Mike Benz

But I think even that is done with an expectation that it's going to be NATO wide, it's going to have, you know, allies around the world. But to your point, I think that the Ukraine-Russia war has been a humbling period, which I think is why there actually is an appetite for peace. even within many aspects of the blob. They just want peace on terms that are beyond their leverage to obtain.

But I think even that is done with an expectation that it's going to be NATO wide, it's going to have, you know, allies around the world. But to your point, I think that the Ukraine-Russia war has been a humbling period, which I think is why there actually is an appetite for peace. even within many aspects of the blob. They just want peace on terms that are beyond their leverage to obtain.

But I think even that is done with an expectation that it's going to be NATO wide, it's going to have, you know, allies around the world. But to your point, I think that the Ukraine-Russia war has been a humbling period, which I think is why there actually is an appetite for peace. even within many aspects of the blob. They just want peace on terms that are beyond their leverage to obtain.

And that is a war of attrition that gets back to the efforts to cut USAID and the NGO plex. USAID spent $15 billion. I think it was one year alone on Ukraine on this. USAID NGOs are funding the pensions of people in Ukraine, are funding the salaries of municipal workers. there's more welfare for people in Ukraine from USAID than, you know, effectively American citizens who live here legally.

And that is a war of attrition that gets back to the efforts to cut USAID and the NGO plex. USAID spent $15 billion. I think it was one year alone on Ukraine on this. USAID NGOs are funding the pensions of people in Ukraine, are funding the salaries of municipal workers. there's more welfare for people in Ukraine from USAID than, you know, effectively American citizens who live here legally.

And that is a war of attrition that gets back to the efforts to cut USAID and the NGO plex. USAID spent $15 billion. I think it was one year alone on Ukraine on this. USAID NGOs are funding the pensions of people in Ukraine, are funding the salaries of municipal workers. there's more welfare for people in Ukraine from USAID than, you know, effectively American citizens who live here legally.

And the fact is, is if that USAID spigot gets cut, Things will go south very quickly. This is why the EU is creating its own army. Trillion dollar budget that they've announced for the EU to effectively create a parallel NATO in case Trump dips out of that. But in the heat of this, I mentioned a few of the failings. One of them, Ned. Another one is a trillion dollar Pentagon budget.

And the fact is, is if that USAID spigot gets cut, Things will go south very quickly. This is why the EU is creating its own army. Trillion dollar budget that they've announced for the EU to effectively create a parallel NATO in case Trump dips out of that. But in the heat of this, I mentioned a few of the failings. One of them, Ned. Another one is a trillion dollar Pentagon budget.

And the fact is, is if that USAID spigot gets cut, Things will go south very quickly. This is why the EU is creating its own army. Trillion dollar budget that they've announced for the EU to effectively create a parallel NATO in case Trump dips out of that. But in the heat of this, I mentioned a few of the failings. One of them, Ned. Another one is a trillion dollar Pentagon budget.

is hard for me to imagine that that does not go to prolonging the war, but the Trump administration is a tough choice. If you totally deprive Ukraine of the lifeline that they've had, everything crumbles immediately, but then you lose the deal terms in the sense that there's no hope to have Ukraine Territory in Eastern Ukraine, you know, flow back to control by the Kiev government.

is hard for me to imagine that that does not go to prolonging the war, but the Trump administration is a tough choice. If you totally deprive Ukraine of the lifeline that they've had, everything crumbles immediately, but then you lose the deal terms in the sense that there's no hope to have Ukraine Territory in Eastern Ukraine, you know, flow back to control by the Kiev government.

is hard for me to imagine that that does not go to prolonging the war, but the Trump administration is a tough choice. If you totally deprive Ukraine of the lifeline that they've had, everything crumbles immediately, but then you lose the deal terms in the sense that there's no hope to have Ukraine Territory in Eastern Ukraine, you know, flow back to control by the Kiev government.

There's no hope to recover all the petroleum resources in Ukraine. Ukraine is the third largest shale reserves, I believe, in all of Europe, especially in the Donbass and off the coast. And so, you know, I think Trump is between a blob and a hard place. You know, he has to, if he wants a budget done, he needs Congress to approve. We do not have a populist supermajority in Congress.

There's no hope to recover all the petroleum resources in Ukraine. Ukraine is the third largest shale reserves, I believe, in all of Europe, especially in the Donbass and off the coast. And so, you know, I think Trump is between a blob and a hard place. You know, he has to, if he wants a budget done, he needs Congress to approve. We do not have a populist supermajority in Congress.

There's no hope to recover all the petroleum resources in Ukraine. Ukraine is the third largest shale reserves, I believe, in all of Europe, especially in the Donbass and off the coast. And so, you know, I think Trump is between a blob and a hard place. You know, he has to, if he wants a budget done, he needs Congress to approve. We do not have a populist supermajority in Congress.

There are more populists now in Congress than there were under Trump 1. So I don't think Trump will get as rolled as he was by Paul Ryan. But there will be rolling, undoubtedly. We've seen 26 members of Congress, I think, have said that they're not going to approve the doge cuts, just the doge cuts.

There are more populists now in Congress than there were under Trump 1. So I don't think Trump will get as rolled as he was by Paul Ryan. But there will be rolling, undoubtedly. We've seen 26 members of Congress, I think, have said that they're not going to approve the doge cuts, just the doge cuts.

There are more populists now in Congress than there were under Trump 1. So I don't think Trump will get as rolled as he was by Paul Ryan. But there will be rolling, undoubtedly. We've seen 26 members of Congress, I think, have said that they're not going to approve the doge cuts, just the doge cuts.

And while you're getting handed even more money from a from a trillion dollar Pentagon budget and how much of that trillion is going to be civil military, i.e. NGOs, because the military funds these NGOs. As I mentioned, the secretary of war is on the. for the U.S. Institute of Peace. The Pentagon pays the Atlantic Council.

And while you're getting handed even more money from a from a trillion dollar Pentagon budget and how much of that trillion is going to be civil military, i.e. NGOs, because the military funds these NGOs. As I mentioned, the secretary of war is on the. for the U.S. Institute of Peace. The Pentagon pays the Atlantic Council.