Tag Archives: military

Nov 25 2025

President Trump Recognizes Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters for Potential Foreign Terrorist Designation


Posted originally on CTH on November 24, 2025 | Sundance 

Many of us who have watched U.S.-Mideast policy unfold for decades, accepted there was just no way for the U.S. government to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist group.

As noted historically in Kuwait, Jordan, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Turkey and most recently Qatar, the U.S. government works collaboratively with chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood is the political arm of authentic Islam, and can be considered much like the umbrella organization for a host of different factions of Islamic fundamentalism.

The Brotherhood is the unified political voice of many regional chapters, each with a varying degree of authentic Islam behind it.

Qatar is the central bank for the Muslim Brotherhood; Turkey represents the Brotherhood’s biggest national support network, and Egypt is the intellectual or scholastic battleground where the values of political Islam are debated.

For many years several people, ourselves included, have called for the Muslim Brotherhood to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.  However, the duality of purpose of the Brotherhood was always given as a reason not to designate them.

Today, President Trump is trying to navigate this dynamic within his executive order [SEE HERE].

The executive order instructs the State Dept to officially begin the process to look at each chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood as a separate entity, and then see if the designation of a terrorist organization can apply to that chapter.

As noted in the Executive Order, “relevant here, its chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilization campaigns.”  It looks like Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt chapters of the Brotherhood will get the first review.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi already dealt with the extremist Muslim Brotherhood once, kicking their leadership out of Egypt.  The leaders fled to Qatar, and then ultimately ended up in Turkey, where Recep Erdogan absolutely loves the usefulness of the Brotherhood.

Jordanian King Abdullah has been balancing the Muslim Brotherhood influence for years, and Lebanon is a hot mess with the Hezbollah faction of the Brotherhood.  The Muslim Brotherhood, as a political structure, holds all kinds of extremist factions under its umbrella (al-Qaeda, al-Nusra etc.).

This effort to designate the “chapters” also looks like an appeasement toward the position of Israel, who has long called for the terrorist designation.  The nations of Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt were key stabilizing voices during the Israel-Hamas conflict over Gaza.

WHITE HOUSE – […] Section 1.  Purpose.  This order sets in motion a process by which certain chapters or other subdivisions of the Muslim Brotherhood shall be considered for designation as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, consistent with section 219 of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1189) and specially designated global terrorists, consistent with IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702), and Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001 (Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism), as amended.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has developed into a transnational network with chapters across the Middle East and beyond.  Relevant here, its chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilization campaigns that harm their own regions, United States citizens, and United States interests.  For example, in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, the military wing of the Lebanese chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood joined Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions to launch multiple rocket attacks against both civilian and military targets within Israel.  A senior leader of the Egyptian chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood, on October 7, 2023, called for violent attacks against United States partners and interests, and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood leaders have long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas.  Such activities threaten the security of American civilians in the Levant and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the safety and stability of our regional partners.

Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters designated as foreign terrorist organizations pursuant to section 3 of this order, deprive those chapters of resources, and thereby end any threat such chapters pose to United States nationals or the national security of the United States.

Sec. 3.  Implementation.  (a)  Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit a joint report to the President, through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, concerning the designation of any Muslim Brotherhood chapters or other subdivisions, including those in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, as foreign terrorist organizations consistent with 8 U.S.C. 1189, and specially designated global terrorists consistent with 50 U.S.C. 1702 and Executive Order 13224.

(b)  Within 45 days of submitting the report required by subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of State or the Secretary of the Treasury, as applicable, shall take all appropriate action consistent with 8 U.S.C. 1189 or 50 U.S.C. 1702 and Executive Order 13224, as applicable, with regard to the designation of any Muslim Brotherhood chapters or other subdivisions described in section 1 of this order as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. (more)

Nov 24 2025

Sunday Talks – Senator Mark Warner Not Happy with Ukraine Peace Proposal – Video and Transcript


Posted originally on CTH on November 23, 2025 | Sundance 

Sometimes it pays to remind what Marco Rubio said back in February, “Ukraine is a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia.”  From that context the remarks from SSCI Vice-Chair, Senator Mark Warner, make sense.

Warner appears on ABC News ‘This Week’ to denounce the peace proposal now being negotiated in Geneva, Switzerland between Secretary Rubio and the Ukrainian delegation.  Senator Warner makes it clear he will not accept the end to conflict in Ukraine.  Video and Transcript Below:

[TRANSCRIPT] – Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner joins me now.

Good to see you this morning, Senator.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE VICE CHAIR: Good morning, Martha.

RADDATZ: What is your reaction to this peace proposal that is on the table?

WARNER: My reaction is it’s awful. It would make Neville Chamberlain’s giving in to Hitler outside of World War II looks strong in comparison. The fact that this was almost a series of Russian talking points, would require Ukraine to give the — totality of the Donbas, parts they still control, cut back their military forces going forward, never be able to join NATO.

This would be a complete capitulation. And it’s why I think you’re hearing from Congress, both sides, people pushing back. And, obviously, the Europeans feel like they’ve been totally left high and dry.

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC “THIS WEEK” CO-ANCHOR: You’ve heard the deadline from President Trump, but then him saying that’s not — there’s room for negotiation here, it seems like. So, what do you think happens after today (ph)?

WARNER: I think what happens — it feels like this was a plan that they took almost entirely from the Russians, did no consultation with Congress, no consultation with the Europeans, obviously didn’t read in Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians, and now they’re getting ferocious pushback. So, one more time, Trump is changing his deadline.

Of course, how he picked Thanksgiving to start with, I have no idea. But now it — even with this — some of this back and forth that it’s not really an American plan, or isn’t an American plan, this is the kind of chaos that, unfortunately, represents so much of the Trump foreign policy.

RADDATZ: So, what do you think President Zelenskyy should do? He’s been through this before. It’s kind of back and forth with this White House. They support you. They pull it back. Do you think all of this, this proposal, which seems to heavily favor Russia, is that just a starting point again?

WARNER: Well, I would hope — I would hope so. Again, the Ukrainians have performed magnificently in the field. And they are reinventing the nature of warfare in terms of use — use of drones. To have this proposal forced upon them, I think as Zelenskyy said, Ukrainian dignity versus giving up a partner, I would hope the president would not be so weak as to try to force this plan on the Ukrainian and our other allies. It would, I think, send not only a horrible signal for Europe, but the person who’s watching this probably the most closely is President Xi in China. And if the Americans are willing to throw in their towel so much like this on Ukraine, you can bet that Xi is thinking, this gives him a clearer path in terms of taking Taiwan.

RADDATZ: But what does Zelenskyy do here? If on Thursday the president says, I’m telling you right now, take what we’ve got on the table and — and there will probably be some changes, or we’re done. What — what does Zelenskyy do, just hope that Europe rises and helps him out?

WARNER: Well, let’s — let’s, again, you have overwhelming support still for Ukraine. The last Ukraine aid package had 80 percent of the Congress. I think the president is seeing this one-sided plan kind of blow up in his face with pushback from the Ukrainians, from the Europeans, from members of Congress of his own party. And my hope is, he’ll come back and be a bit more reasonable.

RADDATZ: I want to turn to Venezuela. We’re all watching that this week. What can you tell us about what you think happens now. We’ve got this massive buildup. We’ve got this massive show of force. We have airline who aren’t — that aren’t flying there because of all the activity and the military activity right now.

Do you expect something more to happen?

WARNER: Well, historically, the United States’ intervention in Central America or South America has not always rolled out the way we’d hope. Maduro was a bad guy, frankly, under Biden. When the Venezuelan people voted in overwhelming numbers, Biden should have put more pressure on getting Maduro out then. It was a mistake.

But now, to have this much armed forces, we have not been briefed on any military action that would have been authorized. He keeps putting the word out that maybe he has authorized, maybe he’s not. We are trying to get the answer on that. But there is a real question. You know, to take this big a fleet, bring our largest aircraft carrier, put them there to further blow up boats that they claim have drugs on them, frankly they could have interdicted some of those boats and shown the world that there were drugs.

In terms of Venezuela, the legal opinion about the drug run — drug running doesn’t touch Venezuela at all. So, the president would have to come back and brief us.

RADDATZ: Trump says he’ll be speaking with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Do you think that is a good idea? And what can you say to him?

WARNER: Because I think the notion that Trump says he’ll talk to anyone, I think that is — I’m not going to critique him on that, if there’s a way to push Maduro out. Remember, our government and fifty other governments, almost all of Western Europe, don’t recognize the Maduro government as legitimate. But it does not feel like there is an organized plan. And coming down again, America only, without any of our other allies in South America or Central America again seems not the right approach to me.

RADDATZ: What could happen short of a show of force? When you have that massive a show of force, it’s almost like, you’re in a position where you have to do something or you might look weak. Short of Maduro saying, OK, I’ll leave, then what does he do?

WARNER: Well, again, that’s the million-dollar question. And as you know, when you’ve got this many forces down there, and you can’t keep the carrier positioned there forever, you also have the chance of an accident happening or a conflict between the Venezuelan air force or some of our planes that might —

RADDATZ: Do you think he wants to go to war with Venezuela? Do you think he wants (INAUDIBLE) —

WARNER: I don’t know. I don’t know. I think he is trying to put outside pressure on Maduro. But by doing it in this kind of America only approach, again without giving any sign to, I think, even his — the Republicans on The Hill what his plans are, I’m not sure is the right way to do foreign policy. You couple this Venezuela misadventure with this desertion of Ukraine and this is not making America safer, and it’s sure not putting America first.

RADDATZ: Thanks very much for joining us, Senator. Always appreciate it.

[End Transcript]

 

Nov 22 2025

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller Discusses the Consequences of Sedition


Posted originally on CTH on November 21, 2025 | Sundance 

Senator Elissa Slotkin (Mich), a former CIA analyst who worked in the State Department and Pentagon during the Obama administration, organized a viral video with Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Rep. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado.

The six congressional representatives directed their coordinated communication to members of the military and intelligence community. “Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders … you must refuse illegal orders,” they asserted.

However, when questioned about what “illegal orders” President Trump has created, the six members are suddenly very quiet.  White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller responds:

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Ultimately, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi could easily assign an FBI agent and U.S attorney to question the six members about the “illegal orders” they are telling the military and intelligence community to defy.

If Slotkin, Kelly and the rest cannot present evidence of an illegal order they are referring to, that would be a qualification that should presumably invoke a First Amendment defense claim, then charge them with simple sedition as defined in statute.

Nov 21 2025

President Trump Furious About Democrats Proudly Calling for Military and Intelligence Rebellion Against Trump Administration


Posted originally on CTH on November 20, 2025 | Sundance

President Trump: – “It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET. President DJT”

Nov 20 2025

EU Proposes Suspending Customs and Duty Enforcement During War Preparations Against Russia


Posted originally on CTH on November 19, 2025 | Sundance 

When Europe goes to war with Russia, they will not require the military to fill out customs declarations as they cross borders within the EU.

Tanks, missiles, artillery and most combat weapons could be exempt from EU customs declarations if the plan by Brussels moves forward.

Additionally, under the proposal most drivers of military equipment may even be permitted to exceed the limits on driving times and rest periods, should the fight against Russia require extended physical effort.

The newly proposed objective is to empower European soldiers to make independent decisions without having to fill out the customary paperwork, requiring prior approval from the European Commission before affixing their bayonets. The EU wants to work out the details before they begin military operations against the Russian Federation.

EUROPE – […] The communication notes that some countries require 45 days of advance notice before allowing military equipment to cross their territory. “Significant barriers to effective military mobility in the EU persist,” the communication notes. “National rules are often divergent, fragmented and non-harmonised.”

[…] “We need to move fast. We need to move faster than what Europe is used to or is expecting to,” Tzitzikostas said, saying the target is to get the basics in place by 2030.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned over the weekend that Russia may be capable of launching an attack on a NATO member state as early as 2028-2029.

If approved, EMERS would also grant derogations from standard customs and transport rules, including limits on driving times and rest periods for civilian operators, as well as faster, dedicated customs procedures under a specific EU protocol.

[…] To ensure coordination on the ground, each member state will appoint a national coordinator for military transport, serving as a single contact point for permissions, notifications and crisis response. (read more)

I would not be too concerned about the capabilities of Europe to confront Russian troops.  It appears there are now multiple discussions within the EU proposing to stop tracking carbon footprints for soldiers during those times of the day when maximum energy expenditure would be needed.

The French and German military leadership are against lifting the climate rules; however, the pressure from the U.S. within NATO appears to be shifting the overall sentiment.

While negotiations are still underway about permitting the burning of fossil fuels for meal preparation in the field, thankfully there are military consultants beginning to convince Brussels leadership that soldiers making coffee in forward operating positions should be permitted regardless of emissions.  FULL STORY HERE

Nov 12 2025

President Trump Delivers Remarks at a Veterans Day Ceremony at Arlington – 11:00am Livestream


Posted originally on CTH on November 11, 2025 | Sundance

Today President Donald J Trump will be honoring those who serve in the U.S. military with a wreath laying at Arlington National Ceremony in Virginia, and a speech in honor of Veterans Day.

The anticipated start time of the event is 11:00am EST with livestream links below.

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Nov 10 2025

Vice President JD Vance Celebrates at the Marine Corps Ball


Posted originally on CTH on November 9, 2025 | Sundance

Vice President JD Vance, the first vice president from the Marine Corps, delivers a 250th anniversary celebratory speech at the Marin Corps Ball.

Vice President Vance recognizes some remarkable members of the audience and shares insight from his time with them and from his time serving in the Marine Corps.  This is a speech filled with massive patriotism and enthusiasm for the spirit of the U.S. military and the Marine forces within it.  WATCH (prompted):

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Nov 5 2025

Senate Republicans Furious Over President Trump Acting Like Commander in Chief, Shifting Military Forces Away from Europe


Posted originally on CTH on November 4, 2025 | Sundance 

Senate Republicans are not going to sit on their hands and watch President Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth think they control the United States military.

Recent troop movements away from Senate approved military bases in Romania, combined with the Trump administration not pushing advanced weapons into the battlefield of Ukraine, have Senate Republicans planning to take immediate action to control military operations.

Somewhere in the evolution of Presidential authority, the Senate now affirms they alone have the authority to control the organization, priorities, spending intentions and troop deployments from their chambers in Washington DC.

War must be had according to the upper branch of the legislature. The Senate is not going to accept any effort to work around their foreign policy objectives, regardless of these insufferable ‘peace’ initiatives of the White House.

WASHINGTON DC – […] Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he’s seen an “unsettling trend” of Pentagon moves that he argues undermine Trump’s stated commitments to NATO and other international efforts — and he singled out Colby’s office in particular. It’s a distinction the Mississippi Republican often makes when criticizing administration policies — President Donald Trump has the right idea, but officials lower down in the administration or Pentagon are going about it the wrong way.

For example, he cited a decision last week to remove a rotational Army brigade from Romania, which Wicker criticized at the time.

“Members and staff of this committee have struggled to receive information from the policy office,” Wicker said. “This does not match our experience with the first Trump administration.”

“The situation needs to improve if we are to craft the best defense policy,” he said.

[…] Senators also cited other controversies tied to the Pentagon’s policy office that blindsided Congress as well as other parts of the administration — including confusion over a reported pause on some assistance to Ukraine, a review of the AUKUS submarine partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom and a new reshuffling of portfolios in the policy shop.

“I understand media reports can be wrong,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) “But it just seems like there’s this pigpen-like mess coming out of the policy shop that you don’t see” from other offices, he said. (read more)

For those who are critical of President Trump endorsing Senators like Lindsey Graham, please put these kinds of reference points into your contemplations of the dynamics.   The Republicans in the Senate are critically unaligned in their support of Trump’s noninterventionist foreign policy.

Posted originally on Rumble on Bannon War Room on: November 4, 2025

Nov 3 2025

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Delivers Remarks and Answers Questions During IISS Manama Conference, Bahrain


Posted originally on CTH on November 2, 2025 | Sundance 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard addressed the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue, in Manama, Bahrain. The transcript of her prepared remarks is below – The Q&A Session is not transcribed.

It should be remembered that Bahrain was the second nation to erupt following the 2009 Cairo, Egypt speech of then President Barack Obama.  Tunisia was the first, Egypt was the third.  The government of Bahrain barely survived the Islamist Spring and later formed a coalition with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE against the extremists within the Muslim Brotherhood then supported by Qatar.

DNI Gabbard speaks to the changed geopolitical environment in the era of U.S. President Donald Trump; the elimination of seemingly endless conflict driven by old guard establishment entities and influence agents around the world.  The Director highlights her personal journey toward supporting President Trump and the America First agenda that seeks genuine friendship and national partnerships based on mutually beneficial transactions.

[TRANSCRIPT] – “Thank you, distinguished guests, excellencies, friends, and fellow peacemakers. It’s a privilege to join all of you here this evening. Your Highness, thank you very much for your kind hospitality and welcoming us in hosting this important event. To IISS and your team, thank you for yet again putting on a phenomenal dialogue. It’s an honor to be able to address you here in the Kingdom of Bahrain at this pivotal time in global history.

As we gather here, we’re reminded that true security, true stability, and peace cannot be forged in isolation, but in the common collection of peacemakers working towards that common purpose. Today, I want to speak plainly for myself as a veteran and a soldier who has seen firsthand the high cost of war. As someone who serves under President Trump’s leadership, I have experienced the promise of peace. His vision is about delivering real wins, not just for America, but for our collective cause of peace and prosperity, and doing so through a very principled realism, rooted in shared goals, interests, and values.

The old Washington way of thinking is something we hope is in the rear-view mirror and something that has held us back for too long. For decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation-building. It was a one-size-fits-all approach of toppling regimes, trying to impose our system of governance on others, intervening in conflicts that were barely understood, and walking away with more enemies than allies. The result: trillions spent, countless lives lost, and in many cases, a creation of greater security threats, the rise of Islamist terrorist groups like ISIS.”

“We’ve heard President Trump and Vice President Vance speak just last week about their hope that the Abraham Accords will continue to grow and expand to allow for a true lasting regional stability and peace. This is what President Trump’s America First policy looks like in action, building peace through diplomacy, with an understanding that there cannot be prosperity without peace. President Trump de-escalated tensions on the Korean peninsula through direct talks. During his first term in office, he opened lines of communication with North Korea that had been frozen for generations. He did what no other president had been willing to do: engage directly to speak about peace. He restored American leadership abroad. He brokered economic normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, promoting stability and peace in the Balkan region.

And now just nine months into his second term, President Trump’s America First agenda is supercharging these efforts and securing peace on a scale that we haven’t seen in decades. He secured ceasefires between India and Pakistan, Israel and Iran, a peace agreement between Rwanda and the DRC, a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Cambodia and Thailand, and averted conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. As was mentioned previously and is very much in focus for so many of us, he negotiated the release of all living hostages from Hamas. While fragile, a historic ceasefire and peace plan is moving forward. It is doing so with integral support from many of our partners here in this room.

So, what ties all of this together? A simple and revolutionary idea: Pursue joint interests. Find those win-win solutions where they align and recognize that yes, we will have differences, and we will work through them.

President Trump understands that not everyone shares our exact values or our system of governance, and that’s okay. What’s most important is finding where our shared common ground exists and building those partnerships and progressing on those common grounds. Things like energy independence that stabilizes global markets, things like countering terrorism, something that continues to grow in different parts of the world, strengthening trade partnerships to boost economic growth and innovation. These are the components, the glue of enduring partnerships and friendships. So, America First is not about isolating ourselves. As President Trump has shown, it’s about engaging in direct diplomacy, being willing to have conversations that others are not willing to have and finding that path forward where our mutual sovereign interests are aligned.

And that’s really why we’re all gathered here today in Manama. We can commit to this path ourselves and put it into action with Bahrain’s own leadership. Year after year, hosting these critical dialogues shows us the way forward, convening nations from around the globe, amplifying shared stakes and strengthening partnerships and lines of communications that allow us to resolve our differences and deliver results for our respective people.

Under President Trump, the United States is your partner in executing this vision as a deal maker who is committed to peace. And together we look forward to continuing this path towards peace, to ending wars that have defined too many generations, unlocking prosperity for millions, and helping support the future of a Middle East where security is a dividend of cooperation, not a cost of conflict.

Thank you very much. God bless you. God bless the pursuit of peace.”

[END TRANSCRIPT] Question and Answer Session Follows.

Oct 29 2025

President Trump and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Speak to U.S. Troops On USS George Washington in Japan


Posted originally on CTH on October 28, 2025 | Sundance

President Trump visited U.S. troops stationed in Japan and gave a speech aboard the USS George Washington.  President Trump was accompanied by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and during a segment of the speech Trump invited Takaichi to deliver remarks.  This is certainly very cool.  WATCH: 

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The full video of President Trump’s remarks to the troops is below:

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