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How Eating Red Meat the Right Way Boosts Brain and Microbiome Health

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red meat brain microbiome health

Dr Mercola

Story at-a-glance

  • Red meat, when eaten as part of a nutrient-rich, whole-food diet, supports brain function and gut health by supplying hard-to-get nutrients like vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, choline, and taurine that enhance mitochondrial energy and mental clarity
  • People who included moderate amounts of red meat in a high-quality diet had higher brain-supporting nutrient levels and greater gut microbial diversity — key indicators of resilience and emotional well-being
  • Processed meats such as bacon and sausage are a different story; even half a slice daily was linked to faster cognitive aging, higher dementia risk, and damage caused by nitrosamine formation from nitrites
  • Choosing grass fed and finished red meat, cooking it gently, and pairing it with antioxidant-rich vegetables maximizes nutrients while minimizing oxidative stress and inflammation
  • Collagen-rich cuts like oxtail, shank, or bone broth balance the amino acid profile of muscle meat, strengthening connective tissue, improving sleep, and reducing inflammation for lasting vitality

For decades, red meat has been a lightning rod in nutrition debates — praised for its dense nutrition yet criticized for its supposed role in chronic disease. But the conversation is evolving. Researchers are beginning to look beyond single foods and instead examine how overall diet quality shapes health outcomes.

It turns out the context in which you eat red meat — what it’s paired with, how it’s prepared, and the rest of your diet — matters, perhaps far more than whether you eat it at all. Your brain and gut are at the center of this discussion. Both rely on a steady supply of specific nutrients, including B vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that support neurotransmitter balance, mitochondrial function, and intestinal integrity.

When those nutrients are lacking, fatigue, brain fog, low mood, and digestive changes often follow. Rather than blaming one food, researchers are asking a more important question: how can diet composition strengthen the gut-brain connection and protect long-term cognitive health?

This new line of inquiry reframes red meat’s role within a balanced diet — shifting the focus from restriction to balance and nutrient synergy. What you’ll discover is that quality, preparation, and variety determine whether red meat harms or heals. Understanding that difference is key to building meals that enhance brain clarity, gut function, and overall resilience.

Including Red Meat in a High-Quality Diet Improves Brain Nutrient Levels and Gut Health

Research published in Scientific Reports evaluated 3,643 adults from the American Gut Project to determine whether eating red meat — within both high- and low-quality diets — influenced nutrients central to brain health, gut microbiome diversity, and mental health outcomes.1 Researchers compared those who ate red meat with those who didn’t, while also controlling for whether their diets were nutrient-rich or poor overall.

• Participants with the healthiest diets who ate red meat showed the best nutritional profiles — Among those consuming balanced, nutrient-dense diets, red meat consumers had greater intakes of brain-supporting nutrients — vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, calcium, and choline — than those who avoided meat.

These nutrients are key to oxygen delivery, nerve communication, DNA repair, and neurotransmitter production.

For instance, vitamin B12 helps regulate homocysteine, an amino acid linked to depression and cognitive decline when elevated.2 Red meat inclusion contributed to this benefit by significantly boosting B12 adequacy. Zinc and selenium are powerful antioxidants that protect neurons from oxidative stress, while choline helps build cell membranes and supports memory function.

• A balanced diet mattered more than avoiding red meat entirely — Individuals who scored high on diet quality, regardless of whether they ate meat, had lower odds of depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This finding shows that it isn’t red meat alone that shapes mental health — it’s the broader dietary pattern.

Those consuming low-quality diets, with or without meat, were more likely to have poorer health outcomes and higher body mass indexes (BMIs), suggesting that dietary balance outweighs strict food exclusion.

• Red meat was linked to better gut microbial diversity, a marker of resilience — Gut microbial diversity refers to the variety of bacteria living in your intestines. More diversity usually means better digestion, stronger immune function, and greater resistance to inflammation. People eating high-quality diets that included red meat had the richest and most balanced microbiota profiles.

In contrast, those eating poor-quality diets without red meat showed the lowest microbial diversity, which is often linked to fatigue, anxiety, and metabolic dysfunction.

• The study identified specific gut bacteria linked to better mental and metabolic health — Red meat eaters with high diet quality had more bacterial species associated with stable metabolism and lower inflammation.

Meanwhile, non-meat eaters in the same category had more species tied to carbohydrate fermentation and fiber digestion. Importantly, the study found that neither group showed harmful shifts or dysbiosis, meaning red meat inclusion did not disrupt the gut’s microbial balance when part of a wholesome diet.

• Nutrient levels improved safely without exceeding upper limits — Despite higher micronutrient intakes among red meat consumers, none exceeded recommended safety thresholds. Over 93% of red meat eaters met their estimated average requirement for vitamin B12, compared to just 65% to 71% of non-eaters.

Selenium adequacy exceeded 97% in both high- and low-quality meat-eating groups. This demonstrates that red meat contributes significantly to meeting daily nutrient needs without risking overload. Red meat’s unique nutrient density — providing heme iron, B vitamins, and trace minerals in bioavailable forms — supports brain and gut health by enhancing mitochondrial energy production and reducing oxidative stress.

When consumed within balanced meals rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole foods, its amino acids and micronutrients work synergistically to promote neurotransmitter balance, intestinal barrier function, and cellular repair.

Processed Red Meat Linked to Faster Cognitive Decline and Higher Dementia Risk

Eating red meat as part of a nutrient-rich, whole-food diet supports your brain and gut, but the story changes dramatically when meat is processed. A large-scale cohort study published in Neurology followed 133,771 adults in the U.S. for up to four decades. The research examined whether eating processed or unprocessed red meat affected the risk of dementia, cognitive decline, and memory function.

Participants were free of dementia at the start and completed detailed food frequency questionnaires to assess long-term eating patterns, while cognitive performance was measured through standardized interviews and self-reported assessments.

• Processed red meat stood out as the strongest dietary risk factor — People who ate at least a quarter serving of processed red meat per day — the equivalent of only half a slice of bacon or a few bites of sausage — had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate less than a tenth of a serving daily.

The researchers also found that higher processed meat consumption accelerated cognitive aging, meaning the brain functioned as if it were roughly 1.6 years older for every daily serving of processed meat consumed.

• Even unprocessed red meat, when eaten in excess, was linked to cognitive strain — Participants who ate one or more servings of unprocessed red meat per day had a 16% greater risk of subjective cognitive decline — early self-perceived memory and attention problems — compared to those eating less than half a serving.3 Although this form of meat was less harmful than processed meat, the trend still pointed to higher intake being associated with slower thinking and reduced mental sharpness.

While this contrasts with the Scientific Reports findings, which showed that moderate red meat intake within a nutrient-dense, high-quality diet supported brain-related nutrient adequacy and gut diversity, it suggests that overall dietary context, not red meat alone, determines its impact on cognition.

• Replacing processed red meat with nutrient-dense plant foods lowered dementia risk significantly — The researchers found that swapping one daily serving of processed meat for legumes reduced dementia risk by 19%. This substitution also corresponded to 1.4 fewer years of cognitive aging and a 21% lower risk of subjective memory decline.

• Processed meats raise chronic disease risk — While red meat supplies nutrients like vitamin B12, processed versions typically contain preservatives and advanced glycation end products (AGEs), all of which burden your cardiovascular system and promote oxidative stress.

A study published in Nature Medicine found that eating as little as 0.6 to 57 grams of processed meat per day — equivalent to a few bites to two slices of bacon — was linked to an 11% higher risk of Type 2 diabetes and a 7% higher risk of colorectal cancer compared with no intake at all.4

Simple Shifts to Eat Red Meat for Health, Not Harm

Your relationship with red meat doesn’t have to be all or nothing. What matters most is how you prepare it, what you eat it with, and the quality of the meat itself. When red meat is thoughtfully chosen and balanced with other whole foods, it strengthens your gut and brain health, supports stable energy, and protects long-term health. Here’s how to make red meat a force for healing instead of harm:

1. Choose grass fed and finished meat whenever possible — Grass fed beef and lamb contain more omega-3 fats, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and antioxidants that reduce inflammation and support gut and brain health. Grain-fed meat raised in concentrated animal feeding operations tends to be higher in omega-6 fats, which promote imbalance in your microbiome when consumed in excess.

Look for local, pasture-raised options whenever possible to ensure superior nutrition and better fat ratios.

2. Get enough high-quality protein — and balance it with collagen-rich sources — Most adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight (or about 1.76 grams per kilogram). While red meat is an excellent source of complete protein, it’s primarily composed of muscle tissue, which lacks certain amino acids vital for connective tissue repair.

About one-third of your protein should come from collagen-rich foods such as bone broth, pure gelatin powder without sugar and other additives, oxtail, shanks, or grass fed ground beef containing connective tissue. Collagen provides glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline — amino acids that strengthen your skin, joints, and bones while calming inflammation and improving sleep quality.

3. Cook gently and pair red meat with antioxidant-rich foods — High-heat cooking methods like grilling or frying create harmful AGEs. To protect your cells, cook meat at lower temperatures or use moisture-based methods such as stewing or slow cooking. Pairing red meat with herbs like rosemary, garlic, and thyme, or with vegetables rich in antioxidants — such as broccoli or bell peppers — helps neutralize free radicals and balance your meal.

4. Avoid processed and fake meats — Processed meats like bacon, sausage, and deli slices are loaded with nitrites and other preservatives that form carcinogenic nitrosamines and increase your risk of chronic disease. Likewise, plant-based “meat alternatives” often rely on seed oils high in linoleic acid (LA), a polyunsaturated fat that drives inflammation and oxidative stress. Stick to whole, unprocessed proteins to nourish your body without hidden toxins.

5. Use red meat to supply unique, hard-to-get nutrients — but remember, overall diet quality matters — Red meat is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on your plate, providing a unique combination of taurine, carnitine, creatine, and coenzyme Q10 — nutrients essential for mitochondrial energy production, brain function, and metabolic balance.

Taurine helps regulate calcium inside your cells, protect neurons, and guard against oxidative stress, while carnitine and creatine deliver clean, steady fuel for your muscles and heart. For best results, enjoy red meat as part of a low-LA, whole-food diet, and avoid pairing it with refined carbs or seed oils, which drive insulin spikes and oxidative damage that undermine red meat’s natural health benefits.

[…]

Via https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/11/14/red-meat-brain-microbiome-health.aspx

Was Covid Always a CIA Plot?

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Was Covid Always a CIA Plot?

By  November 25, 2025

According to newly released emails, the United States Intelligence Community, led by the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, held regular meetings with Dr. Ralph Baric, one of America’s leading coronavirus experts, since at least 2015.
Senator Rand Paul’s office has worked for years to obtain the documents.

Baric has been accused of engineering the Covid-19 virus in his lab at the University of North Carolina, but he has never had to testify about his role in the pandemic despite his well-documented collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The newly released emails reveal that the CIA hoped to discuss “Coronavirus evolution and possible natural human adaptation with Baric” and that Baric held quarterly meetings with members of the Intelligence Community.

These emails are just the latest additions to the suspicious amalgamation of facts implicating the US Intelligence Community’s role in the origins of the pandemic, as discussed in The Covid Response at Five Years.

A very brief overview of the timeline suggests that the CIA and the Intelligence Community are implicated in the creation of the virus, a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and censorship to evade any public scrutiny for their role in the pandemic.

  • 2015: The Intelligence Community held quarterly meetings with Dr. Ralph Baric and discussed “possible human adaptation” to coronavirus evolution.
  • 2019-2020: The CIA had a spy working at the Wuhan Institute of Virology doing “both offensive and defensive work” with pathogens, according to Seymour Hersh. That asset reports in early 2020 that there was a laboratory accident that resulted in the infection of a researcher.
  • March 18, 2020: The Department of Homeland Security replaced Health and Human Services as the lead Federal Agency responding to Covid, as explained in depth in Debbie Lerman’s The Deep State Goes Viral.
  • Spring 2020: The CIA offered bribes to scientists to bury their findings refuting the “proximal origin” theory advanced by Dr. Anthony Fauci, according to a whistleblower. The House Oversight Committee explains: “According to the whistleblower, at the end of its review, six of the seven members of the Team believed the intelligence and science were sufficient to make a low confidence assessment that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.” Then, however, the “six members were given a significant monetary incentive to change their position.”
  • 2020: Dr. Fauci began holding secret meetings at CIA headquarters “without a record of entry” in order to “influence its Covid-19 origins investigation,” according to a whistleblower. “He knew what was going on…He was covering his ass and he was trying to do it with the Intel community,” the whistleblower told Congress.”
  • 2021: Scientists in the Department of Defense compiled significant evidence suggesting Covid emerged from a lab leak, but President Biden’s Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, banned them from presenting their evidence or participating in a discussion on the origins of the virus.
  • 2021: CISA, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, implemented a program known as “switchboarding,” where officials dictated to Big Tech platforms what content is permissible or prohibited speech.
  • 2022: The Department of Homeland Security announced it will establish a “Disinformation Governance Board.” The Ministry of Truth is only discontinued when the absurdity of its chief censor, Nina Jankowicz, receives sufficient blowback from the public.

What exactly was the play here? A populist impulse has been alive in the American electorate since the end of the Cold War. A growing popular demand on the left and right has been for a government that serves the people and not some globalist, bureaucratized, and militarized scheme that only benefits the ruling class.

In 2015, Donald Trump, a consummate outsider to the ruling elites, was ascending in political stature in ways that no one expected. He was saying outrageous things on stage – such as that the Iraq war was a disaster – and people loved it.

The establishment’s choice, Jeb Bush, was wiped out early in the primaries. This was not about Trump personally, however; it was about the traditional demand in these circles to control the controllers. Since the assassination of JFK, this has always been the way, always justified in the public interest. Trump was not their choice.

The real interest has been the consolidation and expansion of power of a rogue Intelligence Community, headed by the CIA. Tapping Baric’s expertise was part of a deliberate strategy to increase that dominance through bioweapons.

It seems perhaps crazy to imagine that there was a playbook for maintaining control by the old guard and that the pandemic option was among them. But perhaps it was. After all, Anthony Fauci frequently warned of a coming pandemic, and intelligence worked with universities and corporations for years and on multiple occasions to game out pandemic exercises (Event 201 and Crimson Contagion).

What we have here are new breadcrumbs pointing to a genuine coup attempt, one that grew as each stage in the deployment failed, culminating in relentless media campaigns, lawfare, and even assassination attempts. The newest evidence further reinforces the existence of a ruling class willing to engage in sadistic policies that compared with the worst of the last years of the Roman Empire.

Of course, this was not just about politics in the US. Populist movements had come alive the world over, from Europe to the UK to Brazil. Fully 194 countries were locked down over several weeks, with the claim that the problem would be fixed with universal human separation followed by injection of a compliant population. The scenario being built here through these releases is nothing short of terrifying.

Where are the investigations, hearings, commissions, and courts? At the very least, and in any case, Baric and members of the Intelligence Community must testify under oath about their role in gain-of-function research, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the cover-up that began in 2020.
[…]

Via https://brownstone.org/articles/was-covid-always-a-cia-plot/

TrumpRx Prescription Website to Launch in 2026

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Dr Mercola

Prescription drugs in the U.S. cost nearly 2.78 times more than in other developed countries, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzed by RAND Health Care.1 That means a medication costing $100 in Germany could cost close to $300 in the U.S. The disparity is even worse for brand-name drugs, which are often more than 3.22 times higher than in peer nations.

For millions of Americans, these inflated prices aren’t just inconvenient — they’re devastating. They force hard choices between filling a prescription or paying for food, rent, or other essentials. For decades, pharmaceutical companies have defended these prices by claiming that Americans fund the world’s research and development. The result is a system where U.S. consumers subsidize cheaper drugs for other nations while paying the highest prices on Earth.

It’s a pattern that has persisted across administrations and political divides, despite repeated promises to lower costs. Even as new therapies enter the market, they often do so first in the U.S. — at the highest price point — locking patients into a system that prioritizes profit over access.

President Donald Trump’s administration is now taking another run at this problem with TrumpRx, a government-run website designed to lower drug prices through direct-to-consumer sales. Pfizer is the first major partner to sign on, pledging to sell many drugs at discounts of up to 50% and to match prices charged in other wealthy countries.2

TrumpRx represents an attempt to bypass the middlemen — insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and wholesalers — who drive much of the current cost inflation. This effort marks a major shift in how Americans might one day access prescription medications, setting the stage for a broader conversation about why U.S. drug prices are so high and what it will take to finally change them.

TrumpRx Introduces Direct-to-Consumer Drug Discounts

As reported by MSN, on September 30, 2025, President Trump announced the creation of TrumpRx, a direct-to-consumer website where Americans could purchase discounted prescription drugs. It’s expected to launch in 2026.3

Pfizer agreed to reduce prices for many medications and adopt “Most Favored Nation” pricing — meaning U.S. consumers would pay no more than patients in other wealthy countries. President Trump stated, “The United States is done subsidizing the health care of the rest of the world.” His goal was to end what he called global price gouging and make drug costs fairer for American families.

• Pfizer agreed to major concessions that include large discounts and U.S. manufacturing investments — Under the agreement, Pfizer committed to selling many primary care and specialty drugs at an average of half off list prices through TrumpRx.

The company also pledged to expand domestic manufacturing, investing $70 billion in U.S. facilities while receiving a three-year exemption from certain import tariffs. This partnership reflects a major policy tradeoff — lower prices for American consumers in exchange for incentives that keep pharmaceutical production within the U.S.

• The TrumpRx website will serve as a bridge, not a pharmacy — The administration clarified that TrumpRx.gov will not directly sell or ship medications. Instead, it will act as a searchable portal connecting users to the drugmaker’s own direct-sales channels.

This approach bypasses conventional insurance systems, allowing uninsured or underinsured Americans to access lower cash prices. For those with insurance, however, the discounts might not always beat negotiated plan prices. Health policy expert Chris Meekins noted, “New Trump drug website is likely irrelevant as few will pay out of pocket,” highlighting that insured patients generally pay less through their existing coverage.

• Experts question whether the price cuts will reach the patients who need them most — Analysts pointed out that while TrumpRx could benefit uninsured individuals, insured Americans — who represent roughly 92% of the population — are unlikely to see significant changes.4

Vanderbilt University’s Stacie Dusetzina said the program’s featured drugs, such as Pfizer’s rheumatoid arthritis medication Xeljanz, are often costly even after the TrumpRx discount. For example, a 40% discount on a $6,000 monthly list price would still leave patients paying about $3,600 per month, far beyond what most households can afford.

• The initiative revives Trump’s long-standing push for “Most Favored Nation” pricing — Trump has spent years pressuring pharmaceutical companies to tie U.S. prices to those charged in other countries. He previously attempted to enforce this through executive action during his first term but faced legal and political resistance.

The revived plan directs drugmakers to match their lowest international “net price,” which includes rebates and discounts, across major markets such as Canada, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. By linking U.S. pricing to these benchmarks, the administration hopes to create a global standard that discourages overcharging Americans.

• The pharmaceutical industry is wary of the ripple effects — Industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) warned that these pricing policies could have unintended consequences.

Companies could raise prices in foreign markets to offset U.S. discounts or limit drug availability in countries with strict price controls. Still, the administration appears willing to accept those outcomes to prioritize American consumers.

Trump’s Executive Order Promises Up to 80% Drug Price Reductions for Americans

TrumpRx didn’t emerge in isolation — it’s the direct outcome of President Trump’s sweeping executive order announced May 11, 2025.5 That order laid the legal and economic foundation for TrumpRx by reinstating his earlier “Most Favored Nation” pricing policy, compelling drugmakers to charge Americans no more than patients in other developed nations. The website and the broader pricing reform are two parts of the same initiative — one setting the rules, the other putting them into practice.

• A new executive order set the stage for TrumpRx and immediate price cuts — President Trump called it “one of the most consequential Executive Orders in our Country’s history,” and said this policy would lower prescription costs in the U.S. by 30% to 80%, while prices abroad would rise to create global balance. This order became the framework for TrumpRx, which puts the policy into motion through direct manufacturer access for consumers.

• The policy targets high-cost drugs under Medicare Part B, offering relief to older adults and those with chronic diseases — Medicare Part B covers outpatient treatments, including costly infusion therapies and specialty drugs prescribed for cancer, autoimmune disease, and rare disorders. Under the executive order, these medications must be sold at the lowest adjusted international rate, making them more affordable for seniors and those managing lifelong conditions.

• Projected savings could reach $87 billion within seven years — A prior version of Trump’s Most Favored Nation rule, first introduced in 2020, was estimated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to save $87.8 billion for federal and state governments, as well as Medicare beneficiaries, over seven years. Though that version was halted by legal challenges, the 2025 order revives it with broader enforcement powers and a direct consumer mechanism through TrumpRx.

• Bipartisan support is emerging for international price parity — Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced a bill on May 5, 2025, mirroring Trump’s initiative. Their proposal would fine drug companies 10 times the difference if they sell medications in the U.S. at prices higher than those in Canada, Germany, Japan, or other peer nations. The growing cross-party support signals a cultural shift toward price fairness across the political spectrum.

• This is more than a pricing reform — it’s a restructuring of global drug economics — President Trump acknowledged that global drug prices might rise as the U.S. enforces parity, but said this was “fair” after decades of Americans paying inflated costs. For consumers, the combination of the executive order and TrumpRx could finally halt annual price hikes and make access to essential medications simpler, without rebate games or insurance barriers.

TrumpRx Is a Global Drug Pricing Strategy, Not Just a Website

As reported by The Kingston report, written by Karen Kingston, a med-legal advisor and biotech analyst, the TrumpRx.gov website is only one component of a much larger initiative aimed at overhauling global drug pricing and manufacturing.6 The “Most Favored Nation” pricing model is designed to end the long-standing system where U.S. patients pay inflated costs while other countries benefit from deep discounts.

• TrumpRx aims to cut national drug spending while reshoring pharmaceutical manufacturing —Americans and the federal government spent roughly $500 billion on prescription drugs in 2024 — half a trillion dollars in a single year.

TrumpRx seeks to reduce that figure by at least 50% while maintaining U.S. leadership in biopharma innovation. To achieve this, the plan calls for a $500 billion reinvestment in domestic research and manufacturing, reducing reliance on foreign supply chains, particularly China.

• The plan introduces direct access programs for Americans in need — The report noted that TrumpRx will allow uninsured or financially struggling patients to buy medications directly from manufacturers at reduced prices — or in some cases, receive them for free. These direct-to-patient programs cut out middlemen such as insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, ensuring that savings reach those who need them most.

• Industry insiders confirm dramatic international price disparities that the policy seeks to fix —Drawing on her own experience in pharmaceutical pricing negotiations, Kingston described how, in some countries, U.S.-made drugs were sold for little more than the cost of packaging.

She called these practices “massive losses” for American manufacturers — companies that were forced by international policy to sell at near giveaway prices abroad while charging far more domestically. The TrumpRx plan seeks to level this imbalance, making pricing consistent worldwide without punishing American consumers.

[…]

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/trumprx-prescription-website-launch-2026/5905381

The scandal Zelensky can’t escape: Inside Ukraine’s biggest corruption story

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The scandal Zelensky can’t escape: Inside Ukraine’s biggest corruption story
© RT / RT

RT

Timur Mindich slipped out of Ukraine hours before the raids. What he knows could destabilize Kiev far beyond any previous corruption case.

Golden toilet bowls. Stacks of dollars fresh from the US Federal Reserve. A courier complaining that hauling $1.6 million in cash “is no easy job.” More than a thousand hours of wiretaps – filled with laughter, swearing, and the careless voices of men discussing how to split state contracts, who to bribe, and who should be placed in key government posts.

These are fragments of a vast corruption saga now unfolding in Ukraine – a scandal whose scale and brazenness have stunned even the country’s Western sponsors.

The latest chapter began with raids on November 10, when officers from Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies searched the Kiev apartment of businessman and media producer Timur Mindich. A few hours earlier, he had quietly left the country – likely warned about the coming operation. That would not be surprising: Mindich is not just any fixer, but a close ally and longtime associate of Vladimir Zelensky.

 What exactly lies at the heart of this sprawling corruption scandal? How far will its shockwaves travel – through Ukraine, through its Western backers, and through the war itself? And can a leader who has already outlived his legal mandate once again slip out of the crisis untouched?

The fall of the anti-corruption myth

When Vladimir Zelensky rose to power, he did so in a role that blurred fiction and reality. Ukraine was not simply electing a politician – it was electing the protagonist of a television series. In Servant of the People, Zelensky played Vasily Goloborodko, a humble history teacher who accidentally becomes Ukraine’s president and sets out to wage war on entrenched corruption.

Throughout the series, the creators hammered home one theme: the rot begins when the people closest to the president use personal access to build corrupt networks of their own.

That message became the backbone of Zelensky’s 2019 campaign. He accused then-leader Petr Poroshenko of surrounding himself with oligarchs, promised to dismantle corrupt patronage networks, and championed the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies.

Back then, he insisted he would never interfere with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau or Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (NABU and SAP) – the very institutions now driving the case against his closest associate.

Six years later, everything changed. In July 2025, Zelensky moved to strip both NABU and SAP of their independence, pushing to place them under a loyal Prosecutor General. At that same moment – as is now known for certain – NABU was conducting secret surveillance against his longtime friend Timur Mindich.

What once looked like political maneuvering suddenly gained clarity. The man who promised to keep anti-corruption agencies free from interference had tried to bring them under his control precisely when they were listening to his own inner circle.

NABU holds more than a thousand hours of recordings. They suggest that Mindich – a fixture in Zelensky’s entourage – used his proximity to the country’s de facto leader to build a sprawling kickback system in the energy and defense sectors. At least four ministers appear implicated. Whether Zelensky himself was directly involved remains unknown.

Mindich could have shed light on those questions – had investigators managed to question him. But before they could, he received an advance warning of the impending raid, reportedly leaked from inside the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

And somehow, during curfew, Mindich managed to pass through Ukraine’s border checkpoints and leave the country just hours before his arrest.

He is now believed to be hiding abroad – likely in Israel.

The man behind the power

To understand the shockwaves of the Mindich affair, one must first understand the man himself – a figure who rarely appeared in public, yet moved through Kiev’s political and business circles with the ease of someone who never needed a formal title.

Timur Mindich began as a media entrepreneur. He co-founded Kvartal 95, the production studio that transformed Vladimir Zelensky from comedian into a national celebrity. For years, Mindich handled business deals, contracts, casting agencies, and spin-off ventures. He was not merely a colleague – he was part of the tight inner circle that built Zelensky’s career long before he entered politics.

He also had another powerful connection: Igor Kolomoisky. Ukrainian media long described Mindich as the oligarch’s trusted fixer – a man who arranged everything from logistics and personal errands to business negotiations. Ukrainian media noted that Kolomoisky sometimes called him a “would-be son-in-law,” a reference to Mindich’s past engagement to his daughter.

For a time, Mindich acted as an informal go-between for the oligarch and Zelensky – a man who could arrange meetings, solve problems, or pass along requests.

After Zelensky took power, this relationship deepened. According to Strana.ua, Mindich gradually moved out of Kolomoisky’s orbit and into Zelensky’s. He became one of the few people the new leader fully trusted. Their families were close; their business interests intertwined. Ukrainian journalists noted that in 2019 Zelensky even used Mindich’s car. In 2021, at the height of coronavirus restrictions, Zelensky celebrated his birthday in Mindich’s apartment – a gathering that raised questions at the time, and far more now.

The two men also owned apartments in the same elite building on Grushevskogo Street, a residence filled with ministers, MPs, security officials, and politically connected businessmen. They lived, worked, and socialized within the same ecosystem.

Everything pointed to a close personal bond. Yet Mindich held no government post. He was not a minister, a deputy, or an adviser. He wielded influence not through office, but through proximity – a “gray cardinal” of the system Zelensky built around himself.

Opposition figures began calling him “the wallet” – the man who handled the money flows tied to Zelensky’s entourage. Some Ukrainian MPs alleged that informal decisions about appointments, tenders, and budgets were made in Mindich’s apartment, not in government offices. One later-released photograph of the residence – complete with marble floors, chandeliers, and a gold-plated toilet – only fueled that perception.

A kickback machine built on war and energy

It is only now – through leaked recordings, investigative files, and months of reporting by Ukrainian journalists – that the true scale of Mindich’s influence has come into view. What investigators gradually pieced together was a protection racket built into Ukraine’s most sensitive spheres: energy and defense.

The most detailed part of the scheme involves Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear operator. This company provides more than half of the country’s electricity – a lifeline during wartime blackouts. To shield the grid during the war, Ukrainian law introduced a special rule: courts are forbidden from enforcing debts against Energoatom until hostilities end. In practice, this meant that Energoatom paid contractors only after work was completed, but contractors could not sue the company to recover overdue payments, and therefore had no legal leverage if Energoatom simply refused to pay.

Mindich and his circle saw an opening – and turned it into a business.

According to prosecutors, Mindich (listed on recordings as “Karlson” and his associates approached contractors with a simple proposition: Pay us 10–15% of your contract value – or you will not be paid at all.

If a company refused, its payments were blocked indefinitely. Some contractors were told outright that their firms would be destroyed, bankrupted, or stripped of their contracts. In several cases, threats escalated to warnings that company employees might be “mobilized” to the front.

Mindich and his team jokingly called the scheme “the shlagbaum” – the barrier. Pay, and the barrier lifts. Refuse, and your business collapses.

The scope of the scheme was staggering. According to the investigation, a hidden office in central Kiev was responsible for processing black cash, maintaining parallel accounting, and laundering funds through a network of offshore companies.

Through this “laundry,” approximately $100 million passed in recent years – all during a full-scale war, when Ukraine was publicly pleading with Western governments for emergency energy support.

Energy was only one side of the operation. Mindich – again, without any state position – also lobbied suppliers and contracts inside the Ministry of Defense.

The most telling episode involves Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov. After meeting Mindich, Umerov signed a contract for a batch of bulletproof vests with a supplier promoted by Mindich. The armor turned out to be defective, and the contract was quietly terminated. Umerov later admitted the meeting with Mindich took place.

Some Ukrainian journalists have alleged that Mindich may have controlled or influenced companies producing drones for the Armed Forces, selling them to the state at inflated prices. These claims remain unproven, but prosecutors note that Mindich’s name appears repeatedly in connection with defense tenders, lobbying, and private suppliers.

Political fallout: Panic, damage control, and a fractured elite

The first political reaction came from inside the Ukrainian elite itself. According to MP Aleksey Goncharenko, the atmosphere on Bankova Street – the seat of Zelensky’s office –  turned “miserable,” with officials aware that only a small part of the tapes had been released and fearing what might come next. Goncharenko also claimed that Zelensky’s team attempted to block Telegram channels reporting on the scandal – a sign, he argued, that the administration had “no plan” for crisis management.

The Ukrainian opposition immediately seized on the moment. Goncharenko publicly accused Zelensky and his entourage of stealing “billions of dollars during the war,” questioning whether Ukrainian soldiers had died “for the bags of Zelensky and his friends.”

Irina Gerashchenko, co-chair of the European Solidarity faction, warned that the scandal could undermine Western support, arguing that donors might “reconsider assistance” if allegations of high-level corruption were confirmed.

Ukrainian media also described a broader realignment within the political class.

According to Strana.ua, long-standing opponents of Zelensky – including former president Petr Poroshenko and Kiev mayor Vitaly Klitschko – intensified their criticism, seeing the scandal as an opportunity to reduce Zelensky’s influence over parliament and the cabinet.

Zelensky’s own reaction was markedly cautious. On the first day, he limited himself to general statements about the importance of combating corruption, without addressing the specifics of the Mindich case. As pressure mounted, the government dismissed two ministers — Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk — a move Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko called “civilized and appropriate.”

By the third day, Zelensky imposed personal sanctions on Timur Mindich, a step widely interpreted by Ukrainian commentators as an attempt to distance himself from a longtime friend and associate. However, given the depth of Zelensky’s ties to Mindich, his response looks strikingly restrained.

International reactions also began to surface. Bloomberg reported that more revelations and “potential shocks” could be expected as the investigation unfolds. In France, Florian Philippot of the “Patriots” party demanded a halt to European support for Kiev until the corruption allegations were fully examined.

These statements reflect growing concern among some Western politicians and commentators, though they do not represent an official shift in Western policy.

And Moscow has weighed in as well.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Western governments were “increasingly realizing” the scale of corruption in Ukraine and that a significant portion of the funds provided to Kiev were being “stolen by the regime.” Peskov expressed hope that the United States and Europe would “pay attention” to the corruption scandal now unfolding, arguing that corruption “remains one of the main sins of Kiev” and “is eating Ukraine from the inside.”

Domestic scandal stops being domestic

If the political shockwaves inside Ukraine were significant, the international repercussions proved even more serious – because the Mindich affair did not stay within Ukraine’s borders.
In fact, it quickly attracted attention from Washington.

According to Ukrainskaya Pravda, US law enforcement had taken an interest in Timur Mindich even before the November raids. On November 6, the outlet reported – citing a source in the United States – that the FBI was examining Mindich’s possible involvement in financial schemes tied to the Odessa Port Plant. One of the key figures in that earlier case, Aleksandr Gorbunenko, was detained in the US but later released under witness protection, allegedly after providing information to American investigators.

Another Ukrainian outlet, Zerkalo Nedeli, reported that on November 11, NABU detectives met with an FBI liaison officer. According to the publication, the Mindich case was part of those discussions.

These reports, taken together, suggest that the scandal may have implications far beyond Kiev’s internal politics.

And several analysts in Moscow believe this is precisely the point.

Russian political scientist Bogdan Bespalko believes that pressure on Mindich may be part of a broader effort by the United States to influence Zelensky and the structure around him, noting that NABU has long been viewed as a “pro-American” institution. According to Bespalko, Washington may be using the corruption scandal as leverage – not to remove Zelensky outright, but to constrain his room for maneuver and force political concessions.

What comes next

As the scandal widens, one question increasingly dominates political discussions in Kiev and abroad: what happens if Timur Mindich is ever forced to speak – and against whom?
Mindich has not been not detained. He left Ukraine shortly before the November raids and, according to open sources, remains outside the country.

But several figures familiar with Ukrainian politics argue that his potential testimony is the biggest threat hanging over the country’s leadership.

Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Vladimir Oleinik believes that if Mindich were ever confronted by investigators – especially those backed by the US – he could provide damaging information about Zelensky’s inner circle. “Mindich and others will be offered to give evidence on bigger fish – on Zelensky – in exchange for leniency,” he said. “They are not heroes. If pressed, they will give up everyone.”

Another former Rada deputy, Oleg Tsarev, expressed an even harsher view. According to him, the danger comes not from Mindich’s legal status, but from the sheer volume of information he allegedly possesses.

“Mindich was Zelensky’s closest confidant. He knows everything,” Tsarev said. “If interrogated seriously, he will talk – and he will talk fast.”

In Tsarev’s assessment, Mindich is aware of how the financial flows around Bankova worked, how influence was distributed, and how members of Zelensky’s entourage allegedly enriched themselves during the war.

Experts who share this view argue that Mindich could, in theory, map out the entire informal system of kickbacks and leverage that shaped Kiev’s wartime governance.

Oleinik adds that many of those implicated in the case initially believed Zelensky would shield them.

“But once the accusations began, they understood he would not help. Now every man is for himself,” he said.

For now, however, Mindich remains abroad – and beyond the immediate reach of Ukrainian law enforcement. Whether he eventually cooperates with investigators in Kiev, with NABU, or with US authorities remains an open question.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/russia/627803-billion-dollar-friend-zelensky-mindich/

Will we the people tolerate a brave new world of trillionaires?

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Will we the people tolerate a brave new world of trillionaires?
FILE PHOTO. ©  Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Robert Bridge

Welcome to the ‘4 comma club,’ where South African native Elon Musk is slated to be the first human being of the modern age to have accumulated $1 trillion dollars.

To put that mindboggling number into some perspective, that is more than the Gross Domestic Product of 170 countries, including Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

Musk will not be alone for long in this ultra-privileged, ultra-exclusive club. Since billionaire wealth has risen three times faster in 2024 than in 2023, within the next decade, five people will hold the title of trillionaire, according to a recent study from the anti-poverty watchdog Oxfam.

Meanwhile, due to an assortment of external factors, like climate change and conflict, the number of people living in abject poverty has hardly changed since 1990. Almost 700 million people, 8.5 percent of the global population, now live on less than $2.15 per day.

The report goes on to show that the election of Donald Trump as US President in November 2024 has translated into a massive increase in billionaire wealth, while his aggressive pro-rich policies are predicted to exasperate inequality further. In its latest report on poverty, the World Bank calculates that if present growth rates continue and inequality does not reverse, it will take more than a century to defeat poverty. It seems safe to say we have already lost that battle.

Before continuing, it’s important to mention the primary source of wealth today. Currently, there exists a strong belief – supported in the media and by Hollywood – that wealth accumulation is simply the reward for raw talent. But this perception is incorrect.

“Most billionaire wealth is taken, not earned, 60% comes from either inheritance, cronyism and corruption or monopoly power,” Oxfam writes in a shocking finding. Rich families are passing down trillions of dollars in wealth per year, creating “a new aristocratic oligarchy” that has achieved tremendous power in our politics and our economy, the advocacy group warns.

In the next few decades, wealth worth over an estimated $5 trillion is anticipated to be passed from one generation to another, while little of the fortune will be taxed since the rich have numerous means for protecting their wealth from the taxman.

Today, the wealthiest 10 percent of the people worldwide possess more than 85 percent of global riches.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that just days before Tesla shareholders agreed to a $1 trillion dollar payday for their CEO, New York City residents voted a socialist as their mayor. Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, grabbed the top position in the Big Apple by promising New Yorkers a raft of enticements, including the freezing of rent payments, making buses free, and making child care accessible to all city residents.

A common chant heard at political rallies for Mr. Mamdani was “Tax the Rich!” Indeed, taxing the rich doesn’t sound like a very radical idea when considering Musk’s brand-new pay package.

Meanwhile, even the Vatican was sounding the alarm on excessive wealth creation.

In September, Pope Leo XIV said the one major factor contributing to global tensions was the “continuously wider gap between the income levels of the working class and the money that the wealthiest receive.”

“CEOs that 60 years ago might have been making four to six times more than what the workers are receiving … 600 times more [now],” the pontiff said in excerpts of an interview conducted by the Catholic newspaper Crux.

“Yesterday [there was] the news that Elon Musk is going to be the first trillionaire in the world. What does that mean and what’s that about? If that is the only thing that has value any more, then we’re in big trouble…”

The elephant in the room amid this obscene wealth creation is the patience of the millions of people who are being crushed in this brave new economy, which requires a lot of special technical skills in order to survive. Meanwhile, millions of high-paying jobs are disappearing thanks to AI. Will the underprivileged eventually take to the streets as billionaires become trillionaires overnight? Will we soon witness another left-wing ‘Occupy Wall Street’ event (September 17 to November 15, 2011) coming on the heels of another Great Recession or, heaven forbid, Great Depression?

While protests along the road to riches seem inevitable, it seems unlikely that the super wealthy have much cause for concern, at least in the nearest frame of time. A quick glance at history shows that the ‘have nots’ have shown tremendous patience with the excessively rich – particularly in 1916 with the announcement that John D. Rockefeller had become the world’s first billionaire – with the great exceptions stemming from violent union uprisings, which have largely become a relic of the distant past.

All things considered, Elon Musk probably has little to worry about as his paycheck surpasses the trillionaire-dollar mark, but it would be at least refreshing to see more advances being made on the tax and charitable front. A hefty new tax code for the world’s trillionaires would be the decent and right thing to do.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/627792-brave-new-world-trillionaires/

In encrypted group chat, National Guard members question Trump deployments

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Members of the National Guard patrol near the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 1.
Al Drago/Getty Images

Kat Lonsdorf

As President Trump calls for National Guard deployments across the U.S., a small contingent of Ohio guard members has been quietly expressing concern in an encrypted group chat.

The administration started sending troops into several Democratic-led cities this summer, citing the need to crack down on violent crime and protect federal immigration facilities. The Ohio guard members now say they’re alarmed at the turn the country is taking. They’re even questioning their potential role in it.

“I really went to a dark place when they sent the troops to [Los Angeles], and then eventually [Washington, D.C.], and now, Chicago. This is just not what any of us signed up for, and it’s so out of the scope of normal operations,” says J, a member of the Ohio National Guard who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity.

In the summer, Trump sent troops into Los Angeles as anti-ICE protests escalated. He then deployed guard troops into D.C., where around 2,300 still regularly patrol streets. Then a torrent of plans for deployments came — Chicago, Portland, Memphis, cities in Louisiana and Missouri. Many of them remain embroiled in legal limbo.

In Ohio, J and several other members have taken to that group chat to discuss the deployments and the accompanying anxiety they’ve felt. J, as well as members C and A — all part of the same unit — agreed to talk to NPR on the condition that they are only identified by their first initials, because they are not authorized to talk to the press and fear retribution for expressing their opinions.

“I have been on two humanitarian-esque missions with the guard, which were awesome, doing the things you see on the commercial, helping these communities,” says J. “And then you want me to go pick up trash and dissuade homeless people in D.C. at gunpoint. Like, no dude. It’s so disheartening every time I see another city — and I just wonder, ‘who’s going to stand up to this?'”

It’s a sentiment that’s building with guard members elsewhere.

In recent weeks, more than 100 active military members have reached out to About Face, a nonpartisan nonprofit made up of current service members and post-9/11 veterans to be a resource for those who might be questioning their deployments, according to the organization.

“In the military culture, it’s really easy to feel like if you have questions or dissent, you’re the only person who thinks that,” says director Brittany Ramos DeBarros, a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan.

The group has started an information campaign, specifically targeting members of the National Guard around the country — using flyers, posters, even billboards — encouraging them to reach out if they’re having doubts.

“We take very seriously making sure that people do understand what they could be facing if they follow their conscience,” says DeBarros. “But the thing we also help people think through is, what is the cost of not following your conscience? Because as Iraq and Afghanistan vets in particular, many of us are living with that cost every day.”

With the White House in the distance, National Guard troops patrol the Mall as part of President Donald Trump’s order to impose federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital, in Washington, Aug. 28, 2025.

NPR reached out to both the White House and the Pentagon for this story.

“Our great National Guardsmen signed up to defend the nation and serve the American people,” wrote Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson in a statement. “We are proud of the work they have accomplished this year, and we are confident in their collective ability to carry out any and all orders by President Trump, the Department of War, and state leaders.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the deployments, saying Trump was using his “lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel.” Jackson lashed out at Democratic leaders, saying they’d failed to stop violent attacks on law enforcement.

The group chat

The group chat with the Ohio National Guard members — set up on the encrypted messaging app Signal — began amid the flurry of executive orders President Trump signed as he took office. Some of them affected the military. The members say they needed a space to process it.

“It’s not even necessarily expressing opinions or anything. It’s just expressing questions about things that come out,” says A.

They say the chat is active every day, with members sharing information and news articles they come across. In recent months, that chat has grown to a dozen members of their unit, and it’s become largely focused on Trump’s rhetoric around the National Guard and his deployments of troops to several cities.

Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has agreed to send troops to support the administration’s efforts; there are about 150 in DC right now.

That voluntary directive has come to this unit. None of the three took it. They say the orders themselves were uncharacteristically vague.

“What exactly are we going to be doing? Are we going to have leave? And those answers aren’t very clear — but in the past, it’s always been very clear,” says A. “Anywhere that we go, there’s crucial information that we get about the why behind it. And whenever we don’t get that, especially for these city moves, members ask questions.”

Growing anti-guard sentiment

A joined the guard to pay for college. J was looking for direction in life. And C felt the pull of the benefits that the guard offers and to serve her country. All three have served for years, even decades.

The three say they are grappling with whether to leave the guard, and end their military careers.

“The only reason I want to finish my current contract is just because I feel like there’s weight to what I do and say right now, and I just want to use that to do some good,” says J.

C says she has been proud of her military career and how she has served — noting that she’s served on missions that she didn’t necessarily agree with before. But she worries these deployments could change that. She says she’s spent a lot of time thinking about what line she won’t cross.

“I’ve been in therapy. Lots of therapy has taken me to the point where at least I can be okay if I have to say goodbye. That sucks. Is this tarnishing my service? Is it undoing everything I thought I was fighting for?” she says.

The three say they’ve felt anti-guard sentiment from some of their community and in their civilian lives.

“Everything that has been happening is so counter to doctrine, and so counter to what we’ve been taught,” C says.

Their thoughts

The Trump administration has publicly talked about using the National Guard to help with mass deportations and immigration enforcement — something broadly illegal under US law. That bothers the three guard members.

“There is no way I would participate in that,” says J. “I just think when everything is said and done, people are going to have to answer for what we’re seeing now, and I don’t want to be any part of it.”

A also says he’s been wrestling with what he’d do if made to participate.

“I think, like, establishing those boundaries with yourself: What am I willing to do? What am I willing to give up? And where do I draw those lines?” he says.

The idea of troops patrolling U.S. streets — even if they’re only picking up trash — is also problematic for the Ohio guard members.

“It’s kind of like fearmongering. People who don’t see people in uniform every day, you send 50 of them out to walk their street, it’s going to send a message,” J says.

[…]

Via https://www.npr.org/2025/11/10/nx-s1-5601819/national-guard-signal-trump-deployments

 

Russia presents ‘counterproposal’ to US draft UNSC resolution for Gaza

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(Photo credit: Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

The Cradle

Russia has proposed its own draft resolution on the Gaza Strip to counter a US proposal submitted to the UN earlier this month, Reuters reported on 13 November.

In a note to the UN Security Council (UNSC) members seen by the outlet, Russia’s UN representative said Moscow’s “counter-proposal is inspired by the US draft.”

“The objective of our draft is to enable the Security Council to develop a balanced, acceptable, and unified approach toward achieving a sustainable cessation of hostilities,” the note went on to say.

According to the report, the Russian draft requests that the UN Secretary General identify “options” for the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is supposed to be deployed to Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan.

“Attempts to sow discord now – when agreement on this resolution is under active negotiation – has grave, tangible, and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza. The ceasefire is fragile and we urge the Council to unite and move forward to secure the peace that is desperately needed,” said a US mission spokesperson in response to Russia’s proposal.

The US submitted its draft in early November and is seeking UN backing. While the language of the US resolution has reportedly been updated, much of it remains the same – particularly regarding the ISF.

The US draft includes a broad mandate for Washington to govern Gaza for at least two years. It also mentions that the ISF will be established in coordination with the Gaza ‘Board of Peace,’ which Trump will head.

According to Reuters, the ‘Board of Peace’ idea has been removed entirely from the Russian draft.

It remains unclear how Trump’s plan will be executed. Israel continues to oppose the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to Gaza – a central element of the ceasefire initiative.

Private US documents cited by POLITICO on 11 November have revealed that Washington has no “clear path forward” for the plan’s implementation.

US officials cited in the report are “deeply concerned” that the agreement could collapse due to the difficulty of implementing it.

Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement with attacks, airstrikes, and the restriction of aid. At least 260 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in Gaza since the deal went into effect last month.

New satellite imagery analyzed by the BBC reveals that Israeli demolitions have destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire deal was reached.

[…]

Via https://thecradle.co/articles/russia-presents-counterproposal-to-us-draft-unsc-resolution-for-gaza

Trump proposes radical healthcare shake-up that would bypass insurers and hand cash directly to millions of Americans

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Trump, 79, took to Truth Social on Saturday to recommend Republicans stop sending federal funds to 'money-sucking insurance companies' and instead give it to the American people to spend on healthcare

By ALYSSA GUZMAN, US NEWS REPORTER

President Donald Trump has proposed a radical new healthcare plan that would hand money directly to Americans instead of to insurers.

[…]

In a post on Truth Social, Trump, 79, said the government should stop sending federal funds to ‘money-sucking insurance companies in order to save the bad healthcare provided by Obamacare.’

Instead, it should go ‘directly to the people so that they can purchase their own, much better healthcare, and have money left over,’ he said.

‘In other words, take from the BIG, BAD insurance companies, give it to the people, and terminate per dollar spent.’

He added that he believes Obamacare is the ‘worst healthcare anywhere in the world.’

It is unclear how exactly Trump’s plan would work.

Private healthcare is typically offered through employers or through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.

It is also unclear who is eligible to receive the money Trump is proposing, how to obtain it, or how much each recipient would receive.

Trump, 79, took to Truth Social on Saturday to recommend Republicans stop sending federal funds to ‘money-sucking insurance companies’ and instead give it to the American people to spend on healthcare

It is unclear how exactly Trump's plan would work or who would be eligible for the money

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.

The ACA got its nickname when former President Barack Obama signed it into law in 2010. It allows citizens under the age of 26 to stay on their parents’ insurance, as well as prohibiting insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

It’s most well-known for allowing people who do not have access to healthcare to purchase ACA-compliant plans, as well as expanding who was eligible for Medicaid to include low-income adults.

[…]

The Original American Languages Part 1

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Bering Strait Land Bridge

Episode 27 The Original American Languages Part 1

Dr John McWhorter (2019)

Film Review

Owing to their intriguing diversity, McWhorter devotes four lectures to indigenous American languages

When Europeans first arrived in American, 300 distinct languages were spoken. Of these 200 are no longer spoken and 50 are hanging by a thread. McWhorter predicts that by 2050 only 12 will be spoken.

At present 350,000 Americans speak indigenous languages, half of them Navajo, Other major indigenous language include Cree, Ojibwe, Hopi, Lakota, Choctaw and Apache.

Many indigenous languages clearly originated in northeast Russia. According to McWhorter, there was a sizeable land bridge known as Beringia between Siberia and Alaska before the last Ice age ended 10,000 years ago and and ocean levels rose.

It’s believed 1,000 Asians migrated to Beringia around 23,000 years ago and were blocked (by glaciers) from traveling further until 16,000 years ago. They likely all spoke the same language on arrival in Beringia. However after 7,000 8,000 years, their population, which had increased exponentially, likely spoke multiple languages.

North American Clovis arrowheads similar to those found in Siberia date from 13,000 years ago and some from El Mate in Southern Chile are 15,000 years old. The Siberian language Ket (see Basque, Ainu, Somali, Etruscan: Languages Without Families) and Navajo are very similar. Both are extremely complicated (all the verbs are irregular) and difficult to learn after infancy.

The massive diversity in Native American language resembles that of Papua New Guinea (see Why Papua New Guinea Has 750 Different Languages ) and the non-Pama-Nyungen languages of Australia (see The Unique Grammar of Indigenous Australian Languages).

At least two distinct families of Native American families have been identified: Na-Dene (Eskimo-Aleut) and Navajo-Apache. The remaining Native American languages probably represent around 20 language families along with numerous language isolates.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/6120000/6120054

Trump Sprays Ex-Terrorist Leader With Cologne, Asks How Many Wives He Has

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Trump sprays perfume, jokes about wives

Curated by : Moneycontrol World Desk
November 12, 2025  

In a moment that blended diplomacy with Donald Trump’s characteristic showmanship, the US president sprayed cologne on visiting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting at the White House on Monday — and then jokingly asked how many wives he had.

“This is the best fragrance. Okay, so what we’ll do, take that. Put it in. And the other one is for your wife,” Trump said, as seen in footage released by Open Intel. “How many wives, one? With you guys I never know, right? I never know.” When al-Sharaa replied, “one,” laughter followed. Trump quipped back, “You never know!”

The perfume, named Trump Victory 45–47, references his first and second presidential terms as the 45th and 47th US president. Priced at $250, the fragrance comes in versions for both men and women. Trump was also seen spraying the scent on al-Sharaa’s delegation, including his aide al-Shaibani, assuring them it was “the best perfume.”

Al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda commander once branded a terrorist by Washington and placed under a $10 million bounty, is the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since Syria’s independence from France in 1946. His visit coincides with Washington’s decision to extend its suspension of sanctions on Syria for another 180 days.

During the meeting, al-Sharaa presented Trump with symbolic gifts — replicas of “the first alphabet, the first seal, and the first musical note.” Trump acknowledged his guest’s turbulent history, remarking, “We’ve all had rough pasts, but he has had a rough past. And I think, frankly, if you didn’t have a rough past, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

[…]

Via https://www.moneycontrol.com/world/video-trump-sprays-syrian-president-ahmed-al-sharaa-with-perfume-asks-how-many-wives-article-13672311.html