A few weeks before Donald Trump was sworn in as president, members of his transition team went to the Treasury Department to talk about the handover of power.
But what is normally a routine discussion turned into an alarming series of interactions for a handful of top career Treasury officials.
Trump’s team, which included members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency peppered Treasury officials about one of the department’s most sensitive and critical functions: processing trillions of dollars in government payments a year.
Through a series of specific requests, Trump’s landing team attempted to lift the hood on the department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, an arcane branch that distributes nearly 90 percent of all federal payments, including Social Security benefits, tax refunds and payments to federal workers and contractors. That adds up to a billion annual transactions totaling more than $5 trillion.
A month later, this obscure Treasury office is now a key battlefront in a wider war being waged by Trump and his allies over federal spending. Signs of the fight have emerged this week.
The top civil servant at the Treasury Department, David Lebryk, is leaving unexpectedly after Trump-affiliated officials expressed interest in stopping certain payments made by the federal government, according to three people familiar with the situation.
According to one person familiar with the department, Trump-affiliated employees had asked about Treasury’s ability to stop payments. But Lebryk’s pushback was, “We don’t do that,” the person said.
“They seem to want Treasury to be the chokepoint on payments, and that’s unprecedented,” the person added, emphasizing that it is not the bureau’s role to decide which payments to make — it is “just to make the f-ing payments.”
Before Trump’s inauguration, members of his transition landing team wanted to know granular details about the bureau’s proprietary computer systems, including “each step in the disbursement process.” They also wanted to visit field offices where government workers, in Philadelphia or Kansas, work on computers that disburse payments.
The requests puzzled many career officials initially. The transition operation hadn’t requested substantive briefings on any of Treasury’s other critical areas of operation, multiple people familiar with the matter said. Veterans of past transition efforts, representing presidents of both parties, couldn’t recall precedent for the Trump team’s entreaty.
With Trump set to take office in a matter of days, officials found little reason to open the doors to the nation’s payment nerve center. But the persistence of the transition operation’s focus on the payments infrastructure rattled some Treasury officials.
The arcane process of cutting the government’s checks is normally overlooked by political leadership, though the incoming administration exhibited an odd interest in its inner workings, sources said — raising suspicions among career officials about the intent to tinker with a crucial financial pipeline that keeps the nation’s economy running.
Tension between Lebryk and Trump political appointees, including those affiliated with DOGE, had been mounting, with sources telling CNN that things escalated this week after the Office of Management and Budget on Monday ordered a sweeping freeze on trillions of dollars in federal spending.
At the time, Lebryk was the acting Treasury Secretary. Trump’s pick to lead Treasury, Scott Bessent, was sworn in Tuesday. OMB rescinded that order a few days later after an uproar that’s still being litigated in court.
Lebryk’s departure, which he announced by email to his team on Friday morning, has shaken up career Treasury officials, several sources have told CNN this week.
Lebryk’s exit was first reported by the Washington Post, but the full scale of the tension inside the Treasury Department has not been previously reported. Lebryk didn’t respond to an inquiry from CNN on Friday morning.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, called for an investigation on Friday following news of Lebryk’s departure.
“It’s alarming that Elon Musk is attempting to gain access to the Federal Government’s critical payment system, which is responsible for delivering Social Security checks, tax refunds, and Medicare benefits to Americans across the country,” Warren said in a statement provided to CNN. “It is equally alarming that Musk and the Trump Administration drove out the most senior career official at Treasury as the agency is already taking extraordinary measures to avoid a US default.”
Multiple Trump administration officials, including people at Treasury, didn’t respond to several requests for comment this week.
Musk himself acknowledged his interest in the Treasury Department’s payment processing in a middle-of-the-night post on his social media platform Saturday.
He wrote his team “discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once.”
The post appeared to ignore the mechanisms already in place for Treasury to simply fulfill lawful payment decisions made by other agencies, and that the system’s value to the federal bureaucracy and the nation’s economy lies in its reliability.
Jack Lew, who ran the Treasury Department during President Barack Obama’s second term, said any attempt to disrupt payments made by the BFS would be dangerous to the world’s markets.
“The American people should not have to worry about political interference when it comes to receiving Social Security and other payments the fiscal service makes,” Lew told CNN. “And as the world’s reserve currency, it is crucial to maintain confidence around the globe that the US Government will make timely payments on its obligations.”
Some of the members of Trump’s landing team present for the initial transition meetings are now working at the Treasury Department.
Among them is Baris Akis, a Musk ally who is the co-founder of a venture capital firm, Human Capital. Akis’ presence raised alarms among some of the Treasury officials present for those early meetings, since he was not an official member of the incoming Trump administration and didn’t have a security clearance at the time, the sources told CNN.
Akis, along with a few others affiliated with Musk’s DOGE, has been in the Treasury building in recent days. Sources familiar with the department tell CNN they “rove around as a pack” — emphasizing how the group is working in the building in a way that is separate from the rest of the department’s staff.
Akis did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.
Meanwhile, several blocks away in downtown Washington, Musk has asserted significant influence at the Office of Personnel Management, with at least one other employee formerly with Human Capital. The agency, which serves as the overarching human resources headquarters for the federal government, has historically been an operation driven by career officials who have worked across administrations of both parties.
Political appointees have long played a role, but according to one long-time official, the current iteration “is like a different world.”
That world is now populated with a number of Musk acolytes.
Amanda Scales, who previously worked for Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI after working for Human Capital, arrived at OPM as the agency chief of staff on Inauguration Day and has been the central figure identified with the agency’s sweeping efforts to restructure the federal workforce, multiple agency officials said. She previously worked at Akis’ company.
Brian Bjelde, the human resources chief for SpaceX, and Anthony Armstrong, a Morgan Stanley banker who worked on Musk’s purchase of Twitter, have also taken on substantial roles. Musk worked out of the OPM headquarters – with his surrogates by his side – last week, the officials said.
Trump’s nominee to run OPM, Scott Kupor, is awaiting confirmation but also holds deep ties to the Silicon Valley universe integral to Musk’s DOGE operations.
Nonprofits and Democrat-led states are already suing to try to block the Trump administration’s attempts to freeze federal spending. Despite the rescission of the memo directing the pause, they say the lawsuits need to continue, because of evidence the funding is being withheld.
On Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island told the Trump administration it couldn’t block payments to states, nor could it try to revive stopping payments in any agency under Trump. More hearings are to come, including on Monday morning in a separate federal court, in DC.
The court fights show how any action by the administration that tampers with congressionally mandated funding could attract aggressive litigation.
The lawsuits haven’t yet touched upon the Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s work inside the Treasury Department.
This story has been updated with new reporting.
CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this report.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has traditionally been a relatively obscure office within the Treasury Department, responsible for overseeing the federal budget and ensuring that government funds are allocated efficiently and effectively. However, in recent months, the OMB has become ground zero in the war over federal spending as the Biden administration and congressional Republicans clash over budget priorities.
At the heart of the conflict is President Biden’s ambitious domestic agenda, which includes massive investments in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other social programs. Republicans, on the other hand, are pushing for more limited government spending and are wary of the potential impact of Biden’s proposals on the federal deficit.
With the OMB playing a crucial role in crafting and implementing the federal budget, the office has become a focal point for both sides as they seek to influence the allocation of government funds. The stakes are high, with the outcome of this budget battle likely to shape the future of federal spending for years to come.
As the Biden administration and congressional Republicans continue to clash over budget priorities, all eyes are on the OMB to see how this arcane Treasury Department office will ultimately shape the course of federal spending in the coming years.
Although Suriname is one of the smallest countries in the Western Hemisphere, it is gaining importance as it heads in the same direction as neighboring Guyana in becoming one of the world’s newest oil producers. This is a development that both Washington and Beijing are watching closely, especially as they seek to consolidate their positions in the Americas within the context of an intensifying global rivalry that has all the hallmarks of a new Cold War.
China has been carving out a role in Suriname over the past two decades. It is the Caribbean country’s largest sovereign lender and a major trading partner. Its companies are actively engaged in upgrading the country’s infrastructure, and, most recently, the two have focused on the country’s extractive sector: oil and bauxite. China has a Confucius Institute at Suriname’s leading university, the Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname, where it conveys the message that engagement with the People’s Republic is a win-win relationship with one of the world’s economically most successful countries. That relationship is constructed on multilateral coordination, solidarity, cooperation, and, of course, a strict adherence to the one-China principle (no recognition of Taiwan as an independent state). Much of this engagement has been under the auspices of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which Suriname joined in 2018.
Head-of-state meetings also play their part. Dési Bouterse, president from 2010 to 2020, visited China in 2019, and his successor, Chan Santokhi, who succeeded him in 2020, paid an official visit in April 2024. Santokhi met President Xi Jinping, and the two discussed the potential for cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture, forestry, and energy. During his visit, Santokhi stated, “China is taking leadership in the world and supporting other countries. One of the examples is the Belt and Road cooperation plan. My country is also benefiting from this development.” He also stressed that the BRI can be implemented through the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which can help promote “South-South cooperation” and “can improve the connectivity between Latin American countries and China.”
The extractive industries sector is a major part of Chinese-Surinamese economic relations, which follows a pattern evident in the rest of the Caribbean and Latin America. One of the largest gold mining operations in the country is owned by China’s Zijin, which bought out Canada’s IAMGOLD, and Chinese companies are active in the timber sector. In November 2024, it was announced that the Chinese mining company Chinalco and the government of Suriname had signed a MOU (memorandum of understanding) for the Chinese company to invest $426 million in bauxite mining. The deal will have to be approved by the country’s National Assembly. Bauxite was Suriname’s major industry through much of the twentieth century but came to a halt in the 2010s due to challenging global market conditions and Suriname’s own internal problems.
In 2024 PetroChina (a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, or CNPC) signed a deal with Suriname’s Staatsolie for production sharing in blocks fourteen and fifteen, which gives China an important toehold in Suriname similar to the China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s (CNNOC) operations in Guyana.
Another Chinese company, the China Road and Bridge Corporation, competed in a lengthy process (which began in 2023) for the contract to build the Corentyne River Bridge between Guyana and Suriname. The winning bid was announced in December 2024, with China Road and Bridge Corporation beating out Ballast Nedam Infra Suriname (a local company) and China Railway Caribbean Company Limited. This venture is regarded as critical to furthering the economic integration of the southern Caribbean by improving the ease of travel between Georgetown and Paramaribo.
While the infrastructure and mining part of Chinese economic statecraft seeks to portray a win-win approach, China maintains its more hard-nosed leverage on the country by being Suriname’s largest sovereign debt holder. It was under Bouterse that some $1.5 billion was borrowed, much of it from China, including a credit line from China’s central bank, some of which was used to pay Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications manufacturer, to upgrade the telephone system.
While Suriname defaulted on its debt in 2020, it was not until November 2024 that the two countries settled the matter. Under the agreement, Suriname agreed to pay off the $476 million (of which $140 million is in arrears) it owes the Chinese state-owned Exim Bank (Export-Import Bank). According to Suriname’s debt management office, payments to China’s Exim will be paid in two tranches. Additional debt owed to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China of $68 million will be paid in one tranche. Suriname’s total debt as of December 31, 2023, was estimated at $2.7 billion.
Not everyone in Suriname is happy with China’s large role in their country. Indeed, China’s prolonged debt negotiations (four years) raised questions of bullying. As one editorial from de Ware Tijd noted of China’s lengthy bargaining and its objections to an earlier agreement regarding the debt in November 2024:
“After this, Ramdin (the foreign minister) had to eat humble pie and admit that no final deal had been signed, which is why this affair was given the name ‘The Great China Lie’ in the community. And which has been maintained by parties ever since by consistently keeping quiet about it. But with that, the enormous debt burden, with which China can put pressure on the Surinamese government – if not blackmail it – still stands.”
The proposed Chinalco deal has also been criticized. The Association of Economists in Suriname (VES) noted that if approved by the National Assembly, the deal will “be the worst ever in Suriname’s extractive industry.” According to the VES, “The deal means that the government agrees to give away all tax benefits. Chinalco and its companies do not have to pay income tax and Suriname gives away its right to grant concessions in an area of 28,000 hectares.” Additionally, there is an Indigenous community of an estimated 5,000 people who would have to be displaced to make way for the mining operation.
With the advent of the Trump administration, the rivalry between China and the United States is set to heat up. In this, the United States has a stake in Suriname. It is a fellow democracy and is capitalist-oriented. Most of all, its oil and gas sectors are poised to take off in the next few years (pushed along by TotalEnergies and APA’s $10.5 billion investment). Indeed, the opening of the oil and gas sector could provide new opportunities for U.S. companies. The United States is also Suriname’s largest trade partner (according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Direction of Trade Statistics).
For the United States, there is a need to upgrade its economic statecraft playbook to compete with China. In December 2024, the Export-Import Bank of the United States confirmed that it had approved a $526 million loan to Guyana in support of the country’s Gas-to-Energy Project. The financing will facilitate the construction of “a natural gas separation plant, a 300 megawatts (MW) combined gas turbine power plant and services linked to the gas supply pipeline.” Significantly, the loan will help Guyana upgrade its aging and polluting (powered by oil) power generation system, replace it with less polluting natural gas, and continue its efforts to develop renewable energy.
The recent loan to Guyana provides the type of support that countries like Suriname need, and which, in the past, China has been willing to supply. If the United States wants to be in the game, it needs to fight fire with fire. Suriname may currently not be all that important to Washington, but its geoeconomic profile is rising, and it faces substantial challenges. The United States can assist the country in reaching its potential or allow China to gain a stronger position.
Dr. Scott B. MacDonald is Chief Economist at Smith’s Research & Gradings. Prior to KWR he was the Head of Research for MC Asset Management LLC, an asset management unit of Mitsubishi Corporation based in Stamford, Connecticut.
Image: Martirosyan Stock/ Shutterstock.com.
As tensions between the United States and China continue to rise, Suriname finds itself caught in the middle of the growing conflict. With both countries vying for influence in the region, Suriname is facing increasing pressure to choose sides in the new Cold War.
China has been ramping up its investments in Suriname, particularly in the mining and infrastructure sectors. The Chinese government has provided millions of dollars in loans and grants to the Surinamese government, leading to concerns about Beijing’s growing influence in the country.
On the other hand, the United States has been actively courting Suriname as a potential ally in its efforts to counter Chinese expansion in the region. The US has offered military assistance and economic incentives to the Surinamese government in an attempt to strengthen ties with the small South American nation.
Suriname’s leaders are now facing a difficult decision as they navigate the complexities of the new Cold War. Will they align themselves with China and risk alienating the US, or will they choose to side with the US and potentially jeopardize their relationship with China?
As the geopolitical landscape continues to shift, Suriname finds itself at a crossroads, with the potential to shape its own destiny in this new era of global competition. The decisions made by Suriname’s leaders in the coming months could have far-reaching implications for the country’s future.
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Suriname, China, new cold war, geopolitical tension, global relations, international politics, Suriname-China relations, diplomatic relations, foreign policy, economic partnership, strategic alliances, political tensions, international cooperation.
Bayern Münchens Sportvorstand Max Eberl sehnt sich in Bezug auf die Transfer-Berichterstattung nach den guten alten Zeiten. “Früher war es schöner. Es war ruhiger”, sagte Eberl vor dem Bundesligaspiel des Rekordmeisters am Samstag (15.30 Uhr/Sky) gegen Holstein Kiel mit einem Schmunzeln.
Es sei “eine neue Art des Journalismus. Wir sitzen hier in der Spieltags-PK zu Holstein Kiel und es gibt eine Frage zum Kader. Aber eigentlich interessiert Holstein Kiel in der Runde gefühlt keinen. Das ist schade”, betonte er. Gerade in der Transferperiode sei “dies so. Das ist die Entwicklung, jetzt noch viel intensiver, weil am Montag Deadline ist.”
Diese “Echtzeitberichterstattung” würde jedoch, so der 51-Jährige weiter, “unfassbar viele Menschen interessieren, diese vielen Spekulationen und Diskussionen. Ist das richtig, was sie tun? Es sind natürlich viele Spekulationen dabei, die fernab jeglicher Realität sind, aber auf die man dann auch wieder reagieren muss, obwohl man das gar nicht im Kopf hat”. Aber, fügte Eberl an: “Damit müssen wir uns arrangieren. Es ist Teil unseres Jobs.”
In the fast-paced world we live in today, it’s easy to yearn for the simpler times of the past. Remembering a time when life was slower, quieter, and perhaps even more peaceful can bring a sense of nostalgia and longing. Join me in reminiscing about the days when things were simpler and the pace of life was slower. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and appreciate the beauty and tranquility of the past. #nostalgia #simplicity #peacefulness #slowdown
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Früher war es schöner und ruhiger, nostalgia, past memories, peaceful times, simpler times, stress-free living, reminiscing the good old days
UN secretary-general António Guterres has called for 2,500 children to be immediately evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment after meeting with US doctors who said the children were at imminent risk of death in the coming weeks.
The four doctors had all volunteered in Gaza during the 15-month-long war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas that has devastated the territory of more than 2 million people and its healthcare system.
Guterres said he was “deeply moved” by his meeting with the American doctors on Thursday. “2,500 children must be immediately evacuated with the guarantee that they will be able to return to their families and communities,” Guterres posted on social media after the meeting.
Just days before a ceasefire began on 19 January, the World Health Organization said more than 12,000 patients were waiting for medical evacuations and it had hoped they could be ramped up during the truce.
Among those patients urgently needing treatment are 2,500 children, said Feroze Sidhwa, a California trauma surgeon who worked in Gaza from 25 March to 8 April last year.
“There’s about 2,500 children who are at imminent risk of death in the next few weeks. Some are dying right now. Some will die tomorrow. Some will die the next day,” Sidhwa told reporters after meeting with Guterres.
“Of those 2,500 kids, the vast majority need very simple things done,” he said, citing the case of a 3-year-old boy who suffered burns to his arm. The burns had healed, but the scar tissue was slowly cutting off blood flow, leaving him at risk of amputation, said Sidhwa.
Ayesha Khan, an emergency doctor at Stanford university hospital, worked in Gaza from the end of November until 1 January. She spoke about many children with amputations, who had no prosthetics or rehabilitation.
She held up a photo of two young sisters with amputations, who were sharing a wheelchair. They were orphaned in the attack that injured them and Khan said: “Their only chance for survival is to be medically evacuated.”
“Unfortunately, the current security restrictions don’t allow for children to travel with more than one caregiver,” she said. “Their caregiver is their aunt, who has a baby that she is breastfeeding.”
“So even though we were able to, with great difficulty, get evacuation set up for them, they won’t let the aunt take her baby with her. So the aunt has to choose between the baby she’s breastfeeding and the lives of her two nieces.”
Cogat, the Israeli defence agency that liaises with the Palestinians, did not respond to a request for comment on the demand for medical evacuation of 2,500 children by Guterres and the doctors he met. Israel’s mission to the UN also did not respond to a request for comment.
The doctors said they are advocating for a centralised process for medical evacuations with clear guidelines.
“Under this ceasefire agreement, there is supposed to be a mechanism in place for medical evacuations. We’ve still not seen that process spelled out,” said Thaer Ahmad, an emergency room doctor from Chicago, who worked in Gaza in January 2024.
Khan said there was no process in place to get the children out, adding: “And will they be allowed to return? There is some discussion right now of the Rafah border opening only for exits, but it’s exit without right to return.”
At the start of this month, before the ceasefire, the WHO said 5,383 patients had been evacuated with its support since the war began in October 2023, most of those in the first seven months before the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza was closed.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the urgent evacuation of 2,500 children from Gaza as doctors warn of the “imminent risk” of death in the war-torn region. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza has led to a dire humanitarian crisis, with children bearing the brunt of the violence.
Guterres emphasized the need for the immediate evacuation of these children to ensure their safety and well-being. He condemned the escalating violence in Gaza and reiterated the importance of protecting civilians, especially children, during times of conflict.
Doctors on the ground in Gaza have issued warnings of the dire situation faced by children in the region, with reports of severe injuries, trauma, and a lack of access to essential medical care. The UN chief’s call for evacuation comes as a critical response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza.
As the Israel-Gaza war continues to escalate, it is imperative that immediate action is taken to protect the lives of innocent children caught in the crossfire. The international community must come together to ensure the safe evacuation of these vulnerable children and work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
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UN chief, Gaza children evacuation, doctors warn, imminent risk of death, Israel-Gaza war, humanitarian crisis, Gaza conflict, United Nations, child evacuation, Gaza Strip, urgent action, international response, civilian casualties, Middle East conflict
The comedy “Atropia,” starring Alia Shawkat as an Iraqi-American actress cast in the role of an insurgent at a military role-playing facility, won the top prize in the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. dramatic competition on Friday.
“This timely and timeless first feature was both hilarious and damning in its portrayal of the theater of war,” read a citation from the dramatic-competition jury, which was made up of the directors Reinaldo Marcus Green and Celine Song and the actor Arian Moayed.
Like many of the independent films that premiered at this muted edition of Sundance, “Atropia,” written and directed by Hailey Gates, has not yet sold to a distributor. Neither has the comedy “Twinless,” about a man struggling to process the loss of his identical twin, though the film won the festival’s U.S. dramatic-competition audience award and a special jury award for acting for its star Dylan O’Brien.
At the time of the festival’s awards ceremony, only two movies had managed big sales: the body-horror film “Together,” with Alison Brie and Dave Franco, and the elegiac period drama “Train Dreams,” starring Joel Edgerton. Both movies played out of competition.
Here are the rest of the top awards. For a complete list of winners, including short films and special jury prizes, go to sundance.org.
Grand Jury Prizes
U.S. Dramatic Competition: “Atropia”
U.S. Documentary Competition: “Seeds”
World Cinema Dramatic Competition: “Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)”
World Cinema Documentary Competition: “Cutting Through Rocks”
Next Innovator Award: “Zodiac Killer Project”
Directing, U.S. Dramatic: Rashad Frett, “Ricky”
Directing, U.S. Documentary: Geeta Gandbhir, “The Perfect Neighbor”
Directing, World Cinema Dramatic: Alireza Khatami, “The Things You Kill”
Directing, World Cinema Documentary: Mstyslav Chernov, “2000 Meters to Andriivka”
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic: Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby”
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award, U.S. Documentary: Parker Laramie, “André Is an Idiot”
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting: Dylan O’Brien, “Twinless”
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast: “Plainclothes”
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling: “Selena y Los Dinos”
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: “Life After”
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision: Georgi M. Unkovski, “DJ Ahmet”
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Writing: “Two Women”
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression: “Coexistence, My Ass!”
NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast: “Mad Bills to Pay”
Audience Awards
U.S. Dramatic Competition: “Twinless”
U.S. Documentary Competition: “André Is an Idiot”
World Cinema Dramatic Competition: “DJ Ahmet”
World Cinema Documentary Competition: “Prime Minister”
Next: “East of Wall”
Sundance Film Festival has awarded its top honor to the film “Atropia,” a dark comedy that satirizes the absurdities of war and the way it is portrayed in popular culture.
The film, directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Grace Chapman, follows a group of friends who decide to play a war game in a remote forest. As they immerse themselves in the game, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, leading to unexpected consequences.
“Atropia” has been praised for its sharp wit, clever writing, and thought-provoking commentary on the nature of conflict and human behavior. The film’s ensemble cast delivers standout performances, bringing to life a diverse group of characters who are both humorous and relatable.
Chapman’s unique vision and bold storytelling have earned her widespread acclaim, with many critics hailing “Atropia” as a standout film of the festival. The movie’s win at Sundance is a testament to the power of independent cinema and the importance of telling stories that challenge and inspire audiences.
“As filmmakers, we have a responsibility to push boundaries and provoke thought,” Chapman said in her acceptance speech. “I hope that ‘Atropia’ encourages viewers to question the narratives we are fed about war and violence, and to consider the real-world consequences of our actions.”
With its well-deserved win at Sundance, “Atropia” is poised to make a lasting impact on the world of cinema and spark important conversations about the way we perceive and engage with war.
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Sundance Film Festival, Atropia movie, comedy film, war satire, top honor, Sundance award, film festival winner, indie film, film industry, entertainment news
School Zone Math War Multiplication Game Cards Ages 8+ 3rd Grade 4th Grade
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U.S. Coast Guard Boat Transits A Canadian Lock in the Great Lakes
U.S. Coast Guard
For the U.S. and Canada, a looming Canada tariff fight threatens the Great Lakes, posing the biggest threat to Great Lakes trade since the War of 1812.
In America, President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose a stiff 25% tariff on Canadian imports. Time is short. As America’s February 1 deadline looms, resolution seems unlikely. If this bitter trade war gets underway and escalates, the integrated flow of Great Lakes maritime trade—a critical economic engine for both countries–is at real risk of a breakdown unseen since Great Britain and America fought for control of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
For both allies, an ugly, no-holds-barred trade dispute is uncharted territory. If, as both sides have warned, “everything is on the table,” the prospect of wider economic contagion—even a virtual shut-down of Canada-U.S. collaboration on the Great Lakes—is within the realm of the possible.
The conditions for an uncontrolled escalation cascade are in place.
If President Donald Trump imposes a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, an irked Canada seems set to respond in kind, potentially tariffing Canadian exports of oil and other critical goods to the United States. Complicating matters, President Trump is in something of a box, unable to back down without some sort of escape hatch, and he seems unlikely to de-escalate if confronted.
A tough response from Canada will be painful for the American public. If swing voters in the Republican Party’s midwestern strongholds are suddenly confronted with massive gas price hikes, energy disruption and other trade-tariff-driven perturbances, the Trump Administration will be tempted to lash out. A brief—and quickly resolved–spat with Colombia over alien repatriation almost immediately led to a punishing tariff, visa processing disruptions, and threatened the imposition of crippling sanctions.
Further escalation with Canada, if it comes, will be hard to contain to tariffs. Spillover of trade-tariff contagion into other areas of the once-solid U.S.-Canada relationship carries enormous risks as the tightly integrated collaborative functions that tie the two countries together start fraying.
Take the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Marine Transportation System is a sprawling economic engine that powers both countries. The shared, 2,300-mile deep-draft inland navigation system is the longest in the world. The combined economic yield from Great Lakes maritime cargo operations, as ships wind through the massive maritime border zone, is massive.
According to a 2023 study by the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway Corporation, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway network supports 241,286 jobs and $36 billion in economic activity annually.
Uninterrupted trade through the Great Lakes has gone on for so long and with so little fuss, “America First” border theorists risk taking the benefits of this massive shared maritime highway for granted. It is worth cautioning the economic shock-and-awe advocates in Washington that the Great Lakes economic engine is fragile, and it only turns a profit if both Canada and the United States work together.
Canadian and U.S. ships work together to break out a cargo vessel
Associated Press
Canada Tariff Fight Threatens Great Lakes
The Great Lakes catapulted into economic significance after World War II. In 1959, America and Canada opened the first modern locks of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, a deep-water channel to the Great Lakes. The massive building project offered a way for oceangoing cargo ships to enter and transit the inland lake system, opening raw materials, agricultural commodities and manufactured goods from the North American heartland to a global market.
Successful management of the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway is a complex enterprise, involving close collaboration between the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards. A long-standing cooperative ice-clearing response system was on full display just days ago, when American and Canadian ice breakers worked together to free a Canadian-flagged cargo ship.
U.S.-Canada collaboration on the Great Lakes is continually evolving, spanning from collaborative law enforcement, spill response and emergency efforts. In late 2024, Canadian and U.S. representatives began work on a Cooperative Vessel Traffic Service (CVTS) system, “to improve collaboration in data exchange, augment situational awareness, and reduce risk of human error across the Great Lakes Marine Transportation System.”
But all this could go away very quickly.
The risk for the United Stats is that few analysts realize the United States is a disproportionate economic beneficiary from Great Lakes commerce.
The numbers don’t lie.
While Canada gets $9.6 billion in economic activity from Great Lakes trade, the United States gets $26.3 billion, with the Republican strongholds of Indiana, Ohio and Michigan serving as the primary economic beneficiaries. Disrupting Great Lakes commerce will wreak particular havoc on Indiana, which extracts $15.1 billion dollars of economic activity from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System.
With a number of choke-points on inland waterways, Canada can shut down the Great Lakes. Five Canadian and two American locks facilitate the movement of ships from Quebec to Lake Ontario. Eight Canadian-run locks on the Welland Canal connect Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. An American-run lock controls transit between Lake Superior and Lake Huron.
Disruption of Great Lakes transit through any—or all—of these locks poses a real hazard. If Canada decided to simply take a half-measure, and close the Welland Canal to U.S. ships or refuse to allow ships planning to call on U.S. harbors passage through the locks, that would put an immediate stopper on 78% of the Seaway’s economic activity. That’s not trivial–in 2022, 3152 vessels transited those locks. Iron ore, steel, road salt, coal and petroleum coke made up the primary industrial cargoes, while wheat, soybeans and corn dominated the agricultural cargoes.
There are a lot of ways for a Great Lakes trade standoff to play out. In Quebec, Canada could stopper the entrance to the St. Lawrence Seaway, denying entrance to any ships they wish. In October 2023, an eight-day strike at the locks delayed 150 ships, inflicting some $100 million dollars in economic damage a day.
A cargo stoppage on the Great Lakes would be an economic catastrophe. But, as the Joni Mitchell song goes, sometimes “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” It is worth wondering if, after two hundred years of peaceful, organized commerce along the largest inland deep-draft waterway on the planet, the brash “American First” analysts are undervaluing that quiet legacy of friendship. Due the risk posed by Trump’s distaste for incremental, collaborative economic gains, the Canada tariff threat is the biggest hazard to Great Lakes commerce since the War of 1812.
In a shocking development that has sent shockwaves throughout the Great Lakes region, Canada’s recent announcement of imposing tariffs on goods from the United States has been dubbed the biggest threat to the region since the War of 1812.
The move by Canada, in response to the U.S. imposing tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, has raised concerns about the impact it will have on the economies of both countries, as well as the delicate balance of trade that exists between them.
The Great Lakes, which are a vital transportation route for goods and services between the two countries, are now facing uncertainty and potential disruptions as a result of this escalating trade war.
Many fear that the tariffs will not only harm the economies of both countries, but also damage the environment of the Great Lakes, which are already under threat from pollution and invasive species.
The situation is a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining strong diplomatic relations and open trade between Canada and the United States, and the need for both countries to find a resolution to this dispute before it escalates further.
As residents of the Great Lakes region, we must work together to protect our shared resources and ensure that the prosperity and well-being of our communities are not jeopardized by these tariffs. The stakes are high, and the time for action is now.
Three Israelis and five Thai citizens held in Gaza have been freed, as Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy met hostages’ relatives, reportedly telling them he was optimistic the ceasefire would hold to allow the return of all the living and the dead.
The handover on Thursday of seven hostages in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, was delayed by a chaotic crowd surging towards the group, despite an escort of heavily armed militants, jostling and blocking their passage to waiting Red Cross vehicles.
Israel’s military confirmed that the Israelis Gadi Moses, 80, Arbel Yehoud, 29, and five Thai hostages – Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak – had all been handed over at about 1pm local time.
Agam Berger, 20, the last female soldier held in Gaza, had been released earlier from northern Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, attacked the “shocking scenes” in Khan Younis and suspended the planned release of Palestinian prisoners “until the mediators guarantee the safe exit of the hostages” in future.
Gadi Moses, 80, is escorted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters as he is handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. Photograph: Jehad Alshrafi/AP
Buses carrying Palestinian prisoners due to be freed were sent back to Israeli jails in the early afternoon, before a new release time of 5pm was announced. Later on Thursday, buses arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah carrying some of the prisoners.
It was not the first crisis in a ceasefire deal that is not yet two weeks old. Yehoud had originally been listed for release on Saturday. When four female soldiers were handed over instead, Israel accused Hamas of violating the deal and suspended plans to allow Palestinian civilians to return to northern Gaza.
After last-minute negotiations, Hamas confirmed Yehoud would be freed on Thursday with two other hostages and Israel opened checkpoints to northern Gaza on Monday.
Shortly after the Thursday handover of the seven hostages in southern Gaza, Trump’s envoy for the region, Steven Witkoff, made a brief visit to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.
Crowds gather in Khan Younis for the release of Palestinian hostages as part of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. Photograph: Haitham Imad/EPA
Many people, when they realised Witkoff was there, raced to pay personal tribute to him for brokering the ceasefire agreement. “Thank you for freeing the hostages, thank you to Mr Trump,” one shouted.
He met families of hostages briefly in a public library beside the square, assuring them he was optimistic the deal would hold, Israeli media reported, and said he was committed to bringing home the living held in Gaza and the dead.
The first stage of the ceasefire is due to last 42 days and covers the release of 33 Israeli hostages, mostly women and older men. Of the 23 still to be released as part of the first phase, Hamas says eight are dead. Under the agreement, Israel will free about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and increase aid into Gaza.
Shortly after Thursday’s handover, Hamas confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the head of its military wing, six months after Israel announced he had been killed. It was the first statement that Hamas has released on Deif’s condition since the Israeli military said last August that he had been killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza the month before.
Witkoff was visiting Israel before negotiations on the second phase of the deal, due to start on Monday, and went from Hostage Square to hold talks with Netanyahu. The Israeli leader faces heavy pressure from far-right members of his coalition to restart the war rather than extend the ceasefire.
Trump’s envoy also visited Gaza with the Israeli military and met the four female soldiers freed on Saturday at the Israeli hospital where they were being treated.
The US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff (centre), in Tel Aviv, will hold talks with Benjamin Netanyahu. Photograph: Shir Torem/Reuters
Among those in the crowd grateful to Trump was Dani Miran, whose son Omri Miran, 47, is a hostage in Gaza. “Only one person made this happen. I want to thank Trump,” he said. His hopes of seeing his son again rested entirely on the US leader, he added.
He said that for one day he had put his own worries aside to celebrate, because after 15 months of intense campaigning, everyone held in Gaza feels like family. “I think all the time about [Omri’s return], but today I concentrate on the joy.”
Miran was part of the crowd waiting in Hostages Square to watch the releases in real time, beside a clock broadcasting a countdown of the days, hours and minutes of the hostages’ captivity.
Schoolchildren and parents pushing babies in prams mixed with adults who had taken the day off to be there for a “historic moment”, most veterans of the long campaign for a ceasefire deal.
They cheered and wept when the first footage streamed from Gaza showed Berger walking unaided. Like the four other female soldiers freed last weekend, she was dressed in military-style fatigues and put on stage for a ceremony that served as a show of the militants’ power after 15 months of war.
“She made it,” said Yahel Oren, 31, who served a decade ago at the Nahal Oz base, where Berger was captured by Hamas, and watched the video in tears. “It’s hard to think of her alone there, but at least we can count the minutes she has left.”
People in Tel Aviv gather in Hostages Square to watch the release of hostages on a giant screen. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty
Oren was part of a group campaigning for the freedom of the female “spotter” troops held in Gaza, and was wearing a T-shirt saying: “Once a spotter always a spotter.”
Attention then shifted to the south, where seven hostages were due to be freed. Shlomo Zidkiahv, 83, waved a Thai flag in solidarity with a group of Thais taken hostage while working on one of the kibbutzim that was attacked.
He carried photos of all 10 still in Gaza, as neither Hamas nor Israel had initially identified the five who would be freed. They were later named as Pongsak, Suwannakham, Watchara, Bannawat and Surasak.
The release of Moses, the first man freed in this exchange, was taken by many in the crowd as a tacit acknowledgment that the last living women held in Gaza had been released.
In a recent diplomatic breakthrough, three Israelis and five Thais have been freed from Gaza as Trump envoy meets hostages’ relatives. This development comes amidst the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, which has seen increased tensions and violence in the region.
The release of these hostages is a positive step towards de-escalating the conflict and fostering peace in the region. The involvement of a Trump envoy in securing their freedom highlights the importance of international diplomacy in resolving such complex and volatile situations.
The families of the hostages have expressed relief and gratitude for their loved ones’ safe return. This moment of joy serves as a glimmer of hope in the midst of a devastating war that has taken a toll on both Israelis and Palestinians.
As the conflict continues to unfold, it is crucial for all parties involved to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy in order to achieve a lasting peace. The release of these hostages is a small but significant step towards that goal, and we can only hope that it paves the way for further progress in resolving the Israel-Gaza war.
Preparations for war against the West can be observed not only in strategic units, but also in the Russian Spetsnaz, for which another deputy head of the GRU, General Vladimir Alekseev, is responsible. Thus, according to information available to the European intelligence community, at the end of 2023, a new unit was created under Alekseev – the 236th Specialist Training Center, the purpose of which is to conduct sabotage operations on the territory of NATO countries, which were previously carried out by their colleagues from the Special Activities Service. This indicates both the need to focus the efforts of Averyanov’s subordinates on more strategic tasks, and plans to seriously scale up sabotage operations. Under modern conditions, when even low-level criminals are actively used to conduct such operations – often recruited remotely – the requirements for the qualifications of recruiters are significantly lower than in the past, and Spetsnaz officers can easily cope with such tasks. Considering that the total strength of Spetsnaz units is between 15,000and 20,000 people, the lower quality of operations can be fully compensated by their number. For more complex operations, officers of the 322nd Specialist Training Center (Unit 92154), known as Senezh, can be used. Sabotage actions have three goals. In addition to causing direct damage, these are the internal destabilisation of Europe and the undermining of trust in governments that are unable to effectively counter them, as well as preparing opportunities for the mass destruction of military and civilian infrastructure during a Russian military invasion.
Thus, despite investing significant efforts in preparing the conditions for both legal and illegal changes to the political landscape in Europe and bringing politicians to power who serve its purposes, Russia is also actively building networks that will only make sense in the event of a direct military invasion. As in the case of Ukraine in 2014 and probably Georgia in 2025, this suggests that the internal destabilisation that such a change in the political landscape will inevitably entail, regardless of its success, is viewed by the Kremlin not as an end goal but as a prerequisite for possible military aggression. Russia’s undeclared war against the West is already underway, and the stubborn refusal to acknowledge this fact by most Western leaders makes the West’s defeat only a matter of time.
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Russia’s undeclared war against the West is a complex and multifaceted endeavor that involves a variety of components. From disinformation campaigns to cyber attacks, the Kremlin has been waging a clandestine war against Western democracies for years. In this post, we will explore the key components of Russia’s covert aggression and their implications for the international community.
1. Disinformation and propaganda: One of the primary tactics employed by Russia in its undeclared war against the West is the spread of disinformation and propaganda. Through state-controlled media outlets and social media campaigns, the Kremlin disseminates false information and manipulates public opinion to sow division and confusion in Western societies.
2. Cyber attacks: Another critical component of Russia’s covert aggression is its use of cyber attacks to target Western governments, businesses, and critical infrastructure. Russian hackers have been responsible for a number of high-profile cyber attacks in recent years, including the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the 2017 NotPetya ransomware attack.
3. Covert military operations: In addition to its information warfare and cyber capabilities, Russia has also engaged in covert military operations in the West. This includes the deployment of Russian troops and equipment in Ukraine and other countries, as well as the use of mercenaries and proxy forces to advance Russian interests in conflict zones.
4. Economic warfare: Russia has also employed economic warfare as a tool in its undeclared war against the West. This includes the use of economic sanctions, trade restrictions, and energy manipulation to weaken Western economies and undermine their stability.
5. Political subversion: Finally, Russia has engaged in political subversion in the West by supporting extremist groups, funding political campaigns, and spreading propaganda to undermine democratic institutions and sow discord among Western allies.
Overall, Russia’s undeclared war against the West represents a significant threat to international security and stability. By understanding the key components of Russia’s covert aggression, the international community can better prepare and respond to the Kremlin’s hostile actions.
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Russia, undeclared war, West, components, geopolitical strategy, information warfare, cyberattacks, covert operations, propaganda, hybrid warfare, international relations, security threats, political influence, military aggression.
Russia and Ukraine continue to swap daily barrages, with the prospects of ceasefire talks appearing slim.
A nuclear power plant was among targets during a massive Ukrainian drone attack, Russian officials have said.
Moscow said on Wednesday that the country’s energy infrastructure had come under attack by at least 100 drones overnight. Ukraine also reported strikes. The continuing barrages were accompanied by barbs from the two countries’ presidents, suggesting little prospect of peace talks.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Telegram that 104 drones were involved in raids across western Russia, many targeting power and oil facilities.
Local officials claimed that air defence systems had destroyed one drone that had attempted to strike the nuclear power plant in the western region of Smolensk.
“According to preliminary information, one of the drones was shot down during an attempt to attack a nuclear power facility,” Governor Vasily Anokhin said on the Telegram messaging app. “There were no casualties or damage.”
The Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant, the largest power generating plant in Russia’s northwest, was working normally on Wednesday morning, RIA state news agency reported, citing the plant’s press service.
Petrochemicals giant Sibur reported a fire at its oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region about 800km (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Russia’s air defences reportedly destroyed drones over nine regions, including 11 over Smolensk, which sits on the border with Belarus. Nearly half were hit over Kursk, where Ukrainian troops have occupied several villages for months following an incursion.
Ukraine and Russia have been swapping drone and missile strikes on an almost daily basis, with energy infrastructure a particular target amid winter.
Warnings that the fighting could spark a nuclear disaster have been sounded since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022. However, most of the concern has focused on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant, which sits on the frontlines in the east of the country.
Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that Russia launched an overnight drone attack of its own, resulting in air alerts in multiple regions.
A port in the Odesa region was reportedly targeted, while debris from a destroyed drone fell near a metro station in the capital, Kyiv, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Prospects for peace talks
Amid the continuing air attacks, the return of Donald Trump as United States president has revived rhetoric over the possibility of a ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that his country could hold peace talks with Ukraine, but ruled out speaking directly with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“If (Zelenskyy) wants to participate in the negotiations, I will allocate people to take part,” Putin said, calling the Ukrainian leader “illegitimate” because his presidential term expired during martial law.
“If there is a desire to negotiate and find a compromise, let anyone lead the negotiations there … Naturally, we will strive for what suits us, what corresponds to our interests,” he added.
Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war. Every move he makes and all his cynical tricks are aimed at making the war endless.
In 2014, Russia started a hybrid war against…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 28, 2025
Zelenskky responded by saying Putin was frustrating efforts to stop the fighting.
“Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders and does everything possible to prolong the war,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
Kyiv has warned against it being excluded from any peace talks between Russia and the US, accusing Putin of wanting to “manipulate” Trump.
In a recent development in the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia has claimed that one of its nuclear power plants was targeted during a massive drone attack by Ukrainian forces. The attack reportedly took place on Saturday, causing concern about the safety of the plant and potential environmental consequences.
The Russian government has accused Ukraine of using drones to target the plant, which is located in the city of Beloyarsk in the Ural Mountains. The plant is said to have sustained damage, but no radiation leaks have been reported so far.
Ukrainian officials have denied the allegations, stating that they have no intention of targeting nuclear facilities. They have called the accusations “provocative” and “baseless.”
The incident has raised fears about the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as targeting a nuclear power plant could have catastrophic consequences. Both sides have been urged to exercise restraint and work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
