Bharat Rakshak

In his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president, Mitt Romney repeated a charge he’s made before: that Obama has traveled the world apologizing for America.

"I will begin my presidency with a jobs tour. President Obama began with an apology tour. America, he said, had dictated to other nations. No, Mr. President, America has freed other nations from dictators," Romney said.

We first fact-checked this claim back in 2010, when Romney published a book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness
...
...
But a review of Obama’s foreign travels and remarks during his early presidency showed no evidence to support such a blunt and disparaging claim. (In later years, we found two formal apologies, but they were not at the start of his presidency and not part of a tour.)

While Obama's speeches contained some criticisms of past U.S. actions, he typically combined those passages with praise for the United States and its ideals, and he frequently mentioned how other countries had erred as well. We found not a single, full-throated apology in the bunch.

Calling those remarks "an apology tour" is a ridiculous charge. So we rate his statement Pants on Fire.

The Washington Times is Republican Friendly.
This from November 20, 2025.
Five Eyes Become Three Blind Mice
The Five Eyes national security alliance of the U.S., U.K., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia had been intimate and formidable for decades. Now the erratic policies of the Trump administration are threatening the bond.

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/2 ... st-crisis/

Washington Monthly is generally considered a center-left or liberal-leaning publication, often associated with neoliberalism, which focuses on market-based reforms within the Democratic Party. While independent, it focuses heavily on government accountability and policy. It is frequently described as having a "strong left" or "left-of-center" bias

The most powerful intelligence alliance in the world is breaking up. In January, Donald Trump restricted intelligence-sharing on Russia and Ukraine, cutting allies out of negotiations and freezing certain channels entirely. Then in March came the so-called “Ukraine intel blackout,” an unprecedented freeze that shut Britain and Australia out of updates on Russian troop movements. And last month, the Dutch said they were scaling back intelligence-sharing with America over fears of “politicization.”

The article you referenced from *The Spectator Australia* (published in November 2025) paints a picture of an alliance in a state of existential crisis. It suggests that the traditional "bonds of trust" that held the Five Eyes together for eight decades are being replaced by a transactional, and often adversarial, relationship driven by the Trump administration.

Based on that article and related reports from the 2025 period, here is a summary of the specific problems the alliance has encountered:

### 1. The "Transactionalization" of Intelligence

The core of the problem described is that President Trump has begun treating high-level intelligence not as a shared resource for mutual security, but as **leverage**.

* **Intelligence as a Bargaining Chip:** The article argues that the U.S. has used access to "raw" data to reward allies who align with Washington's specific policy goals (like trade or military spending) and punish those who don't.

* **The Ukraine "Blackout":** In March 2025, an unprecedented freeze occurred where the U.S. cut off Britain and Australia from updates on Russian troop movements. This was reportedly a tactic to force allies into a specific peace-negotiation framework with Russia, effectively "blinding" them to the ground reality to ensure they couldn't act independently.

### 2. The Rise of "Politicization" Fears

Trust in the Five Eyes relies on the belief that intelligence is objective. The article highlights a breaking of this norm:

* **The Dutch Withdrawal:** In late 2024 and early 2025, the Netherlands (a "Third Party" partner) openly scaled back sharing with the U.S. The Dutch intelligence services (AIVD/MIVD) cited fears that their data would be "politicized" or used for purposes that violate human rights, marking a rare public rebuke from a European ally.

* **Deep State Animosity:** Trump’s long-standing grievance over "Russiagate"—which he blames partly on British and Australian intelligence—has led to a perception of the Five Eyes as a "deep state abroad." This has created a climate of mutual suspicion where the U.S. President views his own allies' spies as political enemies.

### 3. Security Breaches and Amateurism

The alliance has been shaken by a perceived lack of "operational security" (OPSEC) within the White House:

* **The Signal Chat Leak:** The article mentions a scandal where screenshots from a White House Signal chat were leaked online, exposing private discussions about military options in Yemen.

* **The Collapse of Confidence:** Seeing sensitive data handled in "chaotic" ways led British and Australian officials to fear that if they shared their "crown jewel" secrets with Washington, those secrets might end up on social media or be used as "trade goods" in a deal with a foreign power like Russia.

### 4. Fragmenting into "Sub-Groups"

As the U.S. has become an "unpredictable" partner, the other "Eyes" have begun to build workarounds:

* **Bypassing the U.S.:** London and Canberra have reportedly begun forming smaller, closed sub-groups to share intelligence without U.S. participation.

* **The "Anglo-European" Pivot:** There is a visible shift where the UK and Canada are looking more toward European partners (like France and Germany) for security coordination on Russia, fearing they can no longer rely on the U.S. as a stable "Senior Partner."

### 5. Ethical and Legal Contradictions

The article touches on the "institutionalized hypocrisy" of the alliance:

* **The Domestic Spying Loophole:** It highlights how the Five Eyes system allows member nations to spy on each other's citizens to bypass domestic laws (e.g., GCHQ collects on Americans, the NSA collects on Britons).

* **Values Fracture:** While the alliance was built on a shared sense of "liberty and law," the article argues that the members no longer see privacy or free speech in the same way, leading to friction over how data should be handled and what constitutes a "threat."

### Commentary

The takeaway from these developments is that the Five Eyes is moving from a **community of values** to a **market of information.**

If the U.S. continues to "starve" its allies of intelligence, it risks a permanent "intelligence divorce." While the U.S. has the most powerful collection capabilities, it relies on its allies for regional access (like Australia’s monitoring of the South China Sea or the UK’s reach in the Middle East). If the trust that underpins the "no-secrets" policy collapses, the U.S. may find itself with more data but far less **context**, as its allies begin to keep their best secrets for themselves.

Rudradev wrote: …
One also wonders how much the "Five Eyes" REALLY ever shared with each other. Was there permanent transparency and total trust between these intelligence agencies? Clearly not-- because each of the Five Eyes countries still maintains an independent national security and intelligence apparatus of its own.

ShauryaT wrote: ↑04 May 2026 21:19 Amber G: We live in a world of spoofs and fakes You are sure of the X message above?

A_Gupta wrote: ↑05 May 2026 02:52

Rudradev wrote: …
One also wonders how much the "Five Eyes" REALLY ever shared with each other. Was there permanent transparency and total trust between these intelligence agencies? Clearly not-- because each of the Five Eyes countries still maintains an independent national security and intelligence apparatus of its own.

1. Distrust of the press from multiple countries because it does not suit your conclusions is sad.

2. You seem to be implying that international relations are transactional because the participants continue to keep independent institutions. Maybe they should give their sovereignty too?

Cyrano wrote: ↑05 May 2026 13:31 ...It may appear transactional but 4 eyes are under 1 eye's Sauron grip...

JACKSON HEIGHTS — Advocacy groups are calling for the passage of legislation to prohibit caste discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

Assembly bill A. 6920, sponsored by Assemblymember Steven Raga, and Senate bill S. 6531, sponsored by State Sen. James Sanders Jr., would include caste as a protected category under New York civil rights law.

“New York is one of the most diverse places in the entire world. Our strength comes from that diversity, but our responsibility comes with it. As our communities have grown, so too have the reports of caste discrimination,” said Raga at a press conference at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights on April 13.

“This bill is about something very simple, ensuring that no one is denied opportunity, dignity, or safety just because of the circumstances of their birth,” he continued.

A caste system is a hierarchy of hereditary social groups, with each group having a rank in the social order. Members of a caste traditionally share a similar occupation and primarily marry within their community.

The most commonly known caste system originated within Hindu communities in South Asia thousands of years ago, before spreading to other religions and regions as Hindus converted to other faiths and migrated around the world. But the proposed bill does not refer to any specific faith or region, and defines caste as a class in a social hierarchy based on birth that limits social and economic mobility and access to fundamental rights and opportunities.

The legislation has nine cosponsors in the Senate and 18 cosponsors in the Assembly, including backing from Zohran Mamdani during his time as an Assemblymember. Pabitra Dash, a senior organizer at Adhikaar, a Woodside-based worker and community center that serves and organizes Nepali-speaking immigrants and refugees, shared the story of Deepa Sunar, a Nepali worker in Elmhurst. Sunar said she was immediately questioned about her caste upon meeting with a potential employer while searching for employment as a domestic worker last year. After she explained that she was from a caste-oppressed community commonly known as Dalits, she was told that her caste was considered “untouchable,” and that she could not be hired out of fear of contaminating water used for religious purposes in the potential employer’s house. Dash, who also identifies as Dalit, said that Sunar was heartbroken

3 weeks ago I argued the US goal in Iran is to seize the global oil spigot. Venezuela in January -> Iran in February.

Neutralize every supply channel outside the dollar system within 90 days. Achieve a compliant successor government and complete energy dominance.

The oil thesis was the obvious layer. However, when you zoom out & view the last four years as a single sequence rather than isolated geopolitical events, the architecture of the grander US plan becomes visible.

1st was Europe, which laid the groundwork.

The Ukraine conflict provided the justification for sanctions that collapsed Russian pipeline gas from 150 billion cubic meters to 40.

Then Nordstream was destroyed, which rewired the entire European energy system permanently. The US went from supplying 28% of Europe's LNG in 2021 to 58% by 2025, exporting a record 111 million MTs, the 1st country in history to break 100 MT.

Europe was transformed from a customer with options into a captive market now purchasing its survival in USD.

2nd was Syria.

The fall of Assad severed the critical node connecting China's Belt & Road Initiative to the Mediterranean.

The trilateral railway linking Iran, Iraq & Syria, designed to bypass Western maritime chokepoints, was completely destroyed.

This isolated Iran geographically & cleared the path for what came next.

3rd was Venezuela.

In January the US effectively took control of the world's largest heavy crude reserves. The US Gulf Coast has the most advanced refining complex on earth, specifically built for heavy sour crude. Phillips 66, Valero & the rest are now positioned to process hundreds of thousands of barrels of Venezuelan crude daily.

The US captured a massive strategic reserve & solidified its position as the dominant exporter of refined petroleum products, an industry worth $110 billion in 2025 alone.

Venezuela & Iran were the two major oil supply channels that existed outside the dollar system. Both produce heavy crude sold primarily to China & evaded US financial supervision. Both now being neutralized within 90 days, which leads us to..

4th is Iran & the Middle East energy shock.

Israel struck Iran's South Pars gas field, the world's largest natural gas reservoir. Iran retaliated against Qatar's Ras Laffan, the single largest LNG facility on earth, responsible for a fifth of global supply. QatarEnergy's own assessment is that 17% of export capacity is gone and recovery will take up to 5 years. The Strait of Hormuz is closed. European gas prices spiked 70%. Asian spot prices doubled.

The only remaining scaled supplier? The United States.

If Iran falls & a successor government is installed that the US controls or influences (the Delcy model described weeks ago) then roughly 40 to 45 million barrels per day of global production out of 103 million is effectively under US control. OPEC becomes irrelevant because the US coalition is now the marginal producer. Now add the gas dimension & it goes beyond oil.

This war is solidifying the petrodollar system as it evolves into a hybrid petro/LNG-dollar. The old system was built on Saudi crude priced in USD. The new system is built on American crude plus American gas from the Gulf Coast, with no alternative supplier of comparable scale. The dependency is deeper because LNG infrastructure requires long term contracts & regasification terminals that lock buyers into supply relationships for decades. Europe & the Pacific allies (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, etc.) cannot pivot away as there is nowhere left to pivot to. They're now locked into the US energy system.

The market confirms this. DXY went from 96 to 101. Gold down ~20% from its January all time high. Bitcoin down 20% on the year. Brent above $100. European & Asian institutions are liquidating precious metals and crypto to buy dollars because they need dollars to buy the only remaining scaled energy supply. The world is selling its gold to buy American energy in American currency. The dollar is now being weaponized through energy dependency.

The structural repricing is happening regardless of how the conflict resolves.

But the US grand strategy goes deeper..

Artificial intelligence is a physical industry. It runs on power and chips. Data centers require massive uninterrupted baseload electricity, primarily provided by natural gas. Semiconductor fabrication requires helium & rare earths.

By choking the Strait of Hormuz & crippling Middle Eastern LNG & helium production, the US is systematically degrading China's ability to power its data centers & fabricate semiconductors at scale.

The US is energy self sufficient, especially with newly captured Venezuelan reserves & expanding Gulf Coast capacity running on domestic gas.

On the other hand, China is import dependent & every joule it imports effectively now transits chokepoints the US Navy controls..

Iran was the Belt & Road's overland energy bypass, the corridor that allowed China to mitigate the Malacca Trap. With Iran neutralized that corridor is severed. China faces a world where its compute infrastructure competes for scraps on a depleted global LNG market, while American data centers run at full capacity on domestic energy.

Russia is next in the sequence. A post-war Iran reopening under US influence competes directly with Russia for the same refineries in China & India at lower cost. Iran's production costs are lower. Russia loses its last structural advantage in heavy crude & its economic lifeline. Additionally, under the Iran war cover, Ukraine has been opportunistically destroying Russian energy infrastructure & all signs point towards Russia being at the end of the line. The message from Washington becomes very simple: we dismantled two regimes in three months, your economy is about to get crushed, sign the Ukraine deal.

Then Trump sits down with Xi holding every card. Complete energy dominance. The hybrid petro/LNG-dollar fortified, Iran cleared, Russia cornered, & China facing the Malacca Trap fully closed with no remaining energy bypass.

Israel & the GCC are absorbing the kinetic cost of a conflict whose primary beneficiary, counter to the mainstream narrative, is actually America (First). Qatar offline for 5 years reprices the entire global gas market in favor of US exporters for the remainder of the decade. The Gulf states face years of rebuilding. Europe faces its 2nd energy crisis in four years.

Sure, the average American might face temporary moderate inflation & higher gas prices. But if you are the architect of the US empire & you view the rise of China & Chinese ASI as an existential winner takes all scenario, the collateral damage is acceptable cost.

Whoever controls the energy corridors controls the monetary system. Whoever controls the monetary system & the energy supply simultaneously controls the compute infrastructure that determines which civilization builds ASI first.

The US is seizing all 3.

Vayutuvan wrote: ↑10 May 2026 10:34 ^Crickets.

Small fry, but that is the sad reality of a war. Canon fodder go unmourned.

A_Gupta wrote: ↑10 May 2026 04:44 Question - two US airmen were rescued from Iran some weeks ago. Since then we have heard nothing about them. One might have thought we'd have their names and some press interviews and such; but maybe this silence is Businsss As Usual. Is this silence unusual or to be expected?

Amber G. wrote: ↑04 May 2026 09:42 For all the fans out here ..there’s a brilliant new scientist among us.

Amber G. wrote: ↑11 May 2026 23:29 Presenting for true beliers

The pastor behind a newly erected, 22-foot, golden statue of President Donald Trump at one of his Florida golf courses has defended the project following criticism that the homage violates biblical prohibitions against worshipping "false gods.”

Vayutuvan wrote: ↑11 May 2026 01:25 Most of these soldiers are from the Midwest US. Nobody in DC/Coastals (Wall Street/Ivy Leaguers/Elite Academia/Sirricon Varrey Vurtule Capitarists/CXO class) gives a damn about them.

Jay wrote: ↑12 May 2026 04:38

Vayutuvan wrote: ↑11 May 2026 01:25 Most of these soldiers are from the Midwest US. Nobody in DC/Coastals (Wall Street/Ivy Leaguers/Elite Academia/Sirricon Varrey Vurtule Capitarists/CXO class) gives a damn about them.

Top 5 states by percentage of Troops by State (Per Capita): Alaska, Hawaii, Virginia, North Carolina, Washington.... NO STATES FROM MIDWEST

Top 5 states by Raw Number of Active-Duty Troops: California( ), Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida...NO STATES FROM MIDWEST

There might be some variations in some of these numbers for the latest year, but none of the midwestern states are in the top 10 of any category.

A transgender volleyball player has sparked fury by switching to track and field — and dominating all the women in those events too.

AB Hernandez, a biological male from Riverside County, wiped the competition in all three jumping events against female athletes in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 preliminaries on Saturday.

The high school senior posted massive scores in the long jump, high jump and triple jump, which he won by nearly three foot over the girl who came second.

His appearance at the event was met by a group of protestors demanding biological males be barred from battling girls due to their physical advantages.

Parents and officials have now demanded Governor Gavin Newsom step in to protect women’s sports, with transgender athletes allowed to compete in the sport of their gender identity in California.