America’s Immigration Policy
Politico wrote on March 20:
“The French government said Thursday that a French academic was refused entry onto U.S. soil over comments he had expressed against policies enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“France’s Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste said that ‘he had learned with concern that a French academic who was going to a conference in Houston was denied entry before being deported’ back to Europe, according to a ministry statement seen by POLITICO. ‘This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher’s phone contained conversations with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy,’ he said…
“The news comes as the Trump administration has recently accused Europe of curtailing free speech, with Vice President JD Vance launching a blistering attack against the continent last month, saying in Munich: ‘I believe deeply that there is no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people.’… This week, Germany updated its travel advice to the U.S. warning that tougher immigration enforcement could land travelers in detention or see them face deportation.”
Immigration Abuses?
The Associated Press wrote on March 21:
“Lennon Tyler and her German fiancé often took road trips to Mexico when he vacationed in the United States since it was only a day’s drive from her home in Las Vegas, one of the perks of their long-distance relationship. But things went terribly wrong when they drove back from Tijuana last month. U.S. border agents handcuffed Tyler, a U.S. citizen, and chained her to a bench, while her fiancé, Lucas Sielaff, was accused of violating the rules of his 90-day U.S. tourist permit, the couple said. Authorities later handcuffed and shackled Sielaff and sent him to a crowded U.S. immigration detention center. He spent 16 days locked up before being allowed to fly home to Germany… there have been other incidents of tourists like Sielaff being stopped at U.S. border crossings and held for weeks at U.S. immigration detention facilities before being allowed to fly home at their own expense.
“They include another German tourist who was stopped at the Tijuana crossing on Jan. 25. Jessica Brösche spent over six weeks locked up, including over a week in solitary confinement, a friend said. On the Canadian border, a backpacker from Wales spent nearly three weeks at a detention center before flying home this week. And a Canadian woman on a work visa detained at the Tijuana border spent 12 days in detention before returning home last weekend…
“Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee’s US-Mexico border program, a nonprofit that aids migrants, said in the 22 years he has worked on the border he’s never seen travelers from Western Europe and Canada, longtime U.S. allies, locked up like this…. Sielaff… was finally told to get a direct flight to Germany… In a frantic call from Sielaff, Tyler bought it for $2,744. He flew back March 5… ‘Nobody is safe there anymore to come to America as a tourist,’ he said.”
The Street added on March 19:
“German national Fabian Schmidt is currently being held at a Rhode Island detention center since being stopped at Boston Logan International Airport on March 7… Schmidt had a valid green card and has been living in the U.S. since 2008… he was ‘violently interrogated’ for hours, stripped naked and put in a cold shower by two officials questioning his intentions upon entering the U.S.”
This is unheard of. And great cause for concern! Note the next article.
Green Card Holders Concerned
CNN wrote on March 22:
“About 12.8 million green card holders live in the United States… ‘Who’s next?’ David Leopold, an immigration attorney in Ohio and former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association… told reporters… ‘Is it a climate activist? It is a gender-rights activist? Is it trans activists? Is it somebody who is concerned about health care? Is it somebody who just simply opposes Donald Trump?’…
“For immigration attorney Charles Kuck, it’s a telling sign of the times. The last time he received so many calls from concerned legal residents, he says, was after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks… green card holders [are] not to stay outside the US longer than six months. If they do… it’s possible for the US government ‘to allege that they have abandoned their residency.’… anybody who’s got blemishes on their record, a conviction, even misdemeanor convictions… should not travel unless they’ve talked to counsel.’…”
Despite what Trump might be saying, his attacks on “aliens” are clearly NOT limited to “illegal” aliens. Sadly, this development was to be expected.
More Aggressive Tactics
The New York Times reported on March 21:
“U.S. border officials are using more aggressive tactics at ports of entry as the administration scrutinizes green card and visa holders who have expressed opposition to its policies… The Trump administration has opened a new phase in its immigration agenda, one that goes well beyond the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants…
“Customs agents have wide latitude to search cellphones or computers of travelers crossing into the United States..”
Also note the next provocative article.
“Perilous Times for Personal Liberty”
Judge Andrew P. Napolitano [frequent commentator on Fox News and Newsmax] wrote the following on March 20 in the Ron Paul Institute:
“The history of human freedom is long, tortuous, and not gratifying. It consists essentially in governments trampling the laws enacted to restrain them… Thomas Jefferson argued that in the long march of history, personal liberty shrinks and state power grows…
“All of this history and theory came into sharp focus in the past two weeks when the feds arrested a Syrian graduate student in his student housing at Columbia University in New York City and shipped him to an immigration jail in Louisiana. He is married to a native-born American, they are expecting a child in April, and he is a permanent resident alien.
“Last week, the federal government arrested a Lebanese physician at Logan Airport in Boston. She is a professor of medicine at Brown University, and she, too, is a permanent resident alien. The student was charged with immigration violations. The physician was summarily deported to Paris and then to her native Lebanon.
“The charging documents filed against the student allege no crime or personal misbehavior, point to no statutory violations, and offer no evidence of the student’s danger to persons or property or the government. The papers claim that Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that this student’s presence on the Columbia campus — given his outspoken support for a Palestinian state, the existence of which has been the public policy of the U.S. for generations — is a material impediment to the execution of American foreign policy….
“In the case of the physician (no charges were filed either). The feds shipped her to Paris before the hearing could be held. In the case of the Columbia student, the feds shipped him to Louisiana, in defiance of the constitutional requirement that all persons be tried in the judicial district — in this case, New York City — in which the facts in their case took place…
“In the government’s zealous enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws, it has become lawless. Every person who works for the government has taken an oath of fidelity to the Constitution. It is obvious that the feds do not take their oaths seriously. It is also obvious that the feds are breaking the laws we have hired them to enforce. When government becomes the lawbreaker, it becomes a law unto itself — and human freedom is trampled by brute force…”
New Allegations Against Khalil
The New York Post wrote on March 24:
“Lawyers for the Department of Justice lodged new accusations against the anti-Israel campus protest leader [Mahmoud Khalil] in court papers over the weekend, arguing that they should be grounds for his deportation. Khalil — a green-card holder… allegedly fraudulently applied to change his immigration status without disclosing his ‘membership in certain organizations,’ the feds said.
“Among those organizations was the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNRWA, a relief agency that was infamously stripped of tens of millions of dollars in federal funding after an explosive report that some of its members took part in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Khalil was a political affairs officer with UNRWA from June through November 2023.
“The DOJ also alleges that Khalil did not reveal he was working at the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, when he applied for his visa, or that he was a member of Columbia University Apartheid Divest — an anti-Israel group that set off protests at the Ivy League school… the feds said in the filing from Sunday that the fact he allegedly lied on his application provided an ‘independent basis’ to deport him, overriding free speech rights…
“Khalil was initially charged under an obscure law that allows the secretary of state to launch a deportation case against someone who is considered a threat to US foreign policy goals. That charge still stands, along with the new allegations made against him last week…”
The question is, why are these “additional” grounds only stated now?
Why the AEA Is Deemed to Be Unlawful
The National Immigration Law Center wrote on March 17, 2025:
“The Trump administration over the weekend unlawfully deported over 100 Venezuelans with zero due process under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 (AEA)… the AEA is a wartime authority that only allows the executive branch to detain and deport immigrants that are citizens of foreign nations or governments the United States is at war with, and the United States is not currently at war with Venezuela or any other country…
“[The AEA was] not only to justify the internment of [US citizens] of Japanese descent [during World War II], but also for detentions and deportations of Japanese, Austro-Hungarian, German, and Italian immigrants without due process. The law has only been used three times in U.S. history—the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II…”
The problems with this law should be obvious.
Unquestioned Authority?
Fox News wrote on March 24:
“Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett [stated that the] Judge halting Trump’s use of [the] Alien Enemies Act is ‘brazenly ignoring’ Supreme Court precedent.”
It is Jarrett’s position that Trump‘s decision to apply the AEA is within his sole power and cannot be reviewed by the courts. The rebuttal that the USA is not at war with another government and that therefore the AEA is not applicable is answered by the White House, saying that the USA is at war with Venezuelan gangs. But this is not what the law provides. Note the next article.
What the Alien Enemies Act Really Says
Breitbart wrote on March 24:
“Judge James Boasberg’s decision did not challenge the 1798 law itself but argued that migrants can claim they are not covered by the president’s application of the Alien Enemies Act to Venezuelan members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang: ‘… Because the named Plaintiffs dispute that they are members of Tren de Aragua, they may not be deported until a court has been able to decide the merits of their challenge…
“The 1798 law is one of the many sections in U.S. immigration law that have fallen into disuse because their original purposes were no longer relevant… The law says… ‘Whenever there is a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation or government, and the President makes public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, being of the age of fourteen years and upward, who shall be within the United States and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies.
“The President is authorized in any such event, by his proclamation thereof, or other public act, to direct the conduct to be observed on the part of the United States, toward the aliens who become so liable; the manner and degree of the restraint to which they shall be subject and in what cases, and upon what security their residence shall be permitted, and to provide for the removal of those who, not being permitted to reside within the United States, refuse or neglect to depart therefrom; and to establish any other regulations which are found necessary in the premises and for the public safety.’”
No war against Venezuela (a foreign nation or government) has been declared.
Collateral Damage?
Newsweek wrote on March 20:
“One of the Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador last weekend was mistakenly identified as a gang member because of his tattoos, including one closely resembling the Real Madrid soccer club logo, his attorney has said… Linette Tobin said her client, Jerce Reyes Barrios, 36, had fled his home country after he was tortured for taking part in anti-regime demonstrations last year…
“Agents also searched his social media profile, finding him making a hand gesture which they allege is proof of gang membership, Tobin said. ‘In fact, the gesture is a common one that means “I Love You” in sign language and is commonly used as a rock-and-roll symbol,’ the attorney said…
“‘Counsel and family have lost all contact with him and have no information regarding his whereabouts or condition,’ Tobin’s court filing says… Lee Gelernt, lead counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, [wrote] in a statement… ‘The Trump administration’s intent to use a wartime authority for immigration enforcement [the AEA, see below] is as unprecedented as it is lawless…’
A Lie or Illegal Action?
The Hill wrote on March 22:
“Trump on Friday deflected when asked if he signed the order to invoke the Alien Enemies Act… to deport Venezuelan migrants… ‘I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it,’ Trump told reporters before departing the White House on Friday. ‘Other people handled it.’
“… The 4-page proclamation to invoke the 1789 law appears to have been signed by the president, according to a copy filed in the Federal Register…
“Hours after Trump’s remarks to reporters, the White House released a statement to CNN, saying that the president ‘was obviously referring to the original Alien Enemies Act that was signed back in 1798.’ ‘The recent Executive Order was personally signed by President Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act that designated Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in order to apprehend and deport these heinous criminals,’ they wrote.
“The White House statement, however, seems to contradict what Trump told journalists earlier…”
It clearly did. The White House’s “explanation” is ludicrous and juvenile. But why is this important? Read the next article.
Mediaite wrote on March 21:
“CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig found the explanation to be ‘ridiculous.’… ‘if Donald Trump did not actually sign that proclamation, it’s a big problem because the law specifically requires a proclamation by the president. The law says… the president has to make a public proclamation of the event. So, if he was telling the truth, if in fact, he did not sign this thing, everything that followed – the deportation of these individuals – was all illegal, was all null and void. That’s why they’re trying to walk it back…’”
What the Court of Appeals Thinks
Newsmax wrote on March 24:
“President Donald Trump sent two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants to a prison in El Salvador on March 15 after invoking an obscure wartime law known as the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA). James Boasberg, chief judge of the US District Court in Washington, issued a restraining order that same day temporarily barring the Trump administration from carrying out any further deportation flights under the AEA. The Justice Department is seeking to have the order lifted and a three-judge US Court of Appeals panel heard oral arguments in the closely watched case on Monday…
“Judge Patricia Millett… said the lower court judge was not disputing Trump’s presidential authority only the denial of individual court hearings to the deportees… Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, also suggested that court hearings were warranted but appeared more receptive to the arguments that the judge’s order impinged on presidential powers. The third judge on the panel is an appointee of former Republican president George H.W. Bush….”
Subsequently, the Court of Appeals decided against Trump. The vote was 2:1.
Britain Issues Warning for Tourist Traveling to the USA
The Daily Mail wrote on March 24:
“Tourists planning trips to the US are being warned [by the Britain’s foreign office] of increasingly tough questioning at border control that could see them barred from entry or even detained…
US border officials have been using more aggressive methods with holidaymakers and legal immigrants, with the Trump administration calling it ‘enhanced vetting’…
“There has been suspicion in some cases that people have been turned away for expressing anti-Trump views… Germany’s travel advisory warns that false information, past criminal records, or even minor overstays on previous trips could lead to arrest, deportation, or detention – with no legal recourse….
“The rise in tourists being detained was green-lighted by President Trump as part of his ‘Securing Our Borders’ executive order…
“Hilton Beckham, Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs for the US Customs and Border Protection, told MailOnline: ‘If individuals violate the terms of a lawful immigration status and attempt to re-enter the country, officers will take appropriate action… ‘If an individual has material discovered on their electronic media that raises flags during an inspection, it can result in further analysis. Claims that such decisions are politically motivated are completely unfounded.’”
Really?
And Now Cubans in Florida
Miami Herald wrote on March 21:
“Federal authorities in South Florida have recently detained at least 18 Cubans during scheduled immigration appointments… It’s Cubans with I-220As… whom ICE has detained at regular check-ins in the agency’s field office in Miramar…
“Wilfredo Allen, a Miami-based immigration attorney, represents an asylum seeker who was among the recently detained Cubans. The cases he’s learned of are mostly women. He said it’s the first time he’s seeing Cubans with I-220As with pending immigration cases or green card applications and no criminal histories end up in ICE custody…
“Lawyers note that for South Florida’s Cuban community, many of whom supported Trump’s presidential campaign, the rapid immigration enforcement changes may come as a surprise….”
Trump complained that people under the “catch-and-release” program did not follow through and “disappeared.” Now we have people who show up for their scheduled immigration appointments and are being detained. Why don’t we hear from the likes of Rubio and Cruz, American-Cuban politicians, in support of these Cuban detainees?
Further Restrictions?
MSNBC wrote on March 24:
“Donald Trump’s administration wants to review the social media accounts of immigrants seeking long-term residency in the United States, potentially allowing the White House to bar critics from making the country their home… This new proposal would expand that policy to people who apply for naturalization, permanent residency or asylum,”
Welt Online added on March 24 that this new policy would affect annually 3.5 million people, most of whom have been living legally in the USA for years or decades. It is feared that it would target those who have been critical of Trump.
Hegseth, Vance and Miller Attack Europe
ntv wrote on March 25:
“In a chat group, elements of the Trump administration are discussing attacks on the Houthis. Several of those involved, however, see the responsibility for defending the Houthis’ sea routes as lying with the Europeans – and want to demand something in return. Leading figures in the US administration have also expressed their criticism of European states in their debates surrounding attacks on Houthis’ positions in Yemen. ‘I just hate bailing Europe out again,’ wrote US Vice President J.D. Vance in a Signal group… Vance stated that he considered the attacks a mistake, saying that 3 percent of U.S. trade moves through the Suez Canal, while 40 percent of European trade moves through the canal. ‘There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary.’
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed with Vance. ‘I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s pathetic,’ said the former Fox News host in the chat group with a total of 18 members. Among them were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. The US government has repeatedly argued in the past that Europeans benefit excessively from the US Navy’s protection of international shipping routes.
“Presidential Advisor Stephen Miller also called for consideration of what Europeans are to provide in return for US deployment in Yemen. ‘We need to make it clear to Egypt and Europe soon what we expect in return,’ said Miller. ‘We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. For example, if Europe doesn’t renumerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return,’ the presidential adviser wrote.”
Trump added to the criticism, stating that the EU “have been ‘freeloading’ and have been ‘terrible’ to the US on trade… ‘They have abused us.’” (Express, dated March 25).
None of this will make the USA more popular in Europe. Also, note the next article about the terrible events during the chat group, alluded to in the article.
The Chat-Group Fiasco
The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on March 25:
“It looks like Team Trump has decided to try to whistle right past the ‘Operation Overshare’ fiasco, and may well pull it off — but not cost-free. President Donald Trump is standing up for national security adviser Mike Waltz after he (or maybe his staff) mistakenly added Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a group chat on Signal into which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later dropped sensitive details of the anti-Houthi bombing campaign. The stunning security breach had ‘no impact at all,’ [Trump] announced Tuesday morning, and ‘Michael Waltz has learned a lesson.’
“… what lesson is that? Hegseth, meanwhile opted for denial: ‘Nobody was texting war plans.’ Actually… Goldberg has the screenshots to prove they were, and the National Security Council has authenticated them. Never mind the desperate efforts of social media warriors to pretend they’re fake (in a pathetic echo of how the left defended Hunter Biden on his laptop), or the even sadder ‘seven-dimensional chess’ fans who argue that the leak was somehow deliberate.
“The White House, and Waltz especially, handed the left a loaded bazooka. Now of all times, as the admin faces major fights on everything from the border to campus Jew-hate to the economy… But you can only play the ‘diminish, deny and delay’ game so many times before it becomes your new brand… Trump was elected in good part because Americans were sick to death of the last administration’s endless cavalcade of lame, easily disproved lies… Yes, we get that stepping up to own failures is hard. But it just got that much harder for Americans to trust the administration on national security issues going forward.
“At the very least, we pray (Trump) is privately knocking hard on every head involved in this mess — and warning that heads will roll if there’s anything like a next time. The American people need to know Trump is still fighting for them, not lying to them.”
Can you imagine what the reaction of conservatives would have been if something like that would have happened under Biden? But now, there is deafening silence from many of them—with a few notable exceptions.
Stephen Miller Out of Control
Daily Beast wrote on March 17:
“During [a Fox News] interview with The Story host Martha MacCallum on Monday, [Stephen] Miller was asked about MSNBC pundit Andrew Weissmann’s argument that the president should not be allowed to invoke an 18th-century law to deport migrants because it was intended for wartime use. Instead of addressing the point, Miller launched into a tirade. ‘First of all, Andrew Weissmann is an absolute moron,’ Miller fumed. ‘… and he is a fool, and he’s a degenerate. Andrew Weissmann has devoted his career to putting innocent Americans in jail, taking away their civil liberties.’…
“Forgetting the original question, Miller fixated on Weissmann’s record as a former prosecutor who worked on Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election… As MacCallum attempted to regain control of the conversation, Miller—a key architect of Trump’s hardline immigration policies—continued railing against Weissmann and defending Trump’s legally questionable use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan migrants over the weekend.
“‘You can call Weissmann names, and he can call you names, and that’s what’s great about living in America,’ MacCallum interjected with an exasperated smirk, only for Miller to cut her off again. ‘This is a tip for Weissmann!’ Miller yelled. ‘I will defend American lives working for President Trump, and Andrew Weissmann can defend illegal alien rapists, terrorists, and predators! I’ve chosen my side!’
“It’s the second time in a month that a TV anchor has grappled with an out-of-control Miller. Last month, CNN host Brianna Keilar had to ask a hysterical Miller to ‘calm down’ in a live interview after he blew up while trying to defend Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).”
Miller has been described as “one of the most powerful people in government” (Wikipedia). On April 1, 2024, The Guardian described Miller as an “anti-immigration extremist” and “white nationalist.” He was the “chief architect of the Muslim Ban” and “cruel family separation policies,” according to Sylviagarcia.house.gov, dated November 15, 2019. David Glosser, a retired neuropsychologist and Miller’s uncle on his mother’s side, wrote that Miller, “a product of chain migration,” “has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family’s life in this country” (compare Vox, dated August 13, 2018),
Laura Ingraham Challenges Trump Over Canada
National Post wrote on March 19, 2025:
“In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday evening on the Fox program The Ingraham Angle, U.S. President Donald Trump told host Laura Ingraham what he thought about Canada and some of its politicians. It wasn’t good. ‘Here’s my problem with Canada,’ he said at one point. ‘Canada was meant to be the 51st state, because we subsidized Canada by $200 billion a year…’
‘When Ingraham interjected that it seemed he was being tougher on Canada than on some of America’s biggest adversaries, he replied: ‘Only because it’s meant to be our 51st state.’…
“Trump then brought up what he called ‘a very big deficit with Canada,’ and he and Ingraham sparred over whether it was $60 billion (her take) or ‘much more’ (his) before she muttered: ‘I don’t think so.’”
It has been reported that some moderators on Fox News have become more and more critical of Trump’s actions. Others are 100% supportive, whatever the actions may be, as is virtually the entire Newsmax network or certain outlets like Breitbart.
“Trump Hangs Sword of Damocles Over the American Legal System”
Politico wrote on March 22:
“President Donald Trump is doubling down on his threats against the American legal system, directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against lawyers and law firms that go against him. Trump’s administration has taken an increasingly adversarial stance toward the legal system, including both judges who have ruled against his policies and lawyers and firms that he has viewed as wronging him…
“The memo circulated late Friday… marks an escalation of Trump’s crackdown on law firms he believes have crossed him, now threatening the full power of the Department of Justice to punish them. ‘Lawyers and law firms that engage in actions that violate the laws of the United States or rules governing attorney conduct must be efficiently and effectively held accountable,’ the memo reads. In it, Trump directs Bondi to seek sanctions against lawyers and law firms that ‘engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States.’…
“This enforcement will also be retroactive, as the memo instructs Bondi to look back at the conduct of lawyers or law firms over the last eight years for misconduct. Trump has already attacked federal judges who have ruled against him on key cases like deportations of migrants. He called for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg — the chief judge of the federal district court of Washington, D.C. — after he issued a halt on deportations of immigrants to El Salvador.”
US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected Trump’s “suggestion” and responded by saying: “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”
Boasberg had been appointed in 2014 by Roberts for a seven-year term on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. He had been appointed by George W. Bush to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and served from 2002 to 2011, and was later nominated by Barack Obama for the US District Court for the District of Columbia. He ordered the release of over 14,000 emails from Hillary Clinton, and he rejected the release of Donald Trump’s personal tax returns. He is hardly a “troublemaker and agitator” and a “radical left lunatic of a judge,” as he was defamed by Trump.
When it comes to frivolous lawsuits or unethical conduct, these are to be handled within the court system and by the respective Bar Associations. The Executive has no business getting involved.
Third Term for Trump?
Bild Online wrote on March 21:
“Donald Trump (78) is currently transforming America and the world in a crash course. And already speculation is rife about an even longer future in the White House. The US President could attempt a third term. At least, that’s what former advisor Steve Bannon (71) believes. ‘I firmly believe that President Trump will run again in 2028 and win,’ the ultra-conservative activist told US broadcaster Newsnation. He added: ‘A man like this only comes along once in a century, and we are lucky to have him!’
“According to the Constitution, only a maximum of two four-year terms are permitted in the US – and Trump already led the country from 2017 to 2021. According to the law, he must therefore step down at the end of his second presidency on January 20, 2029. That doesn’t stop him or some of his fans and mouthpieces from adding fuel to the fire to pour forth rising speculation. When Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin (64) visited him for Saint Patrick’s Day on Monday, Trump again hinted in the Oval Office: ‘We’ll do this three more times,’ he said, referring to the traditional annual visits to the White House.
“And then, with a grin: ‘At least…’ That sounded as if he would like to stay longer. Then the Republican teased the journalists in the room: ‘They always go crazy when I say something like that,’ he explained the punchline to the guest.
“It wasn’t Trump’s first ambiguous remark on this topic. There’s already unrest in his MAGA movement as well. They are already working on possible solutions, said [Bannen] cryptically. ‘We’re working on it! Let’s find out what term-limit really means,’ he said… They want to examine whether the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1952, also applies in the case of two non-consecutive terms. But not when they are interrupted, as in Trump’s case.
“World War II President Franklin D. Roosevelt served for 12 years (1933–1945), even serving a fourth term before his death. After that, however, limits were added to the Constitution. Debates about a possible even longer Trump era are a red flag for America’s Democrats and liberals. Bannon, however, is convinced that Trump would easily win the next election again. Trump, of course, would be 82 at the time of his inauguration – and 86 when he leaves office. However, that’s the same age constellation as with his predecessor Joe Biden (82), who then threw in the towel.”
The way things are going, will the USA even survive the next FOUR years, let alone eight years?
Greenland Had It
The New York Post wrote on March 24:
“Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute B. Egede… has slammed the planned US visit to the island as ‘very aggressive’ as the international crisis over President Trump’s desire to annex the territory continues to bubble over. ‘The very aggressive American pressure against Greenlandic society is now so serious that the level cannot be raised any higher,’ [he said]… ‘Until recently, we could trust the Americans, who were our allies and friends, and with whom we enjoyed working closely … But that time is over.’…
“Egede, the left-wing leader of the island, who has expressed a desire for his territory to declare independence from Denmark, took aim at the planned visit led by second lady Usha Vance along with White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The delegation plans to visit from Thursday to Saturday, visit a US military base and watch a dogsled race.”
Subsequently, Deutsche Welle wrote on March 26:
“Denmark on Wednesday welcomed a White House decision to limit the scope of a planned visit to Greenland by the United States Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance. JD Vance said Tuesday that he would be accompanying his wife on her three-day trip to the autonomous Danish territory… Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede… slammed the US delegation’s plans to visit the Arctic island without being invited…
“The US Second Lady had been due to view historical sites, learn about Greenland’s heritage, and watch the Avannaata Qimussersu, the Arctic territory’s national dogsled race. ‘I think it’s very positive that the Americans have cancelled their visit among Greenlandic society. They will only visit their own base, Pituffik, and we have nothing against that,’ Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish public broadcaster DR. ‘The cars (from the US advance security detail) that were delivered a few days ago are in the process of being sent back home…”
Erdogan’s Dictatorship Continues
Deutsche Welle wrote on March 24:
“Protesters have demonstrated for five consecutive nights after authorities arrested leading opposition figure Ekrem Imamoglu. Turkey’s Interior Ministry have said at least 1,100 people have been detained so far in connection with the demonstrations.
“Amid the unrest, the opposition CHP party held a symbolic primary to select Imamoglu as its presidential candidate in the next elections set for 2028. Meanwhile, around a dozen journalists were reportedly detained for covering protests across the country.
“Imamoglu has been seen as the main threat to… Erdogan’s two decades of rule as president and, earlier, prime minister…
“[He has been the] mayor of Istanbul since 2019… on March 19, Imamoglu was arrested on corruption charges and suspicion of terrorism. The terrorism charges have since been dismissed, but a court has ruled he must remain in pre-trial detention…
“Germany is following the events in Turkey with ‘great concern,’ the outgoing government said on Monday. ‘The arrest and suspension of the mayor of Istanbul is totally unacceptable,’ said Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesperson for outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz… Hebestreit added that ‘the latest developments are a bad sign for democracy in Turkey,’ as well as for the development of relations between Turkey and the EU.”
What “democracy” in Turkey? It was also reported that the foreign policy spokesman of the Union parliamentary group, Jürgen Hardt (CDU), and the Green Party politician Max Lucks have sharply criticized the Turkish government’s measures and called for consequences in German-Turkish relations.
USA to Become Member of Commonwealth?
Daily Mail wrote on March 21:
“President Donald Trump on Friday indicated he would accept an offer from King Charles to join the British Commonwealth, strengthening America’s ties to the United Kingdom. ‘I Love King Charles. Sounds good to me!’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. Trump was responding to [a report] that the King would make a ‘secret’ offer to the president for the U.S. to become the next ‘associate member’ of the Commonwealth.
“The Commonwealth, whose nations have a total population of more than 2.7billion, is one of the world’s oldest political associations of states. [The Commonwealth dates back to the first half of the 20th century.] It is made up of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. They are connected through their use of the English language and historical-cultural ties. Membership is voluntary and the group is mostly ceremonial. King Charles III is the head of the commonwealth.
“The move will be widely seen as a huge boost for the ‘special relationship’ between the US and UK. It comes at a time when America’s relationship with the European Union has plummeted to an all-time low… The Commonwealth proposal was originally floated in Trump’s first term, during the reign [and with the blessing] of Queen Elizabeth… [When the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) first wrote to Trump in 2017, the letter was delivered by current Reform leader Nigel Farage. This was during the tumultuous time when the UK was making plans to leave the EU. ]
“The invitation to join the Commonwealth could also cool the tension around Canada. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to make Canada the 51st state. The country is part of the Commonwealth. The talk of turning has created enormous tensions and put the King in an awkward position. Canada is one of the 15 countries of which he is head of state… Canada is looking to the King as their head of state, and head of the Commonwealth, to speak up for them and ward off Trump.”
Terminally Ill
The Sun wrote on March 21:
“Our economy is on its knees, last summer’s G7-leading growth wiped out, our debt soaring far beyond forecasts, public services collapsing and even our roads crumbling beneath our wheels, apparently never to be fixed. Ever-increasing numbers of illegal immigrants pour off small boats and saunter in unchecked.
“And now our No1 airport, Europe’s busiest, is shut down by an explosion and fire at an ageing substation. Some 1,350 flights are axed and 200,000 passengers stranded worldwide. It may not have been sabotage by Putin, at whom Keir Starmer has been rattling his sabre. But the Kremlin certainly now knows how easily a few agents could bring our once-mighty country to a shuddering halt and inflict untold further damage on our economy… Whatever its cause, yesterday’s mayhem is a sign of a country in deep trouble….”
Embarrassing and sad indeed. The Daily Mail reported on March 21 that an “experienced electrical engineer today blamed the catastrophic failure of a [very old] ‘oil-filled transformer’.”
Germany Can Borrow as Much as It Wants for the Military
Deutsche Welle wrote on March 21:
“Germany’s second chamber of parliament, the Bundesrat, on Friday, voted in favor of a massive spending package that is set to pour billions of euros into defense, infrastructure and climate protection. Earlier this week, German lawmakers approved a historic amendment to the constitution [in effect abrogating the “debt brake”] that will allow unprecedented levels of government spending…
“The amendment was backed in the Bundesrat with 53 out of 69 votes in favor, passing the 46-vote threshold. Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Rhineland-Palatinate abstained, with abstentions counted as opposition votes…
“Merz… [was] calling into question Washington’s commitment to European security. ‘My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA,’ Merz said.
“Bavaria’s conservative premier Markus Söder told the Bundesrat on Friday that ‘we must do everything we can to ensure that Germany once again becomes one of the strongest armies in Europe and can protect itself… The threat from the east, from Moscow, is still present, while the support from the West is no longer what we were once accustomed to,’ he said… ‘the relationship of trust in the United States of America has, at least for me and for many others, been deeply shaken. The Germans are worried,’ Söder added.”
But the Germans are not happy with Merz and his coalition talks either, let alone his blatant misrepresentations during his campaign.
Europe to Take Over NATO?
The Financial Times wrote on March 21:
“Europe’s biggest military powers are drawing up plans to take on greater responsibilities for the continent’s defence from the US, including a pitch to the Trump administration for a managed transfer over the next five to 10 years. The discussions are an attempt to avoid the chaos of a unilateral US withdrawal from Nato, a fear sparked by President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to weaken or walk away from the transatlantic alliance that has protected Europe for almost eight decades.
“The UK, France, Germany and the Nordics are among the countries engaged in the informal but structured discussions… Their aim is to come up with a plan to shift the financial and military burden to European capitals and present it to the US ahead of Nato’s annual leaders’ summit in The Hague in June. The proposal would include firm commitments on increasing European defence spending and building up military capabilities, in an effort to convince Trump to agree to a gradual handover that would allow the US to focus more on Asia.”
Germany among those to take over Nato?
Putin Wants Ukrainians to Become Russians
Atlantic Council wrote on March 20:
“Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Ukrainians living under Russian occupation to ‘legalize’ their status by September 10 or face deportation. In other words, those who have not yet done so must apply for Russian passports or risk being expelled from their homes as foreigners. This March 20 presidential decree is the latest step in a campaign to pressure Ukrainians into accepting Russian citizenship as the Kremlin seeks to strengthen its grip over areas of Ukraine currently under Russian control.
“Kremlin officials say they have distributed around 3.5 million Russian passports in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale invasion just over three years ago. Residents are reportedly being forced to apply for Russian passports in order to access basic services such as healthcare and state pensions, while those without Russian documentation face the possibility of harassment and detention…
“Moscow’s efforts to erase Ukrainian identity begin in the classroom. In schools throughout the occupied regions, Ukrainian children are being taught a new Kremlin-approved curriculum that praises Russian imperialism and glorifies the ongoing invasion of Ukraine while demonizing the entire concept of a separate and independent Ukrainian state. Any parents who dare to resist risk losing custody of their children.
“The Kremlin is also accused of kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied regions and deporting them to Russia, where they are subjected to ideological indoctrination to rob them of their Ukrainian roots and impose an imperial Russian identity…”
Note the following comments which were already published by The Strategist on March 1, 2024:
“Putin repeatedly states that there is no such country as Ukraine and that Ukrainians and Russians are one people sharing the same historical and spiritual space, speaking the same language, and believing in the same Orthodox faith. Before he died in 2008, Alexander Solzhenitsyn proclaimed that Russia (Great Russians), Belarus (White Russians) and Ukraine (Little Russians) should be recreated as a unified Slavic country.”
Further proof that Putin will not turn over any of the occupied regions to Ukraine. Trump’s peace plan is evaporating with alarming speed. It had never been a realistic chance for success.
Ceasefire in the Black Sea?
Daily Mail wrote on March 25:
“Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an effective maritime ceasefire, as well as a halt on strikes on energy infrastructure… Both parties agreed separately to avoid military strikes on vessels, the issue touted by the Trump administration as being of primary importance to allow for unhindered commercial shipping in the region… Ukrainian president Zelensky, speaking to reporters in Kyiv, lamented the concession of helping restore Russia’s access to the world market, branding it a ‘weakening of the position and a weakening on sanctions’…”
The Sun wrote on March 26:
“While Zelensky said the ceasefire is effective immediately, Putin appears to be delaying the truce until more sanctions are lifted… Moscow said the deal would ‘come into force’ after the ‘lifting of sanctions restrictions’ on the Russian Agricultural Bank and other ‘financial institutions involved in international trade of food’, and only after they are reconnected to the SWIFT international payment system…
“Human rights campaigner Sir Bill Browder warned against easing sanctions on Russia following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Black Sea. He said: ‘This is missing the point completely. Russia can continue to pound civilian targets like hospitals, schools and apartment buildings… And by getting this concession, it saves Russia’s oil refineries which are one of the key engines of funding for their war… There’s absolutely nothing to celebrate here.’”
Putin Is Ripping Trump Off
Bild Online wrote on March 26:
“Moscow continues to block the 30-day ceasefire demanded by US President Donald Trump. Instead, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin conceded to two minor agreements: a halt to attacks on energy facilities and in the Black Sea… Both agreements could primarily benefit the Russians without bringing peace any closer.
“For years, Russia has been unable to defend its oil refineries and depots from Ukrainian drone attacks. The Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants were painful, but not as effective as hoped… ‘Russia had already been defeated in the western Black Sea, and Ukraine had fought its way back to re-opening the trade routes from Odessa,’ writes defense expert Nico Lange…
“The fact is: The sanctions against the Kremlin regime are to be eased. The Black Sea deal is a ‘victory for Putin,’ analyzes the British newspaper ‘The Times.’ What’s more: ‘It appears that Russia will benefit far more than Ukraine from the announcement of a maritime ceasefire and a possible ban on attacks on energy facilities.’ This is why the Russian propaganda press is also celebrating. The newspaper ‘Moskovski Komsomolez’ states: ‘The bottom line is: (…) Ukraine has not received a respite – there will be no ceasefire; attacks on energy infrastructure will be suspended for 30 days. (…) So, for now, it looks like this: Russia remains steadfast, and the military special operation (Russian term for the war, ed.) continues.’
“At least Trump also seems to realize that Russia’s peace intentions may not be entirely sincere. In an interview with ‘Newsmax,’ he said that the Kremlin may be delaying the negotiations…”
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.