RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://amgreatness.com/2025/06/27/why-u-s-intelligence-has-been-so-wrong-about-irans-nuclear-weapons-program/

he recent Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment claiming that the U.S. bombing of Iran set the country’s nuclear weapons program back only a few months was irresponsible and probably intended to undermine President Trump’s foreign policy. This assessment was written to be leaked to the press and reflected a long pattern of politicized intelligence analysis to undermine Republican presidents.

The DIA assessment was not credible because a battle damage assessment of the bombing of Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites will be complicated and probably take weeks or months of intelligence collection and analysis by dozens of experts and other intelligence agencies. A low-confidence assessment, like the DIA analysis issued 24 hours after the bombings, was a fraud and an abuse of intelligence to produce a high-profile assessment that deliberately misrepresented the outcome of the U.S. attack and helped the president’s political adversaries use the bombings to hurt him politically. Not surprisingly, this assessment was quickly leaked to the press.

The DIA assessment followed similar efforts by U.S. intelligence agencies and the left to deny that Iran had a nuclear weapons program.

Last weekend, Secretary of State Marco Rubio did an extraordinary interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS’s Face the Nation that hinged on the misleading way U.S. intelligence agencies have long framed Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Brennan demanded that Rubio tell her what intelligence the Trump administration had indicating that Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei ordered the construction of nuclear weapons. She claimed the U.S. Intelligence Community had not seen such intelligence and that this was a crucial element of its analysis of Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Rubio dismissed Brennan’s question as irrelevant because Iran’s extensive nuclear weapons-related work indicates it intends to make nuclear weapons. Rubio told Brennan, “We have intelligence that they have everything they need to build a nuclear weapon, and that’s more than enough.” He cited nuclear weapons activities such as enriching uranium to 60%—a level with no peaceful purpose—and building a uranium enrichment facility deep inside a mountain.

Prior to 2007, the U.S. Intelligence Community had assessed that Iran had a nuclear weapons program. But in November 2007, fearing that President Bush might order an attack on Iran’s nuclear program, a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) was published by the National Intelligence Council that found Iran’s nuclear program was halted in 2003 and Iranian leaders had not made a decision to resume weaponization efforts and construct a nuclear weapon.

The NIE’s conclusion was a deceptive argument. It is true that Iran’s nuclear weapons program was slowed in 2003 after the U.S. invasion of Iraq and some weapons activities were suspended. However, other critical nuclear weapons work was conducted in secret. Dual-use nuclear activities with plausible peaceful purposes were continued, such as uranium enrichment. In addition, Israel learned from documents it stole from Iran in 2018 on the Iranian nuclear weapons program that Tehran began an aggressive program in 2003 to deceive the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors about its covert nuclear weapons effort.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21700/ban-muslim-brotherhood

The letter [from the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Salah Abdel Haq] shows that the Muslim Brotherhood has officially endorsed the Iranian regime’s slogans of “Death to Israel!” and “Death to America!”

The [Muslim Brotherhood’s] founder, Hassan al-Banna, accepted the utility of political violence, and members of the Muslim Brotherhood conducted assassinations….

The takfirism doctrine’s endorsement of “extreme violence” is why several Islamic countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Mauritania have banned the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood has dozens of branches, offshoots and affiliates in many countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Kuwait, Mauritania, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States.

Qatar has publicly funded and supported Islamist groups, and its state-owned Al-Jazeera TV network continues to serve as a platform for the Muslim Brotherhood.

“What is needed today is a genuine dismantling of the Muslim Brotherhood’s machinery in the Arab world: Its platforms, associations, online accounts, and cultural facades. The Muslim Brotherhood is still alive and kicking, just waiting for the right moment to reproduce itself through more violence….” — UAE columnist Hani Salem Masshour, al-ain.com, June 20, 2025.

It is time for the US government to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. There is no reason why Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, is designated by the US as a terrorist organization, while the Muslim Brotherhood itself has not been banned.

https://amgreatness.com/2025/06/08/we-need-a-kill-switch-on-foreign-powers-tampering-with-our-electric-grid/

This article was originally published by The Empowerment Alliance and is re-published with permission.

It has long been acknowledged that the United States’ energy infrastructure isn’t particularly secure, a concern exacerbated by the lack of a central planning process for our nation’s piecemeal electric grid. Presidential administrations and Congress have been slow to address the problem, apparently daunted by the mere size and scope of the challenges the needed upgrades would present.

That needs to change now. The recent news that China apparently installed hidden “kill switches” in solar equipment sold to the U.S. was the latest in a long list of reasons to be concerned about our electricity infrastructure and the foolhardy rush to replace traditional energy sources with so-called “renewables” using technology that is often sourced from China.

As Reuters reported, “Rogue communication devices not listed in product documents have been found in some Chinese solar power inverters by U.S experts who strip down equipment hooked up to grids to check for security issues … Using the rogue communication devices to skirt firewalls and switch off inverters remotely, or change their settings, could destabilize power grids, damage energy infrastructure, and trigger widespread blackouts, experts said.”

As one source summarized it, “That effectively means there is a built-in way to physically destroy the grid.” Or, to put it in even simpler terms, the U.S. is purchasing Chinese equipment complete with a “kill switch” that would allow China to disable the U.S. power grid at any moment.

Even more concerning, the problem is not relegated to the United States. Britain’s GB News reported, “Chinese companies dominate the market for power inverters, with firms like Huawei and Sungrow controlling more than half the market in 2023, according to Wood Mackenzie research. The European Solar Manufacturing Council estimates that more than 200 gigawatts of European solar power capacity relies on Chinese-made inverters.” (One gigawatt is equal to one billion watts.)

As Christoph Podewils, the council’s secretary general, put it, “This means Europe has effectively surrendered remote control of a vast portion of its electricity infrastructure.”

The Chinese embassy in Washington dismissed the allegation.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21671/us-military-bases-farms-china

When Chinese entities began to buy up farmland near remote but strategic American military installations here in the United States, there were some of us who raised the question, Why?

Those who did so were criticized, described as paranoid, Sinophobic, and hostile to Chinese investment in America.

We might want to revisit that criticism.

Pentagon experts are looking with deep concern at the extraordinary damage done to Russia’s strategic bomber force in the wake of Ukraine’s recent surprise drone attack. Engaging in what is called asymmetric warfare, Ukraine used flatbed trucks, carrying shipping containers filled with cheap attack drones, driving thousands of miles to get close enough to distant Russian airbases before launching the drones and destroying as much as a third of Russia’s strategic bombers.

Think David versus Goliath. But in this instance, David just had to sit outside of Goliath’s yard to get the kill.

Now let us go back to those Chinese-owned farms near our American military bases.

Who actually own those properties? Are they working farms? Are they speculative investments in valuable American soil? What is in those barns? Is there a repeated pattern of foreign ownership adjacent to our military installations here in the United States? What about our overseas bases in the Pacific and Europe? Who owns what in the vicinity of our military bases, power stations, and port facilities?

https://amgreatness.com/2025/06/06/important-questions-raised-by-ukraines-badass-drone-attack-against-russian-bombers/

On Sunday, Ukraine carried out a bold covert operation in Russia that destroyed or damaged about a dozen Russian heavy bombers and possibly an AWACS plane. These attacks may have destroyed irreplaceable Russian military planes worth billions of dollars using drones that cost under $50,000.

Earlier in the week, President Trump reportedly described the surprise Ukrainian attack to his aides as “badass” and “strong.” However, yesterday, the president expressed his unhappiness about the operation and raised concerns about Putin’s statement to him that he plans to retaliate.

On June 1, Ukraine deployed 117 drones to attack Russian bombers at four airbases. Two bases were within 500 miles of the Russia-Ukraine border. The other two bases were distant: the Olenya airbase on the Kola Peninsula, near Murmansk (1,120 miles from the Ukrainian border), and Belaya airbase in Siberia (approximately 2,760 miles from the Ukrainian border).

Parts for the drones were smuggled into Russia, where they were assembled. The drones were driven by truck to locations near the Russian airbases and launched from the trucks. Ukraine claims to have damaged 41 Russian bombers in the drone attack, though press reports confirm that between 10 and 20 were destroyed or damaged—primarily Tu-95 and Tu-22M bombers.

The Ukrainian drone operation underscores the rapid evolution of modern warfare and its impact on the Russia-Ukraine peace process.

1. How vulnerable is the U.S. to similar drone attacks?

The Ukrainian drone attack was a wake-up call for the United States and another sign of significant advances in warfare technologies from the Ukraine-Russia War. Like Russia, American military aircraft sit in the open on U.S. airbases and are vulnerable to attack by inexpensive explosive drones. Experts believe the Pentagon has not done enough to defend against this threat. There is a similar drone threat to other U.S. government facilities and U.S. officials. The drone threat is sure to grow with the arrival of new attack drone technologies, such as difficult-to-jam drones controlled by fiber optic cables and drones navigated to their targets by AI.

U.S. officials must take action to defend against increasing threats from drone attacks against U.S. military aircraft and other government targets. These attacks could be conducted by hostile forces or by launching drones from small boats or “drone carriers” against U.S. bases, especially in the Arabian Gulf and the Pacific.

2. How will the drone attack affect President Trump’s efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the Ukraine War?

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/trump-expected-to-crack-down-on-chinese-drones/

President Trump is expected to sign multiple executive orders that amount to an effective ban on Chinese drones in the U.S. in the coming days, accelerating Washington’s crackdown on a company that makes products popular with consumers but has worrying ties to Beijing.

Shenzhen DJI Technology is the world’s leading drone manufacturer, favored by photographers and other hobbyists, but its ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s military have landed it on U.S. blacklists.

The expected executive orders could lead to a ban on the sale of new Chinese drones in the U.S. and block Americans from importing those products, an industry source told National Review. The source cautioned that the orders have not been finalized are still likely subject to change.

One of them would expedite the addition of Chinese drone companies to the Federal Communications Commission’s covered list, thus blocking companies from selling new products in America. Another expected order would direct the Commerce Department to issue new export controls targeting the companies.

The Washington Post previously reported on the possible orders.

U.S. officials and national security experts have long been concerned that the Chinese authorities could collect data from, and even remotely control, DJI products in the U.S.

These concerns have been heightened this month, with Ukraine’s use of modified consumer quadcopter drones in its surprise attack on Russian strategic bombers from inside the country. Some military analysts worry that U.S. adversaries could replicate that strategy to sabotage American jets in a future conflict.

The Pentagon, citing national security concerns, stopped using DJI products in 2018.

The Pentagon added DJI to its list of Chinese military companies in 2022, citing its ties to the People’s Liberation Army. DJI disputes that designation as incorrect and hired former attorney general Loretta Lynch last year to sue the Defense Department on its behalf.

Other U.S. blacklist designations targeting DJI also block Americans from selling components to DJI and investing in the company.

https://amgreatness.com/2025/05/25/334453/

William F. Buckley, Jr., who died in February 2008, would have been 100 years old in November of this year. There are many tributes planned to celebrate his centenary. The huge, authorized biography by Sam Tanenhaus will be out in just a few weeks. I will not say anything about that book apart from noting that its subtitle—“The Life and the Revolution That Changed America”— is apt.

For five or six years at the end of his life, I would generally see Bill at least weekly. We sailed and dined, emailed, and spoke on the phone very often. I find it hard to believe that seventeen years have passed since he died. In some ways, it seems like yesterday.

It is interesting to ask what Bill would make of the contemporary cultural and political scene. He had witnessed similar follies throughout the 1960s and 1970s. And after all, the Sage of Ecclesiastes was right: there is nothing new under the sun, though many of our most prominent cultural figures seem to believe that they occupy a unique perch at the very apogee of virtue and moral rectitude and are therefore entitled, O how entitled, to discard the achievements and admonitions of the past as so many false starts and dead ends on the way to true enlightenment, which is to say, to whatever they happen to believe at the moment.

It is important to remember how general the assault on our civilization was in the 1960s. It wasn’t just protests against the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, or the new hedonism. What was aimed at was nothing less than what Nietzsche called the “transvaluation of all values.”

https://pjmedia.com/kevindowneyjr/2025/05/14/home-front-alert-isis-attack-thwarted-in-michigan-n4939798

A former National Guard member from Melvindale, Michigan, near Dearborn, was busted for attempting a mass shooting at a base in nearby Warren, Mich.

Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, was arrested and charged with providing training and materiel to undercover federal agents. Investigators claim the planned attack is related to ISIS.

The plan was to launch a mass shooting at the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility just north of Detroit. This is not a military base but more of an Army facility.

From the TACOM website:

TACOM, a Major Subordinate Command of Army Materiel Command, manages the Army’s ground equipment supply chain, which constitutes about 60 percent of the Army’s total equipment. If a Soldier drives it, shoots it, wears it or eats it, we sustain it.

BUILDING ARMY READINESS

Our workforce includes highly skilled and uniquely qualified professionals, from engineers and industrial artisans to senior logisticians and business analysts. Our largely civilian workforce is critical to building Army readiness around the world.

Said not only provided ammunition, magazines, firebombs, and weapons training to undercover agents, but he also flew a drone of the TACOM facility while planning his nefarious attack.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/steve-witkoff-and-those-iranian-nukes/

My guess is, we will know soon enough whether the firing of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz heralds a shift in Trump policy, or was merely a personnel decision.

Trump hinted it was the latter just days after Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, invited a journalist to an encrypted Signal chat.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on April 3, the President applauded his national security team for their “big success with the Houthis,” but added this: “Always, we’re going to let go of people we don’t like, or people we don’t think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else.”

And the fact that Waltz was not exiled to Outer Slobbovia but sent instead to New York as our United Nations representative, argues that the President continues to respect Waltz and his bold advocacy of America First positions.

That is not the case with Steve Witkoff, one of several people whose names have been floated as Waltz’s successor. Remember that during his first negotiating session with the Iranians Witkoff said it was just fine and dandy for them to retain their uranium enrichment capabilities, just as long as they limited it to 3.67%.

That is like handing them the keys to a dual-motor Tesla and expecting them to keep it below 30 mpH.

Witkoff was summoned back to Washington after he made that statement and was given a very public dressing down by the entire national security cabinet, after which he “remembered” that the President himself had said the Iranians had to totally “dismantle” their nuclear programs, just like Qaddafi did in Libya.

Witkoff is one of many Trump supporters who, while well-meaning, have zero experience or understanding of foreign policy. Just recently, for example, you had Charlie Kirk opining on X that Trump cabinet members and think tankers who opposed a Witkoff-negotiated Iran deal were evil “neo-cons” and “anti-MAGA.”

That kind of talk simply ignores the physics of uranium enrichment, as well as the history of Iran’s forty-year slow walk to a robust nuclear weapons capability.

Charlie Kirk was following on the heels of Tucker Carlson’s hour-long interview with Witkoff in which he blasted the “tremendous pressure for a war on Iran” from the Washington establishment, and heaped praise on Witkoff for his “hope” that dialogue with Iran could clear up “misconceptions” and lead to a full return of Iran to the “league of nations.”