The last shall be first—the roundup:
Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand
Already twice that Trump has said there are now "1.7 to 1.8m people" in Gaza, which means it's probably a number he's been briefed on.
Before the war the population was 2.1-2.3m.
As a reminder, almost no-one could leave Gaza during the war.
Do the math.
From
Brian Krassenstein
1:56 AM · Feb 5, 2025
We won’t quibble about the number. It was huge.
Donald Trump Jr. @DonaldJTrumpJr
“I didn’t vote for Elon Musk”
Well cry harder libs. We didn’t vote for this clown either, yet he controls the democrat party. The difference is Trump ran & was elected in a landslide with full transparency that Elon would be doing exactly what he’s doing. See the difference?
On the Russian front, it’s becoming clear for anyone to with eyes to see that Putin is in the driver’s seat—not Trump. When Kellogg recently tried to push the idea of Putin should talk to our puppet, Zelensky, Putin responded with a complete brush off: NFW. Trump’s response? He told Kellogg to come up with a plan for Ukrainian elections:
Russian SVR's Latest Intel: "West Preparing to Flush Zelensky"
Here’s the punch line. Arranging for a plausible election will take months, during which time the Russian advance against crumbling Ukrainian forces will continue and probably intensify. Meanwhile, the Russians are reiterating: No ceasefire until a peace treaty is signed with a legitimate government. Until then, the Russian offensive rolls on, and who knows how long Ukraine can last?
Trump is clearly on the defensive here, and starting a war on Iran won’t help—at all. Which strengthens the view that yesterday saw Trump placing Netanyahu in a trap. I’ve maintained since Trump coerced the ceasefire that Trump had taken ownership of Gaza—and of war an peace in the Middle East. Yesterday he said it out loud to the world:
"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too." –President Donald J. Trump
Trump is the one in control, and he’s the only one who can give the go ahead to resume genocide. That isn’t what Trump wants. Israel’s Haaretz calls this Trump trapping Netanyahu—after all, is Israel really going to bomb something owned by the US? Oh, wait. Anyway, …
Hat tip to commenter Ray So-Ca for these two fun—and important—reads:
Politico, NY Times Propped Up By Millions Of Dollars From US Government
Level Of Democrat Panic Over Musk Freezing USAID "Unlike Anything Ever Seen"
Re Tulsi’s confirmation prospects, this simply confirms what I said the other day—that the Senate is afraid of Trump. Which isn’t to say that Trump is ruling only by fear. He clearly has allies in the Senate, or at least people who see real advantages in working with him. The first two weeks has only strengthened his hand, which was already strong after the landslide. Well, isn’t that the essence of politics? And isn’t that the difference between then (2016) and now? Even RINOs, it seems, can learn.
BREAKING: Tulsi Gabbard has secured enough votes to be confirmed as Director of National Intelligence.
The Deep State in general is an obvious big loser here, but they’re so under siege as it is—at the FBI and the CIA—that they hardly have time to worry about Tulsi any longer. Well, they are worrying, but imagine the concerns at the FBI with Bondi confirmed. My guess is that the FBI will fold. I can’t see Bondi putting up with insubordination. Imagine the hair on fire freakout at the CIA with USAID under a type of political Chapter 11 reorganization and the CIA workforce being offered buyouts en masse! They have to worry first about the most immediate and existential threats.
There’s another big loser in the Tulsi confirmation:
British security chiefs alarmed by Trump’s ‘Russia apologist’ spy boss
Tulsi Gabbard under intense scrutiny over perceived support for the Kremlin and Syria
Right. As if Trump cares about the opinions of people who ran the Russia Hoax against him through Chris Steele?
Axios has the details on how Tulsi will be confirmed, and it bodes ill for those opposing her. Trump has been working on this appointment for quite a while. He’s pushing Tulsi through for a reason, just like with the others.
How Tulsi Gabbard's nomination came roaring back to life
Axios ^ | Feb 4, 2025 | Stef W KnightSenate Intel Chair Tom Cotton found a surprise ally in former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) to help resuscitate Tulsi Gabbard's nomination.
The former Democratic senator approached Cotton and was deployed to help sway Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) into "yes" votes today, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Cotton, the hawkish Arkansan who is No. 3 in GOP leadership, worked all the angles on Gabbard.
He worked with Vice President Vance — who's been a crucial influence on undecided senators — Trump adviser Jason Miller and others on Gabbard's team. Cotton told Trump last year he could get Gabbard confirmed, Semafor's Burgess Everett first reported Tuesday.
…
The bottom line: There still could be other no votes in the Senate, most notably GOP Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
But Senate GOP leadership and the White House feel confident with Young on board that Gabbard will be confirmed.
BREAKING: Attorney General Pam Bondi Orders DOJ to Stop ALL FEDERAL FUNDING to Sanctuary Cities — Vows Prosecution of Officials Obstructing Immigration Enforcement
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/huge-attorney-general-pam-bondi-orders-doj-stop/
From CNN:
Attorney General Pam Bondi is expected to order a review of the cases brought against President Donald Trump, including those undertaken by prosecutors in New York who successfully defeated him in court.
Sworn in at the White House on Wednesday, Bondi intends to issue a series of memos aimed at curbing the so-called weaponization of the Justice Department, a source familiar with her plans told CNN.
She will order the review of criminal and civil cases against Trump, including the two federal cases brought by the Biden Justice Department, and issue a warning to employees that serving their own personal politics as opposed to the Trump administration would be punished.