The Atlantic Alliance, once the steel scaffolding of Western security, has become a hollow ritual. Its military readiness is an illusion.
By Andrew Latham | RealClearDefense
NATO is a corpse. All that remains is the grotesque performance art of a diplomatic zombie stumbling from summit to summit, mouthing tired clichés about “shared values” and “burden sharing,” even as its core strategic logic lies rotting beneath the surface. The Atlantic Alliance, once the steel scaffolding of Western security, has become a hollow ritual. Its military readiness is an illusion. Its political cohesion is fraying. Its future, if it has one, lies not in revival—but in reinvention or replacement.
This is not a triumphalist declaration from the Kremlin or Beijing. It is a sober diagnosis, grounded in realism and restraint. And it should be a wake-up call in Washington, Ottawa, Berlin, and beyond.
NATO’s death was not caused by Donald Trump, though he may soon become its undertaker. Nor was it caused by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, though that war has exposed the Alliance’s hollowness in ways no war game or communique ever could. The real cause lies in decades of European free-riding, American strategic drift, and a foundational lie at the heart of the Alliance: the idea that an empire can masquerade as a collective defense pact without consequences.
Let’s start with the numbers. Most NATO members still do not meet the 2 percent of GDP defense spending benchmark, despite years of promises and performative panic. Canada, which has taken freeloading to an art form, has shown no serious intention of meeting its obligations. As I’ve written elsewhere, Trudeau’s empty pledges mask a decaying defense industrial base, a stagnant recruiting system, and an Arctic strategy made of snow and sentiment.
Germany—the economic motor of Europe—still can’t field a combat-ready army for more than a few weeks at a time. The Bundeswehr is a shell. Its special fund is already mostly spent, and its political class remains addicted to strategic ambiguity and military minimalism. France wants “strategic autonomy” but lacks the scale and will to lead Europe alone. Poland, despite its impressive rearmament, cannot carry the continent’s defense burden on its shoulders—certainly not while Berlin dithers and Washington increasingly looks west, not east.
Meanwhile, the United States—still NATO’s military backbone—faces a fiscal cliff, a recruitment crisis, and an overstretched force posture. The era of limitless resources is over. American global primacy has ended. Multipolarity has arrived. The U.S. must now prioritize. And that means making hard choices about where its forces are truly needed—and where others must finally step up or face the consequences.
The war in Ukraine has laid these contradictions bare. NATO as an institution is not fighting the war. The United States is. Some European countries are helping—but most are hedging. NATO has been bypassed in favor of bilateral and ad hoc coalitions. Article 5 hasn’t been tested, and it may never be. The idea that NATO is “more united than ever” is a comforting fiction, trotted out to conceal the fact that the Alliance can no longer mount a serious, conventional defense of Europe without massive and prolonged American escalation.
Even the so-called Nordic expansion—Sweden and Finland joining NATO—has not changed the equation. It’s a strategic sideshow. Unless Europe can build up a credible, conventional deterrent in the East, without expecting Washington to always bail it out, the Alliance will remain a Potemkin village: flags, acronyms, and summits without substance.
Trump’s likely return to the White House in 2025 should not be viewed as a cataclysm but as an overdue reckoning. He will not end NATO. He will force Europe to decide whether it is willing to pay for its own defense or not. He will not blow up the Alliance. He will make it answer for its contradictions. And that, frankly, is what a serious ally should do.
Some critics will scream that this is the death knell of the “rules-based international order.” But the order they mourn was already breaking down—long before Trump, long before Ukraine, long before Brexit or Crimea. What we are witnessing is not a collapse but a transition: from the illusion of Atlanticism to the reality of multipolarity. And NATO, if it is to matter at all in this new world, must either become a true European-led military alliance with American support—or fade into history like SEATO and CENTO before it.
This doesn’t mean abandoning Europe to Russian domination. It means telling uncomfortable truths. Europe is rich. Europe is populous. Europe is not helpless. The United States can and should support its European allies—but it should not subsidize their illusions indefinitely. A more self-reliant Europe is not a threat to American interests; it is a precondition for strategic focus on the North Pacific, the Arctic, and the Western Hemisphere—where the real contests of the 21st century will be decided.
In my writing here and elsewhere, I have repeatedly argued that Canada must stop pretending it is a global power and start acting like what it is: a North Pacific, Arctic, and North Atlantic state. That means prioritizing regional defense, rebuilding naval and aerospace capabilities, and getting serious about continental defense. NATO is not the vehicle for that anymore—if it ever was. For Canada, continuing to hide behind NATO rhetoric while failing to meet even the most basic obligations is not only cowardly—it is dangerous.
A dead NATO still carries risks. Strategic ambiguity, brittle expectations, and performative deterrence are a recipe for miscalculation. The Alliance’s political leadership must either acknowledge the need for transformation or risk a future crisis that reveals, in real time and in blood, what we already know: that the emperor has no tanks.
The solution is not sentimental nostalgia. It is clear-eyed realism. NATO in its current form is not worth saving. But its core idea—collective defense among likeminded powers—still has value. What’s needed is a reset: a reimagined Euro-Atlantic security framework led by capable European states, with American support but not American dominance. A NATO that deters by capability, not by assumption. A NATO that can say no as well as yes. A NATO, in short, that lives in the real world.
The alternative is strategic decay. A slow slide into irrelevance. More summits, more selfies, more hollow communiqués. Until, one day, NATO doesn’t die with a bang—but with a bureaucratic whimper.
That future is already here. NATO is dead. The only question now is what comes next—and whether we have the courage to build it.
***
Andrew Latham,Ph.D., a tenured professor at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is also a Senior Washington Fellow with the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy in Ottawa and a non-resident fellow with Defense Priorities, a think tank in Washington, DC.
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SOURCE
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This week the United States begins high-stakes indirect talks (via Oman) with Iran – in an effort to reach some common ground on an increasingly tense nuclear crisis standoff.
This comes on the heels of President Trump’s threat of pre-emptive military and ‘tactical nuke’ strikes on Iran – even though Iran is not in possession of a nuclear weapon.
In the background is Israel pushing Trump to green-light an attack on Iran. Many experts are now reconsidering the threat matrix in the region, and rightly asking: who is the real problem in this equation, Iran or Israel?
Host Jamarl Thomas speaks with 21WIRE editor Patrick Henningsen about the increasingly dangerous situation unfolding between Trump and Iran, and offers a solution which may work.
Note: this interview originally aired on April 2, 2025
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Judicial Watch Sues for Emails of FBI Executive Abusing Whistleblowers
Judicial Watch Sues Justice Department for Epstein Client Lists
Border Crossings Lowest in History, from 155,000 a Month to 7,180
Judicial Watch Sues for Emails of FBI Executive Abusing Whistleblowers
Judicial Watch is the national leader in fighting for accountability and truth against powerful federal agencies.
We filed a FOIA lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for emails of Dena Perkins, a section chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), regarding whistleblower retaliation (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:25-cv-00891)).
Perkins was identified by Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as an official who retaliated against whistleblowers who were considered pro-Donald Trump:
So, now I’m going to spend some time sharing statements from the whistleblowers who were retaliated against by some of the FBI officials Trump has recently fired.
***
A third FBI whistleblower said, “On January 6, 2021, I took leave and went to see the President speak on the Ellipse. Later, my wife and I were among a crowd southwest of the Capitol. Even though we were involved in no violence, never set foot on the steps leading to the Capitol building, and never entered it, I self-reported my presence to the FBI after seeing the violence in news reports. The FBI did nothing at first, but more than a year later suspended my security clearance. Under the supervision of Jeff Veltri and Dena Perkins, investigators questioned my co-workers about whether I ever vocalized support for President Trump or objections to the COVID-19 vaccine. I was forced to take early retirement to pay bills and have essentially been sidelined from employment opportunities due to FBI abuse of the clearance system to target me for my political beliefs.”
A fourth FBI whistleblower and a registered Democrat said, “As a Security Division employee, I witnessed abuses committed against multiple employees by FBI senior leaders, particularly by Jeff Veltri and Dena Perkins. I also saw Security Division retaliate against five of its own employees for protesting these unlawful practices. Because I spoke out against these abuses, Perkins and Timothy Dunham suspended my security clearance, costing me my job and continuing employment, totaling approximately $700,000 in lost wages and retirement benefits.”
A fifth FBI whistleblower said, “Although some FBI leaders who abused the clearance process like Dena Perkins and Jeff Veltri have already left, they weren’t alone. Timothy Dunham approved Perkins’s wrongdoing and engaged in his own. While most Security Division employees are fantastic, some FBI leaders still remain within the Security Integrity and Investigations Section who’ll continue this abuse of the process.”
From FBI whistleblower Marcus Allen, “Jeff Veltri and Dena Perkins caused the suspension of my security clearance because I questioned whether the FBI Director was truthful to Congress and whether the FBI was obeying the law and Constitution in the January 6, 2021 investigations. Their actions left me without pay for over two years while other FBI officials prevented me from having other income. Although the FBI ultimately reinstated my clearance and settled my lawsuit, my career at the FBI was over and the financial and emotional damage to me and my family will never be completely restored.”
Another FBI whistleblower said, “After I was assigned to review Marcus Allen’s security clearance case, I noticed the file was missing relevant communications of Jeff Veltri, who ordered the opening of the case, Dena Perkins and FBI attorney Tasha Gibbs. Allen was entitled to those communications, which were evidence that his clearance suspension was retaliatory. Shortly after I completed the vast majority of work on the communication recommending Allen’s reinstatement, the Allen case was reassigned to another adjudicator and I was transferred to a different unit, apparently in reprisal for reporting the wrongdoing in the Allen suspension. I soon resigned from the FBI to avoid further retaliation. I believe Veltri, Perkins and Gibbs were responsible for retaliating against Allen, and that Giulio Arseni, Perkins and Gibbs were likely responsible for the retaliation against me.” [Marcus isrepresented by Judicial Watch.]
From FBI whistleblower Garret O’Boyle: “I faced retaliation from junior, mid and senior level ‘leaders’ in the FBI. More than 29 months later, I’m still indefinitely suspended without pay and benefits. Other whistleblowers have since confirmed that the FBI intentionally stranded me in the middle of a move and withheld our possessions to maximize the pain of my suspension. A new era of accountability and true whistleblower protection at the FBI is long overdue. FBI officials like Sean Clark, Sean Fitzgerald, Jeff Berkebile, Dena Perkins, Jeff Veltri, Jennifer Moore, Michael Schneider, Timothy Dunham and other leadership up to Christopher Wray are responsible for what happened to me and my family. Ensuring that they no longer work at the FBI isn’t retribution, its responsible leadership.”
We sued after the Justice Department failed to respond to a May 10, 2024, FOIA request for:
1. All emails sent to and from Section Chief Dena Perkins regarding “whistleblower”, “whistleblowers”, “O’Boyle”, “Veritas” and/or “Trump”.
2. All SF-50s and SF-52s for SC Perkins.
SF-50s and SF-52s are documents recording personnel actions such as promotions.
Perkins was among several FBI officials reportedly fired by the Trump administration.
Our lawsuit shows elements of the FBI are still in cover-up mode about its mistreatment of agents who indicated support of Donald Trump or opposition to FBI abuses. Transparency and accountability can’t come soon enough.
We are perhaps the nation’s leading FOIA litigant against the FBI on its corruption issues, as well as lawfare against President Trump.
In March 2025, we filed suit against the Justice Department for details of any investigations, inquiries, or referrals concerning potential misconduct of any person working for Special Counsel Jack Smith.
In September 2024, we sued the Justice Department for messages among top leaders of the FBI referencing social media posts of Special Agent Jeffrey Veltri, head of the Miami Field Office, which is investigating the September 15 assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
In May 2024, we uncovered a recording of a phone message left by an FBI special agent for someone at the Secret Service in the context of the raid on President Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
In April 2024, Justice Department records showed that the FBI opened a criminal investigation of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt after her killing and listed four “potential violations of federal law,” including felony rioting and civil disorder.
In January 2023 we sued the Justice Department for records of communications between the FBI and social media sites regarding foreign influence in elections, as well as the Hunter Biden laptop story.
In November 2023, we, along with CatholicVote Civic Action, received FBI records showing top officials rushing to craft a public response to the leaked FBI intelligence memo that revealed its targeting of Catholics who adhere to traditional beliefs on church issues. In December 2023, heavily redacted records from the FBI showed that the agency’s Office of General Counsel reviewed the controversial targeting of the Catholics by the Richmond field office of the FBI.
Judicial Watch Sues Justice Department for Epstein Client Lists
The Justice Department and FBI need to respond to public demands for transparency under law and release the Jeffrey Epstein files.
We filed a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Justice for records regarding Epstein, including any records on the identities of clients or associates of Epstein (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:25-cv-01056)).
We sued after the Justice Department failed to adequately respond to four separate FOIA requests for records concerning Jeffrey Epstein, including a specific request for records “depicting the identities of clients or associates of Jeffrey Epstein.” Epstein document requests were sent to the Justice Department’s Office of Information Policy and the Criminal Division, and two separate requests were sent to the FBI.
The lawsuit references a February 24, 2025, Fox News report stating that President Trump’s “return to the Oval Office came with the prospect of the public finally being able to see Epstein’s long-awaited ‘black book’ amid inquiries into the deceased financier and sex trafficker.”
Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
On February 27, 2025, the Justice Department released a long-awaited trove of documents related to Epstein. As stated by the New York Post: “But the much-hyped, roughly 200-page document dump provided no big revelations, instead listing celebrities and politicians who were already known to have palled around with the notorious pedophile.”
Border Crossings Lowest in History, from 155,000 a Month to 7,180
President Trump’s border security surge is working. After years of wave after wave of foreign nationals walking freely into our country, we are finally getting relief. Our Corruption Chronicles blog reports.
After years of getting hammered by the Biden administration’s catastrophic—and inconceivable—open border policies, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is delivering much-needed good news; in March the United States experienced the lowest southwest border crossings in history thanks to new measures put in place by President Trump to finally secure the famously porous Mexican border region. The new government figures show a remarkably quick turnaround for an administration that inherited an extraordinary crisis in which a ghastly 7.6 illegal aliens entered the country, nearly 2 million of them from nation’s that Biden’s own DHS determined pose a national security threat to the U.S.
In a matter of weeks, the Trump administration took control of the situation, with a dramatic drop in illegal crossings, around 7,180 a month compared to the monthly average of 155,000 from the previous four years. Daily southwest border apprehensions have also decreased an incredible 95%, to about 230 daily from an astonishing 5,100 per day under Biden. This marks a pivotal achievement in the nation’s border security efforts, according to an announcement issued recently by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). “This milestone demonstrates that operational control is becoming a reality — which seemed impossible just a few months ago under the Biden administration — as enforcement measures continue to yield significant results,” the DHS agency writes. Border Patrol agents have finally been empowered to shut down unlawful entry and protect American lives, CBP Commissioner Pete Flores confirms. He says the message is clear: “The border is closed to illegal crossings, and for those still willing to test our resolve, know this — you will be prosecuted, and you will be deported.”
It is a vastly different message than the one sent by the Biden administration, which proudly rolled out the welcome mat for a record number of illegal immigrants, including droves of violent gang members, Islamic terrorists, tens of thousands of Chinese nationals and a myriad of criminals. The former president’s own DHS determined that over 1.7 million illegal aliens from countries that pose a national security threat entered the U.S. during his tenure and dozens that appear on the terrorist watchlist were released into American communities, according to government figures reluctantly provided to Congress. The migrants from countries that pose a security threat to the U.S. are labeled Special Interest Aliens (SIA) by the government and they come from some 26 nations, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Syria, and Turkey, China, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.
The previous administration also released over half a million criminal aliens inside the U.S. by putting them on a “non-detained docket” that allowed them to live in communities throughout the nation. Over 435,000 had criminal convictions and another 226,847 pending charges, according to DHS figures made public by a congressional committee. Nearly 15,000 of the freed illegal aliens were convicted of or charged with murder, more than 20,000 with sexual assault, 60,268 with burglary, larceny, or robbery, 105,146 with assault, 16,820 with weapon offenses, 3,971 with commercialized sex crimes and 3,372 with kidnapping. Over 126,000 committed traffic offenses, more than 70,000 are in the system for drug crimes, 21,106 for fraudulent activities and 12,000 for obstruction of justice. As a parting gift in early January the Biden administration shielded nearly a million foreign nationals from deportation with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a humanitarian measure designed to help undocumented aliens avoid removal during emergencies.
Fortunately, the Trump administration revoked Biden’s eleventh-hour TPS, though a series of lawsuits were quickly filed by leftist groups in the name of the illegal aliens, who are mostly from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. The new administration’s message is clear and has been spread in Spanish-language media throughout Latin America. It warns illegal aliens not to come to America and break its laws. “If you are a criminal alien considering entering America illegally: Don’t even think about it,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down.” Criminals are not welcome in the United States.”
HOWARD COUNTY, Md. (TCN) — Authorities recently arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of fatally shooting a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered but died several days later.
According to Howard County Police, on the night of July 31, 2020, officers responded to a home on Dovecote Drive to a report of several gunshots. The victim, 30-year-old Rabiah Ahmad, was transported to the hospital, where she died.
Ahmad was 28 weeks pregnant at the time. Doctors reportedly delivered her baby girl, Ahja, but the infant died five days later.
Police said Ahmad had recently moved to Maryland and had been staying at the Dovecote Drive home for a few months.
Officers allege Edward Robinson had a dispute with two other people who also lived in the residence, and he fired shots from outside, striking Ahmad once. No one else was injured in the shooting. Ahmad was allegedly “not the intended target,” and police believe the gunshots were supposed to be a “warning to other residents.”
On April 9, during a search at Robinson’s home, investigators reportedly recovered a gun that matched the projectiles from the crime scene. Officials will test the firearm to confirm if it was used to kill the victim.
Authorities arrested Robinson in Gaithersburg on April 9 on two counts each of first- and second-degree murder and related assault and handgun violations. He remains held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.
Police Chief Gregory Der said, “Nearly five years have passed since Rabiah and baby Ahja’s senseless deaths, and I know it must have felt much longer for their family. Rabiah had an incredibly bright future, and her and Ahja’s lives were taken so callously. I want to commend our detectives for their tireless work and those who came forward to provide the information necessary to move this case forward.”
Police arrest suspect in 2020 murder of mother and baby in Columbia – Howard County Police Department
The Andalusia Bulldogs traveled to Charles Henderson High School Thursday and brought home a 9-6 victory over the Trojans.
CHHS got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the first, but Andalusia responded in the top of the second.
Landen Butler got things going by reaching on an error and that was followed by a walk to Will Dalton. Kielan Davis then doubled to left field, bringing Butler in to tie the game, 1-1. Three walks and two fielder’s choice balls helped Andalusia to score three runs to take a 4-1 edge.
Charles Henderson responded with a single run in the bottom of the second, making the score 4-2.
Andalusia started its half of the third with Butler being hit by a pitch. Dalton followed with a single. Once again, Davis came through with his second double in as many innings, scoring Butler. Dalton later scored on a wild pitch and Davis came home on an error to lift the Bulldogs to a 7-2 lead.
The Trojans scored two in the bottom of the third on two singles and an error as the score stood at 7-4.
Andalusia put another run on the board in the top of the fifth with Conner Ray hitting an RBI single, scoring Dalton for an 8-4 lead.
Andalusia’s final run came in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Dalton that scored Asher Bentley.
Charles Henderson brought in a single run in the bottom of the sixth to complete the scoring with Andalusia on top 9-6.
Davis led the team with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored. Dalton had one hit with an RBI and scored three runs.Bentley had a double and scored a run.
In addition to his two doubles, Davis also earned the win on the mound for the Bulldogs, pitching a complete game, giving up eight hits while striking out two batters.
With the win, the Bulldogs stood at 11-8-1 on the season. After hosting Charles Henderson on Friday, they will travel to Flomaton on Monday, April 14, with start time scheduled for 5 p.m.
Declassified FBI memos detail payments to Russia collusion informant
Newly declassified documents show informant Stefan Halper was motivated in part by “monetary compensation” and was paid nearly $1.2 million from FBI over three decades.
By Jerry Dunleavy and John Solomon
A key FBI informant in the widely-debunked Russia collusion case was paid nearly $1.2 million over three decades, was motivated in part by “monetary compensation,” and continued snitching even after agents concluded he told them an inaccurate story about future Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, newly declassified documents show.
The nearly 700 pages of once-secret documents, obtained by Just the News, were recently turned over by FBI Director Kash Patel to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan after President Donald Trump ordered them declassified at the start of his second administration.
They provide the most extensive portrait yet of former FBI informant Stefan Halper, a Pentagon consultant and academic who, along with retired British intelligence agent Christopher Steele, was used by bureau agents to build the Crossfire Hurricane case against Trump and his advisers during the end of the 2016 election and the beginning of Trump’s first term in office.
The memos confirm Halper was the source of one of the most sensational bogus claims to land in the FBI’s probe in summer 2016: that Flynn had left a 2014 foreign meeting alone with Russia scholar Svetlana Lokhova when he was a three-star general leading the Defense Intelligence Agency.
FBI agents ultimately deemed Halper’s account to be “not plausible” and “not accurate”, but the bureau proceeded to investigate Flynn, kept paying Halper and continued to vouch for his veracity as a confidential human source codenamed “Mitch,” the memos show.
For instance, a March 2017 memo showed the FBI’s Validation Management Unit wrote that it “assesses it is likely HALPER is suitable for continued operation, based on his or her authenticity, reliability, and control.”
That memo makes no mention in its unredacted portions of the concerns about the account Halper gave about Flynn and Lokhova, which were confirmed in a memo from William Barnett, the FBI agent who handled the retired Flynn’s case in 2016 and 2017.
Paid more than $1 million
The new FBI records also show Halper was paid $70,000 by the FBI between August 2016 and the start of February 2017 — a time period spanning his activation as an informant targeting the Trump campaign and then the 2016 election and Trump’s inauguration. The FBI records also showed that the bureau had paid Halper “$1,181,064.44” from 1991 into early 2017.
You can read the FBI’s declassified records on Halper here:
Stefan Halper – Crossfire Hurricane Declassified Binder
Halper did not respond to a request for comment which Just the News made through his lawyer, Robert Luskin.
The “Crossfire Hurricane Redacted Binder” submitted to Congress and obtained by Just the News includes, among other things, slightly less-redacted versions of the tasking orders and debriefings of the two main confidential human sources, Halper and Steele. The new documents are certain to raise continued concerns in Congress about the FBI’s management and validation of informants, an issue that has been repeatedly flagged by the Justice Department’s watchdog.
FBI vouches for Halper after he fed false info on Flynn
The FBI’s Validation Management Unit (VMU) conducted a Human Source Validation Report (HSVR) on Halper in early 2017 — and although the declassified document remains heavily redacted, it reveals new information about the FBI’s continued expression of trust in Halper.
The VMU’s review from May 2013 to March 2017 and recommended that the FBI continue using Halper as a source despite FBI agents working the Flynn case determining that he had provided them incorrect information. It is not known whether Halper knew the information was bogus at the time.
“VMU recommends FBI New York continue to operate HALPER. VMU assesses it is likely HALPER will continue to contribute to the FBI’s Counterintelligence Program,” the FBI unit wrote. “While there have been serious handling issues noted in previous HSVRs, VMU did not locate similar issues during this period of review. VMU assesses HALPER has provided valuable information for FBI NY based on his or her unique access.”
The FBI document said Halper was primarily involved in reporting on “Counterintelligence” and secondarily involved in reporting on “Russia.”
“HALPER, code name MITCH, is being utilized to provide information on two initiatives dealing with Russia,” the FBI record states, although one of the initiatives remains entirely redacted.
The other initiative was that Halper “has also provided information pertaining to the U.S. election involving Donald Trump’s close associates and their potential ties to the Russian government.”
Vox parroted this explanation, saying the Trump administration told “a tale of politically motivated persecution of Trump. The argument rests on the distinction between an FBI counterintelligence investigation – an inquiry into a foreign power’s efforts to spy on the US government – and an FBI criminal investigation, which is an effort to investigate whether any federal laws were broken.”
The FBI unit said: “VMU assesses it is likely HALPER is suitable for continued operation, based on his or her authenticity, reliability, and control.” The sections of Halper’s alleged authenticity, reliability, and control remain heavily redacted.
The bureau unit also contended that “during the period of review, VMU found no derogatory issues regarding MITCH’s reliability.”
But the FBI unit also admitted: “VMU notes there is no corroboration concerning MITCH’s reporting. Due to the singular nature of his or her access, VMU was unable to locate corroboration concerning MITCH’s reporting.”
Sections on collection requirements, threat issues, and key intelligence questions related to Halper all remain blacked out from public view.
Motivated by money and ideology
The FBI also said in a declassified April 2017 report that Halper had started as a confidential human source (CHS) in December 2008 but then stopped in January 2011, and then reactivated as an FBI source again in March 2011. The bureau said that Halper had previously been “closed” because he had “violated instructions” but that “since the reopening, the CHS has complied with all instructions given to him by the FBI.” The bureau called Halper an “integral part” of Crossfire Hurricane.
The FBI said Halper’s “motivation” for providing information to the FBI was “monetary compensation” and “patriotism/ideology.” The FBI wrote: “CHS behavior has been excellent. The CHS has agreed to assist the case agent in the goals of the investigation. The CHS has devoted significant time and energy to assisting the FBI in its goals.”
When the FBI form asked if there was anything on Halper that “could reasonably be construed as derogatory, including any “statements made by the CHS.” The FBI answered “none.” The “average CHS utility value” given to Halper by the bureau remains repeatedly blacked out.
DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz released a 2019 report concluding that “the FBI did not comply with the AG Guidelines’ requirements and its own policies and procedures for managing long-term CHSs.”
The new FBI records reveal that being a CHS for the bureau was quite lucrative for Halper. An FBI annual source report from April 2017 said Halper was paid $70,000 from March 2016 to March 2017 and had been paid $596,906.60 over the course of his many years as a confidential human source up to that point.
An FBI report from April 2017 showed Halper was paid $25,000 in January 2017 and $25,000 in February 2017, with the FBI saying that Halper “was an integral part of a close hold National Security Investigation. CHS has been transferred to a new Case Agent and the CHS’s focus will shift to other matters.”
A $5,000 FBI payment request document by Somma – dated Aug. 15, 2016 – said the payment was for “MITCH” and that it was for work done over a few days in August 2016: “CHS has been integral in the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE investigation. … Current payment is for CHS’s time assisting with the CH investigation.” There was also a $15,000 FBI payment request document – from Aug. 30, 2016 – which was submitted by Somma for work “MITCH” had done from mid-August to early September, with the FBI saying “CHS was integral in an operation against the subject of a sensitive investigation.”
Another FBI payment request document for $25,000 – dated Sept. 6, 2016 – was also for work “MITCH” had done from early to mid-September 2016. Somma said that it was “payment for services rendered on the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE / CROSSFIRE TYPHOON investigation.”
The previously unseen FBI records also include payment receipts signed by “Mitch” for $5,000 in August 2016 and $15,000 and $25,000 in August and September 2016. Another FBI payment request document for $25,000 – dated January 5, 2017 – related to services Halper rendered from November 2016 to early January 2017. It included a signature by “Mitch” for receiving $25,000 from the FBI in February 2017 and was “payment for services rendered by the CHS during the captioned investigation.”
The FBI’s confidential human source validation unit revealed that “FBI NY has paid MITCH $1,181,064.44 dating back to 1991.”
The Defense Department inspector general also previously revealed that the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment paid Halper $1.05 million for projects he allegedly did for them between May 2012 and September 2016. The Pentagon under Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in March that it was disestablishing the office.
Despite the efforts by the FBI and Halper, a two-year investigation by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller “did not establish” any criminal Trump-Russia collusion. In addition, DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz found huge flaws with the FBI’s investigation, including criticizing the “central and essential” role of a dossier in the FBI’s politicized surveillance of former Trump campaign associate Carter Page.
Halper — and the FBI — target Mike Flynn
At Cambridge University, Halper worked alongside MI6’s Sir Richard Dearlove and MI5 historian Christopher Andrew. Together, they founded and organized Cambridge Intelligence Seminars, including one in 2014 attended by Flynn.
CHS reports show Halper, an academic who long worked for the bureau as a trusted informant, was the original source of a story that Flynn had left a 2014 event in Cambridge, England, with the Russia scholar Svetlana Lokhova while he was still the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. It was also listed in FBI documents as part of the reason the bureau opened a counterintelligence probe of Flynn. The story was later leaked to the news media and became the focal point of a defamation lawsuit by Lokhova that was dismissed and affirmed by the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
By January 2017, as Trump was about to take office, the FBI had exhausted all leads in the Flynn case, and the agents were prepared to shut down the probe, but they were overruled by superiors.
The FBI memos show Halper offered the Lokhova story during his first Russia collusion debriefing on Aug. 11, 2016, shortly after Donald Trump had accepted the Republican presidential nomination and days before the bureau opened an investigation codenamed Crossfire Razor focused on whether Flynn was wittingly or unwittingly aiding Moscow.
A number of “CHS Reporting Documents” from 2016 which were submitted by FBI special agent Stephem Somma showed that Somma repeatedly met Halper with Special Agent Benjamin Gessford and a yet-redacted Staff Operations Specialist (SOS).
“The CHS relayed an incident s/he witnessed when CROSSFIRE RAZOR (CR) spoke at the university. The CHS was unsure of the date, but noted that CR was still in his/her position within the USIC,” the informant’s report relayed to the bureau. Redactions that have now been lifted include a “writer’s note” that Flynn had spoken there on February 28, 2014.
“The CHS told the team that after CR spoke and socialized with [redacted] at dinner and over drinks, [redacted] got CR a cab to take CR to the train station to bring him/her to London,” the FBI records originally said, although the less-redacted version shows Halper claimed Flynn had socialized with university members and that it was university members who got him his car.
The event Flynn attended in 2014 was part of the Cambridge Intelligence Seminars.
“The CHS stated that a woman, Svetlana Lokhova, surprised everyone and got into CR’s cab and joined CR on the train ride to London,” the more heavily-redacted version of the report had added, with Halper claiming Lokhova had “latched” onto Flynn while at a redacted location, which is now known to have been Halper’s university.
“The CHS stated that s/he is somewhat suspicious of Lokhova as she has been affiliated with several prominent members of [redacted],” the original FBI record stated. The redaction there was that Halper said Lokhova was affiliated with prominent members of Halper’s university. “CHS believes that Lokhova’s father may be a Russian oligarch living in London.”
Lokhova connection unsubstantiated
One day later – Aug. 12, 2016 – the FBI brought Halper back for more debriefings and pressed him “to recall the incident” involving Lokhova. The memos suggest agents were clearly concerned by the allegation that a DIA director and three-star general was somehow unaccompanied on a foreign trip.
“The CHS was asked if s/he recalled if CR was alone during the presentation at the university or if CR was joined by a staff officer,” the report said. “The CHS did not remember another officer with CR, but said that there was a representative from CR’s organization there from a local military base.”
Four days later – on Aug. 16, 2016 – documents show the FBI formally opened a counterintelligence investigation into Flynn as part of the Crossfire Hurricane probe into the now-disproven allegations of Trump-Russia collusion.
The documents make clear that Halper’s allegations about the Lokhova encounter were included in the Flynn probe, and that the FBI checked U.S. and foreign intelligence databases on the Russian-born academic and “reported no derogatory information in its holdings.” A former bureau official told Just the News, the FBI was favorably familiar with Lokhova because she had been cleared to work with the bureau’s official historian while researching a book on Soviet-era spying.
The records state that early on agents asked Halper if he might “be able to meet with CR as part of the CHS’ due diligence” and create “another opportunity for the CHS to address the [Russian Federation] ties to the Trump campaign.” There is no evidence in the memos that Halper was able to meet with Flynn during the probe.
FBI agent William Barnett said agents checked Halper’s claims of the Lokhova encounter with U.S. and foreign intelligence officials and came up empty. “Intelligence analysts did not locate information to corroborate this reporting,” Barnett told prosecutors.
“BARNETT found the idea Flynn could leave an event, either by himself or [redacted] without the matter being noted as not plausible,” the summary of the agent’s interview stated. “With nothing to corroborate the story, Barnett thought the information was not accurate.”
Barnett spoke with Justice Department investigators in 2020 and said Halper’s claims about Flynn were “potentially significant and something that could be investigated.” At the same time, the DOJ document said, “intelligence analysts did not locate information to corroborate” Halper’s allegations, and Barnett found the claims “not plausible.”
In a January 2017 document proposing the Flynn case close, the FBI recounted Halper’s claims and said the FBI “checked [redacted] name through available FBI databases for any derogatory information with negative results,” and “a formal [redacted] was submitted to [redacted] for any derogatory information.” The document stated that “[redacted] reported no derogatory information in its holdings.”
Since-fired special agent Peter Strzok stopped the FBI from closing its investigation into Flynn in early 2017.
Lokhova argued in her 2019 lawsuit against that Halper that he “embroiled an innocent woman in a conspiracy to undo the 2016 presidential election.” Halper through his lawyers scoffed at the claims as “meritless and profane” and “implausible conspiracy theories.”
In his debriefings as a cooperating witness with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Flynn also directly knocked down any suggestion of an untoward encounter with Lokhova as “ridiculous.”
Flynn “did not have any other interaction with her during that trip, or on any other occasion,” Flynn told prosecutors, according to an FBI report of the interview, and said he “walked back to the school’s hotel” after the dinner.
New details on the FBI’s relationship with Halper
The declassification move by Trump and Patel this week follows an executive order by the president in March, after his prior efforts to declassify the FBI’s Russiagate scandal records in the final days of his first term were thwarted by his own Justice Department in January 2021. It also comes after the Biden-era DOJ and the FBI under ex-Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director Christopher Wray each refused for four years to make the records public.
The FBI’s investigation targeting both the candidate and then-President Trump in 2016 and beyond began with ginned-up allegations of collusion between Trump and the Russian government, but Crossfire Hurricane was soon exposed as a ”Deep State” plot by politicized intelligence and law enforcement agencies to target Trump.
The newly-declassified FBI records provide further details on Halper’s relationship with the FBI.
The newly-released FBI documents said Somma and Gessford “met with the CHS regarding CROSSFIRE HURRICANE targets.” A document about the Aug. 16, 2016 meeting said Somma and Gessford met with Halper and “CHS was prepped for an operation regarding the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE investigation.”
Another FBI document – dated Sept. 5, 2016 – said Somma and Gessford met with Halper a few days prior, but that “due to the sensitivity of the investigation, the write-up is in the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE file.”
And another FBI document – dated Feb. 27, 2017 – detailed a Jan. 25, 2017 meeting between Somma and Halper at the Sofitel Hotel in the nation’s capital, where Halper was meeting with the subject of an investigation.
Another document from the bureau dated the same day detailed a meeting in Virginia on February 1, 2017, where “CHS discussed potential operations against the target of the investigation” and where Somma “also presented the CHS with $25,000 for CHS services.”
The newly-disclosed FBI documents – one dated Mar. 1, 2017 and detailing a meeting which happened that day in Virginia – stated that “CHS informed SA Somma that he had been contacted by a reporter at the Wall Street Journal regarding Russian Influence at the CHS’s university. The reporter was following up on an article written earlier in the year about the same subject.”
A quarterly FBI report from June 2017 said Halper was “unavailable” during the recent timeframe and that the FBI didn’t have contact with him during the previous few months. Another quarterly FBI report from October 2020 said that “no statistical accomplishments have been claimed for this period” and that Halper was “being closed” as a source “at the direction of FBI HQ-Counterintelligence Division.”
Halper and Carter Page
The FBI’s Halper memos also show that, immediately after the FBI opened a Russia collusion probe at the end of July 2016, FBI agents pressed Halper for information on more than a half dozen Trump world figures, including Carter Page.
An FBI document from August 2016 shows Halper said he’d be willing to help the FBI with targeting Papadopoulos but, in a newly unredacted sentence, said that he wanted to meet with Papadopoulos first because, without knowing Papadopoulos, he worried Papadopoulos could be “thrown to the wolves” at his university.
“The main goal of the operation is to have CD [CROSSFIRE DRAGON / Carter Page] admit that he has direct knowledge of and is either helping coordinate or assisting the RF [Russian Federation] conduct an active measure campaign with the ‘Trump Team,’” stated an Aug. 24, 2016 report detailing the FBI’s interactions with Halper that week.
If the Page operation failed, the FBI “team would then change its posture and move forward with an operation against CROSSFIRE TYPHOON,” the memos stated.
British ex-spy Christopher Steele had been hired by the opposition research firm Fusion GPS to conduct his baseless anti-Trump research dossier, and Fusion GPS in turn had been hired by Clinton’s 2016 campaign by now ex-Perkins Coie lawyer Marc Elias.
A slightly less declassified version of the fourth FISA application against Page— released in January 2021 to Just the News — stated that Page, during his interaction with Halper, did not offer a direct rebuttal to claims he had met with senior Russians or played a role in changing the GOP platform to make it more favorable to Russia as alleged by Steele.
“On or about October 17, 2016, Page met with Source #2, which meeting the FBI consensually monitored and recorded,” the FISA application read. “According to the FBI’s review of the recorded conversation, Source #2 made general inquiries about the media reporting regarding Page’s contacts with Russian officials.”
“Although Page did not provide any specific details to refute, dispel, or clarify the media reporting, he made vague statements that minimized his activities. Page also made general statements about a perceived conspiracy against him mounted by the media,” the FBI told the court.
But the transcript of Page’s conversation with Halper, also declassified and obtained by Just the News in January 2021, showed that Page did in fact directly deny all four of the main allegations made about him in the Steele dossier that supported the FISA application, including specific denials he had met with two Russian officials named Igor Sechin and Igor Diveychkin.
An unredacted “writer’s note” from the FBI in August 2016 says the bureau believed a July 2016 meeting between Halper and Page occurred on July 13, 2016, because that was the date Page left the UK and flew to the United States, according to an FBI records check.
FBI documents now also reveal the FBI was present on Halper’s property to monitor the conversation with Page.
Kevin Clinesmith, who worked on both the Hillary Clinton emails investigation and the Trump-Russia inquiry, pleaded guilty to falsifying a document during the bureau’s efforts to renew FISA authority to wiretap Carter Page, who was an adviser to President Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Clinesmith admitted in August 2020 that he had falsely edited a CIA email in 2017 to state that Carter Page was “not a source” for the CIA when the agency had actually told the bureau on multiple occasions that Page had been an “operational contact” for the CIA. Horowitz said the third renewal application “again failed to disclose Page’s past relationship with the other agency” because of Clinesmith’s actions. Clinesmith was not named in Horowitz’s report, but it was clear he was the “Office of General Counsel attorney” who had been working with the Crossfire Hurricane team.
“The core lie is that I met with these sanctioned Russian officials, several of which I never even met in my entire life, but they said that I met them in July,” the FBI transcript quotes Page as telling Halper during the Oct. 17, 2016 interaction at Halper’s farm in northern Virginia.
Page was never charged with a crime as part of Mueller’s investigation, which failed to establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, and Page has repeatedly denied being an agent for Russia.
The memos showed Halper followed FBI instructions and helped the FBI make recordings that clearly captured Page — unaware he was talking to an FBI informant — actually denying the key allegations against him. On the recordings, Page said that he had not met with two sanctioned Russians as Steele had alleged, that he had not played a role in modifying the Republican National Committee’s 2016 platform to help Russia, and that he was not involved with or aware of any effort by the Trump campaign to work with Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Horowitz’s report made clear the conversation between Halper and Page took place on Oct. 17, 2016, or four days before the FISA warrant was approved by the FISA Court authorizing surveillance of Page, but these denials were never disclosed to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that approved a year of surveillance targeting the Trump campaign, and specifically Page.
Judge Rosemary Collyer, then the presiding judge over the FISA court, in December 2019 ordered an FBI review of every FISA filing that Clinesmith had ever touched following the release of Horowitz’s report that month on Crossfire Hurricane. The FISA court criticized the FBI’s handling of the Page applications as “antithetical to the heightened duty of candor described above” and demanded corrective action from the bureau.
Halper’s “Friend” Peter Navarro
The declassified FBI documents on Halper shed some light on how the FBI source may have come close to getting a job in the first Trump White House despite quietly helping the FBI spy on Trump’s campaign.
The first August 2016 document detailing Halper’s meeting with the FBI shows the FBI had previously redacted the fact that Halper had called Peter Navarro a “friend.” Navarro was a trade advisor in Trump’s first term as well. The next day in August 2016, the FBI wrote that Halper considered contacting Navarro: “The CHS told the team that s/he was thinking of contacting Peter Navarro to inquire about the Trump campaign. The CHS mentioned that Navarro had approached her/him about joining the campaign in the past and that the CHS would be able to ask Navarro direct questions as well, since they are personal friends.”
The FBI records of a Halper meeting on Aug. 24, 2016 about an “Operational Plan for a CHS to meet with Crossfire Dragon” also now include unredacted details about the “CD/FBI CHS relationship” including Halper’s claim that he had been asked to join several recent U.S. presidential campaigns but had declined.
It was reported by Axios in 2018 that, during the presidential transition after the 2016 election, “Navarro recommended Halper, among other people, for ambassador roles in Asia.” A White House official also told the outlet that “Halper visited the Eisenhower Executive Office Building last August [2017] for a meeting about China.” Halper was never hired by Trump.
Navarro told Fox News at the time that he was “dumbfounded” by Halper’s role in helping the FBI target Trump and that he felt “duped” by him: “I’ve met him a couple of times. He was in my film documentary. … He is quite eloquent. I just call him up and said want to do it. I went out to his place with my film crew. We shot it and then I subsequently saw him on two other occasions but that’s it. … I feel duped, yeah pretty much.”
Despite efforts by the FBI and Halper to dig up evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, it never emerged.
A report by a new Justice Department special counsel, John Durham, concluded that “neither U.S. law enforcement nor the Intelligence Community appears to have possessed any actual evidence of collusion in their holdings at the commencement of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”
The special counsel also said the “FBI ignored the fact that at no time before, during, or after Crossfire Hurricane were investigators able to corroborate a single substantive allegation in the Steele dossier reporting.”
_________
Exclusive: NSA director told FBI Pulitzer-winning WaPo story on Russian collusion hoax was ‘wrong’
Read the Russia collusion memos President Trump declassified and Kash Patel gave to Congress
*********
(TLB) published this article with permission of John Solomon at Just the News. Click Here to read about the staff at Just the News
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In this episode of “True Crime News,” Kaylyn Pryor was fatally shot while walking to catch the bus after visiting her grandparents. Despite ongoing investigations, the mystery of who killed Kaylyn still lingers, leaving her father searching for answers. Plus, what started as a normal day became a nightmare for single mom and waitress Erinn Orcutt when police officer Anthony Orban kidnapped her at gunpoint and assaulted her. Despite the attack, Erinn survived, and two law enforcement officials were convicted as a result.
Mancil, Greathouse recognized as Teachers of the Year at Andalusia Elementary School
Published 2:49 pm Friday, April 11, 2025
Two teachers were recognized this week as Teacher of the Year at Andalusia Elementary School. Erica Mancil, left, is the Teacher of the Year for grades kindergarten through third. Mallory Greathouse, right, was recognized as Teacher of the Year for fourth through sixth grades.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDALUSIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
The faculty and staff at Andalusia Elementary School this week recognized Erica Mancil and Mallory Greathouse as the school’s 2024-45 Teacher of the Year awards.
According to AES Principal Victoria Anderson, the two teachers have demonstrated commitment and dedication to their students throughout their time at the school.
“These ladies have a remarkable impact on our school, community, and students. They bring passion and an unwavering commitment to education every day. We are truly fortunate to have such outstanding educators on our team. They both are an asset to Andalusia Elementary School,” Anderson said.
Mancil, named the kindergarten through third grade teacher of the year, is an Andalusia native who has been teaching over eight years with the past three years being at AES. She teaches kindergarten and is a special education teacher. She said it is an honor to be recognized by other teachers and staff.
“Ever since I began working at AES, I have been incredibly impressed with all the teachers who work here,” she said. “Every single teacher brings something special to the table, and I am always so encouraged to be the best teacher I can be because I feel surrounded by amazing teachers who push each other to be the best.”
Mancil added that she has benefitted from other members of the AES faculty.
“I have learned a lot about myself as a teacher since working at AES and I feel like I have grown the most since working there. I fully believe teachers and staff at AES are some of the best you can find, and I’m blessed to work alongside them,” she said.
The school’s vice principals each praised Mancil and the attention she gives to her students.
“Mrs. Mancil is a very loving and caring teacher. She pushes her kids to be the best they can be, and has been very supportive to all of her students. She comes to work each day with a positive attitude, and she is always willing to help where she can,” said AES Vice Principal Bradley Stephens.
Assistant Principal Heather Bulger added, “Erica creates a nurturing classroom environment where every child feels safe, valued, and inspired to learn. She is committed to the success of each and every student. She is truly an asset to this school and truly deserving of this honor.”
“As a dedicated special education teacher, Ms. Mancil brings not only expertise to her role, but also a joyful and compassionate spirit that brightens our entire school community,” said Assistant Principal Traneshia Birch. “Her calm, pleasant attitude and deep understanding of her students’ needs create a supportive and nurturing environment where every child can thrive. Ms. Mancil’s commitment to her work and the joy she brings to those around her make her truly exceptional. We are so grateful for her heart, her dedication, and the difference she makes every single day.”
Greathouse, the fourth through sixth grades Teacher of the Year and resident of Opp, has been teaching four years, all of those at AES. She teaches fourth grade math and science.
“There is something special about helping students understand and enjoy what they are learning in ways that make them feel confident and successful. What I love most about AES is the community. My sweet co-workers, administrators, and students make each day something to look forward to. Everyone here works so hard to be the best AES can be, and that kind of dedication is contagious. It is a place that keeps me motivated and inspired to give my best” Greathouse said.
“In just four years, Mrs. Greathouse has made a lasting impact on our school community with her passion for teaching, dedication to her students, and infectious enthusiasm in the classroom. She brings learning to life in ways that are both fun and memorable, creating a classroom environment where students are excited to learn. Beyond academics, Mrs. Greathouse excels at building meaningful relationships with her students, fostering a positive classroom environment that is welcoming and enjoyable. Her commitment to excellence and her positive spirit make her a truly deserving recipient of this honor,” Birch said.
Stephens said Greathouse goes to great effort to create an environment conducive to student engagement and learning.
“She is a hard working teacher. She is constantly looking at ways to improve her students in class,” he said. “She cares about each of her students, and wants them to be the best they can possibly be.She is very creative in her teaching style which cultivates a great environment for her students to retain what they are learning.”
Bulger added, “Mallory is a phenomenal math and science teacher. She makes learning fun and is dedicated to the success of each and every student. Her hard work and dedication make her truly deserving of this award.”
Both teachers said they are honored to be recognized.
“Receiving the Teacher of the Year Award is such a wonderful surprise,” Greathouse said. “I am truly honored and humbled to be chosen by my AES peers. This is a reminder of why I love what I do, and it pushes me to continue working hard for my students. I am thankful to be a part of the AES family and have the opportunity to impact my students’ lives.”
“I was very shocked to be named Teacher of the Year because I feel like I am still so early in my career and have so much left to learn,” Mancil said. “I was 15 years old when I felt the call to be a special education teacher, and I still love what I do just as much as I did when I began working toward this career. The students I have taught in the past, teach currently, and will teach in the future will always be with me in some way because they teach me something about myself as a teacher. My peers voted for me to have this honor and I will never take that for granted. There are many who deserve this, and I am humbled to be one of the teachers chosen this year.”
Big Swiss Rx: $23 Billion U.S. Investment After Trump said ‘Major Tariff’
BRIETBART
Pharmaceutical company Novartis announced plans to build seven facilities in the United States and expand others in a $23 billion investment over five years on the heels of President Donald Trump’s announcement of forthcoming tariffs on imported drugs.
The Swiss company revealed the major investment in a press release.
“This commitment enables Novartis to expand on its current manufacturing, research and technology presence across the country with 10 facilities, including 7 brand new facilities, creating nearly 1,000 new jobs at Novartis and approximately 4,000 additional US jobs,” the release said.
Six of the facilities will be manufacturing plants, two of which will focus on radioligand therapy in Florida and Texas. It remains to be seen where the other four plants will be built.
Moreover, the company is establishing a biomedical research innovation center in San Diego as part of the investment, and it is expanding three of its production facilities in Indiana, New Jersey, and California.
The company also noted that its goal is to ensure “all key Novartis medicines for US patients will be made in the United States.”
On Tuesday, Trump notably pledged to impose tariffs on drugs produced in other countries.
“So we’re going to be announcing, very shortly, a major tariff on pharmaceuticals,” Trump said Tuesday night at a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner. “And…when they hear that, they will leave China, they will leave other places, because… most of their product is sold here.”
“And they’re going to be opening up their plants all over the place in our country,” he added.
Trump doubled down on his statement on Wednesday.
“We realized during COVID that we don’t make our drugs or our pharmaceuticals in this country,” Trump told reporters.
However, Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan denied that potential tariffs are the primary influence behind the move, per Reuters.
READ THE REST OF SOURCE ARTICLE….
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TCN) — Authorities arrested a 61-year-old caregiver on suspicion of neglecting six adults who were found amid inhumane conditions on a bus.
According to the Memphis Police Department, on April 9, officers responded to a medical call on Union Avenue, where they found a yellow bus with a trailer that held three goats. Authorities entered the bus and found a driver, Bernice Jarrett, and six passengers, including five with intellectual disabilities and one with dementia.
Police said the six adults were “living in a space with no running water, no food, and overall uninhabitable and inhumane conditions.” They reportedly wore dirty clothes and showed signs of malnourishment.
One of the passengers allegedly severely injured another, but they didn’t receive medical care. The passengers, including five who were noncritical, were transported to the hospital. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office announced in an April 11 news release that one of the passengers later died.
Further investigation revealed the bus was reportedly traveling from Texas to Virginia. Police allege Jarrett had been staying in hotels, “leaving the passengers unattended overnight.”
Jarrett faces six counts of neglect of a vulnerable adult. The district attorney’s office successfully argued for a higher bond, and it was raised from $80,000 to $250,000.
In a statement, District Attorney Steve Mulroy called the case “deeply disturbing” adding, “The individuals involved were among our community’s most vulnerable, and they were subjected to unthinkable conditions. We will pursue accountability to the fullest extent of the law.”
Neglect Case Discovered as Texas Bus Traveled Through Memphis – Memphis Police Department
Bond Increased for Caregiver Accused of Neglecting Adults with Disabilities – Shelby County District Attorney’s Office
