> https://thehill.com/policy/international/5161428-elon-musk-canadian-citizenship-revocation-petition/

it's that time of year again. Time for DEMOCRACY VOUCHERS to be mailed out to everyone living in Seattle.
What is a DEMOCRACY VOUCHER you ask? It's a property tax paid by all residents of the city of Seattle, allowing Seattle to mail out DEMOCRACY VOUCHERS to everyone, entitling each seattle resident the opportunity to give $100 of taxpayer money directly to a city council member.
If you support DEMOCRACY, then you support DEMOCRACY VOUCHERS.
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/democracy-voucher-program
Seattle's Democracy Voucher Program: What you need to know

Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program allows Seattle residents to donate public funds to City Council candidates, increasing accessibility to campaign financing.

Vouchers were mailed on Feb. 24, and are funded by a voter-approved property tax, costing the average homeowner about $8 per year.

SEATTLE - Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program is returning for the 2025 election.

Keep reading to learn how the program works, when vouchers will be mailed out and what to expect this election cycle.

What is the Democracy Voucher Program?

The Democracy Voucher Program is a publicly funded initiative that allows Seattle residents to financially support candidates for local office.

First approved by voters in 2015 through the "Honest Elections Seattle" initiative, the program is the first of its kind in the nation and aims to make campaign financing more accessible.

How does the Democracy Voucher Program work?

Seattle residents receive four $25 vouchers, totaling $100, which they can send to candidates running for Seattle City Council. These vouchers function like campaign contributions, helping candidates fund their campaigns while reducing reliance on large donors.

Once a resident assigns their voucher to a candidate, they can return it directly to the campaign or send it to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) for processing. SEEC verifies the vouchers before releasing funds to candidates.

An state audit of Governor JB Pritzker's administration reveals massive benefits fraud that cost the state $1.6bn over the last 5 years. Actual costs were underreported by 84% and 20% of enrollees were ineligible for benefits because they were marked as "undocumented".
Democrat billionaire Prtizker was seen fleeing the state on his private jet shortly before the results of the audit became public.
https://www.newsweek.com/illinois-probe-billion-dollar-health-care-scheme-migrants-pritzker-2037778
Illinois Probed Over $1.6 Billion Health-Care Scheme for Illegal Migrants

Illinois state audit has revealed that Governor JB Pritzker's administration hugely underestimated the cost of programs providing health care to undocumented immigrants, prompting calls for them to be shut down.

The report, released on Wednesday by Auditor General Frank Mautino's office, said the programs have cost the state more than $1.6 billion since 2020.

Newsweek contacted Pritzker's office for further comment via email.

Pritzker's proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year eliminates funding for the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program, which provided health care for immigrants without legal status aged 42 to 64. But his proposal includes $132 million for the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program, which caters to those over 65.

While progressive lawmakers support the programs, Republicans have accused Pritzker's administration of mismanaging the programs and downplaying their cost. Some have called for the program for adults to be shut down now.

The audit, ordered by the Legislative Audit Commission in 2023, revealed that initial cost estimates for the program for seniors was $224 million for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, but actually cost the state just $412.3 million—or 84 percent more.

But the program for those between 42 and 64 saw much greater cost overruns.

British PM Starmer folded like a lawn chair after speaking with Trump and agrees with Trump that European countries must become self-sufficient for defense, they have been abusing American good will for far too long
https://www.newsweek.com/british-pm-calls-european-military-reliance-ukraine-peace-deal-2037544
British PM Calls For European Military Self-Reliance In Ukraine Peace Deal

Starmer and Trump spoke with reporters following a sit-down in the Oval Office, addressing a range of topics concerning the "Special Relationship" and the various international crises facing both administrations.

Some reports have indicated that the U.S. spoke with various European allies in recent weeks to assess the possibility of a peacekeeping force and security commitments to Ukraine post-peace deal.

Trump addressed this earlier this week when he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will accept" a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying he discussed the matter with Putin. Trump also stressed that Putin is "not looking for World War."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/25/israel-wants-to-extend-first-phase-of-gaza-ceasefire-deal-as-talks-stall

The ceasefire is at an impasse before the scheduled release of four Israeli bodies on Thursday, after Israel decided to postpone freeing 600 Palestinians last weekend. That decision appears to have been prompted by a film released by Hamas on Saturday in which two hostages were forced to watch the release of other captives. The video, together with handover ceremonies in which the hostages have been paraded around by the militant group, have infuriated public opinion in Israel.

Hamas has said it will not engage with any negotiations until the 600 Palestinians whose release was delayed are freed, putting mediators under pressure to resolve the latest dispute before the next release of hostage bodies on Thursday and the expiration of stage one two days later. The group had previously said it was open to a short extension of phase one in order to keep aid flowing to the territory and talks on stage two alive.

Egypt, a key mediator between the sides, has also refused to discuss an extension of the first phase unless phase two talks begin at the same time, AP reported on Tuesday, citing two officials.

Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, is returning to the region on Wednesday. In an interview with CNN over the weekend, he said he was aiming for an extension of stage one to ensure there would be time to negotiate stage two.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14433941/pastor-wife-husband-angolan-bodyguard-jackie-shroyer.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=social-twitter_mailonline

Grim news for pastor's wife 'who took out hit on husband while sleeping with Angolan bodyguard'

https://x.com/MailOnline/status/1894373564310061284

40 year old Minnesotan evangelical pastor moves his wife & 5 children to Angola, and 4 years later his wife pays their security guard (who she’s sleeping with) $50k to stab him to death.

This story really has it all.


A pastor's wife has been charged with taking out a hit on her husband while sleeping with the family's bodyguard during a mission to Angola.

Jackie Shroyer, 44, is accused of masterminding Beau Shroyer's slaying in the African nation after allegedly embarking on an affair with one of their bodyguards.

The couple moved from their native Minnesota to Angola with their five children in 2021.

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Beau, 44, was killed on October 25 last year, after he was lured into a remote area by three men who stabbed him to death, police said.

The authorities believe Jackie, who was arrested days after the murder, paid three men the equivalent of $50,000 to kill her husband. Two have been arrested, while a third remains on the loose.

Jackie was having an affair with one of the hit men, Bernadino Elias, 24, who worked at the family's home as a security guard, according to officials.

News of the charges were confirmed by the lead pastor of Beau's hometown church Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes.

Troy Easton said the development 'saddens me immensely', the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

He added that Jackie will remain in custody until her trial before a judge, which is expected to take place in the next six months.

The couple's children will continue to be cared for by other family with support from SIM USA, the missionary organization Beau worked with, as well as the church.

Myra Moore The Paranormal Chic Needs help from us humanly and she needs donations for her operation because she has kidney cancer, I request a look on her request, this is all at your own free will of course
Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/hmDdIcdoN_Q?si=VvKRwQLgq76X5Yzf

Donations: https://gofund.me/ad7d8baa

Trump strikes a deal with zelensky. Rare earth minerals in exchange for security assurances.
Trump figures out how to help America. Again.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-strikes-rare-earth-minerals-deal-ukraine-2036146
Donald Trump Strikes Rare Earth Minerals Deal with Ukraine

President Donald Trump's administration has reached an agreement with Kyiv on the framework of a rare earth mineral deal that Ukrainian officials hope will strengthen ties with the Trump administration and lay the groundwork for a long-term U.S. security commitment.

Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and White House on Tuesday afternoon for comment.

The agreement could be finalized as soon as Friday, with plans underway for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to travel to Washington for a meeting with Trump, a Ukrainian official told the Associated Press

Another official said the agreement would give Zelensky and Trump a chance to discuss ongoing military aid to Ukraine, making its finalization a priority for Kyiv. The agreement does not include security guarantees. One official said that this would be a topic for discussion when Zelensky and Trump meet.

Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, said Tuesday he'd heard that Zelensky was coming and added that "it's okay with me, if he'd like to, and he would like to sign it together with me."

Trump called it "a very big deal," adding that it could be worth a trillion dollars. It could be whatever, but it's rare earths and other things."

Why This Matters
Negotiations on the deal have advanced despite a recent exchange of sharp rhetoric between Trump and Zelensky over their disagreements on the matter.

Zelensky resisted signing a proposal pushed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his visit to Kyiv earlier this month and reiterated his objections days later in Munich during a meeting with Vice President JD Vance, arguing that the American plan lacked security guarantees.

When Elon Musk refers to actions taken by the Department of Government Efficiency as "we," he is not actually involved as an employee or leader of the initiative, according to a White House court filing Monday.

In a declaration from Joshua Fisher, the director of the Office of Administration, Musk is described as a "Senior Advisor to the President" as a special government employee and is not an employee of the separate U.S. DOGE Service (USDS) or the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization tasked with improving government technology and cutting spending or staffing.

"In his role as a Senior Advisor to the President, Mr. Musk has no greater authority than other senior White House advisors," the filing reads. "Like other senior White House advisors, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself. Mr. Musk can only advise the President and communicate the President's directives."

The White House filing also says Musk is not the USDS administrator in charge of the DOGE effort, and did not mention who holds that position.

>https://www.npr.org/2025/02/18/g-s1-49450/elon-musk-doge-leader