Stunning Epstein twist as Ghislaine Maxwell claims 29 friends cut ‘secret deals’ with DOJ

Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed that 29 friends of Jeffrey Epstein were shielded through ‘secret settlements’ by the Justice Department.

The disgraced socialite filed a habeas corpus petition on December 17 seeking to overturn her conviction, arguing that prosecutors cut deals with Epstein associates while prosecuting her as if no such agreements existed.

Maxwell alleges that 25 men reached undisclosed deals, while four alleged co-conspirators were known to investigators but never charged. She does not name any of the individuals.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCrime

Half of Canadians say it would be unethical for Carney to get majority with floor crossers: poll

OTTAWA — Half of Canadians believe it would be unethical for Mark Carney’s Liberal government to achieve a majority by attracting opposition MP floor crossers, according to a new poll.

And, two months after two Conservative MPs crossed the floor to the governing Liberals, new data from a Postmedia-Leger poll suggest that voters’ feelings about party defectors are a political Rorschach test.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canadian Politics", Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Putin ‘agrees ceasefire over Ukrainian cities’

Russia has agreed to a partial ceasefire that will stop all attacks on Ukrainian cities for a week, Donald Trump announced.

The US president told a cabinet meeting that he asked Vladimir Putin “not to fire into Kyiv and various towns for a week. And he agreed to do that”.

Under a sustained bombardment of Ukraine’s energy system, millions have been left without power or electricity in temperatures far below zero.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Ukraine - Russia"

Canada’s conservative leader faces leadership test – and grapples with widening his appeal

Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre faces a crucial test of his leadership this week, but what lies ahead is a bigger challenge: convincing Canadians that he is the best person to guide the country through its uncertain future.

Party delegates will vote on whether Poilievre should remain leader on Friday at the Conservative convention in Calgary. It is part of an automatic review that is triggered after an election loss – in this case, Poilievre’s defeat last April.

Poilievre appears to have wide support heading into the convention, party members have told the BBC, and is expected to win handily.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inConservative Party

Exploring Venezuela’s Crisis and Canada’s Chinese Influence

Exploring Venezuela’s Crisis and Canada’s Chinese Influence

Canadian conservative and political theorist William Barclay joins The Spectacle Podcast hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay to discuss the future of Venezuela, the relationship between Canada and the U.S., and the rising problems posed by progressive ideology and identity politics.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - China's 24th Province", "Canada's China Class", "China - Communist Slave State", Canada, Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government, USA, Venezuela

Message to Mark Carney: Europe without America doesn’t work

Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England and now Canadian prime minister, was the toast of Davos last week for a speech that seemed to perfectly capture the moment with its talk of a “permanent rupture” and its supposed master plan for responding to the “Trumpquake” in global affairs.

But how realistic was his vision of a coalition of “middle powers” – by which he seemed to mean mainly Canada, Europe, the UK and Japan – to keep the torch of the old liberal order burning bright?

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - China's 24th Province", "China - Communist Slave State", Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government, European Union, USA

Five things to do in Crowborough

How the asylum seekers of East Sussex can fill their days

For the first time in almost a century, when Arthur Conan Doyle was buried in a Turkish carpet in his garden, my hometown of Crowborough is in the news.

For those fortunate never to have been, Crowborough is a small place in the Weald of about 20,000 souls. The cadet training camp, where my school pals and I endured a week of army exercises and tinned rations, has been turned into a migrant hostel for more than 500 asylum seekers, sparking a furious reaction from the local residents. I have much sympathy with them – but also for the young men who have been sent to live there.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCamp Of The Saints, UK

B.C. premier says it’s ‘treason’ for Alberta separatists to meet with Trump administration

OTTAWA — British Columbia Premier David Eby called reported meetings between Alberta separatists and the U.S. administration “treason” on Thursday, as premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney met in Ottawa to discuss the Canada-U.S. trade relationship.

“Now I understand the desire to hold a referendum to talk about the issues you want to talk about, in Canada we have free speech and that’s important,” Eby told reporters.

Related: Mark Carney expects Donald Trump to ‘respect Canadian sovereignty’ after Alberta separatists met with U.S. officials

And … Doug Ford urges Danielle Smith to denounce Alberta separation: ‘Either you’re with Canada or you’re not’

Speaking of foreign interference …

h/t Mauser

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Western Alienation Separation", "Western Independence"

Trump targets Canadian aircraft in latest tariff threat, says he’ll ‘decertify’ Bombardier jets

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to slap a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian aircraft and says his administration will “decertify” planes made by Canadian aerospace company Bombardier.

In a post on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump justified his latest trade war escalation by accusing Ottawa of blocking the certification of a series of jets made by U.S.-based Gulfstream.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

New York State Is Headed for a Decade of Population Decline

The net outflow of New Yorkers to other states has topped the 1 million mark since 2020, while the flow of migrants into the Empire State from other countries was even larger than originally estimated during that same period, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

But New York was also hit hard by what the Census Bureau calls a “historic decline in net international migration”—meaning far fewer immigrants arriving from abroad—over the 12 months from July 2024 through June 2025. With New Yorkers continuing to leave the state at a steady pace, a modest two-year rebound in the Empire State’s population came to a halt—with all signs pointing to renewed decline in the second half of this decade.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inDemography, New York City

‘Not a Canadian anymore:’ Separatist event in Edmonton takes aim at Mark Carney, immigrants

The Days Inn in west Edmonton has a large Canadian flag hung behind the front desk. Throughout the lobby, a visitor can’t escape the signs declaring that the hotel is “proudly Canadian owned and operated,” with red maple leaves to match.

But, on Tuesday night, the conference rooms were filled with separatist supporters. One room was reserved to sign a Stay Free Alberta petition that calls for the province to hold a referendum on independence. In the neighbouring room, lawyer Jeffrey Rath, one of the loudest voices of the “leave” movement, spoke to about 100 supporters.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Western Alienation Separation", "Western Independence", Alberta

EU classifies Iran’s IRGC as terrorists over slaughter of protesters

The European Union has blacklisted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorists over the bloody suppression of anti-government protests, putting pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to act.

France swung its weight behind the proposal on Wednesday night after similar calls from Germany, Italy and Spain.

“If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as terrorists,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, adding that the classification puts them “on the same footing” as al-Qaeda, Hamas and Islamic State.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Islamophobia", European Union, Iran

The Golden Dome, a Trumpian con job, is a waste of money for Canada

Golden Dome is back in the news, albeit in an unusual way.

It’s not because Russia or China are building new intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, but because U.S. President Donald Trump worked himself into a corner promising he’d acquire Greenland one way or another, and the inevitable result was economic turmoil, the possible end of NATO, and Prime Minister Mark Carney telling the world the Pax Americana is effectively over.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - China's 24th Province", "Canada - USA Tariff Wars"