Zelensky Shuts Down Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in War With Russia

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Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky shot down the prospect of agreeing to an immediate ceasefire with Russia despite his country being on the back foot after three years of war with a much larger adversary.

Apparently bolstered by fawning displays of support from European leaders in London on Sunday, Zelensky expressed intent to continue the war until he is satisfied with the security guarantees on offer from Western powers.

“If you don’t have an end to the war and you don’t have security guarantees, no one is able to control a ceasefire,” Zelensky said, according to the Financial Times.

The Ukrainian leader argued that Russia’s history of launching invasions after agreeing to previous cease-fires have convinced him that a meaningful deterrent would need to be in place before Kyiv stands down its forces.

“For us, security guarantees are confidence that the same things won’t happen after this hot stage [is over],” he said. (Read more from “Zelensky Shuts Down Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in War With Russia” HERE)

New Law Makes State First To Axe Transgender Protections From Civil Rights Code

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Republican Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law Friday a bill expunging transgender protections from the state’s civil rights code, making the Hawkeye State the first in the nation to do so.

The bill specifies gender will be considered in state law as synonymous with biological sex rather than gender identity. In addition, people with sexual developmental disorders — including persons with intersex traits — would be afforded legal protections that cover people with disabilities. The terms “gender” and “gender identity” were also struck out in the bill.

Distinctions in state law based on sex apply to various spaces including detention facilities, locker rooms and restrooms, and align with the state government’s “objectives of protecting the health, safety, and privacy of the persons in these contexts.” Furthermore, surgeries to remove sex organs or hormonal treatments affecting biological sex would no longer be grounds for state approval of a new birth certificate for Iowans, according to the bill.

The bill — first introduced Feb. 24, 2025 as the culmination of years-long Republican-led efforts to protect women and girls — goes into effect July 1, 2025, The Associated Press (AP) reported. A similar effort by Reynolds in 2024 did not reach the voting stage at the Iowa House or Senate.

All Iowa House and Senate Democrats voted against the bill, according to AP. Five Iowa House Republicans joined them. (Read more from “New Law Makes State First To Axe Transgender Protections From Civil Rights Code” HERE)

Trump: ‘America Will Not Put Up With’ Zelensky’s Anti-Peace Rhetoric ‘Much Longer’

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President Donald Trump said the United States “will not put up with” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s anti-peace rhetoric “much longer.”

Trump took to Truth Social after the Associated Press reported Monday that Zelensky said peace between Russia and Ukraine “is still very, very far away.”

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Trump wrote, sharing an image of the AP headline.

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing,” Trump added before zoning in on the meeting between Zelensky and European leaders over the weekend. (Read more from “Trump: ‘America Will Not Put Up With’ Zelensky’s Anti-Peace Rhetoric ‘Much Longer’” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Trump Effect: Migrant Encounters at Southern Border Hit Lowest-Ever Mark

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A social media post by the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Michael W. Banks, shows February apprehensions to be a record low for the Agency. Banks’s post reveals the startling impact of the Trump presidency on illegal migration to the United States in the 42 days since assuming office.

“February proved our combined efforts in securing the border WORK,” Chief Banks posted on X. “USBP apprehended 8,326 illegal aliens at the U.S.-Mexico border, making it the lowest month in recorded history.”

The just over 8,300 migrants arrested by Border Patrol agents who illegally crossed the Mexican border into the United States fell by 94 percent to the 140,641 encountered just one year ago. Perhaps more shocking, the numbers dropped by 82 percent from December, President Joe Biden’s last full month in office. As the transition of power took place in January, the encounter number began to plummet, falling to just over 29,000

Large-scale immigration raids across the United States and consistent messaging from the entire Trump administration resulted in the reduction of illegal border crossings. This forced the closure of multiple non-government migrant shelters that once received hundreds of millions of federal tax dollars from FEMA to move released migrants farther into the United States to await asylum hearings. . .

Among other measures that occurred during February, the Trump administration conducted the first military flight transporting migrants to the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp. The camp in Cuba is currently undergoing modifications that will allow for up to 30,000 migrants to be held at the facility located within the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. (Read more from “Trump Effect: Migrant Encounters at Southern Border Hit Lowest-Ever Mark” HERE)

FBI Returns Property Seized From Trump During Mar-a-Lago Raids

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The FBI has returned to President Trump the property it seized during the raid of Mar-a-Lago when law enforcement stormed his residence as part of its investigation into whether he mishandled classified documents.

“The Department of Justice has just returned the boxes that deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about,” Mr. Trump said in a statement Friday. “They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library. Justice finally won out. I did absolutely nothing wrong. This was merely an attack on a political opponent that, obviously, did not work well. Justice in our country will now be restored.”

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung confirmed that the boxes were loaded on Air Force One to return to Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

“We are taking possession of the boxes today and loading them onto Air Force Once,” Mr. Cheung said.

Alina Habba, a counselor to Mr. Trump, said she personally put the boxes on Air Force One.

“Justice has been and will continue to be restored in this country under President Trump. Truth and Justice always win in the end. God Bless America,” she said. (Read more from “FBI Returns Property Seized From Trump During Mar-a-Lago Raids” HERE)

Man Claims Diddy Anally Raped Him, Then Threatened to Do to Him What He Did to ‘Pac’: Lawsuit

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A former escort claims that Sean “Diddy” Combs anally raped him and then threatened to do to him what he did to “Pac,” a new lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York on Wednesday, Feb. 26 on behalf of an anonymous man, who accuses Combs, 55, of drugging and anally raping him and then threatening him to stay quiet about the incident.

Per the complaint, the alleged victim, then 31, met Combs through a male companion service in Florida where he worked as a contractor and would travel from Florida to New York City “at Combs’ request.”

The unnamed accuser alleged he travelled to New York City in 2012 and met Combs at the Intercontinental Hotel where he was “brought into a suite where Combs soon ordered Doe to perform sexual acts upon a female companion of Combs.’”

Per the complaint, Combs allegedly had the man drink from a water bottle and then rubbed baby oil over his body, “one or both of which made Doe feel as if he had been drugged and not in complete control of his body.” (Read more from “Man Claims Diddy Anally Raped Him, Then Threatened to Do to Him What He Did to ‘Pac’: Lawsuit” HERE)

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North Korea Just Allowed Tourists to Visit for the First Time in 5 Years — And What They Saw Was Shocking

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A group of Western tourists were treated to a surreal performance of North Korean schoolchildren dancing and singing against a backdrop of animated ballistic missiles during the first officially sanctioned trip to the Hermit Kingdom in five years.

The unsettling choreographed display was just the tip of the weirdness iceberg for the handful of thrill-seeking travelers from the UK, France, Germany and Australia who made the four-day trek to the Asian country’s remote Rason region last week.

One tourist revealed the trip was so closely monitored by Kim Jong Un’s repressive regime that he even had to ask permission to use the bathroom.

“They’ve had five years to fix things. North Koreans are so sensitive about what they show tourists. If this is the best they can show, I dread to think what else is out there,” another visitor remarked.

It was the first time since 2020 tourists were allowed to enter — the notoriously secretive nation locked itself down at the start of the pandemic, leaving many to wonder whether Westerners would ever again be able to cross its border. (Read more from “North Korea Just Allowed Tourists to Visit for the First Time in 5 Years — And What They Saw Was Shocking” HERE)

Americans’ Trust In The Propaganda Press Has Literally Never Been Lower: Poll

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The public doesn’t trust Big Media. Who could have foreseen this riveting data from the folks at Gallup? Anyone with a brain.

Americans’ trust in the “mass media” is at its lowest point in more than 50 years according to Gallup data released this week. And based on polling reactions by age, the future of news is bleak, because people under 50 trust news media even less than those over 65.

About 36 percent of Americans say they have “no trust at all” in the media to report news “fully, accurately and fairly,” which is up from 6 percent in 1972, Gallup’s data shows. Thirty-three percent of respondents say they do not trust it “very much.” As Gallup notes, trust has been trending down since 2003.

Fewer Republicans trust the news compared to Democrats, with 59 percent of Republicans saying they have zero trust in the mass media. This number surpassed 50 percent for Republicans for the first time in 2020 and has never recovered.

According to the poll, 42 percent of independents say they have no trust “at all” in the media. But just 6 percent of Democrats hold that view; most Democrats are apparently still buying whatever the media is selling. (Read more from “Americans’ Trust In The Propaganda Press Has Literally Never Been Lower: Poll” HERE)

Mike Johnson Weighs In on Trump-Zelensky Clash

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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Sunday that while the U.S. is committed to supporting Ukraine, he believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s focus is misaligned. In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Johnson emphasized that although the U.S. will continue assisting Ukraine in its fight against Russia, its leadership needs to prioritize domestic reforms and stability. He also argued that someone other than Zelenskyy must step forward to lead the foreign country toward peace and long-term success, suggesting a shift in strategy for Ukraine.

Following Friday’s disastrous meeting in the Oval Office with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelenskyy, during which the Ukrainian leader seemed more inclined to extract every penny from the U.S. than seek peace for his country, Johnson urged Zelenskyy to come to his senses. The House Speaker echoed similar remarks from Republicans who have called on Zelenskyy to be more grateful to the United States after it has shelled out billions of dollars in aid and military weapons in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

“Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that,” Johnson said. “President Trump has brought back strength to the White House. We need these parties to go along with this, and we need President Zelenskyy to do what is necessary. This war has drug on far too long. He’s lost hundreds of thousands of people, including women and children. We’ve got to bring an end to it. And I think our European allies are hoping that that is the case, and we are as well.”

Johnson stressed that the U.S. was not abandoning Ukraine but that Zelenskyy must want peace for his nation. He called it a “grave disappointment” that the foreign leader refused to cooperate with Trump during a meeting at the White House, pointing out that it’s apparent Zelenskyy is not ready to talk about any sort of peace agreement. (Read more from “Mike Johnson Weighs In on Trump-Zelensky Clash” HERE)

Commerce Secretary Says Zelensky Wanted ‘Make-Believe Bargain’ With Reparations, Security Guarantees

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted to strike a “make-believe bargain” with the United States before an explosive confrontation at the White House that resulted in a rare earth minerals deal being cast aside, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

During an interview on Fox News, “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo asked Lutnick about the clash in which President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance got into a fiery exchange with Zelensky over ending the Ukraine-Russia war in which the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in aid to Kiev.

“Well, Secretary, you were sitting across from the president on Friday,” Bartiromo said, adding later, “I want to get your reaction to what went down. How was it in the room? And do you believe Democrats were egging on Zelensky to not say thank you, to stay tough and not sign that rare earth minerals deal?”

Lutnick replied: “No, so we were 40 minutes before the cameras came in, and 45 minutes before the meltdown, and the fact was, Zelensky never stopped asking for, you know — ‘I will give no concessions. They have got to leave my land. I want reparations of $300 billion. And I want the United States to give me security guarantees while they’re at war with Russia.’”

The secretary then referred to the moment when Trump told Zelensky that he was “gambling with World War III” by not doing more to seek peace with Russia. (Read more from “Commerce Secretary Says Zelensky Wanted ‘Make-Believe Bargain’ With Reparations, Security Guarantees” HERE)