligns with the Supreme Court’s 2010 Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Bd. decision, which struck down similar “multilayer protection from removal” for executive officers. The Court ruled that such barriers were an unconstitutional infringement on the president’s authority to oversee executive officers.

   In the DOJ letter, Harris referenced this ruling, emphasizing that removal restrictions preventing ALJs from being held accountable create an unconstitutional chain of protection, limiting the president’s ability to ensure executive officials serve the public interest.

   The DOJ has also announced it will no longer defend these removal restrictions in court, a major policy shift.

   The letter reads:

   Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 530D, I am writing to advise you that the Department of Justice has concluded that the multiple layers of removal restrictions for administrative law judges (ALJs) in 5 U.S.C. 1202(d) and 7521(a) violate the Constitution, that the Department will no longer defend them in court, and that the Department has taken that position in ongoing litigation. See 2/11/25 Letter, Axalta Coating Systems LLC v. FAA, No. 23-2376 (3d Cir.).

   In Free Enterprise Fund v. PCAOB, 561 U.S. 477 (2010), the Supreme Court determined that granting “multilayer protection from removal” to executive officers “is contrary to Article Il’s vesting of the executive power in the President.” Id. at 484.

   The President may not “be restricted in his ability to remove a principal [executive] officer, who is in turn restricted in his ability to remove an inferior [executive] officer.” Ibid.

   A federal statute provides that a federal agency may remove an ALJ “only for good cause established and determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board on the record after opportunity for hearing before the Board.” 5 U.S.C. 7521(a).

   Another statute provides that a member of the Board “may be removed by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” 5 U.S.C. 1202(d).

   Consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Enterprise Fund, the Department has determined that those statutory provisions violate Article II by restricting the President’s ability to remove principal executive officers, who are in turn restricted in their ability to remove inferior executive officers.

   Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance in this matter.

   Today, the Department of Justice determined that multiple layers of removal restrictions shielding administrative law judges (ALJs) are unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/lcfPskwkQq

   — Chad Mizelle (@ChadMizelle47) February 21, 2025

   More from far-left New York Times:

   The Trump administration told Congress on Thursday that it believed President Trump had the constitutional power to summarily fire administrative law judges at will, despite a statute that protects such officials from being removed without a cause like misconduct.

   Trending: Kash Patel Issues Fiery Statement with a Dire Warning to America’s Enemies After Being Confirmed as FBI Director

   The move was the latest step in the administration’s unfolding assault on the basic structure of the federal government and on Congress’ power to insulate various types of executive branch officials in sensitive positions from political interference from the White House. The Trump administration disclosed its approach in a letter from Sarah M. Harris, the acting solicitor general.

   Administrative law judges preside over administrative hearings in executive branch agencies. They are executive branch officials, not life-tenured members of the judicial branch, but they still perform judges’ role, including by administering oaths, taking testimony, ruling on evidentiary questions, and making factual and legal determinations.

   Examples of such officials include Social Security Administration judges who handle disputes about disability and retirement benefits; National Labor Relations Board judges who resolve unfair labor practice cases; and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission judges who hear disputes about matters like electric utilities and regional grids.

   To insulate the officials from political interference, Congress enacted a statute that says disciplinary action, including firings, may be taken against such judges “only for good cause established and determined by the Merit Systems Protection Board on the record after opportunity for hearing before the board.”

   https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/trump-doj-declares-multi-layered-protections-administrative-law/

7. Attorney General Pam Bondi Fires ATF General Counsel Pamela Hicks as Part of Sweeping Purge of Biden-Era Appointees
   thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/attorney-general-pam-bondi-fires-atf-general-counsel/
   Feb. 21, 2025 7:30 am
   Pamela Hicks (Credit: LinkedIn)

   The Trump administration is making good on its promise to drain the swamp and restore law and order, as Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired Pamela Hicks from her role as Chief Counsel of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

   As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, President Trump made it clear last week that he would eliminate all Biden-appointed U.S. Attorneys who contributed to the weaponization of the justice system.

   In a powerful statement, Trump wrote on Truth Social:

   “Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before. Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining “Biden Era” U.S. Attorneys. We must “clean house” IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!”

   The move rattled left-wing operatives embedded in the DOJ, who have used their positions to undermine the rule of law and protect corrupt Democrats.

   According to NBC News, one fired U.S. attorney received an official termination letter from Trent Morse, the deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, which read:

   “At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as U.S. Attorney is terminated, effective immediately.”

   Attorney General Pam Bondi wasted no time in carrying out Trump’s mission of restoring a fair and impartial Justice Department, leading to Hicks’ immediate dismissal.

   “Earlier today, I was served official notice from the Attorney General of the United States that I was being removed from my position as the Chief Counsel of ATF and my employment with the Department of Justice terminated,” Hicks wrote in her LinkedIn post.

   She continued, “I have had the privilege of serving in the federal civil service for almost 28 years, including 23 as an attorney for the Department of Justice. Serving as ATF Chief Counsel has been the highest honor of my career and working with the people at ATF and throughout the Department has been a pleasure. I thank my colleagues for their friendship and partnership over the years.”

   Despite the flowery farewell, Hicks’ tenure at ATF under Biden’s administration saw increased crackdowns on lawful gun owners while ignoring the real crime wave sweeping the country.

   Her departure marks a step in restoring a justice system that serves the American people rather than the radical left’s anti-Second Amendment agenda

   https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/attorney-general-pam-bondi-fires-atf-general-counsel/

8. (Richard: the following is Article 2 of the US Constitution, it establishes the Executive Branch of the US Government. This is one of the three co equal branches of the US Government.The Executive Branch runs the Government and manages all of the business of the US Government. The Legislative Branch writes the laws and approves the Treaties that the Executive Branch negotiates and approves the appointment of the heads of the various departments of the Executive Branch. The Judicial Branch oversees the laws that the Legislative Branch writes and the Administrative Branch enforces.

   Currently the Civil Service employees (the bureaucrats) are protected by several laws limiting when and how the President can fire them. When you read Article 2 of the Constitution you discover that all of those laws are Unconstitutional, the President and Vice President are the only officials who are elected by the entire nation and the President runs the Administrative Branch. All of the laws however well meaning are the Legislative Branch limiting the power and authority of the Executive Branch. They do not have the power to limit Presidential authority just as the President doesn’t have the power to limit the Legislative Branch. The Judicial Branch has the power to limit both but only when 1) either or both branches are violating the Constitution and 2) When some Citizen has been harmed by one or both of the Branches and brings suit against the Government.

   Remember the US Constitution was written to limit the power of all of the layers of Government in the US, the Federal Government (the one furthest from the people has the most limitations. The State Government has more power but is limited by the Federal Government. The County and City governments, the local governments have the most but are limited by the two higher governments. This was set up because the local governments are the closest to the voters who have the most power to punish them at the ballot box. The Constitution also declares that the Constitution and the Federal Laws are the supreme laws of the land and override all other laws. The States can’t nullify Federal Laws the Civil War was started because the States were trying to nullify Federal Laws and the current mess with the illegal aliens is partially due to Cities and States trying to nullify Federal Laws.

   Under the 10th Amendment the Federal Government is limited to the Rights/Powers that are enumerated in the Constitution, all other Rights/Powers belong to the States and the People.

   A lot of our current problems have been caused by the left getting enough control to stop the High Schools teaching civics. This means most people don’t know what our rights are or what the rights of the Feds and the States are.)

   Article 2, Section 1

   The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows
   Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
   The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.
   The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.
   No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.
   In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the VicePresident, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.
   The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.
   Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

   Article 2, Section 2

   The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
   He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
   The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

   Article 2, Section 3
   He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

   Article 2, Section 4
   The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

   https://constitutionus.com/constitution/articles/article2/

9. Concerns Over Musk Security After DOGE Head Receives Series of Life Threats – El Salvador’s Bukele Reaches Out – Marshal Service Reportedly Deputizes Some Members of His Detail
   thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/concerns-musk-security-after-doge-head-receives-series/
   Feb. 21, 2025 11:00 am
   AI-generated image by Grok. PROTECT MUSK!!!

   Being the richest man in the world sending rockets into space may turn out to be less of an adventure than being the person tasked by President Donald J. Trump to slash inefficiencies, redundancies, fraud and waste from government spending.

   Besides being a monumental task comparable to the mythological Hercules cleaning the Aegean Stables in one of his hardest labors, it’s also fraught with danger.

   The threats against tech billionaire and DOGE head Elon Musk have multiplied lately, with endless liberal-Globalists enraged by the sight of his department cutting pork.

   Musk takes those mostly in stride, even commenting that the death chants against him are awful music.

   However, the Trump administration is not kidding around.

   Democratic Representative Robert Garcia from California has received a letter from U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin Jr. seeking clarification on comments that the house member made during a CNN interview on February 12 in which Garcia stated, ‘What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight’, in the context of opposing Musk’s work.

   Elsewhere, the violent reactions are having tragic repercussions, as in WORDS HAVE CONSEQUENCES: Tesla Dealership Shot Up in Oregon Following Violent Rhetoric from Democrat Politicians – Second Criminal Incident at Location in a Month.

   Watch: Elon Musk says he is conscious about the threats on his life, consioders ramping up his security detail.

   NEW: Elon Musk says he is conscious about the threats on his life and wants to ramp up his security detail

   ELON MUSK: “My security detail should be bigger. I am open to ideas for improving security. I don’t actually have a death wish. I’ve even had people like President Bukele… pic.twitter.com/WjUpxNK2qI

   — Autism Capital (@AutismCapital) February 21, 2025

   ELON MUSK: “My security detail should be bigger. I am open to ideas for improving security. I don’t actually have a death wish. I’ve even had people like President Bukele from El Salvador who managed to put 100,000 murderous thugs in prison and even *he* called me being worried about my security. I was like ‘How did you put all those thugs in prison without dying? That seems not easy.’”

   SCHMITT: “The President is even investigating Chuck Schumer for threats, saying they’re going to bring a war to you. You guys are screwing with things that are not supposed to be messed with. There’s a lot of people that really don’t want that to happen.”

   ELON MUSK: “We’re fighting The Matrix big time here, but it’s got to be done.”

   MUSK: ‘My security detail should be bigger. I am open to ideas for improving security.’

   In the meantime, a report arose that members of Elon Musk’s private security detail have been deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service. That would grant them certain rights and protections of federal law enforcement agents.

   CBS News reported:

   “The move comes after several people within Musk’s orbit relayed a heightened concern about safety for the tech billionaire, including several death threats in recent weeks.

   […] ‘President Bukele from El Salvador, who managed to put in prison like a hundred thousand murderous thugs, and he called me’, Musk recounted to activists gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference. ‘I am worried about your security,’ he said the Central American leader told him. ‘I’m like, ‘Dude, you are worried about my security?’’

   ‘It’s not enormous’, Musk added of his security detail. ‘Maybe it should be bigger’.”

   Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi: “While we are not able to comment on the specifics of our protective operations, Secret Service protocols strictly prohibit private security services from being armed within the Treasury Building, Eisenhower Executive Office Building or the White House.”

   https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/concerns-musk-security-after-doge-head-receives-series/

   • Left wing revolutions always target the leaders who are opposing them, Musk isn’t the only one at risk just the most public. We can expect more threats and physical attacks as the temperatures raise to the level where it is comfortable outside without a coat. This is when the riots will start and during that time physical attacks on the people trying to restore our freedom.

     Watch your backs it is going to be dangerous in all nations.

10. WATCH: Secretary Of State Marco Rubio Reveals the Big Lie Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Told Him and VP JD Vance in a Recent Meeting
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/watch-secretary-state-marco-rubio-reveals-big-lie/
    Feb. 21, 2025 11:20 am
    Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to Catherine Herridge about Ukraine and Zelenskyy. (Credit: Catherine Herridge X screenshot)

    It should be no surprise to TGP readers that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a trustworthy ‘partner.’ Still, a recent meeting Zelenskyy had with top Trump Administration officials proves beyond all doubt that he remains a key obstacle to peace.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat down with former CBS News correspondent Catherine Herridge for an exclusive interview this week to discuss an array of foreign policy issues, including Ukraine, America’s proposal for Gaza, preventing Iranian nuclear weapons, and more.

    The conversation took a turn when Ukraine and Zelenskyy came up. After Herridge asked Rubio about Trump’s Truth Social post where he called Zelenskyy a dictator, the Secretary of State pointed out that even Joe Biden had plenty of “frustrations” with the Ukrainian President as well.

    This included a phone where Biden swore at Zelenskyy for being ungrateful about the overly generous aid America had bestowed on his country.

    Rubio shared details about a recent meeting he and Vance had with the Ukrainian President, which will make you furious.

    “I was personally very upset because we (Vance) had a conversation with President Zelenskyy, and we discussed this issue about the mineral rights,” Rubio said. “We explained to them, ‘Look, we want to be in a joint venture with you because we think that is a security guarantee because we are your partner in an endeavor. We get to be paid back some of the money American taxpayers have given, close to $200 billion.”

    Zelenskyy committed to the deal, only for Rubio and Vance to find out later that he had lied to their faces.

    “And he said, ‘Sure, we want to do this deal. It makes all the sense in the world. The only thing is I need to run it through my legislative process,’ Rubio added. “I read two days later that Zelenskyy is saying, ‘I rejected the deal,’ but that’s not what happened.”

    WATCH:

    EXCLUSIVE: @SECRubio

    Trump, Putin meeting depends on progress to end Ukraine war

    “…when that meeting happens will largely depend on whether we can make any progress on ending the war in Ukraine, and if we can and that meeting is what seals the deal, I think everybody should… https://t.co/t5BReWwgtj pic.twitter.com/qLBV6a6Vgl

    — Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) February 21, 2025

    Vance confirmed Rubio’s account of the meeting on X on Friday.

    “What Secretary Rubio is saying here is exactly right,” he wrote.

    What Secretary Rubio is saying here is exactly right. https://t.co/nh2pHzramp

    — JD Vance (@JDVance) February 21, 2025

    As The Gateway Pundit’s Cassandra MacDonald reported, Zelenskyy made a similar promise to President Trump earlier this month. Trump had been pushing for $500 billion in rare earth minerals from Ukraine in exchange for continued military aid.

    With so-called ‘allies’ like Ukraine, who needs enemies?

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/watch-secretary-state-marco-rubio-reveals-big-lie/

11. China’s Expanding Undersea Warfare and Its Strategic Threat to the U.S.
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/chinas-expanding-undersea-warfare-its-strategic-threat-u/
    Feb. 21, 2025 9:30 am
    China’s Underwater Glider Haiyi, image courtesy of SPS Naval Forces.

    Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China sought to assert its global dominance. As technological advancements continue, China is expanding its quest for dominance into new domains such as outer space and the deep sea, where undersea warfare has become a critical arena for power projection.

    The Indo-Pacific region, particularly the South China Sea (SCS), has become a focal point for geopolitical leverage. China has significantly expanded its underwater capabilities, using the SCS as a critical area of operations. As China’s presence extends across the broader Indo-Pacific, its growing influence raises concerns about its implications for global security and the strategic balance in the region.

    Undersea warfare, which includes the use of submarines, torpedoes, mines, and underwater drones, is increasingly central to modern military strategy. These assets are used for surveillance, intelligence gathering, and neutralizing underwater infrastructure. Submarines, whether conventional (SSKs) or nuclear-powered (SSNs and SSBNs), play key roles, with SSNs and SSKs particularly valued for their stealth and operational flexibility. Torpedoes and mines complement these operations as cost-effective yet deadly weapons, while advanced detection technologies such as SOSUS and SONAR systems remain essential for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

    China’s ambitions in undersea warfare are reflected in its expanding fleet, which includes 59 submarines, advanced torpedoes, and surveillance technologies like quantum radar. These developments, along with large-scale military exercises in the SCS, underline China’s intent to assert dominance in the region’s undersea domain and challenge U.S. naval influence.

    The importance of undersea assets is not confined to military applications alone. China’s strategy integrates undersea telecommunications, data centers, and resource extraction, forming part of its broader Digital Silk Road initiative. This expansion into the digital and maritime domains is designed to secure critical minerals and data dominance, aligning with China’s Five-Year Plans which emphasize ocean observation technologies, remote sensing, and global monitoring networks. The growing competition for these resources, especially in deep-sea mining, highlights the intersection of China’s maritime and digital strategies. As global demand for minerals essential to digital infrastructure increases, seabed mining becomes a key area of competition. China’s control over critical resources in international waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) further intensifies geopolitical tensions.

    In parallel, China’s undersea warfare capabilities are bolstered by technological advancements in military-civil fusion and partnerships with Russia, particularly in submarine technology. Innovations like air-independent power and nuclear-powered platforms illustrate China’s growing prowess, though challenges remain in propulsion technologies, noise reduction, and ASW capabilities. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) also emphasizes seabed warfare, particularly in safeguarding or potentially sabotaging undersea cables, which are vital to global communications and economic stability.

    The integration of underwater digital infrastructure into China’s strategic goals raises significant environmental, security, and governance concerns. Projects such as the “underwater Great Wall” of sensors in the SCS—designed for oceanographic research, environmental monitoring, and tactical surveillance—reflect China’s growing emphasis on undersea digital infrastructure. While these sensors could help monitor climate change and improve environmental efficiency in data centers, they also deepen geopolitical rivalries, particularly in contested areas like the SCS. The governance of such technologies, especially in global commons, remains a complex issue, with the potential for disputes over data protection, infrastructure security, and the environmental impacts of such large-scale undersea projects.

    The strategic militarization of the SCS, coupled with its economic and geopolitical value, highlights the region’s critical role in global security. Joint military maneuvers, such as the U.S.-Japan PASSEX in 2017 and the UK-France FONOP near the Spratly Islands in 2018, demonstrate the international community’s efforts to counter China’s growing dominance and preserve open sea lanes. The continuing contest over the SCS exemplifies the interplay of military, economic, and political forces shaping global geopolitics.

    Despite China’s advancements, challenges remain. The PLAN faces inefficiencies in organization, personnel training limitations, and technological gaps compared to the U.S. Navy. Analysts emphasize the importance of undersea superiority for the U.S. and its allies, particularly within the context of great power competition with China. Strengthening alliances such as AUKUS and enhancing U.S. naval operations in the undersea domain are seen as crucial for maintaining regional stability and countering China’s growing capabilities.

    As technological advancements drive rivalries into new domains, including outer space and the deep sea, undersea warfare has emerged as a vital arena for power projection. This form of warfare is increasingly focused on defending coastal waters, marine assets, and Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs) from threats posed by submarines and other undersea systems. The contest for control of undersea spaces will likely shape future geopolitical dynamics, particularly as China continues to expand its military and digital capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.

    China’s expanding undersea warfare capabilities and its strategic integration of digital infrastructure pose significant challenges to the global security environment. With a growing focus on seabed mining, undersea telecommunications, and military operations, China is not only reshaping the undersea battlespace but also redefining the strategic importance of maritime and digital domains. As competition intensifies, addressing the environmental, economic, and governance issues arising from this expansion will be critical to maintaining global stability. For the U.S. and its allies, countering China’s growing influence in the undersea domain will require innovation, stronger alliances, and a comprehensive strategy to secure vital sea lanes and maintain technological superiority.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/chinas-expanding-undersea-warfare-its-strategic-threat-u/

12. BREAKING: Biden Judge Refuses to Dismiss Eric Adams’ Case, Orders Investigation Into Trump DOJ For Dropping Charges
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-biden-judge-refuses-dismiss-eric-adams-case/
    Feb. 21, 2025 1:40 pm

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-biden-judge-refuses-dismiss-eric-adams-case/

    • Tyrants never give up power quietly, their removal is never easy but we must persevere if we want to regain the rights that the left have taken from us.

13. BREAKING: Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio Arrested by Capitol Police for Defending Himself During Attack by Screaming Protester in DC – It Looks Like Another Setup – VIDEO
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-proud-boys-chairman-enrique-tarrio-arrested-capitol/
    Feb. 21, 2025 1:57 pm
    Proud Boys founder Enrique Tarrio is arrested by Capitol Police at US Capitol protest after Tarrio was attacked.

    Enrique Tarrio was arrested on Friday outside the US Capitol.

    Enrique, the chairman of the Proud Boys, went to take photos outside the US Capitol earlier today after returning to Washington DC after President Trump commuted his sentence.

    Tarrio was hosting a press conference with several prominent J6ers, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, investigative reporter Ivan Raiklin, Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola.

    Today at 1pm I will be hosting a Press conference with Stewart Rhodes, Ivan Raiklin (@IvanRaiklin ), Joe Biggs (@RealJoeBiggs), Ethan Nordean (@ENordean63325), Zach Rehl (@zachrehl), and Dom Pezzola.

    It goes without saying that we expect attendees and members of the press to be…

    — Enrique Tarrio (@NobleOne) February 21, 2025

    Enrique Tarrio speaks with reporters while he is surrounded by fellow J6ers in Washington DC on January 21, 2025. – screengrab WABC video

    These patriots were attacked during their presser by radical left activists.

    pic.twitter.com/MaKXYYuLqL

    — Enrique Tarrio (@NobleOne) February 21, 2025

    Then, while he was outside the Capitol building, police swooped in and arrested Enrique Tarrio.

    Enrique Tarrio arrested pic.twitter.com/fHkqPZt3vj

    — Joe Biggs (@RealJoeBiggs) February 21, 2025

    Here is video from the press conference today near the US Capitol.

    https://youtu.be/5R80ZvFesQ0

    From TGP contributor Jenn Baker who was at the rally.

    Screaming protesters were allowed next to the Proud Boys and J6ers during their protest. There was only a few of them. They were blowing whistles and screaming. The police allowed one particularly annoying screaming woman to get up into the faces of the J6ers. At one point Enrique Tarrio defended himself from this screaming leftist. Enrique swiped his hand to get this woman out of his face. That is when the police arrested Enrique.

    It appears this entire event was a set-up. If Capitol Police were doing their job they would have removed these radical screaming protesters from the protest area. Instead, they allowed one woman to scream in people’s faces. Then Enrique swiped his hand to get this nutcase out of his face. That was all the police needed to arrest Enrique.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-proud-boys-chairman-enrique-tarrio-arrested-capitol/

14. (She is talking big now but not using her brain, the Cartels are hiring Mexican Army troops to escort drug shipments into the US, that is an armed invasion and can be treated as such if the President wants. Mexico is skating on very thin ice with the US and can’t count of China or Russia for any aid.)

    Mexico’s President Plans to Change Constitution to Protect Drug Cartels From U.S. Military Strikes
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/mexicos-president-plans-change-constitution-protect-drug-cartels/
    Feb. 21, 2025 3:00 pm
    Claudia Sheinbaum Press Conference / Screenshot

    Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is seeking to alter the country’s constitution to protect drug cartels from the U.S. military.

    Under the terms of the proposals filed by Sheinbaum, Articles 19 and 40 of country’s constitution would be changed to block any investigation or military action by foreign entities without permission from the Mexican government.

    The first amendment would prohibit any “act from abroad that is harmful to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the Nation.”

    The Second amendment mandates automatic pretrial detention and the highest possible penalties for any citizen or foreigner engaged in illegal arms trafficking, as well as any foreigner violating Mexico’s s sovereignty.

    “What we want to make clear in the face of this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty,” Sheinbaum said.

    “This cannot be an opportunity on the part of the United States to invade our sovereignty.”

    ”So, they can name it whatever they want, but with Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination, not interference, and much less invasion.”

    The decision comes after the U.S. State Department on Thursday upgraded the designation of cartels, including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación.

    Together, those two cartels control the majority of Mexico’s fentanyl production and are responsible for importing thousands of kilograms of fentanyl across the southern border.

    The designation enables the State Department to impose targeted sanctions, enhances the U.S. government’s authority to prosecute individuals aiding these groups, and strengthens intelligence-gathering for military operations.

    Donald Trump and high-ranking Republicans have repeatedly floated the possibility of launching military strikes against Mexican drug cartels.

    Last month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that “all options are on the table” when it comes to crushing the cartels that have destroyed millions of people’s lives not just in Mexico but around the world.

    “All options will be on the table if we’re dealing with what are designated to be foreign terrorist organizations who are specifically targeting Americans on our border,” Hegseth said in an interveiw with Fox News.

    “We’re finally securing our border. We’ve been securing other people’s border for a very long time.”

    ”The military is orienting, shifting toward an understanding of homeland defense on our sovereign territorial border.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/mexicos-president-plans-change-constitution-protect-drug-cartels/

    • Mexico has a history of protecting bandits and others who raid across the border into the US. The US has a history of ignoring the Mexican Government and going after the bandits.

15. ICE Director Out Amid Reports Trump Unhappy with Pace of Deportations
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/ice-director-amid-reports-trump-unhappy-pace-deportations/
    Feb. 21, 2025 3:20 pm
    “Deportation flights have begun” – White House on X

    Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello has been removed from his position amid reports President Trump is unhappy with the pace of deportations, according to The Wall Street Journal.

    Earlier this month it was reported that President Trump and border czar Tom Homan were reportedly unhappy with the current number of deportations.

    According to a report by NBC, Trump and Homan were disappointed with the pace of deportations so far and demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramp up their operations.

    Caleb Vitello was reassigned to oversee all field and enforcement operations.

    The Wall Street Journal reported:

    The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Caleb Vitello, was removed from his post, administration officials and other people familiar with the matter said, amid frustration in the Trump administration that deportations haven’t accelerated faster.

    The administration is shaking up the leadership at ICE and is soon expected to announce a new acting director, one of the administration officials said. Another administration official said the team at ICE would be expanded.

    A spokeswoman for DHS said in a statement that Vitello is “actually being elevated so he is no longer in an administrative role, but is overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens.”

    Vitello will remain at ICE and will head the office responsible for arrests and deportations.

    Earlier this month President Trump reassigned two senior ICE officials over the slow pace of deportations.

    Reuters reported that the Trump Administration has deported nearly 40,000 illegal aliens since Inauguration Day.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/ice-director-amid-reports-trump-unhappy-pace-deportations/

16. President Trump Completely Destroys Far-Left Maine Governor When She Tells Him that Her State Will Defy His Executive Order Barring Men from Playing Women’s Sports (VIDEO)
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/president-trump-completely-destroys-far-left-maine-governor/
    Feb. 21, 2025 2:30 pm
    Credit: C-SPAN

    A far-left Democrat governor discovered that President Trump is not someone you ever want to cross after getting absolutely embarrassed during an event with the National Governors Association (NGA) on Friday at the White House.

    As Jim Hoft reported earlier this month, Trump signed a landmark executive order which ensured that biological men could not compete in women’s sports.

    The executive order directs the Department of Education to enforce Title IX based on biological sex, threatening to withhold federal funding from educational institutions that allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports. In the event that the Department of Education is dismantled, other agencies will take over.

    Following Trump’s executive order, several Democrat governors vowed to ignore Trump and continue to allow men to steal glory from female athletes. Maine’s Janet Mills then joined the list earlier today.

    “The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the president’s threats,” she wrote in a statement.

    “If the president attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of federal funding, my administration and the attorney general will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides,” Mills added.

    Upon learning this, Trump decided to call Mills out to her face during the NGA event and school her on the basics of constitutional law.

    “Is the governor of Maine here?” Trump asks. After Mills acknowledged her presence, Trump asked her if she would defy his executive order.

    “I am complying with state and federal laws,” Mills retorted.

    Upon hearing this nonsense, Trump proceeded to completely decimate her.

    WATCH:

    WOW! President Trump just put the governor of Maine in her place in the most brutal fashion.

    Trump: “Are you not going to comply with [the order banning men from girls’ sports?”

    Janet Mills: “I’m complying with state and federal laws.

    Trump: “Well, we are the federal law. You… pic.twitter.com/xRZPhL5st2

    — George (@BehizyTweets) February 21, 2025

    “Well, we are the federal law,” Trump replied. “You better do it. “You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.”

    “By the way…your (state’s) population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports. So you better comply because otherwise, you’re not getting any federal funding,” he added.

    Mills responded to Trump’s statement by telling him she would see him in court. Trump then hammered her one last time.

    “Good. That should be a real easy (case) one,” he stated. “And enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”

    When you come at the king, you best not miss. Mills learned that painful lesson the hard way.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/president-trump-completely-destroys-far-left-maine-governor/

17. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Lawyer Withdraws From Defending Him in Sex-Trafficking Case: ‘Under No Circumstances Can I Continue’
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/sean-diddy-combs-lawyer-withdraws-defending-him-sex/
    Feb. 21, 2025 12:00 pm

    Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s predicament is getting worse by the day.

    A lawyer for the disgraced rap mogul, who is facing charges for sex trafficking, has said he can no longer continue as his legal representation.

    Defense attorney Anthony Ricco has withdrawn as one of Diddy’s six defense attorneys, saying “under no circumstances” could he continue in the role.

    “Although I have provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs,” Ricco said in a statement to the court.

    “There are sufficient reasons (related to the protections afforded by the attorney/client privilege) for brevity in my application for withdrawal as counsel in this case,” he continued.

    Just one day after Kash is sworn in as FBI Director, Diddy’s lawyer quits— “under no circumstances can I continue” pic.twitter.com/JyjtaT68SV

    — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 21, 2025

    He added that his decision would not delay Combs’ case and the trial will go ahead as scheduled.

    Combs is facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution.

    In the Justice Department’s indictment, he is accused of organizing events where women were coerced into drug-fueled sexual activities.

    Here’s The Full List of Names Listed In Diddy’s Sex Trafficking Lawsuit

    Other allegations include kidnapping, physical abuse, and bribery, as well as abuse against minors.

    Just this week, Combs sued NBC Universal over a documentary accusing him of being a serial murderer who had sex with underage girls.

    “The entire premise of the Documentary assumes that Mr. Combs has committed numerous heinous crimes, including serial murder, rape of minors, and sex trafficking of minors, and attempts to crudely psychologize him,” his complaint claims.

    “It maliciously and baselessly jumps to the conclusion that Mr. Combs is a ‘monster’ and ‘an embodiment of Lucifer’ with ‘a lot of similarities” to Jeffrey Epstein.’”

    Combs has denied all charges against him and has pledged to prove his innocence.

    He is currently being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center and will go on trial in May.

    If convicted on all charges, he is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/sean-diddy-combs-lawyer-withdraws-defending-him-sex/

18. Here It Comes… AG Pam Bondi Is Now Reviewing Documents Related to Jeffrey Epstein: ‘They’re Sitting on My Desk Right Now for Review’
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/here-it-comes-ag-pam-bondi-is-now/
    Feb. 21, 2025 1:20 pm
    Credit: Pam Bondi / X

    Buckle up, America, because the reckoning liberals have dreaded for years might finally be upon us.

    In July 2022, Gateway Pundit lawyers Marc Randazza and Jay Wolman of the Randazza Legal Group, along with GP General Counsel John Burns, filed a motion to intervene in the Guiffre v. Maxwell case in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

    In August 2022, the federal judge overseeing the case denied Gateway Pundit’s efforts to unseal the documents.

    HOWEVER, Gateway Pundit filed an appeal to the federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals, demanding that GP and the public be allowed to access the Epstein Sex Client list.

    On February 27, 2023, a “John Doe” interested party (a person whose identity had been sealed by the court because of their affiliation with Epstein) filed a Brief opposing Gateway Pundit’s appeal and asking the Court of Appeals to deny the brief.

    The “John Doe”’s arguments are extremely lame. “Doe” merely argues that Gateway Pundit waited too long to request the arguments. According to “Doe,” GP and the public have no interest in the Epstein sex client list because too much time has transpired.

    Now, under the directive of President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi has confirmed that her office is actively reviewing Epstein-related documents—alongside classified files on JFK and MLK.

    “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” Bondi said during a Fox News interview.

    “That’s been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that. I’m reviewing JFK files, MLK files. That’s all in the process of being reviewed because that was done at the directive of the President from all of these agencies.”

    When asked whether she had uncovered any major scandals, Bondi remained cautious, responding, “Not yet.”
    WATCH:
    Just a day earlier, Bondi doubled down in an interview with Benny Johnson, teasing the magnitude of what’s on the horizon.

    Benny Johnson:
    The scaring bad guy is something Kash has talked about a lot, and you have when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein and the people who are predators in this country.

    They’ve been given a pass, and a lot of Americans think that these guys have had to pass for a long time and are still being protected right now. Where are we at with the Jeffrey Epstein list, the documents? Kash has made a lot of public statements about this. Where are we at?

    Pam Bondi:
    I was briefed on that yesterday. I can’t talk about that publicly, but President Trump has given a very strong directive, and that’s going to be followed… A lot of documents.

    Benny Johnson:
    All right. So people can expect actual movement on this. It’s not just empty promises.

    Pam Bondi:
    Donald Trump doesn’t make empty promises. I think promises made, promises kept, and that’s why we’re all there to carry out his directive about making America safe and prosperous.

    WATCH:

    It can be recalled that last year, recently confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel announced that under President Donald Trump’s second administration, Americans should brace for unprecedented government transparency.

    Patel stated that “massive declassification” will be among their top priorities, aiming to release troves of information previously shielded from public view.

    In a recent interview with Benny Johnson, Patel revealed that massive declassification will occur in Trump’s administration, including explosive revelations from the infamous Epstein files to the shadowy “Diddy list.”

    Trending: Kash Patel Issues Fiery Statement with a Dire Warning to America’s Enemies After Being Confirmed as FBI Director

    Kash Patel: “When we go back to the DOJ and FBI, we still don’t have all the lists, all the FISA documents, all of the things they did to 275,000 Americans illegally in one year. We need to put that out there. I’m not saying we reveal the exact methods, but we can keep the hood on the engine while showing the American people how their rights were violated.

    To me, what you mentioned is the most important part: restoring trust in our agencies and departments. And the way to do that isn’t to treat them like a piñata, hoping for something good to pop out. The way to do it is by giving the American people the truth. And that’s what they feared about Donald Trump. He’s going to come in there and might just give them the Epstein list, the ‘Diddy list,’ and everything else they’re terrified of being exposed.”

    The deep state can no longer keep these secrets buried. Unlike the weak-willed Biden administration—whose Justice Department worked overtime to shield the political elite—Trump is making sure Americans finally get the truth.

    Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is also set to lead the newly established Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, a groundbreaking effort to bring long-hidden government files into the public eye. The task force will focus on unveiling critical documents related to:

    9/11 Attacks
    Jeffrey Epstein and His Network
    JFK Assassination
    Sen. Robert F. Kennedy Assassination
    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination
    COVID-19 Origins and Government Response
    UFOs and Unexplained Aerial Phenomena

    According to the press release:

    Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), the chairwoman of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, today provided an update on the panel’s efforts to declassify documents of public interest and sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and White House Counsel David Warrington requesting an update on the plan to declassify documents under President Trump’s executive order on “Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

    In that letter, Rep. Luna requested a briefing for the task force on February 26, 2025, regarding the declassification of records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and on March 17, 2025, regarding the declassification of records pertaining to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In addition to the briefings, she has requested, in writing, a hard date on when the documents President Trump ordered declassified will be made available to both the Task Force and public as well as where they are to be publicly located.

    “All federal agencies are cooperating with the Task Force and will provide the requested briefings in the coming weeks. As we work to understand the full scope of federal documents related to key national secrets, we are preparing for the Task Force’s first hearing on March 26, which will examine the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In advance of the hearing, the Task Force will visit the assassination site in Dallas and speak with first-hand witnesses regarding President Kennedy’s assassination. We remain committed to delivering the transparency that Americans demand from their government,” said Rep. Luna.

    On February 11, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Luna sent 11 letters to several agencies requesting briefings by February 18 on documents in their possession pertaining to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr; COVID-19 origins; unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and unidentified submerged objects (USOs); 9/11; and the Epstein client list.

    The Task Force’s first hearing, scheduled for March 26, will be open to the public and the media.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/here-it-comes-ag-pam-bondi-is-now/

19. PA Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case Challenging Philadelphia’s “Ghost Gun” Ban
    Ammoland Inc. Posted on February 21, 2025 by John Crump
    3D Printed Ghost Guns
    PA Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case Challenging Philadelphia’s “Ghost Gun” Ban

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has granted a petition for allowance of appeal in a case that challenges a Philadelphia ordinance banning privately manufactured firearms (PMF).

    The case was filed in state court by Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) after the City of Philadelphia passed a city ordinance that restricted the manufacturing of firearms, components, and attachments for personal use by residents. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and former Mayor Jim Kennedy both claimed that so-called “ghost guns” were flooding the streets of the City of Brotherly Love, leading to an epidemic of gun violence, even though the raw data doesn’t back that conclusion.
    The ordinance doesn’t just ban building guns from 80% frame kits such as those sold by the now defunct Polymer80, but it also forbids the making of firearms via additive manufacturing such as 3D printing. Nowhere else in the state is this practice banned, and state law doesn’t say you can’t 3D print a gun. In fact, Pennsylvania is the home of the Makers Match, which is a shooting competition that uses 3D-printed firearms.

    The plaintiffs in the case claimed that the city was breaking Pennsylvania law when the ordinance was passed. The Keystone State has one of the strongest preemption laws in the country, meaning that a city cannot make its own gun laws, although it appears that Philadelphia did just that. Nothing in commonwealth law bans PMFs, so the city should be forbidden from creating a ban.

    The plaintiffs also claim that the ordinance violates the Pennsylvania Constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms, much like the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Both claims fell on deaf ears when a lower court heard the case. The lower court is notoriously anti-gun and ruled against the plaintiffs. GOA appealed the decision to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year.
    Much like the United States Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court doesn’t have to take a case because a petition was filed. They agreed to hear arguments in this case, which is a good sign for gun owners in Philadelphia. The hope is that the Commonwealth Supreme Court will correct the lower court’s errors.
    GOA and GOF were hopeful that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would restore the rights of the citizens of Philadelphia and send a message to other localities across the Commonwealth that violating the state’s preemption law and the right of citizens to keep and bear arms will not be tolerated.

    “Philadelphia’s efforts to regulate firearm manufacturing go against the core of Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption law and violate the rights of its citizens,” said Gun Owners of America Senior Vice President Erich Pratt. “With the Pennsylvania Supreme Court now agreeing to hear this case, we are hopeful that Pennsylvanians’ rights will be protected from Philadelphia’s unconstitutional tyranny at the local level.”

    “This is a critical moment for gun owners across Pennsylvania,” said Sam Paredes on behalf of Gun Owners Foundation. “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to take up this case shows the importance of safeguarding our enumerated right to keep and bear arms. Philadelphia’s overreach needs to be stopped, and we believe the court will uphold the law and protect citizens’ rights.”

    The outcome of this case will have a rippling effect across the state.

    https://www.ammoland.com/2025/02/pa-supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-case-challenging-philadelphias-ghost-gun-ban/

20. US Virgin Islands to Ease Unconstitutional Gun Restrictions?
    Ammoland Inc. Posted on February 21, 2025 by Dean Weingarten
    US Virgin Islands to Ease Draconian, Unconstitutional Gun Restrictions? iStock-1069758180
    US Virgin Islands to Ease Draconian, Unconstitutional Gun Restrictions? iStock-1069758180

    On January 30, 2025, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. stated a new policy of restoring Second Amendment rights should be attempted in the United States Virgin Islands. If it happens, it will be an extraordinary reversal in policy. The United States Virgin Islands have the most restrictive firearms laws in the United States. They are more restrictive than Hawaii or the District of Columbia. From the viconsortium.com:

    “I think the Virgin Islands gun policy has totally failed,” said Governor Albert Bryan Jr., speaking during Wednesday’s exclusive interview with the Consortium.

    He was responding to a question about how the territory could possibly stem the influx of unlicensed, unregistered firearms into the territory.

    “What happens is – when you tell somebody no, the temptation is more,” Governor Bryan argued, referring to the territory’s strict gun ownership regulations. “The states with the toughest gun laws get the highest homicide rates,” he declared.

    “I think we should move to a place where we open gun ranges that are legal and we make it easier for people to license and carry firearms,” Governor Bryan stated. He argued that the percentage of Virgin Islanders who carry unregistered weapons for reasons of ill-intent is very small, while the majority of residents carry firearms because “they’re trying to protect themselves, or feel protected.”

    The US Virgin Islands are in competition for the highest murder rate in the world. In the last 24 years, it has varied from 16 to 56 per 100k population. At times, the District of Columbia has had a higher rate. From 1989 to 1993, the DC murder rate never dropped below 70 per 100k population. The peak came in 1991 at 80.6. In 1999, the U.S. V.I. rate was about 16. The rate in DC was 46. Meanwhile, Hawaii, another Island U.S. jurisdiction, has low homicide rates in spite of highly restrictive firearms laws.
    Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. is correct when he says the U.S. V.I. firearms laws have failed. The stated purpose of the law is to reduce violent crime, especially homicide. Governor Bryan says a new approach is needed for the U.S. V.I. The Supreme Court of the United States agrees with him. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit also does.

    The United States Virgin Islands federal court is the United States District Court of the Virgin Islands. The District Court is in the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Third Circuit has held that the Second Amendment applies to 18-20-year-old people in the United States. This decision strongly upheld the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, which ruled rights protected by the Second Amendment include the right to bear arms outside the home in case of confrontation.
    The U.S. Virgin Islands is ripe for a federal challenge to their extreme restrictions on gun ownership and carry.
    They do not have a clear method to obtain a permit to either apply to purchase a firearm or to carry a firearm. The U.S. V.I. is supposed to have some reciprocity with some states for the carry of a firearm by non-residents but does not have any states listed as recognized. This correspondent will not be surprised if a lawsuit is filed against the U.S. V.I. government for deprivation of civil rights under color of law on any one of these issues.

    https://www.ammoland.com/2025/02/us-virgin-islands-to-ease-unconstitutional-gun-restrictions/

21. Reel Firepower: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
    By
    Luke C –
    February 21, 2025
    1

    Some of the most irresponsible and fun firearm purchases and obsessions I’ve had throughout my life have often come from the world of media.

    Whether that’s television, films, or even video games, the guns that show up in these mediums are often what get a lot of people (like me) into guns in the first place. In honor of that, I figured it’d be great if we occasionally went through some of the newest shows, films, and games to see what kind of guns and gear are featured in them to examine their real-world histories and specifications, as well as see how faithfully they’re being represented on the silver screen and elsewhere.

    Let us know what films you guys have seen recently that you’d like us to cover and also let us know what some of your favorite representations of firearms in film are!
    The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
    About The Film

    The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare isn’t your average war movie and I mean that in the most endearing way possible. The plot of the film revolves around an oft-forgotten period of WWII – specifically the 1940s during the formation of what was then called the “Special Operations Executive” or SOE.

    The SOE can be looked at as the progenitor of Britain’s modern-day MI6 with the SOE’s main goal being to carry out espionage, guerrilla warfare, and sabotage behind enemy lines. The film’s plot draws heavily from Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII, a non-fiction book written by Damien Lewis.
    Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWIIVersion 1.0.0

    The film draws heavy inspiration from the real-world Operation Postmaster: In this mission, the organization set its sights on a seemingly unremarkable enemy supply ship docked in the neutral port of Santa Isabel in Spanish Guinea. With a blend of cheeky audacity and meticulous planning, these literally unsung heroes slipped into the port under the cloak of darkness, boarded the vessel, and seized control right under the noses of both enemy and neutral forces all while taking no losses.

    The hijacking of this ship was a calculated strike aimed at crippling Axis supply lines and delivering a clear message to the Axis powers that the Allies could strike them anywhere – even in neutral territory. Operation Postmaster and by extension, the formation of the SOE gives us the perfect backdrop for some tasteful historical representations of some of our favorite WWII firearms.
    Operation Postmaster
    1. Sten Mk II(S)

    Let’s kick things off with the highly recognizable and much-loved Sten gun—a true workhorse born out of necessity both in real life and also in this film. During World War II, Britain needed a simple, cost-effective solution to arm its soldiers as did other allied countries. While we Americans eventually got the M3 Grease Gun, the Brits dutifully and beautifully produced the Sten: a no-frills submachine gun that was as rugged as it was reliable and inexpensive.

    The specific Sten found in the film is the Sten Mk II(S) which featured an integral suppressor developed at the request of SOE Major Hugh Reeves who would eventually go on to develop the Welrod Pistol.
    Sten Mk II(S)

    Caliber: 9x19mm
    Rate of Fire: Roughly 550 rounds per minute
    Weight: Approximately 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs)
    Magazine: Typically 32 rounds

    On-screen, the Sten is actually shown off pretty well in terms of both its representation and actual use case. Serving as the main weapon of our heroes the Sten is shown to be an effective close-quarters weapon when employed in hit-and-run as well as surprise attacks. The boat scene at the beginning of the movie actually sets the tone for the sub gun’s use throughout the film.

    I especially enjoy that in some scenes the operatives are seen using the gun without a heat wrap for the suppressor, but in other scenes, you’ll notice the cloth grip laced around the suppressor – It’s a fun nod to its real-life reputation as the Mk II(S) had a nasty tendency to heat up too quickly if fired in full-auto often rendering the gun too hot to touch even with the cloth grip. The recommended employment of the Mk II(S) specifically called for “short controlled bursts” rather than indiscriminate mag dumps.
    2. Beretta Model 38

    Not often found in films and even less so in the hands of collectors is the Beretta Model 38— Italy’s own dedicated submachine gun. Although slightly more adorned with furniture than its Sten counterpart, the Model 38 was also built using cheap stamped parts. However, unlike the Sten which was made well after the war started, the Model 38 was already in the hands of Italian Military and Police units as far back as 1938, a full two years before Italy joined the war.

    The Italians, however, did not like the idea of giving this submachine gun to their military units which only saw limited distribution of the sub-gun. The Model 38 in its original configuration would mostly serve alongside Italian police throughout the war. A modified variant was later adopted by the Italian military in limited numbers and for only a few specific types of tasks.
    Beretta Model 38
    Check Price (Rock Island Auction)

    Caliber: 9×19mm Parabellum
    Rate of Fire: Roughly 500 rounds per minute
    Weight: About 3.6 kg (8 lbs)
    Magazine: Typically uses a 20-round detachable box magazine

    In the film Model 38 is used by the Italian sailors aboard the Duchessa d’Aosta as well as some soldiers in port who attempt to fire at the now-commandeered supply ship. Although the gun itself doesn’t get a lot of screen time or attention, it’s a nice inclusion to keep the whole movie grounded as opposed to just going the lazy route and giving all the bad guys MP40s. This is one of the few examples of a historical firearm that often gets more attention in modern video games than it does in modern film.
    3. Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III*

    No WWII film would be complete without the Lee-Enfield rifle but in this film, it’s more of a nod rather than a full-on parade. This classic bolt-action of the British military rightfully shows up in a film in the form of the Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III* SMLE (Short-Magazine Lee Enfield) Rifle. However, rather than in the hands of British Soldiers, the Enfield rifle instead finds its way into the hands of some allied operatives who are arranging a meetup with some German officers during a somewhat casual range session – part of the arms smuggling activity that serves as the purpose for the raid by the SOE operatives.

    Gun Review: Lee-Enfield SMLE MkIII*
    Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III
    Check Price (Guns.com)
    Check Price (Gun Broker)

    Caliber: .303 British
    Magazine Capacity: 10 rounds
    Action: Bolt-action
    Weight: Approximately 4.1 kg (9 lbs)

    It’s a bit of a tossup as to whether or not the Germans would have been smuggling Lee Enfields into and out of Spain. Although the German Army did run short of artillery ammunition towards the end of the war, I highly doubt their soldiers, no matter where deployed to would ever be left without the Whermacht’s tried and true Karabiner 98k. Ironically the K 98k (below) gets about as much screen time as the Enfield does in the movie.

    4. MP40

    Praised by virtually everyone for its hefty design, smooth 600 rpm cyclic rate, and effectiveness on the battlefield, the MP40 has rightly earned its place as both an iconic piece of firearms history, as well as a frequent supporting character on the silver screen. The MP40 was widely deployed by all departments of the German war machine as well as supporting Axis forces.
    MP40
    Check Price (Hinterland Outfitters)
    Check Price (Guns.com)
    Check Price (Airgun Depot)

    Caliber: 9×19mm Parabellum
    Capacity: Typically a 32-round detachable magazine
    Action: Blowback-operated, open bolt
    Weight: Approximately 4 kg (8.8 lbs)

    Similar to real-life reports of captured MP40s being used to supplement or replace allied Thompsons or Grease Guns, the MP40 as seen in the film is used by both friend and foe. This gives us a clear nod to the fact that the MP40 was not only widely adopted during the entirety of the War, but it was also quickly adopted by allies who found themselves lucky enough to be behind the muzzle of the MP40 instead of in front of it.
    5. The M1911 Pistol

    A hero in its own right of not just one but two world wars, the M1911 is a legendary albeit often overlooked sidearm when it comes to WWII-themed films. In the film, we see our heroine Marjorie Stewart handling the weapon during the range scene, as well as in the hands of Anders Lassen as portrayed by Alan Ritchson. I can’t find any good historical sources on the use of suppressed 1911s during the Second World War, but it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility. This is one of the more fantastical albeit cool firearms representations in the film. What’s not to love about a suppressed 1911?
    The M1911 Pistol
    Check Price (Guns.com)
    Check Price (Palmetto State Armory)

    Caliber: .45 ACP
    Magazine Capacity: Typically 7 rounds
    Action: Semi-automatic
    Weight: Approximately 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs) unloaded

    By WWII 1911 was already almost 30 years old and had seen widespread adoption across the entirety of the US Armed forces. From high-ranking officers to air and vehicle crews, the 1911 pistol was established as and remained the standard issue sidearm of the United States armed forces until its replacement by the Beretta M9 in 1985. However, even today, modern replicas of the tried and true American sidearm are still made in great numbers.

    As I said earlier, the film’s inclusion of the 1911 pistol would already be sort of out of place given the characters involved, but I could also make the excuse that using an American weapon during a clandestine boat-stealing operation from neutral territory might make it less likely for the enemy and the angry natural nation to pin down who did it.
    Final Thoughts

    The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare was one of the more interesting watches I’ve had in the last year and even though I wouldn’t exactly call it a “gun guy movie” it’s definitely got some neat firearms representation for those of us who really love our WWII action flicks. I think this film actually is one of the best examples of blending firearms (action-oriented items) into a largely plot-driven film. The film itself is mainly focused on the planning and eventual execution of the theft of a ship from a port – something that real men went and did without the support or acknowledgment of their own militaries. The guns are there merely to immerse you into the era and setting but they’re also the very tools by which the operation is made even remotely possible both in the film and in the real world event.

    For anyone who’s ever marveled at the blend of real-world firepower and cinematic artistry, this movie serves as a mostly accurate reminder of why these guns continue to fascinate us and why I think they’ll keep coming up in movies well into the future.

    In the meantime, I can wholeheartedly recommend the film to anyone who enjoys WWII films, heist movies, or just likes to see WWII guns on screen represented in a mostly-accurate way.

    https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/reel-firepower-the-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare/

22. What the Salman Rushdie trial means for free speech | The Story
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4gFa2PZMpI
    The British-Indian novelist Sir Salman Rushdie has faced his alleged attacker in court, after he was stabbed multiple times in 2022 during a public lecture in New York state. Hadi Matar, accused of assault and attempted murder, denies the charges. The author is no stranger to threats: in 1989, Iran’s Supreme Leader called for his death, after deeming his novel The Satanic Verses blasphemous. Will this attack on Rushdie, a symbol of free speech himself, threaten freedom of expression?
    This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times.

23. ‘Knife’ by Salman Rushdie: Author refuses to be silenced once again • FRANCE 24 English
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_puclppO88
    Salman Rushdie has been getting death threats for more than 35 years. The Indian-born British-American novelist sparked outrage with his book “The Satanic Verses” in 1988. It was declared blasphemous by many Muslims, so much so that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him, calling for his death. In August 2022, the Booker Prize-winning author was stabbed multiple times on stage in New York state, leaving him blind in one eye. His attacker is now on trial for attempted murder. The book “Knife” is Rushdie’s account of what happened. He spoke about the work at the 20th edition of the Hay Festival Cartagena in Colombia, where he sat down with Léa Hurel from FRANCE 24’s Spanish channel.

24. Trump faces protest from senior Republicans over Ukraine deal | Lord Ricketts
    Times Radio – February 21, 2025
    

25. Why did Trump Lie about Zelensky?
    Ryan McBeth – February 20, 2025
    

26. DOJ Says Biden Judge Assigned to Case on Trump’s EO on Transgender Troops Engaged in “Egregious Misconduct” – Details Shocking Abuse of its Attorneys
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/doj-says-biden-judge-assigned-case-trumps-eo/
    Feb. 21, 2025 6:00 pm
    Judge Ana Reyes / Wikimedia Commons

    The Justice Department on Friday filed a formal complaint against a federal judge assigned to Trump’s executive order on transgender troops for engaging in “egregious misconduct” toward its counsel.

    On Tuesday, Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, signaled she would side with a group of transgender soldiers who sued to block President Trump’s executive order on transgender troops.

    Judge Reyes grilled DOJ lawyers on Tuesday and said that Trump’s executive order asserting there are only two genders is “not biologically correct.”

    “With the DOD policy expected to be finalized over the coming week, Reyes said she would hold off on issuing an order but had largely made up her mind about the legality of the order, at one point remarking that “smarter people on the D.C. Circuit would have to tell me I’m wrong” about the policy. She added that the central premise of the executive order — that only two genders exist — is “not biologically correct.”” – ABC News reported.

    Last month, President Trump signed the “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” executive order and the “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” executive orders, which direct every element of the U.S. military to “operate free from any preference based on race or sex” and root out gender insanity and made up pronoun usage, respectively.

    Judge Reyes also grilled lawyers on the use of pronouns and gender ideology.

    “If you were in a foxhole, you wouldn’t care about these individuals’ gender ideology, right?” the judge asked DOJ lawyers.

    The judge’s misconduct and abuse were much worse than previously known.

    The Justice Department detailed Judge Reyes’ shocking statements toward its attorneys in Tuesday’s hearing.

    “During these hearings, Judge Reyes engaged in hostile and egregious misconduct that violates Canons 2A and 3A(3) of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, which requires judges to “act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary” and “be patient, dignified, respectful, and courteous to litigants,” the DOJ wrote in a complaint against Judge Reyes.

    The DOJ detailed two incidents of abuse of its attorneys.

    The Justice Department said during her lecture on the “30 different intersex examples,” Judge Reyes grilled one of its lawyers about his religious beliefs and then used him unwillingly as a “physical prop in her courtroom theatrics,” the DOJ wrote.

    Judge Reyes launched an attack on the attorney’s Christian beliefs and went on psychotic rant about transgender individuals.

    “Judge Reyes describes receiving an email suggesting that she develop a relationship with Jesus. She then uses this aside as an excuse to randomly pivot to questioning the DOJ attorney about his religious views: “What do you think Jesus would say to telling a group of people that they that they are so worthless, so worthless that we’re not going to allow them into homeless shelters? Do you think Jesus would be, ‘Sounds right to me’? Or do you think Jesus would say, ‘WTF? Of course, let them in?’”

    The DOJ argued that Judge Reyes’ line of questioning had nothing to do with Trump’s executive order and attempted to get the attorney into a trap of answering an absurd hypothetical.

    The lawyer did not fall for the trap and simply replied, “The United States is not going to speculate about what Jesus would have to say about anything.”

    The Justice Department also admonished the judge for the use of the inappropriate abbreviation “WTF” – “what the f*ck” – during the questioning of a DOJ lawyer on his religious beliefs.

    Additionally, the judge, in an attempt to embarrass the DOJ lawyer, physically directed him as “part of a rhetorical exercise” in front of other attorneys.

    Trending: Trump Justice: Staffer to Be Fired for Helping DOGE Is Suddenly Put in Charge of Entire Agency

    Judge Reyes instructed the DOJ counsel: “I made a change to my standing order when I was in the back. My new standing order says that no one who has graduated from UVA Law School can appear before me. So, I need you to sit down, please. I need you to sit down.”

    The judge continued to trash UVA Law School grads and said they should be banned from her courtroom because “they’re all liars and lack integrity.”

    The DOJ asked that “appropriate action be taken to address” the violations and requested an investigation.

    BREAKING: DOJ says the judge handling Talbott v. Trump, a case dealing with Trump’s EO on trans-identifying service members, “engaged in hostile and egregious misconduct” towards its attorneys – suggesting bias + disrespect towards the DOJ position/ imperiling a fair weighing of… pic.twitter.com/VNYrK0s8am

    — Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) February 21, 2025

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/doj-says-biden-judge-assigned-case-trumps-eo/

27. BREAKING: Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles “CQ” Brown – Announces New Nominee
    thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-trump-fires-chairman-joint-chiefs-staff-charles/
    Feb. 21, 2025 7:00 pm
    Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

    President Trump on Friday fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles “CQ” Brown and announced his replacement.

    Trump nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    President Trump also said he directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon.”

    Trump made the announcement on Truth Social:

    I want to thank General Charles “CQ” Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.

    Today, I am honored to announce that I am nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience.

    During my first term, Razin was instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate. It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. Many so-called military “geniuses” said it would take years to defeat ISIS. General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered.

    Despite being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the previous administration, General Caine was passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden. But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military. Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-trump-fires-chairman-joint-chiefs-staff-charles/

28. Patel orders major redeployment of FBI agents
    Ken Dilanian and Michael Kosnar

    FBI Director Kash Patel is ordering a major redeployment of personnel, sending 1,000 FBI agents from headquarters in Washington, D.C., to various field offices, three current and two former FBI officials briefed on the matter told NBC News. He also ordered another 500 agents at headquarters to go to the bureau’s facility in Huntsville, Alabama.

    The reallocation isn’t without precedent: When he became director in 1993, Louis Freeh ordered a number of supervisory agents at headquarters into the field. And many at the FBI can do their jobs from anywhere.

    That said, the redeployment is likely to cause turmoil for families, as spouses have to leave jobs and their children are pulled out of school. It’s unclear exactly how long those affected will have to make their moves, the redeployment is happening soon, sources said.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-executive-orders-cabinet-expands-live-updates-rcna193104#rcrd73518