International
Coup in Romania – Fascinating interview with Presidential hopeful Calin Georgescu
Funny how a lot of people branded “far right” by progressives and the corporate media sound pretty reasonable when you see / hear them in conversation.
Take Romanian Presidential candidate Calin Georgescu. As an independent candidate, Georgescu found himself leading the current Presidential race in Romania when his campaign found itself under attack.
Georgescu opposes financial and military support of the war in neighbouring Ukraine. For that he’s been called not pro-peace, but pro-Russian and anti-NATO. His campaign effectively used TikTok as any other potenial candidate hoping to win an election in 2024 would do. Opponents say his social media success simply has to be the result of Russian influence. They have no proof, but they’re already in power so they don’t seem to need any.
Georgescu has an extremely interesting resume for someone who is apparently ‘far-right’. In 2015 and 2016 he was Executive Director of the United Nations International Institute for Sustainable Development. His political experience in Romani comes from a long stint in the Office for the Environment including two years as Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment.
He followed that up with a long run as Executive Director of the National Centre for Sustainable Development in Bucharest, before joining the United Nations.
Fascinating route to far-right extremism indeed.
Of course no one called him ‘ultranationalist, extremist, or far-right while he was polling around 5%. But when his success in the first round catapulted him to 23% of the vote for President, putting him in the lead heading into the decisive second round of Presidential voting, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the results.
Among his “far-right” campaign initiatives were strengthening Romania’s defence capabilities, diversifying Romania’s diplomatic relations, increased support for farmers, promoting energy and food production, and reducing dependency on imports.
From Viva Frei on Rumble
Călin Georgescu’s unexpected success in the first round of the presidential election was attributed to a massive social media campaign on TikTok, which was later scrutinized for possible foreign influence, particularly from Russia. The court’s decision to annul the election results was based on these concerns and allegations of campaign finance irregularities. It is nothing less than the desecration of the democratic process.
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Jason Hopkins
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to launch his promised large-scale deportation operation the day after he is sworn into office, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
The incoming Trump administration will immediately begin mass deportation efforts in major sanctuary cities across the United States, with Chicago predicted to be first on the docket, according to The Wall Street Journal. The raid in Chicago is anticipated to begin Tuesday morning and last the entire week, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deploy 100 to 200 agents to execute the operation.
Incoming border czar Tom Homan — who led ICE during the first Trump administration — previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the White House will focus on the “worst first,” prioritizing illegal migrants who have criminal histories and orders of removal. However, Homan also made clear that any illegal migrant in the U.S is fair game.
“Like the first Trump administration, we’re going to prioritize public safety threats, national security threats and fugitives,” Homan stated to the DCNF, adding that gang members and other criminals would be their main focus. “Those that had due process at great taxpayer expense, were given orders of deportation, never left and became a fugitive – them too, they’re a priority.”
“The ones who pose the biggest threat to the country – they come first. The worst first,” Homan went on. “But let’s be clear, if you’re in the country illegally, you’re not off the table.”
The Chicago City Council recently slapped down an attempt by two moderate aldermen to scale back the sanctuary city laws currently in place.
Aldermen Raymond Lopez and Silvana Tabares, both Democrats, proposed amending Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance to allow for ICE cooperation when an illegal migrant has been arrested of certain criminal activities, arguing that such a policy would be a net benefit for the city’s immigrant community as it would allow deportation officers to better focus on criminals instead of making enforcement actions in the city at large. However, their proposal was quickly shot down by the council on Wednesday.
Other sanctuary cities in the U.S. have also expressed steep opposition to Trump’s enforcement agenda. Los Angeles passed its sanctuary law shortly after Trump emerged victorious in the presidential election, San Diego County doubled down on its existing law and Boston reaffirmed its sanctuary status in December.
Homan has said that city officials refusing to cooperate with ICE will not deter their agenda, and he added that those who knowingly harbor illegal migrants from law enforcement will be recommended for prosecution.
Along with large-scale deportation operations, Trump has also vowed to end birthright citizenship for those born on U.S. soil by illegal migrant parents, resume construction on the U.S.-Mexico border wall, bring back the Remain in Mexico program and implement other hawkish policies.
Business
Trump Talks To China Leader Xi Jinping About Several Topics As President-Elect Readies Himself For White House
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Ireland Owens
President-elect Donald Trump announced on a social media post that he spoke over the phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday about various topics.
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that his phone call with the Chinese leader was “a very good one”. The president-elect also stated that he and Xi discussed trade, TikTok, fentanyl and “many other subjects.”
“I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post. “The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”
Trump’s social media post came just hours before the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a law requiring TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest from the app or face a ban. Following the news of the ruling, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that the Supreme Court’s decision “was expected, and everyone must respect it.”
“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,” Trump added. “Stay tuned!”
Trump invited Xi and other global leaders to attend his presidential inauguration, an invitation which the Chinese president reportedly declined. Beijing confirmed on Thursday that it was sending an envoy, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, to attend Trump’s inauguration.
The president-elect has vowed to impose sweeping tariffs on foreign countries when he returns to office, including on China, Canada and Mexico. Trump has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on both Canada and Mexico if they do not do more to curb the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants being smuggled into the U.S. from the two countries.
Notably, trade tensions between the U.S. and China have been escalating in recent months, with the Biden-Harris administration announcing in December export restrictions on certain chips and semiconductor equipment, a move which Beijing rapidly retaliated against by announcing an export ban on some metals and rare minerals.
China added four U.S. companies to a so-called “Unreliable Entity List” list on Jan. 15 as retaliation against the U.S. government’s recent arms sales to Taiwan.
During his first term, Trump enacted various trade restrictions against Beijing, setting off a contentious trade dispute with Xi’s country. Trump is returning to the White House on Jan. 20.
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