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Ukraine is making weapons ‘faster and cheaper’ than anywhere else in Europe — and that’s a problem, Danish PM warns Ukraine is making weapons ‘faster and cheaper’ than anywhere else in Europe — and that’s a problem, Danish PM warns Ukraine can make weaponry “faster and cheaper” than elsewhere in Europe, Denmark’s prime minister said. “We have a problem, friends, if a country at war can produce faster than the rest of us,” Mette Frederiksen said at the Munich Security Conference. Europe’s defense spending has soared in recent years, but problems remain. Denmark’s prime minister has said Ukraine is able to produce weaponry “faster and cheaper” than anywhere else in Europe despite being at war, something she said should alarm the West. Speaking on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, attended by Business Insider, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that Europe must ramp up production efforts going forward, working with the US to do so. “We have a problem, friends, if a country at war can produce faster than the rest of us,” she said. “I’m not saying we are at wartime, but we cannot say we are at peacetime anymore. So, we need to change our mindset.” Frederiksen added that Europe needed “a sense of urgency” and must reduce legislation and bureaucracy to ensure Ukraine “will get what they need, but also to ensure that we are able to protect ourselves.” Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the Munich Security Conference.AP Photo/Matthias Schrader Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine has ramped up domestic arms production, producing increasing numbers of homemade products such as missiles, howitzers, and drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that 30% of the military equipment Ukraine used in 2024 was domestically made. Denmark has spearheaded a major project to make more weaponry in Ukraine, giving Frederiksen a particular insight into Ukraine’s production efforts. While Frederiksen did not point to specific figures, Ukraine’s defense industry has boomed, matching or even outpacing Europe in some areas. The widespread use of drones on the battlefield has seen Ukraine become a leader in drone production, with Kyiv saying the country produced more than 1.5 million first-person-view drones in 2024. Ukraine also said it made 2.5 million mortar and artillery shells from January to November 2024, while the EU said it would make around 2 million artillery shells in 2025. A Ukrainian drone operator.Typhoon drone unit/National Guard of Ukraine Europe has significantly increased defense spending and production in recent years, but some officials say much more needs to be done. Dovilė Šakalienė, the Lithuanian defense minister, told Business Insider in Munich that “Europe needs to up our defense spending very fast and very significantly to be able to stand on equal footing with the United States.” Germany’s defense minister, Boris Pistorius, also addressed the issue over the weekend, saying, “The critics are right that we have to do more and that we did too little in the years before, much too little.” Mark Rutte, NATO’s Secretary General, has also frequently called on European members of the alliance to boost military spending. Speaking in Munich, he said the US was “right” to think “we have to step up, we have to spend more.” He added that both the US and Europe were “not producing nearly enough” and that Russia produces more ammunition in three months than NATO does in a year. But Vice President JD Vance, also appearing in Munich, seemed unmoved by Europe’s pledges, and used his speech to attack what he called free speech violations in Europe. Vance said it was “great” that Europe was planning to boost defense spending but that he was more worried about the threat to Europe from “within” rather than Russia. For his part, Trump has long called for Europe to spend more on defense, threatening to leave NATO if that did not happen and even suggesting before he was re-elected that he would allow Russia to attack NATO members that don’t spend enough on defense. Some countries have already taken big steps toward boosting spending. In 2024, Poland led the alliance in defense spending as a percentage of GDP, with Warsaw investing more than 4% of its economic output in defense. Lithuania and Estonia have also both pledged to increase their own defense spending to 5% of GDP, saying that while they agreed with Trump’s demands, they were not taking that step solely because of the president but because of Russia’s threat. But the future of the US-Europe alliance appears at risk over more than just defense spending. Trump’s team in recent days suggested Europe could be sidelined in negotiations between Russia and the US on Ukraine and that it was “unrealistic” that Ukraine could get back all territory occupied by Russia. Despite rising tensions, many leaders said in Munich that there were still opportunities to keep working with the US to combat Moscow. Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir, the prime minister of Iceland, said that “it’s easy to become very negative” about the US-Europe relationship and called the situation “uncomfortable” as Ukraine’s sovereignty is at stake. But “that doesn’t mean relations with the US have to be bad,” she continued. Šakalienė added that while Trump had “unique” and “unexpected” negotiating tactics, that wasn’t necessarily a negative thing as “playing by the rules does not work with Russia.” As many other European officials said over the weekend, the US also needs Europe and its capabilities as an ally, she went on. Read the original article on Business Insider Source link #Ukraine #making #weapons #faster #cheaper #Europe #problem #Danish #warns Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Kim Sae-ron: South Korean actress found dead, aged 24 – BBC.com Kim Sae-ron: South Korean actress found dead, aged 24 – BBC.com Kim Sae-ron: South Korean actress found dead, aged 24 BBC.comSouth Korean actress Kim Sae-ron found dead at home, police official says Reuters.comSouth Korean actor Kim Sae-ron who died at 24 was planning comeback with a new name and film Hindustan TimesActor Kim Sae-ron, 24, found dead The Korea HeraldKim Sae-ron, Korean Star of ‘A Brand New Life’ and ‘The Man From Nowhere,’ Dies at 24 Variety Source link #Kim #Saeron #South #Korean #actress #dead #aged #BBC.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What to consider when buying an off-farm investment What to consider when buying an off-farm investment With a good 2024 season behind them, many farmers are looking to the property market for an off-farm investment. Source link #buying #offfarm #investment Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stampede at railway station in India kills at least 18 – CBS News Stampede at railway station in India kills at least 18 – CBS News Stampede at railway station in India kills at least 18 CBS News7-Year-Old Child Among the at Least 18 People Killed in Stampede at Train Station: Reports PEOPLENew Delhi Railway Station: Grieving families recount horror of deadly crush BBC.com”A Nail Pierced Her Head”: Man Who Lost His Daughter, 7, In Delhi Stampede NDTV Source link #Stampede #railway #station #India #kills #CBS #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Making choosing a sustainable lifestyle easier Making choosing a sustainable lifestyle easier For many prospective homeowners, sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Source link #Making #choosing #sustainable #lifestyle #easier Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Near ‘catastrophic’: How Windsor’s mayor says tariffs could hit – National Near ‘catastrophic’: How Windsor’s mayor says tariffs could hit – National The mayor of the border city of Windsor, Ont., says the potential for steep U.S. tariffs on ********* goods could have a near “catastrophic” impact on the economy and jobs. Mayor Drew Dilkens told The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson that such tariffs, which U.S. President Donald Trump has delayed until March, would impact many sectors important to his city, including automotive. “We’re on the precipice of being catastrophic,” he said. “Twenty-five per cent for us would certainly mean that the price of vehicles would go up. People would simply defer spending 25 per cent more for the price of a vehicle waiting for some more certainty. It may make imports more attractive, quite frankly.” He went on to explain that shift away from ********* products, and people waiting for more certainty, would then cascade through the supply chain starting with auto manufacturers who would adjust their inventory due to reduced sales, and result in layoffs in automotive factors. Story continues below advertisement Then, the auto parts sector would need fewer people to make less parts for fewer cars, leading to more job cuts. It would even trickle down, Dilkens said, to a worker at Tim Hortons being laid off as people put away money for “weathering the storm,” and cut down on spending. Dilkens said the changes to the supply chain would happen quickly, suggesting Canadians would see impacts in the span of weeks rather than months. 1:48 ********* premiers go to Washington in bid to convince Trump to drop tariffs Trump has threatened across-the-board tariffs of 25 per cent on ********* goods and 10 per cent on energy exports to the U.S., set to start early next month. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Canada is also facing 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports set to come into place on March 12, which would impact cities like Windsor and other cities whose central industry is in steel or aluminum, such as Hamilton, Ont. or Sept-Iles, Que. Story continues below advertisement But Trump has also threatened a tariff of up to 100 per cent on ********* cars, and industry voices in Canada warned that such a tax could lead to a shutdown of the entire North American auto industry. Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, told Global News earlier this week that “hundreds of suppliers and dozens of automakers” said in meetings they would refuse to pay Trump’s surtax, which would bring the industry to a grinding halt. With the supply chain so integrated, Volpe added just one supplier backing out would have immediate impacts. It’s that integration that Dilkens notes would cause such an impact. Parts that go into a vehicle cross the border an average of six or seven times before the car or truck rolls off the line. “We have this tightly-integrated economy that any threat that disrupts it with the effect of tariffs will have a negative impact on my city and our country for sure, but will have an equally impactful result to workers and residents across the other side of the border too,” Dilkens said. Trending Now Why it’s not easy to be a ‘Product of Canada’ at the grocery store Over a pound of fentanyl seized at U.S. border, and it came from Canada The automotive industry, however, isn’t the only one that will see an impact, with Dilkens noting 85 per cent of the produce from agriculture facilities in Windsor-Essex are exported to the U.S. 2:21 ‘American workers first’: White House defends Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum He said stores like Kroger or Costco sell produce such as cucumbers and tomatoes produced in Essex County, where Windsor is located. Story continues below advertisement “I guess the question is, will American consumers, would they be willing to pay 25 per cent more for the product that they buy?” he questioned. “We all have to eat, we don’t all have to buy a car.” Dilkens said in discussions with border city mayors in the U.S., they’ve shown understanding of the impacts tariffs would have on their communities but have added Trump’s rhetoric is a negotiating tactic. What Dilkens says he wants to know is what Trump want to accomplish. “I think the pathway exists, if we only knew what the goalposts were,” Dilkens said. Whether it’s an early renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement or more work on border security, knowing what the “goalposts” are could allow both countries to find a resolution. “Until we know what that end goal is, it’s very difficult for us to continue to throw darts at the dartboard, hoping that we pop the right balloon,” Dilkens said. —with files from Global News Mercedes Stephenson More on Canada More videos &copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #catastrophic #Windsors #mayor #tariffs #hit #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sprawling Perth still facing density challenge Sprawling Perth still facing density challenge Perth’s challenge of urban density presents uniquely local complexities. Source link #Sprawling #Perth #facing #density #challenge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Airwrap deal I’ve been holding out for just landed – get $100 off the original version before it disappears forever The Airwrap deal I’ve been holding out for just landed – get $100 off the original version before it disappears forever Head over to Dyson right now, and you can pick up an Airwrap for $499.99 rather than the usual $599.99. The deal is price-matched at Amazon, but the Dyson version comes with free hair styling clips, so you might as well go for that one unless you’re a Prime member wanting next-day delivery. There are all kinds of Presidents’ Day deals, but this is the one I’ve been holding out for because I think it might be one of the last times we’ll be able to pick up an Airwrap for such a low price. Why? Because in 2024 Dyson brought out a new version of the Airwrap, called the Airwrap i.d. and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get hold of the previous 2022 version – so much so I suspect it’s being phased out. I’ll go into more detail on the differences below, but essentially, the 2022 Airwrap is cheaper than the i.d. but still does everything most people would want it to. Good Dyson discounts are rare, and it’s well worth taking advantage of when they do appear – the Airwrap is one of the very best hair stylers on the market, but it’s not cheap. Today’s best Dyson Airwrap deal What are you sacrificing with this 2022 version of the Airwrap? I go into detail in my Dyson Airwrap i.d. vs Airwrap comparison, but essentially the i.d. version has a button to launch an automated curl sequence – wrap, curl, cool shot – rather than you having to do it manually. Said sequence is timed to suit your specific hair type, using info provided in a companion app. It’s a cool addition, but it won’t be essential for many people. The 2022 Airwrap is still a superb styler. You can find out more in our Dyson Airwrap review, but the main selling point is its curling barrels, which use the ‘Coanda’ airflow to bend your hair into shape as it dries it, without the need for the kind of sky-high temperatures used by traditional curling irons. Because it’s Dyson, you can also expect superb build quality – this one comes with its own storage box to keep everything safe. Source link #Airwrap #deal #Ive #holding #landed #original #version #disappears Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

How to Watch the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards Online – Variety How to Watch the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards Online – Variety How to Watch the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards Online VarietyBAFTA 2025: When, where to watch red carpet, live streaming of award ceremony in India Hindustan TimesBAFTAs 2025 Red Carpet Arrivals (Updating Live) VarietyBaftas 2025: the red carpet, the ceremony, the winners – live! The Guardian’Conclave’ leads the pack and struggling ‘Emilia Pérez’ faces a test at Britain’s BAFTA film awards The Associated Press Source link #Watch #BAFTA #Film #Awards #Online #Variety Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jesus Christ Superstar review: *********** production opens with energy and intensity at Crown Theatre Perth Jesus Christ Superstar review: *********** production opens with energy and intensity at Crown Theatre Perth Jesus Christ Superstar will appeal to a slightly different audience demographic than other seasons at Crown Theatre Perth featuring Disney adaptations or standard show tunes. Source link #Jesus #Christ #Superstar #review #*********** #production #opens #energy #intensity #Crown #Theatre #Perth Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Older AI models show signs of cognitive decline, study shows – Livescience.com Older AI models show signs of cognitive decline, study shows – Livescience.com Older AI models show signs of cognitive decline, study shows Livescience.com Source link #Older #models #show #signs #cognitive #decline #study #shows #Livescience.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Elden Ring Nightreigns Leaked DLC Plans Are a Promising Sign Elden Ring Nightreigns Leaked DLC Plans Are a Promising Sign Some information around Elden Ring Nightreign’s approach to DLC has surfaced, hinting at a welcome move away from some divisive multiplayer norms. Source link #Elden #Ring #Nightreigns #Leaked #DLC #Plans #Promising #Sign Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Campher stars for Ireland in 6-wicket win over Zimbabwe Campher stars for Ireland in 6-wicket win over Zimbabwe Ireland have beaten Zimbabwe by six wickets off the back of a superb all-round performance from Curtis Campher in Harare. Levelling their one-day international series at 1-1 with one game to go, the visitors were indebted to Campher who, after taking 3-13 to help bowl Zimbabwe out for 245 in 49 overs, then scored 63 in a second-wicket stand of 144 with captain Paul Stirling to break the back of the chase. Zimbabwe had been 3-151, opener Brian Bennett making 30, before Campher removed top-scorer Wessly Madhevere for 61 and quickly added the wickets of Johnathan Campbell and Tadiwanashe Marumani. Sikanda Raza made 58 and lower-order batters Wellington Masakadza (35) and Richard Ngarava (17no) helped Zimbabwe to a competitive total before Mark Adair took the final two wickets to finish with 4-54. Ireland lost Andy Balbirnie for 11 but opening partner Stirling reached a 65-ball half-century with six fours and a six. The patient Campher followed in 80 ****** before eventually being trapped lbw by a short delivery from Trevor Gwandu that kept low. Stirling holed out off Richard Ngarava for 89 but Lorcan Tucker (36no) and George Dockrell (20no) marshalled the closing stages of the chase. The decider takes place on Tuesday at the same Harare Sports Club venue. Source link #Campher #stars #Ireland #6wicket #win #Zimbabwe Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

MultiVersus’ Fate Does Not Have to Be Sealed MultiVersus’ Fate Does Not Have to Be Sealed -Foxtrot12d ago I feel like you’re twisting this and missing my point. You’re coming across like I’ve said every single time this happens it’s fake or something which is not what I was saying. I mentioned it ‘sometimes’ comes across like that because when it happens it’s usually linked up to a controversy that’s happening alongside it where the studio, publisher, industry person is getting a lot of heat. As I’ve mentioned above if you remove his comments about the threats his entire statement is so hollow, where he seems to miss the point and it just looks like an overall bad response to the ongoing situation. The statement doesn’t disprove any of the reports coming out about him, the studio, how he was apparently running it and how he treat people. If people named and shamed these trolls online then it doesn’t just help the victim but it helps other people who might suffer from this elsewhere as these people will start be more cautious, afraid of being publicly exposed in the future and will think twice about posting anything malicious. You’ll be surprised how many of them use their real accounts and the last thing they will want is being exposed on their main where people will give them a taste of their own medicine. If people don’t do anything or expose them then these kinds of people will just get away with it thinking they can keep on doing it to others where the problem just continues to grow. I just hate the thought of these big companies (Hollywood does this aswell) making silly decisions and when they get heat for it they look for the usual online trolls who go a step to far, make them look ******* than they are and shift the blame to them as a get out of jail free card. When you then state your legit criticism in a fair manner you are grouped together with these horrible people and made to look like you are part of the problem, sweeping anything you have to say under the rug which is exactly what the company wants. Source link #MultiVersus #Fate #Sealed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The teen loneliness machine – Axios The teen loneliness machine – Axios The teen loneliness machine Axios Source link #teen #loneliness #machine #Axios Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Netanyahu vows to ‘finish the job’ against Iran with support from Trump – CNN Netanyahu vows to ‘finish the job’ against Iran with support from Trump – CNN Netanyahu vows to ‘finish the job’ against Iran with support from Trump CNNRubio, Netanyahu affirm ‘common strategy’ for Gaza, set sights on Iran in joint statement Fox NewsRubio Visits Israel as Trump Pushes Plan to Expel Palestinians From Gaza The New York TimesRubio says ****** ‘must be eradicated’, casting doubt on Gaza ceasefire deal Al Jazeera English Source link #Netanyahu #vows #finish #job #Iran #support #Trump #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Why U.S. ranchers and farmers are alarmed about Canada’s “super pigs” Why U.S. ranchers and farmers are alarmed about Canada’s “super pigs” Near Melfort, Saskatchewan — As the sun sets on the ********* Prairies, the search begins for one of North America’s most destructive animals, a fast-growing population of wild hogs that biologists call “super pigs.” Dr. Ryan Brook, a professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Resources, has been tracking them for years. He says they’re in the search area for sure. “No question,” Brook told CBS News. “And like, lots of them, not just two, three, there’s a lot of pigs out there. It’s kind of mildly alarming just how many pigs there are around us right now.” These super pigs have American border states on guard. Experts say they pose a multibillion-dollar threat to the U.S. economy if they ever cross from Canada into the U.S. Brook, one of Canada’s leading authorities on super pigs, calls them an “ecological trainwreck.” They’re crossbreeds — wild boars deliberately bred with domestic pigs. They’re big, smart and prolific breeders. And their population is now spreading out of control. “I think there’s two challenges in Canada,” Brook explains on why they have become so difficult to eradicate. “One is their biology makes them very, very hard to get rid of. They reproduce faster than you can shoot them.” They will eat anything to survive, according to Brook. They tear up land and reproduce quickly, with devastating consequences to ranchers and farmers. For Saskatchewan farmers fed up with the damage, Alain Guillet is the man they call. He catches and kills nearly five super pigs a week. “They’ve eaten that’s of value off of it, so he’s lost all this,” Guillet said as he showed CBS News farmland which was ravaged by the super pigs. “As these populations get ******* and *******, we’re going to see more crop damage,” Brook explains. “We’re gonna see potential disease spread. These pigs can spread disease to humans, to pets, to wildlife, and to livestock.” Americans have reason to worry. Wild pigs already cause around $2.5 billion in damage to U.S. crops every year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And they can be aggressive toward humans. A woman in Texas was killed by wild pigs in 2019. Maggie Nutter, a fourth-generation rancher near Sweetgrass, Montana, keeps a watchful eye out for trespassers. Her ranch is right on the ********* border. “So here’s the border fence in between us and Canada, just an old barbed-wire fence that I repair in the summer,” Nutter shows CBS News. “You look at all the damage…the billions of dollars of damage that those pigs do down south, and the damage that they’re doing up in Canada,” Nutter adds. “We can’t afford them…It already costs, you know, so much for farm equipment. So much for hay, so much for diesel, we can’t afford pigs.” Montana has launched a “Squeal on Pigs” campaign, urging anyone who has seen feral swine to alert officials. Brook believes it is not if the super pigs spill over the border, but when. “Well, this is what I’ve been warning for now into 15 years,” Brook said. “And warning anybody who would listen that this is coming.” President Trump wants to dismantle the Department of Education. Here’s what would be impacted. Doctor calls Trump’s vaccine order “theater” because no schools have COVID vaccine mandates Jannik Sinner gets 3-month ban for failing drug tests Source link #U.S #ranchers #farmers #alarmed #Canadas #super #pigs Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Transcript: Rep. Dan Crenshaw on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 16, 2025 Transcript: Rep. Dan Crenshaw on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 16, 2025 The following is the transcript of an interview with GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Feb. 16, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: And we go now to Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who joins us from the Munich Security Conference. Congressman, thank you for joining us. You recently met with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers. I understand that he has asked, not just for continued military support now, but security assurances in the event of a peace deal. What can you tell him about what to expect from America? REP. DAN CRENSHAW: I just- I just came from a lunch where General Kellogg spoke as a Special Envoy leading this effort to establish peace. And he’s very clear that what the kind of peace we’re talking about is a lasting peace, which, of course, involves security assurances. And part of that process is figuring out exactly what that means. Even the Ukrainians are talking about what that means. There’s a variety of options, per se. I think the Europeans have to play a huge role in that. One of the things that gets talked about a lot is, what are European forces actually acting as a peacekeeping force? I’m here to constantly remind the Europeans, and I made this clear in various meetings here today, that, you know, if you want a seat at the table, because this is- this was a contentious issue that came up. You know, the Ukrainians clearly have a seat at the table, and the United States will be the intermediate- intermediary as we try to establish a peace deal. But the Europeans need to demand a seat at the table by- by being uncomfortably aggressive, which is something they haven’t done. They often talk– MARGARET BRENNAN: — What do you mean? — REP. DAN CRENSHAW: — about how they have matched U.S.- I’m telling you what I mean. They often talk about how they’ve matched U.S. aid, for instance. And I say, well, you should be doubling it. You should be tripling it. It’s your continent. You should be threatening things to Putin that actually make you uncomfortable, because that’s how- that’s the only language Putin speaks is power. And when General Kellogg is at that table with Putin, he’s only got a finite amount of leverage, and there’s only so much more leverage that the U.S. can- can impose. And if anybody can do it, I think it’s Donald Trump, and he’s already- he’s already said that, that nothing is off the table. Vice President Vance said that nothing is off the table. Economic, military, they will use the amount of leverage they can. My message to European leaders, I’m really not talking to you right now, I’m talking to European leaders right now, is if we want to win, if we want a better outcome for Ukraine, at the end of these peace talks, you need to be uncomfortably aggressive. You need to not just bolster your own defense spending, I mean because that’s a long-term issue. That’s a long term investment. You need to be talking about where you’re going to be putting actual troops on the ground. Stop following our lead and actually take the lead. Let us be actually holding you back. That would be an ideal situation and- and- and vastly change the power dynamic when dealing with Putin MARGARET BRENNAN: So I just want to understand what you’re describing here. There already is a military security alliance known as NATO. You are saying you think there should be something else, or some other entity providing security assurances for Ukraine? REP. CRENSHAW: European soldiers. I mean- look, Europeans send aid, right? They send weapons. They do the same things we do, they match it barely. My argument to them is you shouldn’t be matching it. You should be doubling it. You should be tripling it. It’s your continent. Zelenskyy had a- gave a speech today. He talked about a European army, right? So there’s- there’s- there’s a lot of talk about this. Of course, there’s NATO. That’s- that’s a security that’s- that’s a defensive alliance. That’s- that’s- that’s not an army. That’s- we’re talking about different things here. The Europeans need to come together, in my opinion, and have just a much stronger message towards Putin, instead of finger wagging at us about what we’re willing to give and not give in a peace deal. Again, I tell them, look, if you- if you want a seat at the table, earn it. The Ukrainians have earned it. The Ukrainians have impressed everybody for the last three years. They’ve fought valiantly and courageously. They’ve earned my respect. They earned that seat at the table. We need to listen to their- to what they want. We listen to Zelenskyy. And I want to listen to other European leaders as well, but I want them to be uncomfortably aggressive, because that gives us more leverage in order to help Ukraine come out with a better outcome. MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. You said that both President Trump and Vice President Vance were clear, nothing is off the table. However, the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did seem, in Brussels, to take things quite explicitly off the table. He said the U.S. does not want Ukraine in NATO and that Ukraine would not return to its pre-2014 borders, which acknowledges giving up some of Crimea and potentially the east. Do you think offering concessions before negotiations begin is a good strategy here? REP. CRENSHAW: Yeah, I think you have to listen to the White House as a whole. They walked- they walked those back and made it clear that nothing is off- nothing is off the table. So- no, you walk into a negotiation with everything on the table. And I think that’s exactly what this White House is doing and what General Kellogg is, I think, the right guy to do it. And again, I just heard from him speak to a whole group of European leaders. We were there with Ukrainian soldiers, Ukrainian leaders. And look, there’s a path forward here. We don’t know the details yet, because we barely started. It’s less than a month since this administration has been in power, and they want to move fast, and everybody’s a little nervous, but I think they should be much more optimistic than they should be nervous. You needed a seismic shift here. This is not a sustainable operation in Ukraine. If Kamala Harris had been president, you’d be going along the same lines, which is basically funding this war until every Ukrainian is dead. That’s not an end that we can accept. There has to be some talk of negotiation. You know, I remind American people to from- from our perspective, from- from American strategic deterrence perspective, even getting Putin to that table to talk about an end to the war is a massive strategic win for us, because it establishes back our deterrence over time. MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you know that he is actually committing to come to the table? Secretary of State Rubio said the other day, the Russians haven’t even figured out if they have, you know, picked out negotiators. We don’t have a commitment to actually negotiate from Vladimir Putin. REP. CRENSHAW: No, we don’t. And you know what would be really helpful? What I said before, if the EU was uncomfortably aggressive about it. MARGARET BRENNAN: — Got it– REP. CRENSHAW: Again, Putin only responds to power. And this is- this is what I remind Western leaders here to. Western- Westerners don’t speak that language. Westerners talk about negotiations and- and, you know- and good moral values that we share and we believe each other. That’s not how the East works. They only respond to power. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, okay, on that point, Vladimir Putin, it sounds like you would agree, is an accused war criminal. He is a dictator. There is a warrant out for his arrest, as you know, he invaded Ukraine. He is clearly a U.S. adversary, but this past week, President Trump said he’d love to have Putin back in the G8 which would make him again a peer global leader. President Trump floated inviting him to the U.S. or even visiting Russia himself. Do you think any of that is appropriate? REP. CRENSHAW: It’s more appropriate than not talking to him for the last two years, which is what President Biden did. Who did that help? It hasn’t gotten us anywhere– MARGARET BRENNAN: Talking is different than inviting him to the United States. REP. CRENSHAW: Sure. I mean, you can parse it out however you like, but the reality is is you’re going to have to get him to the table somehow, right? And there’s a carrot and a stick approach. Trump can use a lot- you can use a lot of leverage, and then the Europeans need to use a lot more leverage. But you also have that carrot approach, and Trump is good at that. He’s good at flattering people in order to get them to the table. That is what we need, whether we like it or not, that’s what we need. That’s what Ukraine needs. Ukraine cannot sustain this, no matter how much money we give them, cannot sustain this forever, and so it is in our interest to get him to that table and there’s a variety of ways to do it, and I trust the president’s at least doing a heck of a lot better job than anybody else. I don’t see- I don’t hear any other ideas, by the way, so this is what we’re going with. MARGARET BRENNAN: But flattering, a very brutal dictator who’s pretty cunning, frankly, you really think that’s a winning strategy? REP. CRENSHAW: He’s not that cunning. He’s fought a war that has destroyed his society, killed hundreds of thousands of Russians. He’s made a massive mistake and miscalculation. He’s not as clever as maybe we’ve given him credit for. I think, let Trump do his campaign promise and play this out. Look, nobody’s going to take advantage of Donald Trump. And General Kellogg made that very clear, because that was a question Europeans asked him, you know, we- are you going to sell out just- just- just to get a deal? Just to get a deal that’s because of the campaign promise? Kellogg just laughed at that. He’s like, there is no way, there is absolutely no way that Donald Trump will be seen, and he will not let himself go down in history as having sold out to Putin. He will not let that happen. He believes- just for the sake of his own legacy, but he does care about lasting peace here, and lasting European peace. Again, my messaging, I’m not even talking to you right now, I’m talking to European leaders, you have to be uncomfortably aggressive against Putin in order to actually help us make this happen. MARGARET BRENNAN: But I think you know, some of the things Europeans point to is the fact that the United States cut out our allied government in Afghanistan from the negotiation Donald Trump cut with the Taliban. So there is a reason they point back to that and say, don’t do this again. Don’t cut Ukraine out of a negotiation with an enemy. REP. CRENSHAW: Sure, I mean, and I criticized that decision too, but that’s just not what’s happening now. This is a vastly different situation. I just met with Zelenskyy last night. They’re having very good conversations with our administration. The Ukrainians, I think, are very- the Europeans have all sorts of opinions. The Ukrainians, I think, are very optimistic as they should be. We’ve had some very good conversations, some very realistic conversations, and I’m very excited and optimistic about what can happen here. MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, just because I raised Afghanistan to you, I want to ask you, you were one of the co-sponsors of the Afghan Adjustment Act, which was an effort to help bring some of those Afghans who helped the United States in its war in Afghanistan here to the United States for safety reasons. They are now stuck because of this Trump refugee ban. This is not just special immigrant visa holders. These are refugees writ large. Do you think the U.S. should continue to bring those Afghans to the U.S.? REP. CRENSHAW: Yeah, let’s actually be really clear. The reason they’re stuck is because Joe Biden pulled out of Afghanistan and had a zero troop policy despite every adviser telling him it was a terrible idea. That’s why they’re stuck. I still support bringing our allies back. I mean, to answer your question, it is obviously still a policy that I support, and we’ll work with the administration to make it happen. I mean, look, I was blown up because one of my interpreters stepped on a- on an IED right in front of me. He died. He lost all four limbs. Died later that night. These are- these are patriots. They were fighting for- with us, alongside of us, for their own country, for our interests. Of course, actual allies need to be brought home. I think the unfortunate thing about that withdrawal is a lot of people who are not even our allies made it back on those flights, and then the people who are our allies, including U.S. citizens, were left behind. Again, we cannot blame Donald Trump for this. Donald Trump never left Afghanistan and we can say, well, he wanted to, well, he never did. That’s the reality — MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. I’m just asking about the policy now. REP. CRENSHAW –So, we’re going to work with the administration on this, and also, Congress still has to pass that. I mean — MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. REP. CRENSHAW –You know it’s- there’s- it goes beyond the the executive at this moment, MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, when it comes to the military and military spending, the U.S. spends about 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense. Are you on board with boosting it to five percent which is what President Trump is saying western countries need to do? Are Republicans going to do that? REP. CRENSHAW: It’s- it’s quite the target. Look, we’ve got a lot of work to do right now on- we’ve got a budget to pass, last year’s budget. Government funding expires on March 14, so we got to deal with that. We got to deal with the debt ceiling. We’ve got to finance disaster aid for California wildfires. We’ve got a reconciliation bill coming up. Look, you look at- you look at the world at the moment, and where America stands and the investments we need to make, it’s pretty obvious we need to increase defense spending, and the exact amount, of course, will get worked out in Congress. MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman Crenshaw, thank you for joining us. REP. CRENSHAW: Thanks for having me. Face The Nation Transcripts More More Source link #Transcript #Rep #Dan #Crenshaw #Face #Nation #Margaret #Brennan #Feb Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump’s Tariffs Are a Mystery, So Investors Keep Buying Stocks – Bloomberg Trump’s Tariffs Are a Mystery, So Investors Keep Buying Stocks – Bloomberg Trump’s Tariffs Are a Mystery, So Investors Keep Buying Stocks BloombergInvestors rush to protect against Wall Street ‘volatility spikes’ Financial TimesWhy Investors Appear Unfazed by the Latest Trump Tariffs The New York TimesTrump’s Trade War: 3 Immediate Moves to Protect Your Wealth The Motley Fool Canada Source link #Trumps #Tariffs #Mystery #Investors #Buying #Stocks #Bloomberg Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Transcript: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 16, 2025 Transcript: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 16, 2025 The following is the transcript of an interview with GOP Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Feb. 16, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: And joining me now is Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joining us from Munich Security Conference. Senator, you were on stage with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy Friday, discussing the future of U.S. and Ukraine security cooperation. He said he hopes President Trump will help Ukraine. Can Congress? Can senators like yourself give him any assurances that U.S. support in his fight with Russia will continue? SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, we had a bipartisan panel participating with President Zelenskyy, two Democrats, two Republicans, and I think it’s fair to say that we were unanimous in our support for Ukraine, for continuing the fight against Russia, for thinking about how we hold Vladimir Putin accountable, and for providing as much leverage as we can to Ukraine before any kind of negotiations start to end the war. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, in terms of negotiations, there were some comments made by President Trump this week. There were also comments made by his Defense Secretary that I know got a lot of attention among our European counterparts. The Defense Secretary said returning to Ukraine’s pre 2014 borders is unrealistic. He’s suggesting that maybe the east and another part of Ukraine and Crimea will be taken by Russia. Why do you think there was this plan to give concessions before talks begin? SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, I think it was a mixed message coming from the administration. On the one hand, you heard Secretary Hegseth saying they were going to take NATO off the table, that Ukraine needed to give up territory, and on the other hand, you had Vice President Vance yesterday, or at the conference, saying that everything should be on the table, including the possibility of putting boots on the ground in Ukraine. So it’s a mixed message. I hope that the upshot of that is that we are going to do everything we can to support Ukraine. MARGARET BRENNAN: In terms of what Congress can do, are your hands tied here? Or are some of your Republican colleagues willing to put something perhaps in an upcoming defense bill, for example, that might help Ukraine? SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, I think that’s one option. One of the things that we’re talking about doing right away is making some statements on the the repossession of assets by Russia that are held in the United States and in Europe, and the importance of having those assets go to Ukraine to help both with the execution of the military conflict, but also to think about rebuilding. Again, there’s bipartisan support, there was bipartisan support for the bill, and there’s bipartisan support to continue to try and ensure that those assets from Russia get repaid to Ukraine, because Russia is really the aggressor here, and we need to hold Vladimir Putin accountable. MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, your Republican counterpart, Roger Wicker, He is the chair of the Armed Services Committee was really sharp in his comments at Munich. He was saying he was puzzled. He was disturbed by what the Defense Secretary, a member of his own party, had said about Ukraine. He was very clear that what Vladimir Putin is doing, he said, is absolutely out of Adolf Hitler’s playbook. Those are sharp words, considering the President of the United States says he wants to meet face to face to Vladimir Putin and possibly bring him to the White House. SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, they are sharp words, and they are very much justified, regardless of what President Trump may be doing to try and lay the groundwork for any future negotiations. The fact is, there is strong bipartisan support in Congress to help Ukraine in this unfair war that Russia has initiated. And I think Senator Wicker’s comments are very important. We need to make sure that the world knows that we want to hold Vladimir Putin and Russia accountable for what, for what they’ve done. MARGARET BRENNAN: At the conference you’re at, you are able to speak with European leaders. What are they saying to you about their view of America now? SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, we’re here in Munich, which is one of the biggest security conferences worldwide, and we have leaders from all over the world, a lot of European leaders. And we had a chance to meet with representatives from Britain, from Canada, not a European country, but also very concerned about Ukraine. With- people from the Balkan countries, with President Zelenskyy, obviously, and there is a great deal of concern about the U.S. position on Ukraine. At the panel that we had with President Zelenskyy, we talked about the importance of Europe and the United States acting in concert so that we can hold Putin accountable with sanctions, so that we can- so that there is no daylight between the United States and our NATO allies and our European allies. Clearly, that’s what Vladimir Putin has been trying to do throughout this conflict, and we need to make it clear that that is not going to happen, that we are going to work together and we are going to support Ukraine. MARGARET BRENNAN: Does Congress need to be any part of approving this deal President Trump says he wants, to take possession of some of the critical minerals that Ukraine has inside their territory? He says he wants to use that as sort of repayment for what the U.S. has spent on weapons. SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, I think there are some benefits to having the United States have some investments in Ukraine. That’s part of what a critical minerals deal would do. It’s not at all clear who- who has possession of those critical minerals. Some of them are in the eastern part of Ukraine, where Russia controls the territory, some of them are owned by private- actually, oligarchs. There are some oligarchs who own a number of those critical mineral sites. So I think those are details that have not yet been worked out, and I have not seen the agreement that’s been put in front of President Zelenskyy. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we know Zelenskyy will be discussing that with other members of the administration. We’ll stay tuned on that, but I do want to bring up something that we– SEN. SHAHEEN: He– MARGARET BRENNAN: Sorry, go ahead. SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, I just- I wanted to- one of the things that in our conversations with President Zelenskyy, that we talked about, that I know that he’s got to be concerned about, is making sure that Ukraine is at the table, whether literally, or however those negotiations work out, for any conversations about what happens in Ukraine, and President Zelenskyy reiterated, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. And I- he got reassurances from the bipartisan senators that he met with, that we agree, Ukraine absolutely must be part of any negotiations between Russia and the United States. MARGARET BRENNAN: But you know, for this administration, they have made the argument time and again that Europe needs to do more to defend itself, that the U.S. can’t be responsible for it. Senator Lindsey Graham, who was alongside you with Zelenskyy, defended President Trump’s phone call earlier this week with Vladimir Putin, saying, “All the people worried about the phone call, where were you when we needed to stop Putin?” He was talking about going all the way back to 2014, in the Obama administration. What do you think- you know, how do you respond to this idea that this was just a conversation, and that if people were truly worried about security, they should have done more earlier? SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, I think we should have done more earlier. In 2014 I was in the group that said we needed to give lethal weapons to Ukraine so that they could fight back. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but- but now the issue is, what are we going to do to ensure that they can continue to protect their territorial integrity, that we don’t allow Vladimir Putin, or any other dictator, to unilaterally invade a country just because they want to get the territory? And we know that China and President Xi are watching very closely what happens in Ukraine. We’ve seen North Korea send troops, and they’re losing thousands of North Koreans in this battle. We know Iran is watching. So this is not just about Russia and Ukraine. It’s also about our other adversaries, and whether both our allies and our adversaries understand that we are going to stand up and support our allies and do everything we can to ensure that they are successful, that the United States is not going to walk away. MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about China. You wrote a letter along with your Republican colleague, Susan Collins, stating concern that this so-called buyout program the Trump administration is offering would leave at risk a Navy shipyard in the Northeast that helps to service submarines. You pointed right at the nuclear threat posed by China to the United States. Have you responded- have you received a response from the Navy, and how significant of an impact will this have? SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, we haven’t received a response. That was in- with concern about a shipyard, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard that New Hampshire and Maine shares. So the delegations from both New Hampshire and Maine are very concerned about what happens at the shipyard. They do maintenance and repair on our nuclear submarine fleet. It’s one of the areas where we have an advantage over China. We need to ensure that our submarine fleet is maintained, that it’s out and sea worthy, and we need to ensure that we have the workers that it takes to do all of that work, that we are able to make the investments in our public shipyards so they can do the repairs and make sure that those nuclear submarines are patrolling our seas and keeping America safe. MARGARET BRENNAN: Before I let you go, I need to ask you about this freeze on foreign assistance. I know one of your colleagues has put a hold on all the picks to go to the State Department to work under Secretary Rubio because of these objections, do you support putting a freeze on getting Secretary Rubio’s team in place? Is that in the best interest of the country right now? SEN. SHAHEEN: Listen, I think we need to get all of our diplomatic officials on the ground as quickly as possible. But what Elon Musk and this administration have done is to unilaterally stop our programs that are providing critical foreign assistance that help keep America safe, that help blunt China, that help address- I mean, in Ukraine, we know that there are programs that have been stopped because of what’s happening. We have commodities that are from U.S. farmers that are sitting in ports around the world and in the U.S. that can’t get to the people. These are commodities that have been paid for and they can’t get unloaded because of the stop work orders and this freeze. That doesn’t make sense. That’s not efficient. And what we’re doing is leaving a vacuum for China and Russia and our adversaries to move into and really eliminate the trust that has been built over years because of all of the good work that has been done by these foreign assistance efforts. MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Shaheen, thank you for your time today. SEN. SHAHEEN: Thank you. MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’ll be right back. Face The Nation Transcripts More More Source link #Transcript #Sen #Jeanne #Shaheen #Face #Nation #Margaret #Brennan #Feb Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Rep. Dan Crenshaw says Europe should be “uncomfortably aggressive” to counter Russia Rep. Dan Crenshaw says Europe should be “uncomfortably aggressive” to counter Russia Washington — Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, said European leaders need to have a “much stronger message” toward Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine amid efforts to kickstart peace talks and an eventual deal to end the war. “If we want to win, if we want a better outcome for Ukraine, at the end of these peace talks, you need to be uncomfortably aggressive,” Crenshaw said of his message to European leaders on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” Crenshaw, speaking from the Munich Security Conference, was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the annual security summit in recent days. They also heard from retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia who is involved with handling the peace talks. The Texas Republican said Kellogg was “very clear that what the kind of peace we’re talking about is a lasting peace,” which he said will involve security assurances. Crenshaw said exactly what that looks like is still being determined, while arguing that Europe must be a major player. Rep. Dan Crenshaw appears on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. CBS News Crenshaw said European countries need to not only bolster their defense spending, but also talk about “where you’re going to be putting actual troops on the ground.” “Stop following our lead and actually take the lead,” Crenshaw said. “Let us be actually holding you back. That would be an ideal situation, and vastly change the power dynamic when dealing with Putin.” Crenshaw argued that if European leaders want a seat at the table, they should “earn it.” “We listen to Zelenskyy,” Crenshaw said. “And I want to listen to other European leaders as well, but I want them to be uncomfortably aggressive, because that gives us more leverage in order to help Ukraine come out with a better outcome.” The comments come as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has drawn criticism even among some Republicans in recent days for suggesting it was unrealistic for Ukraine to expect NATO membership. He also cast doubt that the country will be able to return to its pre-2014 borders, before Russia first invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Hegseth later walked back those comments, saying that “everything is on the table.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who also appeared on “Face the Nation” Sunday, said the administration is sending a “mixed message” on Ukraine. She said she’s hopeful that “the upshot of that is that we are going to do everything we can to support Ukraine.” But Crenshaw defended the White House’s posture toward the possible peace talks, saying “you have to listen to the White House as a whole,” noting that the administration made clear that “nothing is off the table.” “You walk into a negotiation with everything on the table. And I think that’s exactly what this White House is doing,” Crenshaw said, adding that “there’s a path forward here,” although the details aren’t yet clear. Crenshaw acknowledged that the U.S. hasn’t yet received a commitment to negotiate from Putin, reiterating his request of European leaders to get “uncomfortably aggressive” with the Russian leader, who he said “only responds to power.” More Kaia Hubbard Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Source link #Rep #Dan #Crenshaw #Europe #uncomfortably #aggressive #counter #Russia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Federal plan to reduce government office space could be a blow to Chicago, where selling properties wouldn’t be easy Federal plan to reduce government office space could be a blow to Chicago, where selling properties wouldn’t be easy The future of the federal government’s footprint in Chicago is uncertain as the Trump administration embarks on a plan to shed up to half of all government office space across the nation, while also shrinking the federal workforce. The federal government owns 19 properties in Chicago, including the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building and the 28-story Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building. It also leases more than 2 million square feet of space throughout the entire metro area, including a 439,000-square-foot complex at 2111 W. Roosevelt Road, which has served as the regional headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2006. Although it accounts for only a small slice of Chicago real estate, a pullback by the federal government could deal a blow to the shaky downtown office market. It’s also unclear how a downsizing of federal space might unfold, and whether the government could entice buyers if it attempts to sell any Chicago buildings. “Investors like certainty, and there is way too much uncertainty right now, especially with the federal government’s plans for downsizing and what that would mean,” said Alissa Adler, a senior vice president of Colliers, a commercial real estate firm. Prospective buyers of federal buildings may worry about getting stuck with vacant offices, depending on how far Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency go in reducing the federal workforce. “The last thing Chicago needs right now are more vacant office buildings,” Adler said. The U.S. General Services Administration operates most federal offices and has not released any detailed plans. GSA officials also did not confirm a report this week from Wired magazine that “non-core” assets, including the Kluczynski building, home to the offices of U.S. Sen. ***** Durbin, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the Internal Revenue Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration, could be sold. “Core assets,” such as the Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse at 219 S. Dearborn St., would remain in federal hands. “GSA is reviewing all options to optimize our footprint and building utilization,” a GSA spokesperson said in a written statement to the Tribune. “GSA is actively working with our tenant agencies to assess their space needs and fully optimize the federal footprint, and we’ll share more information on specific savings and facilities as soon as we’re able.” Building tenants say they don’t know what specific steps the GSA might take. “We haven’t heard anything about the disposal of any GSA buildings that house offices of Senator Durbin, but are aware that DOGE is looking to dramatically reduce the workforce and property holdings of GSA, and restricting the sharing of information,” said Emily Hampsten, Durbin’s deputy chief of staff, in a written statement. A recent message to employees of GSA’s Public Buildings Service from its newly hired commissioner Michael Peters stated the government occupied too much space, and much of its portfolio had substantial levels of deferred maintenance, increasing the costs for taxpayers. “It is clear that the footprint (leased and owned) of non-(Department of Defense) federal building space should be reduced by at least 50%,” Peters stated in the message, which was viewed by the Tribune. “This reduction will come from more efficient space utilization, as well as an overall downsizing of the federal workforce.” “GSA is going to be a substantially smaller organization in the future,” he added. The strategy is an acceleration of trends in place for more than a decade. The GSA began shrinking its footprint after 2012, when the federal government was leasing 198.6 million square feet of space across the U.S., according to a Colliers analysis. The agency had shed almost 21 million square feet of leased space by the end of 2023. Robin Carnahan, director of GSA during the Biden administration, said in late 2023 that because federal agencies were continuing hybrid and remote work strategies, the government could shrink its footprint by another 30%, consolidating many offices and selling off underutilized buildings. In 2023, the GSA said it wanted to sell the William O. Lipinski Federal Building at 844 N. Rush St. on Chicago’s Near North Side. The 15-story building houses the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, which administers benefit programs for the nation’s railroad workers. The GSA has not yet secured a buyer. The Trump administration added a twist to Carnahan’s plan, proposing deeper cuts in owned and leased space while insisting federal workers should return to the office, mostly scrapping remote work. Most future space cuts will likely come from federal properties around Washington, D.C., which accounted for nearly 60% of the reductions since 2012, according to Colliers. The government still leases about 46 million square feet in the D.C. metro area. The federal government owns more than 5.3 million square feet in Chicago, according to GSA data, not including a pair of historic towers on State Street, which it decided last year will be turned over to a development team and preserved for other uses. Significant federally owned Chicago properties include the Harold Washington Social Security Center at 600 W. Madison St. and 101 W. Ida B. Wells Drive, a 569,000-square foot building which houses Department of Homeland Security offices. The federal government also owns the 12-story U.S. Customhouse at 610 S. Canal St. Leased space in the metro area includes 188,000 square feet at 2300 E. Devon Ave. in Des Plaines, and more than 100,000 square feet at both 175 W. Jackson Blvd. and 525 W. Van Buren in downtown Chicago. The federally owned properties in Chicago are well-occupied, with a total vacancy rate of less than 8%, according to GSA data. Downtown Chicago’s office vacancy rate was more than 23% at the end of 2024, Colliers found. The government could significantly shrink its Chicago footprint without selling any property. Federal leases typically have termination options that officials can exercise before the agreed term expires. According to GSA data, at more than a dozen of its leased downtown offices, totaling nearly 400,000 square feet and including ones at 175 W. Jackson, 231 S. LaSalle St. and 181 W. Madison St., the termination option has already kicked in or will do so later this year, giving GSA the opportunity for quick exits. Adler said investors could find the Lipinski building an interesting prospect, considering its location in the amenity-rich Near North Side neighborhood and the possibility of converting it into residences. But the government’s main Central Loop office properties could be tougher to sell. Although Google agreed to buy and open in 2026 a refurbished James R. Thompson Center, sparking hopes for a downtown revival, older central Loop properties were hit hard by the pandemic and the rise of remote work, Adler said. And institutional investors, ones with the wherewithal to buy and renovate large buildings such as Kluczynski or the Metcalfe, are staying away from the central Loop for now. Federal buildings could still be attractive to some potential buyers if the government was willing to sign long-term leases and keep them filled. “I’m hoping, and have to believe, that if they do this, they will do *****-leasebacks,” Adler said, referring to an arrangement that would allow the federal government to sell the buildings but continue leasing and occupying the space inside. Federal buildings with a lot of vacancy would be expensive to renovate and fill with new tenants, she added. Many companies, especially those trying to entice workers back to office, now want high-end amenities such as employee lounges, advanced conference facilities, rooftop decks and updated fitness centers, and federal buildings typically feature nothing more than basic services. “”These are not buildings that are going to have a lot of frills,” Adler said. Source link #Federal #plan #reduce #government #office #space #blow #Chicago #selling #properties #wouldnt #easy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

They fought for Social Security Fairness Act. Now they wait for benefit increases They fought for Social Security Fairness Act. Now they wait for benefit increases President Joe Biden after he signed the Social Security Fairness Act at the White House on Jan. 5 in Washington, D.C. Kent Nishimura | Getty Images News | Getty Images The biggest changes to Social Security in years were signed into law on Jan. 5. For more than 3.2 million individuals, that will mean ******* benefit checks. And in some cases, the change will qualify them for Social Security benefits. The new law, the Social Security Fairness Act, repeals two provisions that previously reduced Social Security benefits for individuals who receive pension income based on work where employers were not required to withhold Social Security payroll taxes. They were the Windfall Elimination Provision, which was enacted in 1983, and the Government Pension Offset, which was signed into law in 1977. They were federal laws that reduced Social Security benefits for people who received pensions from noncovered employment. Both were repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act. Among those affected include certain teachers, firefighters and police officers, federal employees, and workers covered by a foreign social security system. Benefit increases may range from “very little” to more than $1,000 per month, according to the Social Security Administration. Those increases apply to future monthly checks, as well as retroactive benefits payable since January 2024. The Social Security Administration “expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits,” the agency says on its website. Nevertheless, advocates who fought for the change for years — some of whom will see their own benefits increase — say the signing of the bill was a victory, even as many beneficiaries face an indefinite wait for the extra money. ‘It’s going to take some time,’ a former teacher said of the changes Roger Boudreau, a 75-year-old former English teacher and president of the Rhode Island American Federation of Teachers retirees chapter, had been to the White House before through his work in union activism over the past 50 years. But witnessing the signing of the Social Security Fairness Act in January was the “highlight of my life,” he said. When Boudreau dies, he hopes his role as a founding member of the National WEP/GPO Repeal Task Force is included in his obituary. “It was such an incredibly important piece of legislation that affected so many people who’ve been so deeply wronged for so many years,” Boudreau said. (To be sure, many retirement policy experts oppose the new policy.) Boudreau estimates he personally has been losing about $5,000 per year in retirement due to a penalty of about 40% on his earned benefits for the past decade. More from Personal Finance:’Keep your hands off our Social Security,’ lawmakers warn amid DOGE budget cuts Here are changes Americans would make to close Social Security’s funding gapWhy retirees may feel the 2025 Social Security COLA isn’t enough Boudreau taught for 30 years on a variety of subjects including world and British literature and earned a pension toward retirement. To supplement his income, he took on a variety of extra jobs where he paid into Social Security, working as a taxi driver, selling swimming pools and helping at bakeries over the holidays. “When I started teaching in 1971, my salary was $7,000 [a year],” Boudreau said. “I had an infant child. If I had two, I would have been eligible for food stamps.” In addition to the extra work while teaching, he also paid into Social Security when he worked in high school and college. If Boudreau had two more years of earnings, he would have been able to escape the penalty to his benefits, he said. Now, he’s waiting on the Social Security Administration to find out how large his benefit increases will be. “We understand that it’s going to take some time,” said Boudreau, who also serves as a task force liaison to the American Federation of Teachers. In the meantime, the group is advising its retirees to make appointments with their local Social Security office to make sure their information is up to date. Firefighter hoped benefits would help in retirement Carl Jordan, a retired Canton, Ohio, fire captain, first found out his Social Security benefits would be reduced when he looked into retiring. The reductions were a surprise to Jordan, who over a 33-year career started as a firefighter and worked his way up to serve as a medic and finally a captain. While he earned a pension from that work, he also paid into Social Security through other work. He started as a phlebotomist working in blood donation and then trained as a apheresis technician to collect blood products for the treatment of ******* and other diseases. “The whole reason for me working the second job was it contributed to the community and it also aided me in taking care of my family at the time,” Jordan said. “Firefighter wages weren’t that great, and I had hoped that Social Security would supplement my retirement income when I got there,” he said. Today, Jordan, 73, estimates the reductions have cost him about 2½ years on his mortgage, or around $27,000 excluding interest. The extra Social Security benefit money will help him pay off that mortgage a little sooner than expected, as well as pay for home improvements, he said. Still, he doesn’t know exactly how much more benefits he will receive. Jordan, who attended the January bill signing in Washington, D.C., spoke with a Social Security administrator there who said they could not provide more information on timing or the amount of benefit increases. A month later, he is still waiting for more information from the agency. Nevertheless, Jordan said he was proud to witness a change he never expected to see in his lifetime, even after advocating for it for almost 16 years. “To be there representing the profession that I had spent my life serving was an experience everyone should have,” Jordan said. 18-year-old lobbied on behalf of his grandmother Eliseo Jimenez, who walked from Lubbock, Texas to Washington, DC, to discuss Social Security issues with government officials, leaves after being introduced by President Joe Biden during a signing ceremony for the Social Security Fairness Act at the White House. Chris Kleponis | Afp | Getty Images At 18 years old, Eliseo Jimenez of Lubbock, Texas, may be the youngest to have lobbied for the Social Security Fairness Act. His grandmother, a former teacher, had to rely mostly on her own pension as her source of income before the new law. Other family members who work in law enforcement were also affected by the provisions. To call attention to the need for change, Jimenez last summer spent 40 days walking from Texas to Washington, D.C. Because he was under 18 at the time, he was not able to check into hotels or motels on his own, which forced him to sleep outside for several nights. His efforts helped bring attention to the issue, he said. “I had a lot of people email me and call me, supporting me and supporting the bill itself,” Jimenez said. Last month, Jimenez returned to Washington, D.C., again, this time to witness the signing of the Social Security Fairness Act. At the event, then President Joe Biden led a chorus of other lawmakers and attendees to sing “Happy Birthday” to Jimenez. It was “pretty cool,” he said. Since the changes became law, he has heard from his grandmother, neighbors and residents from other states like Virginia and Tennessee who are affected. “They said it’s like amazing,” Jimenez said. “It’s life-changing.” The win has inspired Jimenez, a high school senior who plans to attend college next year, to keep pushing for Social Security reform. He plans to complete another walk in Texas next month to call attention to the issue. “I want to keep on being involved,” Jimenez said. “I want to keep on advocating for it.” Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #fought #Social #Security #Fairness #Act #wait #benefit #increases Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600T CPU is now $99 at Amazon — its lowest ever price AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600T CPU is now $99 at Amazon — its lowest ever price Anyone in the market for a good processor on a budget should take a closer look at this offer from Amazon on the AMD Ryzen 5 5600T. It debuted with a price tag of $124, but right now, it’s marked down to just $99. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the CPU since it first launched and one of the best processor deals you can find for under $100. We haven’t had the opportunity to review this processor for ourselves yet but you can see how it compares against other CPUs by looking through our CPU hierarchy list. This processor isn’t the most powerful on the market by any means, but it’s an excellent choice for anyone looking for a Windows 11-compatible CPU. If you don’t plan on cutting-edge gaming, but just need something for browsing and office work, it’s a great deal. Still, we recommend looking through our list of best CPUs to see what’s leading the market. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600T is a core 6 processor with support for 12 threads. It has a base speed of 3.5 GHz but this particular edition is unlocked for overclocking. You can get speeds as high as 4.5 GHz out of it with Max Boost enabled. Again, this processor isn’t the most powerful gaming processor on the market but it’s plenty capable for modern computing needs with the compatibility you need for Windows 11. According to AMD, this particular edition offers PCIe 4.0 support and can handle up to 128GB of DDR4-3200. The 5600T processor does not come with integrated graphics so a graphics card is necessary for monitor output. Meanwhile, there are plenty of well-priced AM4 motherboards available nowadays, to support this chip and offer an easy upgrade path if you ever need something more powerful. We’re not sure how long the offer will be made available, so you should definitely consider acting quickly if this deal sounds appealing. Visit the AMD Ryzen 5 5600T CPU product page at Amazon for more information and options to purchase. Source link #AMDs #Ryzen #5600T #CPU #Amazon #lowest #price Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ukraine not attending US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, government source tells BBC – BBC.com Ukraine not attending US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, government source tells BBC – BBC.com Ukraine not attending US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, government source tells BBC BBC.comTrump Aides to Meet With Russian Officials About Ukraine Next Week The New York TimesRubio to meet with Russian officials to discuss Ukraine peace negotiations CBS NewsTrump 2nd term live updates: Trump officials to head to Saudi Arabia for Ukraine peace talks, sources say ABC News Source link #Ukraine #attending #USRussia #talks #Saudi #Arabia #government #source #tells #BBC #BBC.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]