Around 90 percent of Ukrainianmedia relies on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) cash to survive, according to the director of a Ukrainian non-governmental organization (NGO). Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), claims that the advertising market in Ukraine dropped by as much as 92 percent following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to Romaniuk, the market has never recovered. Advertising revenues account for as little as three to ten percent of regional media revenues. Speaking on USAID, she explained, “The problem is that almost everyone has grants. The question is that for some, these grants amounted to 100 percent of their income, and they could only survive thanks to grants. These grants amounted to 40–60 percent for some, less for others.”
Romaniuk stated that cash for Ukrainian media also came from Europe but that American funding made up the largest amount overall.
Shortly after his inauguration last month, President Donald J. Trump, with a few exceptions, froze foreign aid for 90 days. He has also gutted USAID, which is being absorbed into the U.S. State Department after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) determined it was unsalvageable.
Romaniuk argued that the funding freeze could weaken democracy in Ukraine. However, there is currently no democracy in Ukraine due to martial law prohibiting any new elections. President Volodymyr Zelenky’s presidential term ended in May last year, but no new elections are currently scheduled.
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Around 90 percent of Ukrainian media relies on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) cash to survive, according to the director of a Ukrainian non-governmental organization (NGO). Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), claims that the advertising market in Ukraine dropped by as much as 92 percent following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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The anti-mass migration conservative leader of Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has thanked President Donald J. Trump for uncovering the “dark conspiracy” of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) using American taxpayer dollars to fund global leftism. “So apparently USAID financed ultra-progressive Politico in Brussels and basically the entire left-wing media in Hungary under the previous US administration,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“I think the world owes a debt of gratitude to President [Donald Trump] for uncovering and putting an end to this dark conspiracy,” Orban added, in reference to the Trump administration’s move to effectively shut down USAID and absorb any surviving functions in the State Department. Tech mogul Elon Musk, leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had said of the agency, “We dug into USAID. It became apparent that what we have here is not an apple with a worm in it, but actually just a ball of worms.”
POLITICO, which regularly attacks Orban for his stance against escalating the war in Ukraine, efforts to curb the influence of George Soros, and opposition to mass migration within the European Union (EU), has been exposed as particularly reliant on federal funding. The German-owned news outlet has received an astonishing $8.1 million in government payments through over 200 transactions.
So apparently USAID financed ultra-progressive Politico in Brussels and basically the entire left-wing media in Hungary under the previous US administration. And they called me “disruptor of the year”…
I think the world owes a debt of gratitude to President @realDonaldTrump for…
The anti-mass migration conservative leader of Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has thanked President Donald J. Trump for uncovering the "dark conspiracy" of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) using American taxpayer dollars to fund global leftism. "So apparently USAID financed ultra-progressive Politico in Brussels and basically the entire left-wing media in Hungary under the previous US administration," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that he is now willing to meet with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict between their countries. Zelensky told British journalist Piers Morgan on Tuesday that he is willing to talk face-to-face with President Putin if that is “the only way to achieve peace for Ukrainians and not lose people.”
For the first time, Zelensky admitted Ukraine cannot recover the territory it has lost to Russia and that it is unwise to “lose millions of people in pursuit of a result that may not come.” He suggested Ukraine can pivot to using diplomatic and political strategies to restore Ukrainian control over lost territories.
According to Zelensky, around 45,000 Ukrainians have died in the war, which began in February of 2022, and around 390,000 have been wounded. He claims that Russian casualties amount to 350,000 killed and as many as 700,000 wounded. However, Russia estimates Ukrainian casualties of up to one million while treating its own losses as classified.
Russia has described Zelensky’s statements on negotiations with Putin as “empty.” Still, it says it is open to talks and that contact with the U.S. government has increased since President Donald J. Trump replaced Joe Biden.
Russia has refused to recognize Zelensky since his term as president ended in May last year. Due to Ukraine’s martial law, there have been no new elections.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that he is now willing to meet with Russia's President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict between their countries. Zelensky told British journalist Piers Morgan on Tuesday that he is willing to talk face-to-face with President Putin if that is “the only way to achieve peace for Ukrainians and not lose people.”
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The People’s Republic of China is imposing retaliatory trade measures and restrictions after U.S. President Donald J. Trump imposed a new 10 percent tariff on goods imported from the communist country. Beijing announced on Tuesday that it has instituted tariffs on the importation of American coal, crude oil, farming equipment, trucks, and sedans. The Chinese tariff on coal is set at 15 percent, and the tariff on crude oil is 10 percent.
Initially, Canada and Mexico were also set to have tariffs imposed on their exports to the United States. However, both countries made eleventh-hour overtures to increase their cooperation with American border security and anti-drug trafficking efforts, leading President Trump to pause the imposition of tariffs on both.
While China’s autocratic President Xi Jinping and Trump were expected to discuss the tariffs and measures China needs to take to curb the export of fentanyl precursors to Mexican drug cartels on Tuesday, the call was abruptly canceled after the Asian nation announced its retaliatory response. Additionally, China is moving to initiate an antitrust investigation into the technology giant Google—a move considered part of the Chinese retaliation.
International trade experts note that the Chinese response was more measured than their actions when Trump imposed trade tariffs on the communist country during his first term. China’s newest move only impacts about $14 billion in American goods, far less than the Chinese goods affected by Trump’s tariffs.
During the prior trade fight, China moved to meet the U.S.-imposed tariffs point for point and suffered economic blowback.
The tariffs imposed by President Trump during his first term accelerated the American economy’s decoupling from its reliance on Chinese imports.
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The People's Republic of China is imposing retaliatory trade measures and restrictions after U.S. President Donald J. Trump imposed a new 10 percent tariff on goods imported from the communist country. Beijing announced on Tuesday that it has instituted tariffs on the importation of American coal, crude oil, farming equipment, trucks, and sedans. The Chinese tariff on coal is set at 15 percent, and the tariff on crude oil is 10 percent.
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The International Republican Institute (IRI)—a nonprofit founded in 1983 and chaired for 25 years by the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ)—receives over $130 million in federal grants, either directly from government programs like those run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or funneled to it via far-left, open-borders organizations like the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM). Earlier this week, the Trump White House moved to freeze USAID funding, with the agency being absorbed into the State Department.
According to IRI’s internal audits and filings with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the globalist-aligned and anti-Trump nonprofit spent $130.7 million in taxpayer dollars “to strengthen political parties, civil society, marginalized communities, and in other areas essential to democratic governance” in over 100 foreign countries.
Importantly, a 2023 IRI audit document reveals the nonprofit group, which boasts numerous prominent Republican lawmakers as members of its board, is backed through grants directly issued by USAID and the State Department. Foreign governments have accused both federal government agencies of acting as fronts for the U.S. intelligence community and using nonprofits and NGOs like IRI to foment color revolutions to install pro-Western governments in foreign nations.
Additionally, the audit document shows that IRI received additional taxpayer dollars through grants issued by globalist NGOs, which are themselves recipients of federal grants or direct congressional funding. Acting as so-called pass-through entities, the IOM, the Pan American Development Foundation, the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) all funded IRI programs promoting foreign interventionism and regime change. Notably, both the IOM and the Pan American Development Foundation are prominent advocates of globalist open borders policies.
IRI AND THE RUSSIA HOAX.
Even more troubling, at least one former IRI employee was actively involved in the Democratic Party’s Russia hoax and cooperated with the Mueller investigation, which was largely reliant on the discredited Steele Dossier. Sam Patten, a former IRI staffer, pled guilty in 2018 to federal charges that he failed to register as a foreign agent and subsequently provided materials to federal investigators that allegedly tied the Trump campaign to Ukrainian oligarch Konstantin Kilimnik. The latter was accused of being involved in Russian efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
While the Mueller investigation paints Kilimnik as Russian intelligence asset, the truth appears murkier. Kilimnik also worked for IRI for nearly a decade, received a visa to travel to the U.S. from the State Department in 2016, and was revealed to be a source for the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, suggesting the Ukrainian oligarch may have been a U.S. intelligence asset.
NOTABLE GOP BOARD MEMBERS.
The late U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ)—a rabid critic of President Donald J. Trump—served as the chairman of IRI’s board of directors for 25 years, leading the group for most of its existence. Today, the chairman of IRI’s board is U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
Additionally, Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) serve on the group’s board. They’re joined by former Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Mitt Romney (R-UT). Matt Pottinger, a former Trump deputy national security advisor who oversaw U.S. policy on China, is also listed as a board member. As is former Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), a close ally of the defense industry and staunch supporter of foreign interventionism.
Meanwhile, the IRI board also counts among its members former U.S. National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster, another key figure in fueling the Democratic Party’s Russia hoax against Trump. In a book, McMaster smeared his former boss, President Trump, as being “very offensive” and “brash.” While promoting the book in 2024, McMaster stated he would never consider working for Trump again.
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The International Republican Institute (IRI)—a nonprofit founded in 1983 and chaired for 25 years by the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ)—receives over $130 million in federal grants, either directly from government programs like those run by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or funneled to it via far-left, open-borders organizations like the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM). Earlier this week, the Trump White House moved to freeze USAID funding, with the agency being absorbed into the State Department.
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President Donald J. Trump will sign an executive order on Tuesday reinstating the “maximum pressure” policy against Iran undertaken during his first term in office. The executive order will impose crippling economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic and any company that engages in business with the Iranian oil industry.
U.S. officials say the renewed sanctions are “aimed at driving Iran’s oil exports to zero” and ending “all paths to a nuclear weapon” for the Islamist regime. Additionally, by crippling Iran’s oil industry, the Trump White House believes it can effectively grind the country’s economy to a halt and prevent it from continuing to fund its numerous terrorist proxies across the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.
In 2018, following President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or Iran nuclear deal), the America First leader instituted what was dubbed the “maximum pressure” policy, which saw aggressive sanctions enacted against Iran to cripple the country’s oil industry and economy. The National Pulse previously reported that Trump’s comprehensive sanctions cut Iran’s annual GDP in half by 2020 and reduced the country’s crude oil exports to a historic low of just under 500,000 barrels per day.
Consequently, the “maximum pressure” policy effectively ended Iran’s ability to fund its terror proxies. However, the terrorist groups saw a surge of resources after then-President Joe Biden rescinded Trump’s sanctions in February 2021. In just two years, Iran’s oil exports recovered to 1.5 million barrels per day, and its GDP bounced back to $413 billion per year from a low of $240 billion in 2020. The rescinding of Trump’s Iran sanctions likely played a key role in Hamas’s ability to carry out the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Israel.
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President Donald J. Trump will sign an executive order on Tuesday reinstating the "maximum pressure" policy against Iran undertaken during his first term in office. The executive order will impose crippling economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic and any company that engages in business with the Iranian oil industry.
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Germany’s populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been denied an invitation to a major global security conference after organizers claimed the party does not believe in peace through dialogue. Christoph Heusgen, the Munich Security Conference chairman, cited the AfD’s departure from Germany’s Bundestag (federal parliament) during a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and their stance on aid to Zelensky as factors.
Starting February 14, the conference will gather global leaders, lawmakers, and senior defense officials to discuss security matters. Historically, regardless of orientation, German political parties are typically invited to this annual security dialogue. The exclusion of the AfD is seen as a move to further isolate populists in Germany as they rise in the polls.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk recently appeared via video link at an AfD campaign event in Halle, Germany, voicing support for the party. Earlier, Musk had taken to social platform X, expressing that the AfD was key to Germany’s future in a conversation with party co-chairwoman Alice Weidel.
While the AfD is polling at over 20 percent ahead of this month’s German federal election, putting it in second place, Musk’s intervention in German politics is not popular among the public. A poll found only 19 percent of Germans viewed Musk favorably in the country.
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Germany's populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been denied an invitation to a major global security conference after organizers claimed the party does not believe in peace through dialogue. Christoph Heusgen, the Munich Security Conference chairman, cited the AfD's departure from Germany's Bundestag (federal parliament) during a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and their stance on aid to Zelensky as factors.
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Multiple people have been shot at a school in Europe’s most deadly country for gun violence, with police confirming that the shooter is dead and media reporting that at least ten victims have died. The shooting took place at a school for adults studying secondary education in the Swedish city of Örebro, with police reporting that several of their officers had also been shot at, but none were injured.
The incident occurred in the early afternoon of February 4, around 2:10 PM. Police said that there was no longer any danger as the perpetrator is believed to have shot himself.
While some social media users have claimed the shooter was Syrian, this remains unsubstantiated as of the time of publication, with Swedish police only describing him as “a man.” Some Swedish media claim that an automatic firearm was used during the shooting, but this is also unconfirmed.
Swedish police officer Lars Hedlin told Swedish media that police had ordered people in the area of the school to remain indoors. Officers have deployed officials to other schools in the area as a precautionary measure.
The shooting is just the latest in Sweden, which has become the country with the most deadly shootings in the entire European Union in recent years. This is despite the high-immigration country having relatively strict firearms ownership laws compared to the United States, with pistols being difficult to acquire legally and automatic weapons effectively banned.
Multiple people have been shot at a school in Europe's most deadly country for gun violence, with police confirming that the shooter is dead and media reporting that at least ten victims have died. The shooting took place at a school for adults studying secondary education in the Swedish city of Örebro, with police reporting that several of their officers had also been shot at, but none were injured.
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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) disbursed over 20 percent of its foreign assistance funds to Ukraine in 2023. According to data published by the federal government, Ukraine received more than $16 billion out of the $72 billion distributed by the agency.
Ethiopia received the second-highest allocation from USAID. However, at just $1.7 billion, the sum pales in comparison to the funds granted to Ukraine. In addition, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Somalia received just over $1 billion in USAID assistance. Meanwhile, Congo, Syria, Nigeria, Yemen, and South Sudan received aid ranging from $740 million to $936 million.
While the former Biden government saw the expansive distribution of foreign assistance through USAID, President Donald J. Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, have moved to freeze current aid programs. The Trump White House says all U.S. foreign assistance will be reviewed to ensure it aligns with American national interests.
However, according to tech leader Elon Musk—who is spearheading Trump White House efforts to cut government costs while increasing efficiency—USAID may be abolished entirely. “As we dug into USAID, it became apparent that what we have here is not an apple with a worm in it but we have actually just a ball of worms,” Musk said. “There is no apple. And when there is no apple you’ve just got to basically get rid of the whole thing. That’s why it’s got to go. It’s beyond repair.”
The United States remains the leading global provider of humanitarian aid through USAID, which manages substantial humanitarian, development, and security assistance across more than 100 nations. Founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, USAID operates as an independent government agency, tasked with foreign aid and development assistance. However, in recent years, the agency has come under intense scrutiny over its funding of programs that promote far-left and anti-American ideologies.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) disbursed over 20 percent of its foreign assistance funds to Ukraine in 2023. According to data published by the federal government, Ukraine received more than $16 billion out of the $72 billion distributed by the agency.
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President Donald J. Trump is set to withdraw the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council and end any funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), whose members were previously caught working with Hamas.
POLITICOreports it has seen a document outlining the reasons for the U.S. leaving the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). It states, “The UNHRC has demonstrated consistent bias against Israel, focusing on it unfairly and disproportionately in council proceedings.” It also notes that President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the UNHRC in 2018 during his first administration.
President Trump is expected to sign an executive order removing the U.S. from the UNHRC and will also call on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to examine other international groups that promote “radical or anti-American sentiment.”
The executive order will also shut down funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has received over $8 billion over ten years from Western nations. At least nine UNRWA staff participated in Hamas’s October 7 terror attacks in Israel in 2023, a fact later admitted by the United Nations last year.
President Trump has already paused foreign aid funding, announcing a 90-day freeze just days after his inauguration. The United States spends around $60 billion per year on foreign aid projects, the most of any country globally.
President Donald J. Trump is set to withdraw the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council and end any funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), whose members were previously caught working with Hamas.
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