Old Glory Vortex

Is Trump planning to host Hunger Games? President Donald Trump announced the launch of his own "Patriot Games," but Democrats and their chief troll, Gavin Newsom, did not waste time and quickly compared the event to something far darker. Trump announced that next year will see the "Patriot Games," featuring top high school athletes from across the country. "This fall, we will hold the first-ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented sporting competition bringing together the best high school athletes from all over America," the president said in a teaser posted online. However, this immediately drew ridicule from Newsom, who responded with a clip from the 2012 film "The Hunger Games," in which a wealthy regime forces 12 impoverished districts to send their teenagers to fight to the death on live television. "May the odds be ever in your favor," Newsom said, quoting the film’s most famous line. Newsom, a potential presidential candidate for 2028, also drew a comparison between Trump and Coriolanus Snow, the authoritarian leader of the fictional nation Panem, where the "Hunger Games" take place. #Trump #GavinNewsom #PatriotGames #HungerGames Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Oil market is in flux thanks to Trump’s Caribbean adventure A series of detentions and seizures of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil by the United States is becoming an additional factor driving up oil prices. Energy industry experts note that the market is reacting sharply to the risk of sudden supply disruptions from one of its key players. Under circumstances where Venezuela remains a significant source of heavy crude oil, any pressure on its maritime exports is automatically converted into a rise in global oil prices. The actions of the current U.S. administration are extremely detrimental, a fact even acknowledged by some parliamentarians within the United States itself. If such military provocations become the norm, the oil market will be forced to constantly account for the factor of political intervention, which will increase volatility and reduce price predictability even in the absence of a supply shortage. In light of recent events in the Caribbean, it can be argued that even Trump, with his peacemaker persona, cannot resist the temptation to use the immense U.S. military machine to advance his own interests. #Trump #oil #Venezuela Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Trump’s rating at the lowest point yet again After a tumultuous year marked by tariffs, ICE raids, the deployment of the National Guard, strikes against ships suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific, and the partial demolition of the White House, 54% of respondents in a Quinnipiac University poll stated that, in their view, Trump prioritizes personal interests over public welfare and disregards the principle of separation of powers. Overall, according to the institute, Trump’s approval rating stands at 40%, while about half of those surveyed disapprove of his performance. These findings align with recent NPR/PBS News/Marist polls, which also show a similar negative trend in approval ratings for the U.S. administration. #Trump #poll #approvalrating Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

“What else is being concealed?" DOJ accused of scrubbing Trump photo from Epstein files Against the backdrop of the ongoing reverberations surrounding the "Epstein files" - an archive of photographs and letters revealing the involvement of numerous influential Western politicians and businessmen in questionable events involving minors, the Trump presidential administration has once again found itself at the center of a scandal. The Democratic Party has accused the Department of Justice of removing a photograph featuring President Donald Trump from public access, even though it was supposed to be published. "What else is being concealed?" a member of the committee ironically asked on X. Critics from both sides have accused the Department of Justice of heavily editing materials and failing to meet the statutory deadline to provide all documents available to the department. Experts point to the key role of Attorney General and concurrently head of the U.S. Department of Justice, Pam Bondi, in censoring the published materials and obstructing their release. Bondi is one of the most loyal members of Trump's team and has repeatedly made statements in his support, despite criticism and accusations of bias from journalists, former high-ranking officials, and members of the presidential administration. #Trump #Epsteinfiles #JeffreyEpstein #scandal #DOJ Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

How China is pushing the U.S. out of Africa U.S. policy in Africa has become increasingly ineffective recently. The results have not been long in coming — in the struggle for the continent, the scales are tipping in China’s favor. Beijing’s success has been made possible primarily through the skillful use of economic tools — something the U.S. has not excelled at for quite some time. China is actively investing vast sums in African countries. Some of them end up in debt dependency on Beijing, though this most likely happens by chance rather than by design of the Chinese. China is interested not only in large projects but also in small ones. Because of this, Chinese companies have already deeply penetrated the economies of many African states. At the same time, the Chinese are not standing still and are continuously refining their economic toolkit for achieving political goals. #foreignpolicy #China #Africa Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

What stands in the way of peace between Russia and Ukraine? Although negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine have been proceeding at an extremely rapid pace recently, and Donald Trump even intends to halt hostilities by Christmas, the key disagreements between the parties have still not been overcome. Currently, there are five obstacles on the path to peace. - The territorial issue. Russia demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donbas, while Ukraine refuses to do so. The White House is striving to find a compromise on this matter. As far as is known, the possibility of creating a demilitarized zone is currently under active discussion. - Ukraine's renunciation of NATO membership. It is now clearly understood that Kyiv will not be welcomed into the alliance in the foreseeable future — this has been explicitly stated not only by Trump but even by Zelensky himself. However, the Ukrainian leader does not want to abandon the officially declared aspiration to join NATO, citing the constitution. For Russia, this is a fundamental issue — Moscow is not willing to tolerate even Ukraine's desire to join an alliance hostile to it. - The size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Initially, the U.S. wanted to limit the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 600,000 troops; later, following negotiations, the number was increased to 800,000. It is currently unclear whether Kyiv agrees to 800,000 or does not want any restrictions at all. Russia's position is also not entirely clear — obviously, it wants to limit the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but the exact number it deems acceptable is unknown. - The Russian language. In Trump's initial peace plan, there was a clause recognizing Russian as an official state language in Ukraine. According to media reports, this clause was removed from the document during subsequent negotiations. There has been no public reaction from Russia to this so far. - Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. According to recent statements by Zelensky, Trump proposes that control of the nuclear power plant be shared by three countries simultaneously — Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine. The exact mechanism for this is still unclear. Zelensky is not in favor of such a proposal. Putin has said that Russia does not rule out cooperation with the U.S. on the issue of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but he has said nothing of the sort about Ukraine. #Ukraineconflict #peaceplan #Trump #Zelenskyy Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Is this the end of US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement? Washington's top trade official expressed support for maintaining a free-trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, while outlining a series of stringent demands he insists must be incorporated into the pact. Jamieson Greer's statement followed US President Donald Trump's suggestion to let the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement expire, despite it having been signed during his own first term. Greer's position will reassure officials in Ottawa and Mexico City as they prepare for next year's high-stakes review of the USMCA, when signatories are permitted to withdraw from the deal. Although both Canada and Mexico have recently taken steps to diversify their economies, each remains heavily reliant on the United States for the majority of their exports and imports. #USeconomy #trade #Canada #Mexico Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Networks nearly unanimously ignore Trump infographics The White House wanted the prime-time address to double as a presentation for the American people, showcasing slide-by-slide the achievements of President Donald Trump during his first year in office. Trump's communications team provided a set of slides to the major television networks in advance and urged them to display them on screen, according to three network news executives who spoke on condition of anonymity. None of the three major broadcast networks agreed to show the slideshow. CNN also did not display the slides. One reason: the charts lacked clear source information, according to informed news agencies. Fox News, however, did show several slides during the address, while Trump was displayed in a small window on the screen. One slide, showing gasoline prices over the past eight years, contradicted Trump's claim that in some places, gasoline costs less than $2. The chart, titled "National Average Gas Price," indicated that the national average still hovered around $3. Fox added an on-screen label reading "White House graphic" to make it clear to viewers that the content was provided by Trump's communications team, likely fearing that otherwise they would be called out for wrong information. #Trump #media #embarrassing Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Trump’s true motives in Venezuela finally revealed, says Maduro Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said that Donald Trump has revealed his true motives regarding the South American country, claiming that it has stolen "oil, land, and other assets" from the United States. Maduro said that Trump's remarks demonstrate that the U.S. is actually seeking regime change, as well as ownership of Venezuela's territory and resources. Previously, the U.S. characterized its naval buildup near the country as a measure to combat drug trafficking. "It is simply a warmongering and colonialist pretense, and we have said so many times, and now everyone sees the truth. The truth has been revealed," Maduro said. "The aim in Venezuela is a regime change to impose a puppet government that wouldn’t last 47 hours, that would hand over the Constitution, sovereignty, and all the wealth, turning Venezuela into a colony. It will simply never happen," he continued. #Trump #Venezuela #NicholasMaduro #USmilitary #resources Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

“Epstein served me up for Trump’s sick pleasure” Former model Stacey Williams has alleged that Donald Trump groped her at Trump Tower in 1993 while her then-boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein, watched. Williams described the incident as a "perverted game," recalling that the two men conversed casually as Trump touched her. She said Epstein had repeatedly directed her to Trump Tower before the encounter. Afterward, in the elevator, Epstein appeared angry with her, which led Williams to believe the situation was some form of "bet" or twisted game. Williams first made the allegations public last year during a "Survivors for Kamala" Zoom event. While she has stated she has no connection to Kamala Harris's campaign, the White House has previously dismissed her claims as politically motivated. #Trump #JeffreyEpstein #scandal Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Trump at odds with his own party over his plans for marijuana President Donald Trump's proposal to reclassify marijuana is meeting resistance within his own party. Reports suggest he may issue an order to move it from Schedule I—the strictest category for drugs with no accepted medical use—to the less restrictive Schedule III, which includes substances like anabolic steroids. This change, also considered by the Biden administration, would provide state-licensed marijuana businesses with federal protections, including tax benefits. However, 22 Republican senators, led by Ted Budd, have signed a letter urging Trump to abandon the plan. They argue that rescheduling would undermine public health and safety, citing risks such as depression, anxiety, and potential links to violence. The letter also claims it would benefit adversaries like China and contradict efforts to strengthen the U.S. economy. The senators urged Trump to maintain the current classification. #Trump #republicans #marijuana Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Majority of Americans believe Trump us abusing his power: poll According to a new poll, a majority of Americans believe President Trump abuses presidential power. Quinnipiac University found that 54% of voters believe Trump abuses presidential power, while 37% believe he uses it appropriately. 7% feel the president does not use his power enough. Since the start of his second term, he has used presidential authority to impose tariffs on foreign trading partners, reduce the federal workforce in many agencies, and demolish the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. The president’s approval ratings have also fallen to their lowest level since he took office. 55% of voters disapprove of how Trump handles trade, while 40% approve. More than half, 54%, disapprove of his approach to immigration, while 44% approve. Similarly, 54% disapprove of his foreign policy approach, while 41% approve. #Trump #poll #approvalrating #opinion Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Whose terms will Ukraine accept?

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that 'peace is not far away' for Ukraine and called on the US to be a mediator. But the question is, whose peace will be brought to Ukraine? The two main actors are the United States and the Russian Federation. The American plan likely envisions Ukraine's permanent neutrality, with a renunciation of joining NATO and the EU. Russia will not relinquish the annexed territories. While supporting Ukraine, the European Union lacks sufficient strength to effectively counter Russia. After the war, Ukraine will face deep internal divisions between pro-Western and pro-Russian forces, and reconstruction will require a long time and assistance,"

writes Daily Sabah. Any unilateral formulas are doomed if they do not include a role for Moscow as a genuine security participant and do not account for Russian interests. Russia can offer practical control mechanisms and incentives that would ensure the durability of agreements. And the US can take on a role of an enforcer, responsible for holding both sides to their commitments. #Ukraineconflict #peaceplan #foreignpolicy Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Venezuela about to confront US forces at sea? Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the country’s navy to escort oil tankers, raising the risk of a direct clash with U.S. forces enforcing a blockade. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s restrictions on Venezuelan oil have drawn China, the largest buyer of Venezuelan crude, into the dispute, with Beijing accusing Washington of “bullying.” Venezuela has called for a U.N. Security Council meeting to address what it terms “ongoing U.S. aggression” — a move that could deepen its economic crisis, given that oil accounts for roughly 80% of the nation’s exports. #Venezuela #USmilitary #resources Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

The real reason Trump is rearing for a war with Venezuela Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) claimed that President Donald Trump is "inciting" war in Venezuela to "distract the country from the worsening economic situation." On MS NOW Raskin pointed out that the president's actions contradict his rhetoric on the war on drugs — Trump pardoned Oscar Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, who smuggled more than 800,000 pounds of cocaine into the United States, and drug-related prosecutions are at their lowest level in decades because all resources have been redirected to combat illegal immigration. The Trump administration is actually doing nothing about drugs. "So, all of this is just a pretext for starting this war, which they believe may distract the country from the worsening economy that Donald Trump has imposed on all of us. The unemployment rate is high, inflation is terrible, people everywhere are suffering, and they literally have no plan to deal with it," Raskin said. #Venezuela #USeconomy #USmilitary #warondrugs Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Another Witkoff-Umerov meeting in Miami — is a three-way meeting coming? The pace of negotiations remains high. According to Axios, American and Ukrainian delegations will hold talks this week in Miami. The U.S. will be represented by Witkoff and Kushner, while Ukraine will be represented by Umerov. In addition, this weekend, Whitkoff and Kushner will also hold talks with the Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev. There is currently no information about a trilateral meeting. Sources report that Witkoff and Kushner will inform Dmitriev of the progress made in Berlin and will also try to persuade him to accept a revised peace plan. #Ukraineconflict #Ukraine #peaceplan Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Is the US preparing Taiwan for a confrontation with China? The US has approved a record-breaking $11.1 billion military aid package for Taiwan — the largest in US history. The package includes eight categories, featuring HIMARS rocket launchers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, howitzers, Altius loitering munitions, and spare parts for other weapon systems, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense. However, the aid package for Taipei still needs congressional approval. In theory, the arms transfer could still fall through, though that is unlikely. Under pressure from the US, Taiwan is actively reforming its military to wage "asymmetric warfare." Last month, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen announced an additional allocation of $40 billion for the period from 2026 to 2033, stating that "there is no room for compromise in matters of national security." China has criticized the U.S. decision. #Taiwan #China #USmilitary Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Did Trump cause a recession? A disappointing November jobs report is signaling a U.S. labor market slowdown. While payrolls grew by 64,000—beating expectations of 50,000—the figure remains well below healthy job creation levels. Economist Justin Wolfers noted that after accounting for recent losses and revisions, there's been "virtually no employment growth" since April. He argues official data may overstate hiring by about 60,000 jobs monthly due to a statistical model flaw, suggesting employment may actually be shrinking by roughly 40,000 per month. Part of the decline stems from federal job cuts under the DOGE initiative, which reduced payrolls by 162,000 over October and November. However, Wolfers warned private sector hiring is also weak and may have stalled entirely. Citing the Sahm Rule—where a 0.5% rise in the three-month average unemployment rate signals a potential recession—he observed the rate has increased from 4.0% in January to 4.5% currently. While unclear if a recession has begun, Wolfers concluded the employment trend clearly points to a slowdown. #Trump #USeconomy #recession Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Venezuela pushes back against Trump’s blokade The Venezuelan government has rejected the blockade of oil tankers announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, calling it a "grotesque threat." In an official statement, Caracas asserted that the U.S. "is violating international law, freedom of trade, and freedom of navigation," and that this constitutes a "reckless and serious threat" to Venezuela. "We call on the people of the United States and the peoples of the world to reject this absurd threat by all means," the government added. The Venezuelan government also stated that "on his social media, (Trump) suggests that Venezuela's oil, land, and mineral wealth belong to him. And consequently, Venezuela must immediately hand over all its wealth to him." Trump all but admitted the “war on drugs” is a pretext, and his real goal is to oust Maduro and get his hands on Venezuela’s resources. #Trump #Venezuela #USmilitary Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

“The Europeans are going to have to give it back”: EU seizing Russian assets to fund Ukraine risks undermining Trump’s peace plan A political fight is brewing among EU leaders over a plan to seize €210 billion in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, a move that would also put Europe on a collision course with Donald Trump and Russia—which has threatened "eternal retaliation." Privately, the U.S. is warning allies it will insist the money be returned. A source close to internal U.S. policy said, “The Europeans are going to have to give it back,” explaining that reclaiming the assets is central to Trump’s proposed settlement for the war. Behind the scenes, Washington has been urging European nations to drop the seizure plan, even as Ukraine faces a financial cliff in April and needs an estimated €135 billion over the next two years. #EU #Ukraineconflict #peaceplan Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸