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RFK Jr’s powerful speech to America explaining his dramatic political journey

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6 minute read

From LifeSiteNews

By Calvin Freiburger

RFK Jr. is throwing his support behind Donald Trump over agreement on ‘existential issues,’ including free speech, and over his concern about the Democratic Party ‘dismantling’ democracy and rejecting its previous ideals.

Democratic environmental activist turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has withdrawn from the race and endorsed the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, following Democrats’ replacement of incumbent President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris as their presumptive nominee.

Kennedy made the announcement in a speech live-streamed across social media, opening by recalling that he considered the Democratic Party of his youth a party of workers, free speech, transparency, and democracy, but left when it became clear to him that was no longer the case. He then thanked his team for their strenuous work to collect the signatures necessary to get on the ballot.

“I will leverage your tremendous accomplishments” to advance his and his supporters’ shared values, he went on, claiming he believed he would have won the election in a fair system and independent media, and without social media censorship.

But “in the name of saving democracy, the Democratic Party set itself to dismantling it,” he said, describing the Democratic National Committee’s legal challenges to his own bid, “rigging” of the Democratic primary on behalf of Biden, and eventual replacement of him with Harris, as well as the government’s various prosecutions of Trump.

At the same time, he took solace in his ideas “flourishing” over the past year, particularly among young people, thanks in large part to alternative media.

In keeping with his desire not to become a “spoiler” with no path to the White House himself, and considering his internal polling showing that remaining in the race would have thrown the outcome to Harris, Kennedy announced that he is suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump over the issues of “free speech, war in Ukraine, and war on our children,” including chronic disease.

Notably, he stressed that while he is having his name removed from the ballots of 10 battleground states where he could impact a close race, it will remain in solid red and solid blue states, where he gave his blessing for supporters to vote for him on the outside chance nobody else won enough support for an outright victory.

Kennedy added that over the past two months, he and Trump have had a series of productive discussions about working together on “existential” issues on which they are aligned, while continuing to disagree on issues where they differ. By contrast, he says he tried to initiate similar discussions with Harris, but was rebuked.

Video Note: RFK Jr speaks at 41:10 of this video.  Skip ahead to 41:10

 

As a longtime Democrat, Kennedy held and continues to hold left-wing views on most issues, but enjoyed support along non-traditional lines and even among some conservatives for his strong criticism of COVID-19 lockdowns, mandates, and shots, to the point that there is some overlap between fans of Kennedy and fans of Trump, whose administration initially backed the lockdowns before changing course and who embraces the shots to this day while criticizing mandates.

Few expected Kennedy to actually become president, but he generated significant speculation as to whether he would draw more votes from Trump or Biden (who has since stepped aside in favor of nominating Harris) and was embraced as a symbolic protest vote for many dissatisfied with the major parties.

However, Kennedy blunted much of the enthusiasm for himself in March when he announced as his running mate tech industry insider Nicole Shanahan, whose background as a Democratic donor disappointed many who had expected a more outside-the-box pick.

Rumors first surfaced last month that Kennedy was planning to drop out and endorse Trump, which he called “FAKE NEWS” at the time. The same rumor returned this week, but instead of denying it Kennedy announced only that he would “address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward.”

Further adding credibility to the speculation was Shanahan expressing unusual candor in a Tuesday interview about the campaign contemplating whether to “stay in the race and run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Tim] Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump” or “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.”

It remains to be seen whether Kennedy’s support will impact the trajectory of the race. National polling aggregations by RealClearPolitics and RaceToTheWH currently show a close but persisting lead for Harris in both popular vote and Electoral College projections.

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Energy

Trump Takes More Action To Get Government Out Of LNG’s Way

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From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By David Blackmon

The Trump administration moved this week to eliminate another Biden-era artificial roadblock to energy infrastructure development which is both unneeded and counterproductive to U.S. energy security.

In April 2023, Biden’s Department of Energy, under the hyper-politicized leadership of Secretary Jennifer Granholm, implemented a new policy requiring LNG projects to begin exports within seven years of receiving federal approval. Granholm somewhat hilariously claimed the policy was aimed at ensuring timely development and aligning with climate goals by preventing indefinite delays in energy projects that could impact emissions targets.

This claim was rendered incredibly specious just 8 months later, when Granholm aligned with then-President Joe Biden’s “pause” in permitting for new LNG projects due to absurd fears such exports might actually create higher emissions than coal-fired power plants. The draft study that served as the basis for the pause was thoroughly debunked within a few months, yet Granholm and the White House steadfastly maintained their ruse for a full year until Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20 and reversed Biden’s order.

Certainly, any company involved in the development of a major LNG export project wants to proceed to first cargoes as expeditiously as possible. After all, the sooner a project starts generating revenues, the more rapid the payout becomes, and the higher the returns on investments. That’s the whole goal of entering this high-growth industry. Just as obviously, unforeseen delays in the development process can lead to big cost overruns that are the bane of any major infrastructure project.

On the other hand, these are highly complex, capital-intensive projects that are subject to all sorts of delay factors. As developers experienced in recent years, disruptions in supply chains caused by factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in major delays and cost overruns in projects in every facet of the economy.

Developers in the LNG industry have argued that this arbitrary timeline was too restrictive, citing these and other factors that can extend beyond seven years. Trump, responding to these concerns and his campaign promises to bolster American energy dominance, moved swiftly to eliminate this requirement. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the U.S. was set to rescind this policy, freeing LNG projects from the rigid timeline and potentially accelerating their completion.

This policy reversal could signal a broader approach to infrastructure under Trump. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted in 2021, allocated $1.2 trillion to rebuild roads, bridges, broadband and other critical systems, with funds intended to be awarded over five years, though some projects naturally extend beyond that due to construction timelines. The seven-year LNG deadline was a specific energy-related constraint, but Trump’s administration has shown a willingness to pause or redirect Biden-era infrastructure funding more generally. For instance, Trump’s Jan.20 executive order, “Unleashing American Energy,” directed agencies to halt disbursements under the IIJA and IRA pending a 90-day review, raising questions about whether similar time-bound restrictions across infrastructure sectors might also be loosened or eliminated.

Critics argue that scrapping deadlines risks stalling projects indefinitely, undermining the urgency Biden sought to instill in modernizing U.S. infrastructure. Supporters argue that developers already have every profit-motivated incentive to proceed as rapidly as possible and see the elimination of this restriction as a pragmatic adjustment, allowing flexibility for states and private entities to navigate permitting, labor shortages and supply chain issues—challenges that have persisted into 2025.

For example, the $294 billion in unawarded IIJA funds, including $87.2 billion in competitive grants, now fall under Trump’s purview, and his more energy-focused administration could prioritize projects aligned with his energy and economic goals over Biden’s climate and DEI-focused initiatives.

Ultimately, Trump’s decision to end the seven-year LNG deadline exemplifies his intent to reshape infrastructure policy by prioritizing speed, flexibility and industry needs. Whether this extends formally to all U.S. infrastructure projects remains unclear, but seems likely given the Trump White House’s stated objectives and priorities.

This move also clearly aligns with the overall Trump philosophy of getting the government out of the way, allowing the markets to work and freeing the business community to restore American Energy Dominance in the most expeditious way possible.

David Blackmon is an energy writer and consultant based in Texas. He spent 40 years in the oil and gas business, where he specialized in public policy and communications.

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Automotive

Auto giant shuts down foreign plants as Trump moves to protect U.S. industry

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MXM logo  MxM News

Quick Hit:

Stellantis is pausing vehicle production at two North American facilities—one in Canada and another in Mexico—following President Donald Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on foreign-made cars. The move marks one of the first corporate responses to the administration’s push to bring back American manufacturing.

Key Details:

  • In an email to workers Thursday, Stellantis North America chief Antonio Filosa directly tied the production pause to the new tariffs, writing that the company is “continuing to assess the medium- and long-term effects” but is “temporarily pausing production” at select assembly plants outside the U.S.

  • Production at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario will be paused for two weeks, while the Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico will be offline for the entire month of April.

  • These plants produce the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, the new Dodge Charger Daytona EV, the Jeep Compass SUV, and the Jeep Wagoneer S EV.

Diving Deeper:

On Wednesday afternoon in the White House Rose Garden, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs aimed at revitalizing America’s auto manufacturing industry. The 25% tariffs on all imported cars are part of a broader “reciprocal tariffs” strategy, which Trump described as ending decades of globalist trade policies that hollowed out U.S. industry.

Just a day later, Stellantis became the first major automaker to act on the new policy, halting production at two of its international plants. According to an internal email obtained by CNBC, Stellantis North American COO Antonio Filosa said the company is “taking immediate actions” to respond to the tariff policy while continuing to evaluate the broader impact.

“These actions will impact some employees at several of our U.S. powertrain and stamping facilities that support those operations,” Filosa wrote.

The Windsor, Ontario plant, which builds the Chrysler Pacifica and the newly introduced Dodge Charger Daytona EV, will shut down for two weeks. The Toluca facility in Mexico, responsible for the Jeep Compass and Jeep Wagoneer S EV, will suspend operations for the entire month of April.

The move comes as Stellantis continues to face scrutiny for its reliance on low-wage labor in foreign markets. As reported by Breitbart News, the company has spent years shifting production and engineering jobs to countries like Brazil, India, Morocco, and Mexico—often at the expense of American workers. Last year alone, Stellantis cut around 400 U.S.-based engineering positions while ramping up operations overseas.

Meanwhile, General Motors appears to be responding differently. According to Reuters, GM told employees in a webcast Thursday that it will increase production of light-duty trucks at its Fort Wayne, Indiana plant—where it builds the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. These models are also assembled in Mexico and Canada, but GM’s decision suggests a shift in production to the U.S. could be underway in light of the tariffs.

As Trump’s trade reset takes effect, more automakers are expected to recalibrate their production strategies—potentially signaling a long-awaited shift away from offshoring and toward rebuilding American industry.

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