aspiringbelle

[aspiringbelle]

Source

[aspiringbelle]

[aspiringbelle]

The corrupt protect the corrupt.

The bureau's Washington Field Office is shutting down a unit that had come under scrutiny from Trump allies in Congress.

May 15, 2025, 9:31 AM MST / Updated May 15, 2025, 11:11 AM MST

By Ryan J. Reilly

WASHINGTON — The FBI’s Washington Field Office is folding its federal public corruption squad, the same unit that aided Jack Smith’s special counsel investigation into President Donald Trump, three people familiar with the matter tell NBC News.

The field office has three units that work on public corruption issues, but this one — known internally as "CR15" — was deeply involved in the bureau’s "Arctic Frost" investigation, which was the precursor to the Smith probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results by Trump and his allies. That investigation resulted in one of the two federal criminal cases against Trump, both of which were dropped after his election.

[aspiringbelle]

I just saw a German production of Hamlet this morning. It was t spectacular, but it was okay. Ophelia was pretty good, though sadly, the actress did not live long afterwards. (The film in question is best known as the one on MST3K.)

I don't care if you're a man. Historically you can play a woman in a Shakespeare play. Pick a your dream role. You get to die dramatically.

[aspiringbelle]

This fits. I've seen it at work and beyond.

[aspiringbelle]

[aspiringbelle]

reblog if you’re a safe place for:

lesbian

gay

bisexual

transgender

queer

pansexual

demisexual

ace

hopeless romantics

cis-men

cis-women

non binary folks

the whole spectrum etc…

follow everyone who reblogs ;)

[aspiringbelle]

And that doesn't count the budget-busting increases to the Pentagon and DHS!

The Manhattan Institute’s Jessica Riedl set her sights on congressional Republicans on Tuesday, accusing them of promoting “fake” budget savings and pushing what she called the most expensive legislation in decades.

In a series of fiery posts on X, Riedl, a prominent fiscal conservative, tore apart GOP claims that their latest tax package is fiscally responsible, citing new estimates that show the bill would add $6.2 trillion to the national debt – “$5.3 trillion in ten-year tax cuts plus $900 billion more in debt interest.”

“This would be (by far) the most expensive legislation since the 1960s,” she wrote as she shared data from Marc Goldwein, the senior vice president and senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

“Ignore the $3.9 trillion ‘official’ score,” that she says omits interest costs and “relies on fake expiration dates to make the bill seem less expensive."

[aspiringbelle]

Do you do ballet?

No, though I wish I did! I'm just a balletomane!

[aspiringbelle]

So Trump says Al-Quaida is on our side in Syria again.

I'm surprised the BBC was so honest in reporting the ties of the new leader of Syria.

One hopes people wake up to see what he's done, and what he and the West helped destroy...and make sure no politician in the West does the same. Then again, they are still cheering on Ukrainian Nazis, and the EU just condemned the Alawites for their recently being targets of ethnic cleansing...

[aspiringbelle]

[aspiringbelle]

Well, another huge Trump scandal came out today, and was reported by the media...and the media gave him a pass...

As you should know, the Syrian government was overthrown last year when HTS and other rebel groups forced them to flee. (They had support in the past from various intelligence agencies, and Israel's attacks on Hezbollah, as well as Ukrainian drone support, helped them in their takeover.) Since then, the ethnic cleansing has begun, with brutal attacks on Alawites, as well as others.

Donald Trump has been quite hostile to Joe Biden and his disastrous foreign policy. In addition, his National Intelligence Director was one of the few political figures who challenged the US's support for Syrian rebels. (She even filmed a campaign commercial in Aleppo back in 2020, after its liberation from a hostile siege.) So, imagine my surprise and shock when Donald Trump pledged to lift the sanctions on Syria, and to meet with its leader.

The establishment media has been clearly on the side of the rebels since the Civil War began- at least the non-Kurdish ones. So, it's no surprise that Trump's about-face has not gotten much critical coverage. (Plus, as the media focuses on Ukraine, Syria gets ignored.)

Some people were mistaken enough or disgusted with Joe Biden (and with his track record, who can blame them?), that they backed Trump on 2024 on the mistaken belief that he'd be a peacemaker. After his about-face on his deal with Kiev, many of them have come to their senses, and now, perhaps even more will.

In regards to Tulsi Gabbard, if she does not resign, a lot of people will be very disappointed in her for abandoning one thing she was known for. (A few months ago, she even pointed out how Jake Sullivan infamously declared "Al-Quaida is on our side in Syria" in an email to Hillary Clinton.) If she stays, she shows herself to have had no principles whatsoever.

Lastly, Joe Biden just got a big boost from this. Under the Obama Administration, they prosecuted Adam Gadahn for treason for working with Al-Quaida. By providing support to HTS, the USA was effectively aiding the former Al-Quaida in Syria. By recognizing the government and dropping sanctions, Trump has rendered any possible legal action by the USA against those who provided support to HTS to be moot. (Still think he's working with Russia?)

[aspiringbelle]

Given that we plan to drop sanctions on the terror group formerly known as Al-Quaida in Syria, it's good that the biggest foe of Al-Quaida in Yemen was able to withstand the assault of US and other forces.

Lest we forget, in Vietnam, the US dropped more munitions in tonnage than the tonnage dropped by the US on all fronts in WWII. (In fact, the US dug out old bombs out of stockpiles, and nearly lost a carrier when some exploded as a result.) They still lost.

I may have been one of the few who was cheering the Houthis on.

Now General Kurilla had a new commander in chief. He proposed an eight- to 10-month campaign in which Air Force and Navy warplanes would take out Houthi air defense systems. Then, he said, U.S. forces would mount targeted assassinations modeled on Israel’s recent operation against Hezbollah, three U.S. officials said. Saudi officials backed General Kurilla’s plan and provided a target list of 12 Houthi senior leaders whose deaths, they said, would cripple the movement. But the United Arab Emirates, another powerful U.S. ally in the region, was not so sure. The Houthis had weathered years of bombings by the Saudis and the Emiratis. By early March, Mr. Trump had signed off on part of General Kurilla’s plan — airstrikes against Houthi air defense systems and strikes against the group’s leaders. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth named the campaign Operation Rough Rider. At some point, General Kurilla’s eight- to 10-month campaign was given just 30 days to show results. In those first 30 days, the Houthis shot down seven American MQ-9 drones (around $30 million each), hampering Central Command’s ability to track and strike the militant group. Several American F-16s and an F-35 fighter jet were nearly struck by Houthi air defenses, making real the possibility of American casualties, multiple U.S. officials said. [...] The White House began pressing Central Command for metrics of success in the campaign. The command responded by providing data showing the number of munitions dropped. The intelligence community said that there was “some degradation” of Houthi capability, but argued that the group could easily reconstitute, officials said. Senior national security officials considered two pathways. They could ramp up operations for up to another month and then conduct “freedom of navigation” exercises in the Red Sea using two carrier groups, the Carl Vinson and the Truman. If the Houthis did not fire on the ships, the Trump administration would declare victory.

Humiliated, all Americans better start learning to speak Houthi

[aspiringbelle]

''Doesn't know what it's like to receive love''

[aspiringbelle]

Uh, given his recent deal with the Saudis and with the HTS regime in Syria, it's ironic that they'd depict him as pro-Shi'a.

I love when Israelis do this shit unironically, it's so funny

[aspiringbelle]

Ah, yes. The nation that was one of the leading state sponsors of terrorism, until Ukraine took the spot.

[aspiringbelle]

Hey y'all. Here's something for you.