Zelensky Interested In Trump’s Rare Earth Minerals Idea: ‘Let’s Do A Deal’ Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview on Friday that he was interested in President Trump’s proposal for a deal that would involve the US getting access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for continued military aid. “If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it,” Zelensky told Reuters. The Ukrainian leader insisted the deal wouldn’t involve “giving away” Ukraine’s resources but framed it as a partnership. Via Reuters “The Americans helped the most, and therefore, the Americans should earn the most. And they should have this priority, and they will. I would also like to talk about this with President Trump,” he said. When Trump made the comments about a rare earth deal, he said he wanted a “guarantee” that the US would have access to the minerals because the US was giving Ukraine money “hand over fist.” While Trump still says he wants to end the war in Ukraine, the idea of a deal for continued US military aid suggests he thinks the US will continue supplying weapons, something Russia would likely not accept as part of a potential future peace deal. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the most fervent supporters of the proxy war in Ukraine, has frequently brought up Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as a reason to continue fueling the conflict. “This war is about money. People don’t talk much about it. But you know, the richest country in all of Europe for rare earth minerals is Ukraine. Two to seven trillion dollars’ worth of minerals that are rare earth minerals, very relevant to the 21st century,” Graham said in November. Just one not so small problem: most of those resources Zelensky wants to offer are currently under Russian control in Eastern Ukraine, or the four annexed territories which have been declared part of the Russian Federation… JUST IN: 🇺🇦🇺🇸 Ukrainian President Zelensky offers the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth and mineral deposits in exchange for a security deal from President Trump.pic.twitter.com/defk3suq3G — BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) February 8, 2025 “Ukraine’s ready to do a deal with us, not the Russians. So it’s in our interest to make sure that Russia doesn’t take over the place,” the senator had said. This is a far cry from the mainstream media narrative of ‘protecting democracy’ in Ukraine, however. Tyler Durden Mon, 02/10/2025 – 22:35

DHS Asks For Deputized IRS Agents To Help Physically Boot Illegals, Bust Human-Traffickers The Department of Homeland Security has asked to ‘borrow’ a few thousand deputized IRS agents to help arrest, detain, and transport illegal immigrants out of the United States. In a Feb. 7 memo from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Noem said that her department needs additional personnel to implement President Trump’s executive order to ‘secure the Southern border and enforce the immigration laws.’ “It is D.H.S.’s understanding that the Department of the Treasury has qualified law enforcement personnel available to assist with immigration enforcement, especially in light of recent increases to the Internal Revenue Service’s work force and budget,” Noem wrote. The IRS has 2,290 trained law enforcement officers in its criminal-investigation division (IRS-CI) who can investigate violations of tax law and other financial crimes (and has been buying tons of weapons and ammo for years). The agency’s criminal investigators also work undercover to combat drug trafficking, money-laundering and corruption. According to Noem, agents could also help audit employers believed to have hired illegals, and investigate human trafficking. IRS-CI agents typically carry firearms, and are different from the agency’s agents and revenue officers. They typically investigate criminal tax evasion and other financial crimes, and often work with the FBI and other agencies. Part of their work involves tracking financial flows, including fentanyl networks and fraud involving government programs. Tyler Durden Mon, 02/10/2025 – 22:10

Look, Deluded Squirrel!: FBI Finds ‘Secret JFK Assassination Records’ While Trump FBI Director nominee Kash Patel patiently waits for his turn to kick down the doors at the FBI, the ‘old guard’ has suddenly uncovered around 2,400 ‘secret JFK assassination records,’ and then promptly leaked that ‘fact’ to spooky Axios without shedding any light on the contents of said records. The move comes after President Trump’s Jan. 23 executive order demanding the release of all records pertaining to the JFK assassination, where ‘a deluded gunman’ killed the 35th President of the United States in Dallas, Texas 61 years ago. The allegedly newfound records – which the FBI told the White House about on Friday, when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence submitted its plan to disclose the assassination records – were never provided to a board tasked with reviewing and disclosing the documents, according to the report. Axios, citing three sources (who said they hadn’t actually seen the documents), said that the newly found records are ‘closely held secrets,’ and are ‘likely to raise questions about the procedures for vetting and releasing information across the entire government.’ “This is huge. It shows the FBI is taking this seriously,” said Jefferson Morley, an expert on the assassination and vice president of the nonpartisan Mary Ferrell Foundation, the nation’s largest source of online records of Kennedy’s killing, Axios continues. “The FBI is finally saying, ‘Let’s respond to the president’s order,’ instead of keeping the secrecy going,” Morley continued, without a so much as a hint of scrutiny over whether this could be complete bullshit from the very government that has kept the JFK assassination a closely guarded secret. Axios then hedges, suggesting that the new records are “unlikely” to definitively prove the official story – that Lee Harvey Oswald, was a lone-wolf assassin, or was part of a broader conspiracy. And as far as “unlikely” goes, we’d venture to guess there’s virtually no chance they’ll validate various theories that our own government killed Kennedy for various reasons (please discuss in the comments). In 2017, President Trump delayed the release of the JFK files on the advice of the CIA, while President Biden ordered a limited release of records related to the assassination. Deep state defenders have said that full disclosure could compromise ‘sources and methods,’ the same thing they hid behind during the Russiagate hoax hearings. According to the report, Trump has regretted not releasing all of the JFK records during his first term – however his January executive order calls for the release of all JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King Jr. assassination records by March 9. More via Axios: What’s next: Despite Trump’s order, sources say, the various intelligence agencies with records of the assassination are still recommending redactions. “When POTUS hears about this stonewalling, he’s gonna hit the roof,” a White House official told Axios. “This is total Deep State bulls**t,” said another. “Don’t be surprised if all these records just suddenly wind up online,” a Trump adviser said. “He wants to move on and call this a promise kept.” The intrigue: The newly discovered FBI files could have relevance in the ongoing federal lawsuit filed by the Mary Ferrell Foundation against the Biden administration in 2022. It alleges federal agencies had more documents related to the assassination that they weren’t turning over to the National Archives. They include: Jailhouse recordings of mobster Carlos Marcello, who claimed he was involved in the assassination. CIA files of George Joannides. He was the chief of covert action at the CIA station in Miami and was a case officer for a New Orleans-based CIA-funded exile group that had a series of encounters with Oswald before the shooting. Joannides also was accused of misleading a House committee investigating the assassination by failing to disclose his ties to Oswald. “The Joannides file sounds exactly like the newly discovered FBI files,” Morley said. “It’s something assassination-related that was never turned over to the Archives.” Tyler Durden Mon, 02/10/2025 – 21:45

Justice Department Orders Dismissal Of Charges Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has directed federal prosecutors to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions and lavish travel perks. Bove stated in a two-page memo dated Feb. 10 that the decision to dismiss is based on the timing of the charges and recent public actions by the former U.S. attorney who initiated the case, Damian Williams, who resigned from the post in December and was replaced by Danielle Sassoon shortly after President Donald Trump assumed office. Specifically, Bove wrote that these actions have jeopardized the fairness of the proceedings, particularly by generating prejudicial pretrial publicity that could influence witnesses and the jury pool. Further, the memo notes that both the actions and the underlying case have improperly interfered with Adams’s campaign in the 2025 mayoral election, and impede his ability to crack down on illegal immigration and violent crime. “We are particularly concerned about the impact of the prosecution on Mayor Adams’ ability to support critical, ongoing federal efforts ’to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement,’ as described in Executive Order 14165,” Bove wrote, referring to Trump’s executive action on securing the border. Additionally, Bove noted that the decision to drop the charges was reached without an assessment of the strength of the prosecution and was not meant to call into question the attorneys who had filed the case. A key condition for dismissal of charges against Adams is that Sassoon, who has replaced Williams as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, reviews all the relevant factors in the case, including the evidence and strength of the legal theories on which it was based. “There shall be no further targeting of Mayor Adams or additional investigative steps prior to that review, and you are further directed to take all steps within your power to cause Mayor Adams’ security clearances to be restored,” Bove wrote. The case will be dismissed without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled at a later date. Williams did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Adams’s attorney, Alex Spiro, hailed the Justice Department’s decision as a validation of the mayor’s innocence. “Now, thankfully, the mayor and New York can put this unfortunate and misguided prosecution behind them,” Spiro said. The decision follows months of speculation that the Justice Department would intervene to halt the criminal case against Adams, who faced allegations of corruption. In December 2024, Trump suggested a possible pardon, telling reporters that the mayor had been “treated pretty unfairly.” The president also claimed that Adams was being persecuted by his own party for his criticism of former President Joe Biden’s policies on immigration. Prosecutors alleged in an indictment that Adams, the first sitting New York City mayor to face criminal charges, accepted more than $100,000 in campaign contributions and luxury benefits from foreign nationals. The accusations involved expensive flights, hotel stays, and other gifts, which Adams allegedly accepted in exchange for political favors benefiting Turkish officials and other foreign interests. Adams was also accused of fabricating false financial records and instructing associates on ways to disguise illegal activities. He has denied any wrongdoing. The charges against Adams included conspiracy, wire fraud, bribery, and accepting foreign campaign contributions. Each charge carries potentially severe penalties, including fines and prison time. A conviction would also disqualify him from holding public office in the future. Tyler Durden Mon, 02/10/2025 – 21:35

US Convinces Palestinian Authority To End “Pay For Slay” Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas on Monday formally revoked a system which provides payments to families of Palestinians who were killed or wounded during attacks on Israelis. The system also extends for Palestinians thrown in Israeli prisons for assaults or terroristic attacks on Israelis as well. The first Trump administration as well as the Israelis referred to the practice as “pay for slay” – and Washington has long sought to force the PA the end the practice, and it has remained a major source of disagreement over many years. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, via Facebook The Biden administration had reportedly spent two years attempting to negotiate an end to the system. The Palestinian side calls it a “martyr’s fund”. According to regional source Al-Monitor, “The Palestinian Authority paid out $176.8 million under the program in 2023, according to a January report from the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, an Israeli think tank.” Israel, the US, and some European leaders have long complained that it incentivizes violence against Israelis. Since the time of Trump’s first administration, a US law has prohibited Washington from providing direct financial assistance to the PA so long as “pay for slay” is still in effect. This means US aid to the West Bank and PA might flow more freely, and clearly this is what was on offer from the US side. President Abbas’ Monday decree revokes laws “related to the system of paying financial allowances to the families of prisoners, martyrs and the wounded,” the PA’s WAFA news agency reported. Israel remains skeptical, however, with the Israeli Foreign Ministry questioning on Monday whether the payments would actually end: “This is a new fraudulent trick by the Palestinian Authority, which intends to continue making payments to terrorists and their families through other payment channels,” a statement said. Over the last half-decade, tens of millions of dollars in pledged US aid has been held up: Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho held up tens of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority in 2021 over its policy. US President Donald Trump has been critical of the authority over the issue. In 2018, he signed into law the Taylor Force Act, which prohibited economic aid to the authority over the payments. The act was named after a US military veteran who was killed by a Palestinian assailant in Tel Aviv in 2016. Later that year, the Trump administration cut more than $200 million in funding to Ramallah, saying the money would be redirected to “high priority projects elsewhere.” The aid was later restored by US President Joe Biden in 2021. But money is unlikely to start flowing again anytime soon, given Trump’s ongoing campaign to drastically slash all foreign aid. The West Bank is likely to be a very low priority in terms of assistance regardless. Tyler Durden Mon, 02/10/2025 – 21:20