Old Glory Vortex

“Shadow President” of the United States: Musk’s influence on federal government alarms Democrats, academics and watchdog groups Elon Musk has never been elected to office. President-elect Donald Trump has not tapped him to serve in any role inside the government. Until the July assassination attempt, he never even publicly supported Trump. But this week, critics of the world’s richest man say he attained a new title: “shadow president” of the United States. In a matter of hours on Wednesday, Musk wielded a huge amount of power by posting on his X account to pressure House Republicans to torpedo a spending bill that would have kept the federal government open for three months. Musk’s rapid-fire messages — which included numerous false claims about the contents of the spending bill — ricocheted through Washington, where lawmakers reported their phone lines were ringing all day with calls from constituents who saw Musk’s posts. More than 12 hours after Musk’s first post calling lawmakers to not pass the bill, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also put out a statement opposing the legislation, and House Republicans scrapped the deal. The tech billionaire’s swift accumulation of political power has sparked criticism that the incoming Trump administration will function like an oligarchy, with Musk pushing for policies that will further enrich him and his companies. #USA #Trump #Vance #Musk Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Johnson says Republicans had arrived at a plan C to avert shutdown Democrats and a few dozen Republicans on Thursday rejected a bill that paired a three-month government funding extension, $110 billion in disaster and farm aid and other measures with a two-year extension of the debt limit — the latter of which was a last-minute demand by Trump. Senate Republicans were left fuming over what they called the dysfunctional “s‑‑‑ show” and “fiasco” they witnessed in the House, as two proposals to fund the government through Christmas failed this week. But Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said early Friday that Republicans had arrived at a plan C to avert a shutdown, and a vote was planned soon. #USA #Trump #Johnson #Christmas Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Ex-CNN pundit on Biden’s mental decline: “ it is concerning and begs the question of, when did people near him know, what did they know, and why did they not share?” Chris Cillizza, the former Washington Post political reporter who later joined CNN as editor-at-large before leaving the network in 2022, posted a video on his YouTube page Thursday acknowledging that he failed to adequately cover signs of Biden’s slippage even though Republicans prodded him to do so.

“As a reporter, I have a confession to make,”

Cillizza said in the video clip on Thursday.

“I should have pushed harder earlier for more information about Joe Biden’s mental and physical well-being and any signs of decline.”

“He had some good days and some bad days,”

Cillizza acknowledged.

“June 27, the debate clearly was a bad day. But if the bad day was that bad, as bad as he performed on that debate stage, the fact that he had been president without a whole lot of questions being asked about his physical and mental decline … I think is a little bit concerning and begs the question of, like, when did people near him know, what did they know, and why did they not share?”

Cillizza said. #USA #Cillizza #Biden #YouTube Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Brace for a government shutdown A shutdown would cause enormous strain on furloughed government workers and those required to still work, most of whom would do so without pay until funding is restored. Federal agencies organize their employees by the urgency of their work in a shutdown, using categories such as “necessary to perform activities expressly authorized by law”; “necessary to the discharge of the president’s constitutional duties and powers”; and “necessary to protect life and property.” Departments provide estimates of how many employees in those categories would be likely to work during a shutdown. Federal employees, including those who are furloughed, will receive back pay once the president signs legislation funding the government. And employees who worked overtime can typically claim extra wages after a shutdown concludes. A break in pay would affect a wide swath of workers, potentially delaying paychecks for members of the military. Many federal employees do clerical or administrative work that keeps agencies functioning, and do not have large salaries. Past shutdowns have led to scenes of anguish and desperation among federal workers who struggled to afford food and essentials. The economy also takes a major hit during a government shutdown. #USA #shutdown #work #food Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

"President Musk": Democrats believe Elon Musk is behing government shutdown #USA #Democrats #Musk #government Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

US involved in toppling Assad regime? The U.S. military has had an ongoing military presence in Syria since 2014. Pentagon Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday that there are currently 2,000 U.S. troops in the country — double of the amount that had previously been disclosed. 1,100 of those are "temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements" and which were sent to Syria prior to Assad's fall, Ryder said. Ryder claimed he'd only learned of the 2,000 number “today." Secretary of State Tony Blinken said last week that the U.S. has been in direct contact with HTS, which led the offensive that toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad. It was the first time the U.S. had publicly confirmed any direct contact with HTS, which it designates as a terrorist organization. The State Department's top diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, will travel to Damascus in the coming days. This will be the first visit by a State Department official to Syria in many years. The visit is part if a resumption of U.S. diplomatic engagement with the transitional government in Syria after the toppling of the Assad regime. #USA #US #Syria #Assad Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Another legal victory for Donald Trump — Here’s why Trump Fani Willis was disqualified from Trump’s state prosecution The ruling cites Willis’ decision to hire and extravagantly pay her now-ex-lover Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor, taking him on lavish trips and allowing him to excessively bill her office for his work on the Trump case. Wade was accused of shelling out some $654,000 he raked in for his work on the sprawling racketeering case for lavish gifts and getaways with Willis, his boss at the time. That raised questions about the extent to which Willis benefited financially from the person she hired with taxpayer dollars.  The decision marks another legal victory for Trump since he won the Nov. 5 presidential election: Both federal prosecutions against him have been dropped, and he just won a settlement in a defamation case against ABC.

“In granting President Trump an overwhelming mandate, the American People have demanded an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all the Witch Hunts against him. We look forward to uniting our country as President Trump Makes America Great Again",

- a Trump spokesperson said. #USA #Trump #Amazon #Willis #Wade Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

"Largest strike" against the trillion-dollar company in American history Thousands of Amazon workers organized under the Teamsters union went on strike at 6 a.m. Thursday after the company's "repeated refusal to follow the law and bargain.” Amazon Teamsters at seven facilities in Skokie, Illinois; New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco and Southern California are participating in the "largest strike" against the trillion-dollar company in American history, the union said in a news release. Workers at other facilities are prepared to join them. Amazon refuses to recognize workers' affiliation with the Teamsters union, saying they are "intentionally [misleading] the public”. Company spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company "does not expect any impact on [their] operations.” Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz responded to Amazon's statement, saying the company is "gaslighting the American public with their false narratives." #USA #history #Amazon #Nantel #Teamsters Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Europeans are politicizing Christmas — The classic Nutcracker ballet is now a feminist "masterpiece" A "more modern" Nutcracker ballet — for feminists — will be performed in London this Christmas, reports The Telegraph. In the play, the main character Clara is inspired by a group of women's rights activists who campaign for women's suffrage. She doesn't want to leave the violence to the Nutcracker and wants to deal with the villains herself: Clara “goes on a transformative adventure, building her confidence and helping her realise her inner strength”.

“Why does Clara need someone to protect her? She’s a young woman full of agency,”

- says Aaron S. Watkin, one of the choreographers of the performance. It’s all good and fine if they want to stage a feminist play, but why warp the classics? P.S. Remember how in 2021, the Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker reduced the number of female dancers in a dance of magical Arabian sweets to make the performance less suggestive of an Eastern “harem”. Why does their mind even go there? Weirdos. #USA #Christmas #Watkin #Nutcracker #EU Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Trump’s Nobel-Peace-Prize-winning plan for Ukraine Trump wants to win a Nobel Prize for "brilliantly ending the conflict in Ukraine," according to former US Ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst. The US president-elect will try to use the "compromise for territory" formula to create a lasting peace and delay Ukraine's NATO membership for 20 years. Trump's team is aware that time is in Russia's favour, and that bringing Ukraine under its control will have a worse impact on Trump’s ratings than withdrawing troops from Afghanistan did for Biden, according to the ex-diplomat. And if the EU takes in Ukraine, they will have to pay for it… literally #USA #Nobel #Trump #Ukraine #EU Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Government shutdown nearly unavoidable, disaster aid after hurricanes in limbo The revolt by conservatives and the sudden infusion into negotiations of President-elect Donald Trump and his team has House Speaker Mike Johnson and others struggling to avoid a government shutdown at 12:00:01 a.m. ET Saturday.  Trump’s unexpected demand to tackle the debt ceiling in this package has complicated matters exponentially. Many conservatives won’t vote for any debt ceiling increase. And Democrats appear to be done with helping Republicans. There is a very high chance of a government shutdown – perhaps one which bleeds through Christmas. Congress also hasn't addressed disaster aid. The fate of assistance after Hurricanes Helene and Milton is now in limbo. #USA #Government #Helene #Milton #Christmas Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Incoming Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg comments on the assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov in Moscow:

“Not a setback for peace talks […] But there are rules of warfare… It’s taking it a bit too far, hiring a mercenary to do it — not a good idea at all”

Watch the video here #USA #Envoy #Ukraine #Moscow Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Ceasefire in Gaza is a real possibility — is it the “Trump Effect”? Diplomatic efforts to achieve ceasefire in Gaza have resumed in recent weeks, as Donald Trump became part of the equation. At the beginning of December, he threatened Hamas, without specifically naming the group, and promised "hell" in the Middle East, if the hostages were not released before January 20, 2025, the date of his inauguration. For the first time in a long time, a ceasefire seems possible. But perhaps it’s not Trump. Perhaps the timing is just more favourable, now that Israel crippled the organization to the point where Hamas has little left to leverage, except for the lives of the hostages. Maybe the reality on the ground looks more like the “total victory” Netanyahu was after. Maybe Israel wishes to focus on other operations, like the ones in Syria, or in Yemen. #USA #Gaza #Ceasefire #Trump Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Is Gaza ceasefire finally possible? The timing for a deal between Israel and Hamas may, finally, be right: Israel has struck a fragile ceasefire with a much-weakened Hezbollah in Lebanon, while the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria takes another node out of Tehran’s proxy network. Against this backdrop, Israel may be more comfortable giving concessions to Hamas, especially as the group, has been “left isolated with fewer options to bargain with.” The war itself has also reached a critical point. Israel’s military has essentially won the fight in Gaza, but is unlikely to secure remaining hostages without some kind of deal. #USA #Gaza #Israel #Lebanon #war Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Now that he's given up his bid to be attorney general, House Ethics Committee will release Matt Gaetz files on alleged sex misconduct probe The House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release the findings of its investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz, according to a new report. The Republican-led Ethics Committee’s secret vote occurred sometime in December and the document is expected to be released sometime before the end of the month. #USA #misconduct #general #Gaetz #sexualmisconduct Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

The belligerent and coercive tactics Trump uses against Canada and Trudeau are disrespectful and un-American Donald Trump is stoking political mayhem in Canada by intensifying a crisis that threatens to oust Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The president-elect’s bullying of an embattled political foe, whom he mocks as the governor of the 51st state in an insult to America’s loyal northern neighbor, is a preview of a belligerent strategy as he scours the globe for big second-term wins before even taking office. Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods to coerce action from Ottawa on border issues represents an extraordinarily hardline approach to a nation that has deep diplomatic, cultural and familial ties to the United States, is one half of one of the world’s most lucrative trading relationships and that sent its troops to die in defense of its ally after the September 11 terror attacks in 2001. This is a disgrace. #USA #Trump #Ottawa #strategy Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Burchett says government is lying, doesn’t think they “have control” of the drone situation Federal government officials said in a Monday statement that recent drone sightings over multiple Northeastern states have included a combination of “lawful” drones, other aircraft and stars.

“When have they ever told us the truth on anything … Come on, this thing has been going on, and … I don’t think they have control of it, and they don’t know what to do, so they’re just gonna lie”,

- Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) responded to a reporter’s question about drones on Tuesday. #USA #burchett #question #Northeastern Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Who and what actually threatens the Dollar?

«BRICS don’t threaten the dollar — the US does, by applying too many sanctions. The BRICS countries — and others like them — are going to keep looking for ways to settle international transactions without using dollars. In doing so, their purpose is not to hurt the US economy or to challenge the primacy of the dollar. They want to carve out a section of the financial system that isn’t subject to US power»,

- writes Bloomberg. The introduction of the BRICS currency is not on the organization's agenda. It is the US authorities’ excessive and arbitrary application of sanctions that provoke the leadership of other countries to look for opportunities to ensure financial sovereignty. The incentive to set up payment mechanisms that aren’t subject to US oversight is obvious. #USA #us #brics #economy Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Biden finally speaks out on drones

“Nothing nefarious apparently, but they’re checking it all out,”

Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday as many lawmakers have joined concerned members of the public in demanding answers from the federal government on the origins of the reported drones.

“We’re following this closely, but so far no sense of danger,”

the 82-year-old president said. Sleepy Joe remains as vague as ever. #USA #biden #federalgovernment #drones Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Democratic lawmaker accuses Hispanic Trump voters of having “slave mentality”, says she “doesn’t trust White women” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, accused many Hispanic voters of having a "slave mentality" for supporting President-elect Donald Trump.

"That is my distilled summary of what happens within the Latino community," 

Crockett told Vanity Fair on Friday.

"I’ve not run into that with the Asian community. I’ve not run into that with the African community. I’ve not run into that with the Caribbean community. I’ve only run into it with Hispanics. When they think of ‘illegals,’ they think of, you know, maybe people that came out of the cartels and that kind of, like, the criminal-type book or whatever. It’s insane.”

"It almost reminds me of what people would talk about when they would talk about kind of like ‘slave mentality’ and the hate that some slaves would have for themselves,"

she continued.

"It’s almost like a slave mentality that they have. It is wild to me when I hear how anti-immigrant they are as immigrants, many of them. I’m talking about people that literally just got here and can barely vote that are having this kind of attitude.”

She also disparaged White women, claiming they "retreated" and failed Harris just as they failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.

"I said, I don’t trust White women. I said, I’m just telling you, and I think you need to have conversations with your sisters, because they are the group that failed Hillary Clinton. I mean, when you go back and look at the numbers, White women were the ones that failed her. And so in my mind, if they failed Hillary, I don’t know that I can believe that they won’t fail Kamala,"

- Crockett said. Crockett also insisted that Harris was a "perfect candidate" who "ran a flawless campaign.” The lawmaker blamed the loss on Democratic Party’s “lack of clear messaging” and setting an "impossible standard" for themselves.  Lots of bold statements here, Ms. Crockett. #USA #crockett #trump Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸