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Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Disgruntled DOJ Lifers Set Sights on Trump Nominee Emil Bove

 The knives are out for Emil Bove, the principal assistant deputy attorney general and President Donald Trump’s nominee for an opening on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; Bove faces what is expected to be a heated confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning.

Opposition to Bove’s nomination is not based on his resume – he graduated at the top of his class from Georgetown Law and spent 10 years as a top prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s office in the southern district of New York among other accomplishments – but because he represented the president in two criminal matters: Special Counsel Jack Smith’s so-called documents case in Florida and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s business records case in New York.

But Bove really rankled the old guard at the Department of Justice – and establishment DOJ’s defenders in the Democratic Party and national news media – by aggressively addressing corruption at the department, one of the president’s top priorities. Consistent with the president’s executive order to end the weaponization of government, particularly at the DOJ, Bove, the acting deputy attorney general at the time, quickly enacted a series of reforms. Known partisans at the department were fired or reassigned to a new immigration enforcement unit, prompting many to resign.

Bove launched an investigation into potential corrupt FBI practices related to the massive Jan. 6 investigation and fired temporary assistant U.S. attorneys hired exclusively to handle J6 prosecutions since the so-called “Capitol Siege” unit was shuttered after Trump’s inauguration. FBI agents and officials tied to the August 2022 armed raid of Mar-a-Lago were ousted.

But his move to dismiss the federal indictment of New York Mayor Eric Adams landed Bove in the media’s crosshairs and resulted in an internal mutiny of sorts with prosecutors openly defying his order to drop the case. New Trump #resistance stars were born after some DOJ officials issued public resignation letters defending the politically tainted case and condemning Bove’s directive. Rather than take the insubordination lying down, Bove opened an investigation into their misconduct.

Now, scorned DOJ employees are looking for revenge. A New York Times hit piece on Bove, published roughly 24 hours before the start of his confirmation hearing, claimed he discussed the possibility of defying court orders related to the Alien Enemies Act (AEA), one of the president’s signature deportation policies. 

According to allegations in a whistleblower complaint by Erez Reuvini, a career DOJ official, Bove said during a meeting on March 14, the day Trump signed the act, that “DOJ would need to consider telling the courts ‘fuck you’ and ignore any such court order” to halt the removal of illegal Venezuelans covered by the AEA. (The following day, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of five illegals covered by the AEA in the courtroom of D.C. District Court Judge James Boasberg. The case became a flashpoint in the lawfare against the president as Boasberg banned the removal of the AEA subjects; the Supreme Court overturned his ban on April 7. Boasberg also opened a contempt investigation into the administration for allegedly defying an “oral” order to return planes, out of U.S. airspace at the time, carrying AEA subjects. The Supreme Court also suspended that inquiry.)

“Mr. Reuveni’s account highlights the tensions that have been roiling the Justice Department for months, where many current and former career lawyers have come to fear that the department’s political leadership, chosen by Mr. Trump, is engaged in a systematic effort to undermine the rule of law,” Devlin Barrett wrote on June 24. “[Hundreds] of department lawyers have quit rather than follow the course being set by the Trump administration. Scores of others have been demoted or fired.”

Despite the unsubstantiated account by Reuveni – who was fired for insubordination in April for failing to “zealously advocate on behalf of the United States and engaging in conduct prejudicial to your client” after Reuveni refused to sign a brief in the Garcia case – and the fact the Supreme Court later vacated Boasberg’s orders in the case, the Timesstory went viral. “Top Justice Department leaders and judicial nominee tried to mislead judges, whistleblower says,” CNN reported. “Trump DOJ Lackey Told Underlings to Say ‘F*** You’ to Court Orders,” the Daily Beast breathlessly claimed. (Important to note the written court orders in the Alien Enemies Act were followed, a point not disputed by Boasberg.)

Key Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee also weighed in. Senator Cory Booker posted on X that “Emil Bove has no respect for the rule of law and court orders. He does not belong on the federal bench.” Senator Adam Schiff worried aloud that Bove could wind up on Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist at some point.

Hard to think of better non-endorsements.

Ousted DOJ officials added their voice to the anti-Bove bandwagon in a video produced by Justice Connection, a group of displaced and disgruntled DOJ employees. Michael Romano, who led the Jan. 6 investigation and publicly blasted Trump’s pardon of J6ers, described Bove as the president’s “personal attack dog” and insisted he “could not be impartial on the court of appeals.” A prosecutor on the Eric Adams case also said Bove was unfit for the bench: Ryan Crosswell, an attorney at the now-shuttered public integrity unit at the DOJ, accused Bove of making a “political calculation” in dropping the Biden-era indictment against one of Biden’s most outspoken Democratic critics.

So, what gives? One would think in this era of judicial defiance that represents a courtroom coup of sorts against the duly elected president and his administration, these “rule of law” hawks could certainly find more deserving targets of their ire. Where is their outrage against Judge Brian Murphy, who just announced he would ignore a Supreme Court ruling overturning his order to halt the deportation of criminal illegals to third-party countries? Or basically any judge on the D.C. District Court responsible for single-handedly gutting key executive orders without any basis or authority?

Further, where was this righteous indignation when the DOJ relentlessly pursued Trump, his White House aides, his political advisors, and nearly 1,600 supporters who protested at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021?

The anti-Bove operation represents an old playbook – administrative state saboteurs working behind the scenes to thwart Trump, then taking their unsubstantiated gripes public to the open arms of the media and Democrats in Congress – used successfully during the first Trump administration to run loyalists out of his administration.

It is important not to let history repeat itself in the Bove nomination. 

Hims ‘Won’t Cave’ to Novo Demands Over Copycat Weight-Loss Shots, CEO Says

 


Hims & Hers Health Inc. won’t back down from selling cheap weight-loss shots, its chief executive officer said one day after Novo Nordisk A/S abruptly ended its distribution partnership.

“We’re upset that Novo is feeling the pressure and not comfortable, but ultimately, I think us holding strong to fighting on behalf of customers is just who we are,” Hims CEO Andrew Dudum said Tuesday in his first interview since the news broke. “There’s just no way in hell we’re going to cave on that, no matter who the pharma company is or what the partnership looks like.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-24/hims-won-t-cave-to-novo-demands-over-copycat-shots-ceo-says

Trump US CDC nominee backs vaccines as life-saving

 U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for director of the CDC was pulled into political contention over U.S. vaccine policy on Wednesday, describing the medications as "life-saving" and telling a Senate panel that she has not seen evidence linking vaccines and autism.

If confirmed, Susan Monarez, a career public health official who served as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until her nomination, will report to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long questioned the safety of vaccines contrary to scientific evidence, including suggesting a link between them and autism.

"I have not seen a causal link between vaccines and autism," Monarez told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions during her confirmation hearing in response to a question from Senator Bernie Sanders.

She said she would prioritize vaccine availability if confirmed.

The hearing took place at the same time as a crucial meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that reviews vaccine data for the agency and recommends who should get them.

Kennedy previously fired the entire 17-member panel of outside vaccine experts and replaced them with his own picks. One left the committee hours before the meeting.

Several of the ACIP members Kennedy appointed have published papers, posted on social media, or written online biographies with anti-vaccine views, including against the mRNA vaccine technology used in some of the newest immunizations such as the COVID-19 vaccine.

Asked by the committee's Republican chairman Senator Bill Cassidy if she would recommend that ACIP be constituted with members with experience of research on the technology and knowledge of both sides of the safety discussion, Monarez said she would.

"I have no a priori prejudices against mRNA platform or any other approach that is being taken to develop vaccines," she said, adding that the Food and Drug Administration has approved mRNA vaccines as safe.

Monarez said that if confirmed, she would focus on making CDC leadership accountable, prioritize bringing state-of-the-art technologies to detect outbreaks early and implement predefined protocols to avoid confusion and delays in responding to outbreaks.

If confirmed, Monarez would lead the response to public health threats including the growing measles cases in the United States, especially the outbreak in West Texas and New Mexico that has killed three people, and play a critical role in tackling the spread of bird flu.

She would be leading a diminished agency, with the White House seeking to cut the CDC's budget by almost $3.6 billion, leaving it with a $4 billion budget, and Kennedy enacting a layoff plan that cut 2,400 employees. Kennedy said on Tuesday he had since rehired 722 people.

The Atlanta-based CDC tracks and responds to domestic and foreign threats to public health. Roughly two-thirds of its budget provides funds to the public health and prevention activities of state and local health agencies.

Monarez is Trump's second nominee for the position after he withdrew his nomination of former Republican congressman and vaccine critic Dave Weldon in March hours before his scheduled confirmation hearing.

The committee will vote on whether to send Monarez to the full Senate for a confirmation vote, which she is likely to secure; Republicans control the chamber and have backed nearly all Trump's nominees.

Monarez would be the first CDC director to require Senate confirmation following amendments to the Public Health Service Act, and if confirmed, would be the first director without a medical degree since 1953.

https://gazette.com/news/us-world/trump-us-cdc-nominee-backs-vaccines-as-life-saving/article_77edb330-aa3b-5b0e-9b6f-bca64ab6282d.html

Trump Declares At NATO Summit: '12-Day Iran-Israel War Is Over' & Nuclear Sites 'Totally Obliterated'

 Summary: A main message of President Trump upon his closing press Q&A remarks (and echoed by Hegseth, who also spoke) is that Iran's nuclear facilities have been 'obliterated, totally obliterated'. "You know they have guys that go in there after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration,” Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in The Hague, in reference to the bombing of Fordo. He actually at times referenced Israeli and Iranian sources. "Israel is doing a report on it now, I understand, and I was told that they said it was total obliteration. I believe it was total obliteration, and I believe they didn’t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast," Trump said.

Another important moment concerns nuclear talks, after Trump declared what he's calling the '12-day war' is 'over'. "We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. I mean, they had a war, they fought, now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not," Trump said.

"As you know, last weekend the United States successfully carried out a massive precision strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities and it was very, very successful. It was called obliteration. No other military on earth could have done it, and now this incredible exercise of American strength has paved the way for peace with a historic ceasefire agreement," Trump said.

When pressed on the leaked US intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), he said "The document said it could be very severe damage. But they didn’t take that. They said it could be limited or it could be very severe. They really didn’t know other than to say it could be limited or it could be very, very severe."

President Donald Trump and his top officials, including Rubio and Hegseth, are in The Netherlands where they are defending this past weekend's strikes on Iran nuclear facilities. They are praising the B-2 bomber raid and execution of the pilots and all involved as having demolished the country's atomic capabilities.

Trump has achieved his vision of a massive defense spending boost, as on Wednesday the alliance has formally committed to a 5% of GDP spending goal over the next decade, with Secretary Rutte having earlier proclaimed 'no opt-outs' - aimed particularly at Spain and others - and further the US President has pledged that 'we're with NATO all the way.' For now, Trump seems mostly in the mood to defend his Iran attack, and proclaim the total destruction of the Islamic Republic's core nuclear program, in the face of a skeptical US and European press. He's expected to speak at the close of Wednesday's summit. WATCH LIVE:

Some developments from the ongoing NATO summit:

  • NATO's 32 leaders proclaim: “Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defence-and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.”

  • AP: Many European countries face major economic challenges, and Trump’s global tariff war could make it even harder for Washington’s NATO allies to reach defense spending levels of 5% of their GDP.

  • BBG: President Trump disputed an early intelligence report from the Pentagon that found the airstrikes he ordered on Iran had only a limited impact on its nuclear program. The attacks caused “total obliteration,” he said, while satellite imagery fails to provide conclusive evidence of deep penetration.

  • BBG: And in a surprise announcement that appears to undermine years of US sanctions on Iran, Trump gave China the green light to buy Iranian oil.

  • Hungarian PM: ‘Ukraine is not in NATO, my job is to keep it that way,’ Orbán tells press outside NATO summit

  • AP: NATO leader praises Trump’s involvement in Iran-Israel war in private text: En route to The Hague yesterday, Trump posted a screenshot of a message sent to him by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, which read, “Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer.”

  • Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday found that Trump's strikes on Iran only set back the country's nuclear program by months.

  • AP on Trump's response: Trump said media outlets were “disgusting” for reporting on the assessment, describing them as “very unfair to the pilots, who risked their lives for our country.”

  • Trump on Article 5: “I stand with it, that’s why I’m here,” Trump said as he met with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. “If I didn’t stand with it I wouldn’t be here.”

  • PBS: “There’s numerous definitions of Article 5. You know that, right?” Trump said. “But I’m committed to being their friends.” He signaled that he would give a more precise definition of what Article 5 means to him once he was at the summit.

Many developments being announced at the summit are fully expected and were long previewed, but the big wild-card as usual will be Trump's live comments to the press and to officials gathered.

Via Shutterstock

President Trump also on Wednesday has met with Ukraine's President Zelensky, and likely discussed new anti-Moscow sanctions and the purchase of a new weapons purchase. Trump has exhibited coolness toward the Ukrainian leader of late, and this is perhaps why Zelensky is dressed to impress, having actually shown up in a suit this time.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/watch-live-trump-speaks-nato-summit-after-bombing-iran

"Ukraine Is Not In NATO, My Job Is To Keep It That Way", Orbán Tells Press Outside NATO Summit

 by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán voiced skepticism over proposed NATO plans to raise defense spending to 5 percent of member states’ GDP, calling the target unworkable under existing EU budgetary constraints and warning of economic consequences if Brussels doesn’t radically change its fiscal framework.

“We are able to do it, it is not easy,” Orbán said at the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.

“But the whole calculation of budget regulation of the European Union must be changed. So if we keep the regulations as it is, nobody in the European Union can fulfill 5 percent, whatever they say. We have to recalculate everything in a different method; in that case, we can do it.”

Orbán’s comments reflect his broader concern that NATO is drifting into dangerous territory — both financially and geopolitically. Rather than supporting yet another push toward militarization, the Hungarian leader emphasized that Europe’s real threat is not military in nature but economic.

“The real threat is not security-wise, it is economic and losing our competitiveness in global trade,” he said. “That’s our problem.”

He also reiterated his long-standing opposition to NATO involvement in Ukraine, restating Hungary’s commitment to keeping the alliance out of the war.

“NATO has no business in Ukraine,” Orbán said plainly.

“Ukraine is not a member of NATO, nor is Russia. And my job is to keep it as it is.”

Orbán has repeatedly argued that escalating military aid and deepening Western involvement risk prolonging the war and damaging European interests. His administration has opposed further sanctions on Russia and has long expressed concern over the possibility of NATO and EU membership for Kyiv in the current climate.

On Tuesday, the Hungarian prime minister hit back at thinly veiled criticism of his administration from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — an honorary guest at the summit in the Netherlands.

Zelensky suggested that it is “unfair when a single party blocks the Union’s decision,” referencing Hungarian opposition to further negotiations with Kyiv on EU membership.

In response, Orbán wrote on X, “President, with all due respect: the European Union was founded to bring peace and prosperity to its member states. Accepting a country that is at war with Russia would immediately drag the EU into a direct conflict. It is unfair to expect any member state to take this risk.”

In other remarks in The Hague, Orbán further highlighted his alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump, praising what he called Trump’s “common sense” approach to foreign policy and suggesting that a shift in Washington’s leadership is already having a stabilizing effect on global conflicts.

“The international order is more based on common sense,” Orbán said. “And the president of the United States is a man of common sense, as you have seen, just recently, to manage the conflict between Iran and Israel. So, he is the man of common sense, which means that the new wars are getting shorter and the old wars are running out of fuel, which is the consequence of his activity.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraine-not-nato-my-job-keep-it-way-orban-tells-press-outside-nato-summit

BIS Claims Stablecoins Fail As Money, Calls For Strict Limits On Their Role

 by Amin Haqshanas via CoinTelegraph.com,

A new report from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) challenged the notion that stablecoins can serve as money in a modern financial system.

According to the BIS Annual Economic Report 2025, stablecoins fail the fundamental tests of “singleness,” “elasticity” and “integrity,” three critical criteria that define effective monetary instruments.

The BIS described stablecoins as “digital bearer instruments” that resemble financial assets more than actual money. “Stablecoins perform poorly when assessed against the three tests for serving as the mainstay of the monetary system,” the report said.

Unlike central bank-backed money, which is accepted “at par” and requires no background checks, private entities issue stablecoins and often trade at fluctuating rates. This undermines the core principle of monetary singleness, the report claimed.

Stablecoins continue to grow, but volatility remains. Source: BIS

Stablecoins fail elasticity and integrity tests

Elasticity, the second test, is crucial for absorbing shocks and meeting large-value payment demands, BIS said in its report.

It pointed out that “any additional supply of stablecoins thus requires full upfront payment by its holders,” likening it to a “strict cash-in-advance setup” that contrasts with the flexibility of modern banking systems, where central banks provide liquidity as needed.

The third and perhaps most damning failure lies in the area of integrity. The report claimed that stablecoins’ design, especially those transacted via unhosted wallets on public blockchains, makes them prone to financial crime.

“Stablecoins have significant shortcomings when it comes to promoting the integrity of the monetary system,” the BIS noted, emphasizing their vulnerability to money laundering, sanctions evasion and terrorist financing.

Cross-border use of stablecoins has been rising. Source: BIS

Stablecoins should have a limited role

While acknowledging the continued demand for stablecoins due to features like cross-border accessibility and lower transaction costs, the BIS argued that they should only play a limited, well-regulated role.

“Society can re-learn the historical lessons about the limitations of unsound money,” the report cautioned. “Bold action by central banks and other public authorities can push the financial system along the right path, in partnership with the financial sector.”

Circle, the company behind USDC, saw its stock drop more than 15% on Tuesday after the BIS report, hitting $222. CRCL shares had reached an all-time high of $299 on Monday.

Despite its hard take on stablecoins, the BIS report praised tokenization as a “transformative innovation” for the next-generation monetary and financial system. It said tokenization builds on the current financial system rather than replacing it.

Some in the crypto community said it is “no surprise” that the BIS paper was generally negative on stablecoins, given that it is a “regulatory body owned by global central banks.”

“The BIS is hysterical in its opposition to crypto,” Jim Walker, chief economist at Aletheia Capital, wrote“The first criterion, backed by a central bank, should make it a laughing stock given the historical failures of those institutions around the world.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/bis-claims-stablecoins-fail-money-calls-strict-limits-their-role

China mosquito-sized drone designed for stealth military operations nearly invisible to naked eye

 Buzzing into enemy territory.

China unveiled a mosquito-sized drone designed for covert military operations and espionage — a development that’s raising alarms over the potential consequence of the tech falling into the wrong hands.

The miniature device, featuring two leaf-like wings, a black vertical body, and three hair-thin legs, was engineered to mimic the blood-sucking insect by scientists at the National University of Defense Technology in China’s Hunan province.

The miniature device has two leaf-like wings, a black vertical body, and three hair-thin legs.China NUDT

“Here in my hand is a mosquito-like type of robot,” said Liang Hexiang, an NUDT student who was holding the tiny drone between his fingers in a video shared by state media last weekend.

“Miniature bionic robots like this one are especially suited to information reconnaissance and special missions on the battlefield.”

He said the hair-raising device is capable of carrying out a wide range of military and civilian missions.

The nano-winged drone is equipped with ultra -miniature cameras and microphones to capture images, sounds, and electronic signals — with its tiny size rendering it nearly invisible to the naked eye and capable of flying past conventional radar system undetected.

The nano-winged device was designed to mimic the blood-sucking insect.China NUDT

Despite the technological leap, experts warned of the serious security risks the drone could pose.

“If China is able to produce mosquito-sized drones, it would likely be interested in using them for various intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks, especially in places that larger drones struggle to access, such as indoor areas,” Georgetown research fellow Sam Bresnick told The Telegraph.

“These drones could be used to track individuals or listen in on conversations.”

Silhouetted figures saluting in front of a Chinese flag.REUTERS

Timothy Heath, a senior defense researcher, cautioned that the micro-drone could be exploited by criminals seeking to steal personal information, including passwords, or infiltrate businesses.

Heath, however, noted that the device’s small size could restrict its operational range and endurance.

“To spy over a long period of time, someone would need to be willing to constantly cycle out microdrones, recharge them, and redeploy them in additional to sifting through the collected data, all within range of the target person or business,” Heath told the outlet.

The Jiu Tian is allegedly capable of carrying around 100 drones that can be deployed at cruising altitude.@XH_Lee23/X

“This is why the drone is less useful for battlefields but more useful for special mission operations or espionage missions.”

The creepy-crawly new drone emerged just over a month after China released renderings of an aerial mothership designed to launch more than 100 drones and approximately 2,200 pounds of missiles at cruising altitude.

The Jiu Tan SS-UAV has a massive 82-foot wingspan and is designed to fly above many of the medium-range defense systems around the globe.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/24/world-news/china-unveils-mosquito-sized-drone-designed-for-stealth-military-operations/