The U.S. and Niger issued a joint statement on Sunday that set a deadline of September 15 for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces. The departing American troops leave behind a $100-million military base built to support counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel region. In a conference call with reporters on Sunday afternoon, a senior Defense Department official said the departing American forces would bring “sensitive equipment, lethal equipment, [and] hazardous equipment” with them. Later in the conference call, the official admitted that the Biden administration has no idea how many Russian soldiers have been deployed to Niger, where they are located, or if they have been granted access to the military base facilities constructed at U.S. taxpayers’ expense. Bill Roggio, editor of the Long War Journal for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Voice of America News (VOA) that the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Niger leaves counter-terrorism operations in “complete disarray” and intelligence gathering “practically at zero.” “These are some of the most dangerous areas in the world. These countries are in dire threat of being overrun by jihadist groups,” Roggio said of the Sahel region. A U.S. defense official told VOA that “basically every flight” from the two bases occupied by U.S. troops must now be approved by the junta, which began “delaying and canceling” U.S. military flights in April. Back in March, when reading the mammoth, 1050-page bill that was meant to avert government shutdown, but was yet another pork filled free-for-all bonanza authorizing $1.7 trillion in in discretionary spending, we stumbled upon something that was truly shocking: after Biden singlehandedly drained half of the US strategic petroleum reserve to avoid obliteration for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections, Congress has snuck in a provision that would sell off and shutter the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve, a move that while perhaps keeps gas prices lower for a day or two, would also leave the entire continental northeast defenseless to any true environmental catastrophe or shock. We were so dismayed by the inclusion of this particular text, we wondered if it hadn't been put there solely for the benefit of America's enemies... ... because surely nobody in their right mind, not even the illegitimate senile occupant of the White House, would ever pursue such short-term gains at the expense of potentially disastrous long-term consequences to the entire nation. We were wrong: earlier today, just two months after the bill was signed by Biden into law, the panicking administration announced that it would sell the nearly 1 million barrels of gasoline in the US managed stockpile in northeastern states, the Department of Energy said, effectively closing the reserve. The department created the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve (NGSR) in 2014 after Superstorm Sandy left motorists scrambling for fuel. But, according to some megabrains hoping to justify the dumping of gas so its price drops for a few weeks ahead of the summer and avoid even more anger aimed at the president, storing refined fuel is costlier than storing crude oil, so closing the reserve was included in U.S funding legislation signed by President Joe Biden in March. Bids to buy the gasoline located at the two NGSR storage sites in Port Reading, NJ (900,000 bbl) and South Portland, ME (98,824 bbl), are due on May 28 and the Treasury Department's general funds gets proceeds from the sale. Incidentally, the proceeds from the reserve liquidation - which will amount to roughly $125 million gross (and far less net) - is roughly how much the government spends every 15 minutes! Translation: Biden just drained the Northeast strategic gasoline reserve to push gas lower by a few cents on July 4. @patrician These clowns are all the same. Here is South Africa we have a national election next week. For the past month or so, we've had no electricity 'loadshedding' for the first time in two years. That's because they use diesel turbines to augment the power supply at a cost of billions per day. @patrician As a result, gas prices were lowered just 2 cents a gallon. Another band aid for a serious inflation problem. @davedave I suspect the decision had less to do with the gas prices, than an excuse to deplete the reserve so in case we need it for a war or an emergency of some sort it's no longer available. The bureau maintains the raid was business as usual; however, some Trump allies believe it was designed to go sideways. The indication that federal agents were authorized to use deadly force prompted Trump and his allies to conclude that the raid had the makings of an assassination attempt. The FBI has responded, pointing out the offending policy is simply standard procedure. When executing the raid — which was personally authorized by Attorney General Merrick Garland — agents were apparently cleared to go in hot. The order said, "Law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary," according to the filing. The filing, which argued the raid was unconstitutional, indicated further that "the agents planned to bring 'Standard Issue Weapon[s],' 'Ammo,' 'Handcuffs,' and 'medium and large sized bolt cutters,' but they were instructed to wear 'unmarked polo or collared shirts' and to keep 'law enforcement equipment concealed.'" RealClearInvestigations' Julie Kelly highlighted that among the stated "contingencies," armed FBI agents were instructed to be "prepared to engage with [Former President of the United States] and [U.S. Secret Service] Security Team." Trump and several of his allies seized upon the filing, suggesting that the deadly force authorization amounted to clearance for a hit. Trump noted on Truth Social, "WOW! I just came out of the Biden Witch Hunt Trial in Manhattan, the 'Icebox,' and was shown Reports that Crooked Joe Biden's DOJ, in their Illegal and UnConstitutional Raid of Mar-a-Lago, AUTHORIZED THE FBI TO USE DEADLY (LETHAL) FORCE. NOW WE KNOW, FOR SURE, THAT JOE BIDEN IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO DEMOCRACY. HE IS MENTALLY UNFIT TO HOLD OFFICE — 25TH AMENDMENT!" The Washington Post indicated that the Trump campaign also circulated a fundraising email claiming that "BIDEN'S DOJ WAS AUTHORIZED TO SHOOT ME!" In the first of a series of greatly ridiculed tweets, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) asked, "Was deadly force authorized against Biden for his docs? Were they going to shoot SS then Pres Trump, Melania, and Barron too?" "I made sure that he knew," Greene said in a subsequent tweet, which has received a community note. "The Biden DOJ and FBI were planning to assassinate Pres Trump and gave the green light. Does everyone get it yet???!!!!" Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) asserted, "Biden ordered the hit on Trump at Mar-a-Lago." Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said on his show "War Room" that this was an "assassination attempt on Donald John Trump or people associated with him. They wanted a gun fight. ... They had use of deadly force authorized by the director of the FBI and Merrick Garland. They brought a medic, a combat medic. They brought — they had a triage plan for the injured and they had a trauma center." @patrician Biden is a dictator. He only wants to satisfy his lust for power and control It might seem strange to read that Democrats are preparing to investigate a Supreme Court justice. The legislature’s authority over the top court, after all, is seriously limited. Justices’ lifetime appointments are designed precisely to shield them from the kinds of political pressures Congress or the president might bring to bear post-confirmation. It might seem even stranger to see Justice Samuel Alito splashed across the top of Politico’s Playbook and the New York Times morning newsletters for the high crime and misdemeanor of flying a nerdy Revolutionary War flag. But it is part of a deliberate strategy to try to try to combat virtually the only check remaining on the Democrat Party’s political power. The reason for all this is the Supreme Court sometimes says no to things Democrats want. We’ve watched modern Supreme Court intimidation for years now. President Barack Obama famously broke decorum at the State of the Union, scolding justices to their faces during his 2010 State of the Union. But now it’s different. On May 5, 2022, Politico published a leaked decision from Justice Alito striking down Roe v. Wade. Over the following months, Democrats and their media allies launched a concerted and vitriolic pressure campaign hoping (in vain) to shift the decision before its eventual release. The rules and patterns are just beginning to take shape. The essential thing to remember is the embarrassment campaigns are not the goal but merely the first step. The goal is a frightened and subservient court. This is a perfect example of the beginnings of a third world government.
Another Retreat: Joe Biden Withdraws from Niger, Leaving Behind $100M Military Base:
Biden Drains Entire Northeast Gasoline Reserve In Bid To Lower Gas Prices As He Trails Trump By Double Digits:
