End Times Headline News. February 15 2025

Drone strikes Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. Vance warns EU. Scholz calls for state of emergency. US Treasury pays $100bn annually to unknown recipients. ANATOMY OF AN AI COUP

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High-Explosive Drone Pierces Shell Of Chernobyl Nuclear Plant At Very Moment Trump Pushes Ukraine Toward Peace

...headed into a false-flaggy weekend?

On Friday just prior to high-level meetings among Western security officials and Ukrainian leadership commencing in Munich, including US Vice President J.D. Vance and Zelensky, there was a dangerous incident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine's Kyiv oblast. Ukraine's President Zelensky accused Russia of launching a drone equipped with a high-explosive warhead at the historic, defunct power plant, site of the April 1986 nuclear disaster and meltdown. The drone reportedly hit the protective containment shell of the Chernobyl plant.

Moscow responds to Chernobyl strike accusation

An alleged drone incident at the facility could have been a Ukrainian provocation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

The Russian military does not target nuclear infrastructure, including what remains on the site of the destroyed Chernobyl power plant, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Friday. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had alleged earlier in the day that a Russian drone had attacked the containment structure built over what remains of the Soviet power facility which was devastated in a 1986 disaster. Zelensky reported “significant damage” in the incident. Peskov stated that any claims that Russia is targeting nuclear facilities are false by default. He said he has no verified information about the situation, but assumed that most likely it was “the latest provocation, a frame up” orchestrated by Kiev. He added: “This is what they love doing.”

Zelensky refused to sign rare earths deal with US – media

President Trump has said he wants access to Ukraine’s natural resources in exchange for the US aid

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has declined to sign an agreement that would give the US access to his country’s rare-earth minerals, Washington Post reporter Josh Rogin and Reuters have claimed. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump made it clear that he wanted Kiev to pay for the assistance it has received from Washington with its natural resources. According to the 2024 World Economic Forum report, Ukraine “holds immense potential as a major global supplier of critical raw materials” that could be “essential” for defense, high-tech, and green energy industries. The nation boasts Europe’s largest titanium and lithium reserves, which are not classified as rare-earth elements.

Zelensky names only Russian he will talk with

The Ukrainian leader says he is ready to negotiate with President Vladimir Putin once Kiev and its Western backers have a “common plan”

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has stated that President Vladimir Putin is the only Russian official he is prepared to negotiate with, ruling out any format that would involve any other of Moscow’s representatives. Zelensky issued a decree in 2022 expressly banning any interaction with the Russian head of state. However, earlier this month, the Ukrainian leader appeared to flip-flop on the issue, telling British journalist Piers Morgan that he would meet Putin if that proves to be the “only setup in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine.”

Ukraine has low chance of survival without US backing, Zelensky says on NBC

Ukraine has a low chance of surviving Russia's assault without US support, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker" program.

"Probably it will be very, very, very difficult. And, of course, in all the difficult situations, you have a chance. But we will have low chance – low chance to survive without support of the United States," Zelensky said in the interview. An excerpt from the program was released on Friday and the full show will be broadcast on Sunday. His comments come after phone calls held earlier in the week by US President Donald Trump with Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump praises Vance’s ‘brilliant’ warning to EU

The US vice president spoke about the real “threat from within” at the Munich Security Conference

US Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a fiery speech at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, criticizing European leaders for fearing their own voters and failing to uphold democratic values, while censoring opposing voices under the pretext of fighting “disinformation.” Vance’s speech “hruffled quite a few feathers in Europe,” journalists told Trump at a press conference in the Oval Office later in the day, asking if the US president agreed that the EU elites have a “fundamentally different view of the world.”

Vance Meets German Populist Leader in Munich, Snubs Far-Left Chancellor

Vice President J.D. Vance met with Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), on Friday in Munich, Germany, according to a source familiar with the vice president’s schedule.

Vance, in town for the Munich Security Conference, had earlier criticized the German establishment for attempting to shut out the AfD—the second-most popular party in a country where coalition governments are often necessary—as well as European governments in general, particularly for their mishandling of immigration and hostility to free speech. Earlier this week, Vance also met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier—whose post is largely ceremonial—and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris, France. However, reports yesterday indicated the Vice President would not meet Scholz in Germany, with a former U.S. official suggesting, “We don’t need to see him, he won’t be Chancellor long.”

US could announce mass withdrawal of troops from Europe – diplomat

Vice President JD Vance could make such an announcement during the ongoing Munich Security Conference, the event’s head suggested

US Vice President J.D. Vance could soon announce a large-scale withdrawal of American troops from Europe, the head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, suggested on Friday. Vance is attending the event through Sunday, and has already criticized European leaders in his address, stating it's sometimes not so clear what happened to some of the “Cold War's winners.” During an interview with German Radio (Deutschlandfunk), Heusgen claimed he believes that “today the American Vice President will announce that a large part of the American troops will be withdrawn from Europe.”

Scholz calls for state of emergency in Germany

The chancellor has spoken in favor of relaxing the constitutional ‘debt brake’ mechanism to continue supporting Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on the country’s parliament to declare a state of emergency over the Ukraine conflict. The head of government said he wants the constitutional ‘debt brake’ mechanism relaxed in order to ensure continued support for Kiev. Enshrined in the German constitution, the limit dictates that the government cannot take on debts worth more than 0.35% of the country’s annual GDP. Temporary exceptions are allowed “in the event of natural disasters or exceptional emergency situations that are beyond the control of the state,” as long as the Bundestag supports the move. This, for instance, was done during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trump says he agreed to meet UK's Starmer in next few weeks

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had spoken with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer the day before and he agreed to meet with him, perhaps in the next few weeks.

EU calls Trump tariffs unjust, vows swift response

BRUSSELS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Friday it would react "firmly and immediately" against tariff increases resulting from U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed "reciprocal" trade policy, which it labelled unjustified and a step in the wrong direction.

Trump has tasked his economics team with devising plans for tariffs on every country that imposes tariffs on U.S. imports or subjects U.S. companies to value-added or digital services taxes. Trump's potential targets include China, Japan, South Korea and the European Union. "The EU maintains some of the lowest tariffs in the world and sees no justification for increased U.S. tariffs on its exports," said a statement from the Commission, which coordinates trade policy for the 27-nation European Union.

Premiers look 'pitiful' as Trump avoids provincial leaders' trip to Washington

Ezra Levant looks at Canada's premiers visiting Washington, where he said they looked "sort of pitiful" in their efforts to secure a meeting with President Trump — a task that should be falling to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

North Korea says US should abandon military threats, KCNA says

North Korea said on Saturday that the United States should abandon military threats if it has concerns about its mainland safety, state media KCNA reported, citing an official at North Korea's defense ministry.

The KCNA report cited the head of US Northern Command recently commenting on North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles' (ICBMs) capability of reaching the US mainland. The report said it was the United States that was engaging in confrontational behavior, such as planning war exercises with South Korea and sending a nuclear submarine to the Korean Peninsula. It is North Korea's sovereign right to improve its self-defense power, the report added.

South Korea: Banks halt sales of silver bars amid soaring demand

Banks are halting the sales of silver bars amid surging demand, driven by increasing global uncertainties brought by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, industry officials said Friday.

Lenders also earlier suspended the sales of gold bars, which have emerged as the most popular safe-haven asset in recent months. Due to the surge in gold and silver prices and the resulting spike in demand, which has outpaced supply, the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corp. halted its supply of gold bars to banks on Wednesday. The Korea Gold Exchange, for its part, had already suspended bank sales of 10-gram and 100-gram gold bars since October while continuing to sell 1-kilogram bars.

Trump: I would take a hard stance on Gaza

Ahead of release of three hostages by Hamas scheduled for Saturday, US President says he would take a hard stance on Gaza, but is not sure what Israel will do.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would take a hard stance on Gaza on Saturday, but added that he is not sure what Israel will do. “I don’t know what’s going to happen at 12 o’clock [on Saturday]. If it was up to me, I’d take a very hard stance. I can’t tell you what Israel is going to do,” Trump said in response to a question from a reporter at the Oval Office. “Now I understand they've totally changed. Hamas has totally changed. They want to release hostages now again. But this started by them saying ‘we're not going to release the hostages as we said we were.’

Hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn slated for release on Saturday

Dekel-Chen to meet his daughter for first time; Horn’s brother, kidnapped while visiting for Simchat Torah, not on list for 1st phase

The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Friday that it had received the names of three male hostages — Sagui Dekel Chen, Sasha Troufanov and Iair Horn — slated for release from captivity in Gaza on Saturday, as part of the sixth hostage-prisoner exchange under the ongoing ceasefire agreement with the Hamas terror group. Hamas notified Israel of the identities of the three hostages set to be released via Egyptian and Qatari mediators, having backed down on Thursday from a threat to delay the next release of captives. Hamas had accused Israel earlier in the week of failing to meet its aid obligations under the truce. Israel had rejected the charge and threatened to resume the war.

Jordan’s FM: We cannot afford to take any more Palestinians

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says Arab nations are formulating a plan to counter Trump's Gaza plan, stresses Jordan cannot accommodate additional Palestinian Arabs.

Arab nations are formulating a plan to rebuild Gaza while ensuring security and governance without displacing its residents, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Friday, according to the Reuters news agency. He also emphasized that Jordan could not accommodate additional Palestinian Arabs. His comments come amid strong opposition among Arab countries to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to remove the residents of Gaza from the Gaza Strip and resettle them in Jordan and Egypt.

Despairing Gazans plead to leave, for borders to open

“This morning I woke up to a WhatsApp message on my phone which said, “Make Gaza great again, what a great idea!” Now that was not from a MAGA farmer in Alabama, it was from my friend in Gaza who’s currently in Gaza city,” said commentator and author of “Israelophobia," Jake Wallis Simons.

In an interview on Britain’s Talk TV, he said that he has been told many Gazans are in favor of Trump’s plans. Wallis Simons shared some of his conversation with his friend in Gaza, saying, “I spoke to him on the phone and he said that he and everybody he knows are fully behind Trump’s proposals because they don’t want to live in rubble for the 20 years it will take to rebuild their houses. They don’t want to live in tents, they don’t want to see their children have to rely on aid handouts.

Pentagon threatens to cut aid if Egypt refuses to take in Gazans, as Arab states race to find alternative to Trump plan

Rubio says US will give Arab states time to 'hopefully' have 'really good plan to present' to Trump

The Trump administration is upping the pressure on Cairo to accept the U.S. president’s plan to resettle large parts of the population of Gaza on Egyptian territory. On Thursday, the Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the Pentagon had reached out to warn Egyptian officials that part of the over $1.4 billion in annual military aid might be cut if Cairo won’t accept President Donald Trump’s plan. Citing Egyptian sources based in Washington, the report added that it could initially restrict military equipment and spare parts needed for the routine maintenance of the Egyptian army.

UNIFIL’s outgoing deputy chief wounded as convoy attacked by pro-Hezbollah rioters

Peacekeeping force demands perpetrators be brought to justice after terror group’s backers torch vehicle headed to Beirut airport, where 2 Iranian planes were blocked from landing

The outgoing deputy commander of UNIFIL was injured Friday, the international peacekeeping force said, after a convoy taking troops to the Beirut airport was attacked amid pro-Hezbollah demonstrations in the area. Supporters of the Hezbollah terror group have blocked the road to the country’s only airport for two consecutive nights over a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital. The decision came after the Israel Defense Forces said Iran was smuggling cash to Hezbollah via civilian flights.

First Photo Of USS Truman Carrier Shows Extensive Damage After Collision With Tanker

How does this happen?

How is that two massive ships, one a US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, crash into each other on the open waters of the Mediterranean? That's what Pentagon investigators will be looking at in the wake of Wednesday's incident off Egypt. The USS Harry S. Truman and the Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel Besiktas-M collided at around noon local time on Wednesday. On Friday the first photo emerged of damage to the US carrier, and it looks extensive.

It's business as usual at Holoman Air Force Base in New Mexico

4th Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Order To End Birthright Citizenship

The judge determined that the plaintiffs are likely to prevail in their legal challenges...

A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants, marking the fourth time the policy was blocked by a judge. In a 31-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin stated that two lawsuits—one filed by 18 states and the District of Columbia and the other by nonprofit organizations—are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that implementing the order would cause irreparable harm. The plaintiffs have argued that the order violates the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment.

Judge Blocks Trump's Ban On "Chemical And Surgical Mutilation" Of Children

"Stopping care in the middle of receiving it, any care, really, casts doubt on whether in fact the goals are to protect the recipients of the care..."

A Biden-appointed Judge on Thursday blocked parts of two executive orders issued by President Trump banning or restricting various forms of 'gender-affirming care' - or as one of the executive orders is titled "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation." US District Judge Brendan Hurson of Baltimore ruled that a group of transgender teens and LGBTQ organizations that sued were likely to prevail on all of their claims that the EOs are without authority and amount to illegal and unconstitutional discrimination.

REPORT: Trump Planning Around 9,000 Layoffs at Bloated IRS — Redundancies Already Underway

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the latest federal agency likely to face major job cuts.

According to a report from The Washington Post, the Trump administration is planning around 9,000 job cuts at the agency specifically targeting employees who are still on their probation period. The report states: The Trump administration is expected to begin laying off thousands of employees at the Internal Revenue Service, six people briefed on the matter said, as billionaire Elon Musk’s team begins to target tax collections. Treasury officials have discussed laying off roughly 9,000 employees still in their probationary period as part of broader dismissals across the government of these recently hired workers, according to the six people who requested anonymity to speak about internal conversations…

Trump Administration Set to Fire Over 5,000 HHS Employees

The Trump administration plans to cut approximately 5,200 probationary federal employees across agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) starting on Friday.

The agencies impacted include the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Notably, the Atlanta-based CDC will see around 1,300 workers dismissed. Friday morning, senior officials at HHS were informed that the layoffs will primarily affect probationary employees—hired within the last two years. Under federal labor agreements, workers still on probation are easier to dismiss than those who have worked for the government for several years or more. Concurrently, an unspecified group of contract workers at the CDC and other Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including several at the Vaccine Research Center at NIH, have learned their employment will be terminated.

Louisiana Department of Health to end mass vaccine promotion after RFK Jr confirmed

State Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, a former Republican congressman, orders staff not to market innoculations to patients but says they may still be stocked and administered

Louisiana Department of Health to end mass vaccine promotion after RFK Jr confirmed

Forget egg prices… another grocery staple sees a massive price change that may leave shoppers scrambling

American consumers already feeling the squeeze amid tariffs and the bird flu may soon have to scramble to find the lowest prices on beef.

Last month, sirloin steak prices averaged $11.97 per pound - just a few cents shy of November's record high of $12.01 per pound, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics this week. At the same time, ground beef cost an average of $5.55 per pound in January, down slightly from a record-high of $5.67 in September. In general, beef and veal prices were 5.5 percent higher on average in January than they were the year prior.

US retail sales FELL 0.9% month-over-month in January, worse than the estimated 0.2% decline

Control group sales used to calculate US GDP growth FELL 0.8% M/M, way worse than the expected 0.3% increase. Retail sales adjusted for inflation are below 2021-2023 levels

!!️The US job report for January was a complete mess

Despite the last two months' positive revisions, the US job market is likely to deteriorate further

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates the US economy created 143,000 jobs in January, according to a job report released Friday, February 7. This was below Wall Street’s expectations of 175,000. The These things, however, are completely irrelevant as there were material revisions of the previous job numbers in the Establishment survey (non-farm payrolls) and massive population-related revisions to the Household survey (unemployment rate and labor force data). Overall, there were many moving pieces including concerning signals coming from the leading indicators which are analyzed in the following sections.unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.0%, below forecasts of 4.1%.

US Treasury pays $100bn annually to unknown recipients – Musk

Elon Musk, as head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has said that the US Treasury pays over $100 billion annually to individuals without Social Security Numbers (SSNs) or temporary ID numbers.

Musk has urged immediate reforms to address potential fraud and inefficiencies in payment systems. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X has been appointed a “special government employee” to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under US President Donald Trump’s administration and is currently among Trump’s key advisers. Despite its name, the agency is not a permanent federal executive department, but a temporary body dedicated to reducing government spending. The tech billionaire has set a goal of reducing the federal deficit by at least $1 trillion, which would require daily cuts averaging $4 billion.

ANATOMY OF AN AI COUP

DOGE is gutting federal agencies to install AI across the government. Democracy is on the line, writes Tech Policy Press fellow Eryk Salvaggio.

ANATOMY OF AN AI COUP

European Payments Giant Klarna Says It Will Look To Integrate Crypto

The “buy now, pay later” company is backed by venture capital firm, Sequoia Capital, which has a 22% stake.

Klarna Bank AB, a Swedish fintech company popular in Europe, plans to embrace cryptocurrencies on its platform, the firm’s chief executive officer, Sebastian Siemiatkowski announced in a post on X over the weekend. “I give up. Klarna and me will embrace crypto! More to come,” he wrote to his 33,000 followers on the app. Klarna is a popular “buy now, pay later” app primarily used in Europe. The platform, which is valued at $14.8 billion according to Investopedia, has over 85 million users and 100 billion of volume, Siemiatkowski said. The company has been around since 2005 and received backing by Sequoia Capital, a prominent venture capitalist behind many fintech and crypto-focused companies, in 2010. Siemiatkowski said he was introduced to three entrepreneurs by an investment analyst at the VC which convinced him to get into crypto.

Pope Francis, in hospital, has 'slight fever' but is stable, Vatican says

VATICAN CITY, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, who was taken to hospital on Friday for treatment of bronchitis, is suffering from a respiratory infection but is in a stable condition, the Vatican said.

"The Holy Father ... has undergone specialist examinations and has started hospital drug therapy," said a statement, issued about eight hours after the pope was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital. "The initial tests showed a respiratory tract infection," it said. "His clinical condition is fair; he has a slight fever." Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope was serene and in good spirits, and had read a few newspapers.

Judge rules Biblical teaching a threat to child’s well-being, Bans from Church

In a stunning legal decision in Maine, a judge has ruled that a mother is forbidden from taking her daughter to church–unless it is a church approved by her ex-boyfriend.

The ruling has sparked significant controversy, as it directly challenges religious freedom and parental rights. Liberty Counsel, a legal organization specializing in religious liberty cases, has taken immediate action to appeal the decision, arguing that it violates the U.S. Constitution and centuries of legal precedent protecting a parent’s right to raise their child in their faith. The case stems from a dispute between the parents, who separated before their daughter was born. For years, there was no major conflict regarding parenting decisions–until the mother and daughter began attending church together.

Earliest Signs of Christianity Part 1 – Kiryat Gat Monastery Mosaic

Biblical Blessing from Deuteronomy

Recently, a multitude of the very earliest archaeological signs of Christianity have been unearthed. From the first Christian churches ever built to the oldest Christian amulet found to date, the discoveries may rewrite the history of how fast and how far the Gospel actually spread. New evidence from Israel, Egypt, Italy, Germany, and Armenia will be covered in our next two articles. Here is Part 1 on the exciting find in Israel of a stunning monastery mosaic featuring a Biblical blessing. A 1,500-year-old monastery, decorated with a spectacular mosaic containing a blessing for those who enter, has been uncovered in central Israel, announced the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) last month. The ancient inscription is written in Greek and comes from the book of Deuteronomy.

California atmospheric river’s relentless rains turn burn scars into roaring torrents of mud

Previous atmospheric river events have flooded Northern California, but according to the FOX Forecast Center, this storm is set to be the strongest for Southern California so far this season.

LOS ANGELES – Torrential rains from a potent atmospheric river soaked nearly the entire state of California Thursday, triggering flash flooding up and down the state and transforming burn scars left from historVideo taken from around the burn scar left from the deadly Palisades fire showed roadways becoming mud streams as rainfall rates were estimated to have reached at least an inch per hour. Residents near burn scars in multiple counties had been told to either evacuate or be ready to at a moment's notice as the storm arrived.

Magnitude 5.9 quake strikes off Russian Siberian region of Irkutsk

MOSCOW (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck in Russia's Siberian region of Irkutsk at 0205 local time on Tuesday (1805 GMT on Monday), Russia's local emergency service said.

The epicentre of the quake was some 74 km (46 miles) southwest of Irkutsk, a city of more than 620,000 people, the emergency service said. There were no reports of injured people or devastation, it said.

Google Says It Has Accessed Parallel Universes with Quantum AI Chip, but there's a Catch

In a revelation that sounds like it was pulled straight from a science fiction novel, Google has made a shocking claim—its Quantum AI chip may have successfully accessed parallel universes. If this is true, it could be the most groundbreaking discovery in human history, shattering our understanding of physics, consciousness, and reality itself.