Corruption Ledger

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) criticized the General Services Administration’s (GSA) plan to sell hundreds of federal properties, though a U.S. News article mistakenly attributed his comments to Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.). The GSA initially listed about 440 federal buildings, totaling nearly 80 million square feet, for sale as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce government size and spending. However, following backlash from workers, officials, and others, the GSA paused the sales and removed the listings from its website….

Beijing’s 7.2% increase in its military budget this week follows tense rhetoric from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, who responded to the US’s new 10% tariffs by stating China was ready to fight any kind of war the US provoked. Though Lin later softened the language, the message remained clear: China is prepared for conflict if its interests are harmed. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also indicated the US was ready for war. This exchange is happening during China’s “Two…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that the bravery of British soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan will never be forgotten, responding to US Vice-President JD Vance’s controversial remark suggesting Britain hadn’t fought a war in 40 years. Vance’s comments, made during a Fox News interview, sparked outrage when he implied that countries like Britain and France lacked recent wartime experience and questioned their ability to provide meaningful security guarantees for Ukraine. British media and commentators criticized Vance, with…

Video: The asset-management giant BlackRock, which has invested huge amounts in Russian state-owned energy and banks, and which is also invested in rebuilding Ukraine, is now buying property that will give them control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the Panama Canal. Other ports are in Mexico, the Netherlands, Egypt, Australia, Pakistan and elsewhere.

March 3: China is studying and formulating relevant countermeasures in response to the US’ threat of imposing an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese products under the pretext of fentanyl, the Global Times learned from a reliable source. The countermeasures will likely include both tariffs and a series of non-tariff measures, and US agricultural and food products will most likely be listed, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “If the US insists on imposing unilateral…

The Trump administration has suspended delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine, a White House official has said, blocking billions in crucial shipments as the White House piles pressure on Ukraine to sue for peace with Vladimir Putin. The decision affects deliveries of ammunition, vehicles, and other equipment including shipments agreed to when Joe Biden was president. It comes after a dramatic blow-up in the White House on Friday during which Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he was…

The number of Americans applying for UK citizenship rose to the highest on record last year, with Donald Trump’s return to power and UK tax changes contributing to a surge of applications by US citizens in Britain. Over 6,100 US citizens applied last year, the most since records began two decades ago and 26 per cent more than in 2023. Overall applications for UK citizenships were up by 6 per cent to 251,000, another record. Applications by US citizens surged…

US manufacturers reported steep declines in new orders and employment in February, fuelling fears that the economy is losing momentum as growth expectations also fell sharply. The ISM Manufacturing purchasing managers’ index on Monday dropped to 50.3 in February from 50.9 the previous month, leaving it just above contraction territory, while secondary indices pointed to a sharp fall in new orders from 55.1 to 48.6. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s running estimate of US GDP growth, also published on…

Unusually for him, Donald Trump made no great fuss as he signed one drily worded executive order last Tuesday. Public attention was distracted that day – by the headline-grabbing drama of Elon Musk bludgeoning his way through the federal bureaucracy, by immigrants deported to Guantánamo Bay, and by the torrent of other directives Trump has issued since his inauguration last month. But Trump’s 69th executive order of his second presidency, under the deceptive title of “Ensuring accountability for all agencies”,…

The villa is stunning. The private swimming pool; the lush, landscaped terrace with firepit; the long dining table with its expansive balcony view; the pingpong table; the piano. But the jewel in the crown, according to the Airbnb listing, is the experience of watching the sun rise over the nearby mountains from the luxury of the generous master bedroom. The villa with views of the Judean mountains is in a settlement located on land seized from Palestinians and considered illegal…

Hungary wants to remove eight individuals from the European Union’s Russia sanctions list and receive fresh guarantees on Ukraine gas transit talks before agreeing to renew the restrictions, EU diplomats said.EU sanctions on Russia – imposed over Moscow’s war against Ukraine – must be renewed every six months by a unanimous vote and Budapest has often used these renewals as bargaining opportunities. On Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook that Budapest would “not consent to rushing ahead” with the…

Austria’s legal fight against Hungarian nuclear reactors built by Russian companies is valid, the adviser to the EU’s top court ruled. Back in 2017, Brussels approved a Budapest request to finance the construction of a new nuclear power plant, Paks II, in the heart of the country. It was to be built by a Russian company, Nizhny Novgorod Engineering. Austria sued and lost a lower court case in 2022. Today, the advocate general of the Court of Justice of the…