Blog
LatestArticlesVideos
Radio
LivePodcastSerialsStations
TV
Podcasts
The Glenn Beck ProgramThe Glenn Beck PodcastThe Beck Story
Fine Art
Real Estate
More
AboutCharityBooksSponsorsShopContact
SEARCH
Live Radio

©2024 MERCURY RADIO ARTS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

Glenn's Show Prep

Morning Brief 2025-08-26

August 26, 2025
Chris Brady

TOP OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Darren Beattie
TOPIC: DOGE EXPOSES former Taliban member who was being funded by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

BOTTOM OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Peter Schweizer
TOPIC: Amid trade negotiations with China, President Trump says he'll allow 600,000 Chinese students to study in the U.S.

TOP OF HOUR 3
GUEST: Claire Abernathy
TOPIC: How YOU can help stop the medical mutilation of children.

News...

Did Democrats’ ‘nonpartisan’ voter outreach violate IRS rules?
Tax-exempt groups funneled hundreds of millions into registering voters assumed to lean Democrat, a practice IRS rules forbid if done in a partisan way. Wealthy donors exploited the setup to skirt campaign finance limits while writing off contributions as charitable tax breaks.

Wildfire relief cash diverted to progressive groups and illegal alien programs
FireAid raised $100 million for California wildfire victims, but much of the money went to activist nonprofits that exclude whites, fund BLM-style projects, or direct cash assistance to illegal aliens.

Soros-funded dark money group manufactures chaos at GOP senator’s town hall
Indivisible’s Cleveland chapter, bankrolled by Soros’ network, staged and paid activists to disrupt Sen. Bernie Moreno’s event with insults and staged protests.

10 most important revelations about the Obama-Biden era of weaponization
Declassified files show the Steele dossier shaped intel reports, Hillary Clinton approved the Russia smear, Adam Schiff allegedly greenlit leaks, and probes into Comey, Letitia James, and the Clinton Foundation were derailed.

Sorry, Not Sorry: Cracker Barrel Doubles Down On Unpopular Rebrand
On Monday, the chain issued a lengthy statement showcasing it has no intention to adhere to the wishes of its loyal customer base. In its non-apology, the company attempted to spin its PR disaster as nothing more than an episode demonstrating “how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel.”

Colorado Democrats move to fund Planned Parenthood with state Medicaid dollars
Lawmakers passed a $4.4 million bill to replace lost federal funding, ensuring abortion providers remain reimbursed through the state budget as the measure heads to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk.

Massachusetts pushes plan to track your driving miles
A new bill would let the state monitor mileage and push policies to cut how much people drive, laying the groundwork for per-mile taxes and travel limits.

Study finds men in high-power jobs or unemployed most likely to cheat
New research shows 18% of CEOs, surgeons, and top professionals admit infidelity, while one in five jobless men also stray. Women cheat less overall, but those in low-prestige jobs are most likely to be unfaithful.

Crime...

Trump moves to end cashless bail across the country
Attorney General Pam Bondi will reportedly provide the president with a list of jurisdictions that have a cashless bail system.

Congress Probes DC Police Over 'Inaccurate and Intentionally Manipulated' Crime Stats
The Justice Department announced a similar probe last week amid Trump's crime crackdown in the nation's capital.

This is Chicago over the past 24 hours or so
A series of headlines of various crimes from Chicago on Monday.

CNN’s Scott Jennings Scoffs at Anchor’s Description of What ‘Conservatives’ Want: Not ‘High Murder Rates’
Jennings countered Jessica Dean by noting conservatives oppose skyrocketing crime and illegal immigration, arguing Trump’s move to send the National Guard to Chicago mirrors his successful crackdown in Washington, D.C.

WaPo: How an alcohol-fueled street fight turned into a conservative cause
It was certainly not the only alcohol-fueled fistfight to erupt in America that night, but a brawl outside a popular nightclub in Cincinnati has become a call to arms in conservative circles.

Suspect who allegedly sparked racially motivated Cincinnati brawl indicted on federal drug charges
Jermaine Mathews was indicted for conspiracy and intent to distribute “40 grams or more of fentanyl.”

Ukrainian refugee, 23, who fled war for safer life in US knifed to death by homeless career criminal in North Carolina
Iryna Zarutska had “recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning,” according to a GoFundMe.

Politics...

Poll shows 54% of voters say Trump is doing a better job than Biden
The latest Harvard CAPS/Harris survey puts Trump’s approval at 47%, with majority backing for 14 of 15 policies, especially on crime and immigration, though voters remain wary on inflation and tariffs.

NY Times: How the Electoral College Could Tilt Further from Democrats
Population growth in Texas, Florida, Utah, and Idaho is set to give Republicans at least seven more electoral votes after the 2030 census, while blue states like California, New York, and Illinois lose seats. That shift would wipe out most of Democrats’ current winning paths.

DNC kicks off summer meeting with land acknowledgment ritual
Democrats opened their Minneapolis gathering with a speech from a self-described “indigenous queer woman,” declaring America still lives in a system built to suppress Native culture.

Democrats told to ignore alien crime at summer meeting
"Most Americans are more worried about how are we going to address mental health issues, the visible homelessness that we see on streets, and how do we deal with mental health and other issues that drive the sort of random incidents that scare all of us."

DNC chair: Democrats need to stop playing by the rules
Ken Martin told Democrats to ditch fair play and “grow a damn spine,” while Keith Ellison bragged about suing Trump dozens of times, saying he'll keep up the lawfare campaign.

DNC agreed to pick up the tab for more than $20M of Kamala Harris campaign debt in ‘handshake deal’: Report
The Harris campaign spent $1.5 billion during the former vice president’s 15-week run.

WaPo: How Zohran Mamdani is teaching Democrats to lose
The socialist frontrunner for New York mayor is being hailed by the party’s left as a model to emulate, but his success risks convincing activists that doubling down on radical positions is the path to victory — a miscalculation that has burned Democrats before.

By his own logic, Schiff is inciting violence against the FBI by criticizing Bolton raid
The senator called the FBI’s search of Bolton’s home “retribution,” despite claiming Trump endangered agents by making similar remarks after the Mar-a-Lago raid.

Judge rules Utah's congressional map must be redrawn for the 2026 elections
The Utah Legislature will need to rapidly redraw the state’s congressional boundaries after a judge ruled Monday that the Republican-controlled body circumvented safeguards put in place by voters to ensure districts aren’t drawn to favor any party.

Free speech...

Trump's executive order to protect the US flag hits at heart of culture
When is free expression a call to incite violence? The executive order puts limits on a 1989 Supreme Court ruling protecting flag burning as free speech, potentially setting the stage for legal arguments over First Amendment rights and a possible redo in the nation's highest court.

Economy...

Tariffs will lower deficits by $4 trillion over a decade, CBO says
Tariffs have generated so much tax revenue, so quickly, that it may now be hard to move away from them without finding another source of income for the government.

Trump fires Federal Reserve governor over mortgage fraud allegations — but she refuses to step down
The president removed Cook after a referral accused her of falsifying records to claim two primary residences, but she insists Trump has no authority to oust her, vows not to resign, and has hired Hunter Biden’s lawyer Abbe Lowell to fight the move.

Immigration/border...

Camping World CEO refuses to back down in giant American flag fights
Marcus Lemonis says lawsuits and government orders won’t make him lower the 120-foot flags, calling them his “love letter” to the country that gave him a chance as an immigrant.

Obama judge blocks Maryland Man from being deported
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, accused of human trafficking and having ties to MS-13, was nearly deported, but an Obama-appointed federal judge blocked his removal.

CNN Can’t Let ‘Maryland Man’ Narrative Go
"Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was unlawfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after turning himself in to a facility in Baltimore."

Supporters of illegal alien truck driver accused of killing 3 demand light sentence: 'Shame on your white injustice'
The petition backing Harjinder Singh features comments accusing America’s courts of racism, with some supporters calling the charges “white injustice” while pushing for alternatives like counseling or community service despite three deaths.

WAR News...

Trump Floats Renaming Pentagon Back To ‘Department Of War’
A reporter told Trump that officially renaming the Department of Defense would require an act of Congress. Trump replied that he did not think it would, but regardless, he guessed that Congress would approve such a name change if Congress is needed. Sen. Mike Lee said he will introduce a bill to codify the name change.

Trump makes a bold push for global competitors to abandon nukes: 'The power is too great'
From the Oval Office, Trump urged Russia and China to give up their nuclear weapons, saying disarmament is a major goal of his administration and stressing that nuclear proliferation is too dangerous to continue.

Israel...

Iranian official claims Israel assassinated president killed in 2024 helicopter crash
Mohammad Sadr, a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, alleged Israel was behind the helicopter crash that killed then-Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, while also accusing Russia of betraying Tehran by sharing air defense intel with Israel.

China...

Chinese companies buying up land across New Hampshire under scrutiny
Beijing-linked firms have snapped up sites "near" defense contractors and a Space Force base, including a $67 million Nashua property, sparking state investigations and new laws to block future foreign adversary purchases.

Trump Says He’ll Allow 600,000 Chinese Students To Study In US
“I hear so many stories [about how] we’re not going to allow their students. We’re going to allow their students to come in. We’re going to allow 600,00 students. It’s very important, but we’re going to get along with China,” Trump said.

Europe...

US doubles down on support for envoy to France after anti-Semitism row
Ambassador Charles Kushner blasted Macron for failing to stop rising anti-Semitism and warning that recognizing a Palestinian state fuels extremism. France summoned him in protest, but the Trump administration doubled down, with Israel also accusing Paris of hypocrisy.

North Carolina mom of 8 goes viral for holding ponytail of Italian pickpocket for 1 hour
"I'm not stopping, kid. You are not getting away. I have eight kids, you don't get to me."

American tourist stabbed while defending women on German tram slams Europe's 'immigration problem'
John Rudat, 21, said one of his attackers was an illegal immigrant known to police and blasted Germany’s weak enforcement after the suspect was quickly released.

Australia...

Australia expels Iranian ambassador after synagogue firebombing tied to Tehran
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard orchestrated two anti-Semitic attacks in Melbourne and Sydney.

Entertainment...

Snoop Dogg joins the moral majority, slams kids' movie for lesbian theme
The rapper said he skips taking his grandkids to see movies after seeing "Lightyear," where a same-sex kiss scene left his grandson asking how two women could have a baby, blasting Hollywood for pushing adult themes on children.

Lil Nas X hit with 4 felony charges after arrest over bizarre behavior
He allegedly charged at police after walking in his underwear and putting a traffic cone on his head.

Media...

Sotomayor set to appear on ‘The View’ as new season kicks off
The leftwing Supreme Court Justice will appear on the daytime talk show on Sept. 9, one day following the program’s season premiere, Variety reported on Monday.

Media outlet runs puff piece on ex-Taliban official cut off by Trump admin
ProPublica portrayed Mohammad Qasem Halimi — once a Taliban protocol chief and minister — as a victim after his $132,000 U.S. contract was axed, but the Trump administration says taxpayer money should never fund former members of the regime that harbored 9/11 terrorists.

Environment...

Bans on gas stoves come back as Democratic cities and states continue war on gas appliances
Colorado now requires cigarette-style warning labels on gas stoves, part of a broader blue-state push to restrict fossil fuel appliances despite studies finding no proven health risks.

Education...

The radical left is poisoning our schools — here's how we fight back
By teaching faith, integrity, responsibility, effort, and sacrifice, we empower American youth to make today better than yesterday — and to shape a future that honors the sacrifices of those who came before us.

Health...

NY Times: Why Experts Caution Against Pete Hegseth and RFK Jr.’s Fitness Challenge
“Pushing for such high numbers without the necessary strength foundation can quickly lead to poor form, overcompensation, and a high risk of injury, including serious muscle strains or tears.”

AI...

AI boom already driving up power bills as data centers strain the grid
Bloomberg reports AI energy demand is pushing electricity prices higher, with New Jersey bills up 13% and New York 14% through May, as companies like Google turn to nuclear while others drain existing capacity without new plants.

Can AI suffer? Big Tech and users grapple with one of most unsettling questions of our times
As the first AI-led rights advocacy group is founded, the industry is divided on whether models are, or can be, sentient.

YouTube secretly used AI to alter creators’ videos without permission
The platform confirmed it has been quietly testing an AI tool on Shorts that sharpens, de-noises, and tweaks visuals by pulling details like skin, hair, and clothing — leaving creators unsettled as their content looks subtly artificial without their consent.

Travel...

These are the deadliest countries to take a selfie
India tops the list with 271 casualties, while the U.S., Russia, Pakistan, and Australia trail behind — and nearly half of all deaths come from people falling in pursuit of the perfect shot.

August 26, 2009 - Glenn's Fox News ratings are stunning… Know your czars… Swine flu… Progressives believe we can’t think for ourselves… 9/11 becoming a 'national day of service'…

Durham annex EXPOSES Soros, Pentagon ties to Deep State machine

ullstein bild Dtl. / Contributor | Getty Images

The Durham annex and ODNI report documents expose a vast network of funders and fixers — from Soros’ Open Society Foundations to the Pentagon.

In a column earlier this month, I argued the deep state is no longer deniable, thanks to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. I outlined the structural design of the deep state as revealed by two recent declassifications: Gabbard’s ODNI report and the Durham annex released by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

These documents expose a transnational apparatus of intelligence agencies, media platforms, think tanks, and NGOs operating as a parallel government.

The deep state is funded by elite donors, shielded by bureaucracies, and perpetuated by operatives who drift between public office and private influence without accountability.

But institutions are only part of the story. This web of influence is made possible by people — and by money. This follow-up to the first piece traces the key operatives and financial networks fueling the deep state’s most consequential manipulations, including the Trump-Russia collusion hoax.

Architects and operatives

At the top of the intelligence pyramid sits John Brennan, President Obama’s CIA director and one of the principal architects of the manipulated 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment. James Clapper, who served as director of national intelligence, signed off on that same ICA and later joined 50 other former officials in concluding the Hunter Biden laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation” ahead of the 2020 election. The timing, once again, served a political objective.

James Comey, then FBI director, presided over Crossfire Hurricane. According to the Durham annex, he also allowed the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server to collapse after it became entangled with “sensitive intelligence” revealing her plan to tie President Donald Trump to Russia.

That plan, as documented in the annex, originated with Hillary Clinton herself and was personally pushed by President Obama. Her campaign, through law firm Perkins Coie, hired Fusion GPS, which commissioned the now-debunked Steele dossier — a document used to justify surveillance warrants on Trump associates.

Several individuals orbiting the Clinton operation have remained influential. Jake Sullivan, who served as President Biden’s national security adviser, was a foreign policy aide to Clinton during her 2016 campaign. He was named in 2021 as a figure involved in circulating the collusion narrative, and his presence in successive Democratic administrations suggests institutional continuity.

Andrew McCabe, then the FBI’s deputy director, approved the use of FISA warrants derived from unverified sources. His connection to the internal “insurance policy” discussion — described in a 2016 text by FBI official Peter Strzok to colleague Lisa Page — underscores the Bureau’s political posture during that election cycle.

The list of political enablers is long but revealing:

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who, as a former representative from California, chaired the House Intelligence Committee at the time and publicly promoted the collusion narrative while having access to intelligence that contradicted it.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), both members of the “Gang of Eight” with oversight of intelligence operations, advanced the same narrative despite receiving classified briefings.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, exchanged encrypted text messages with a Russian lobbyist in efforts to speak with Christopher Steele.

These were not passive recipients of flawed intelligence. They were participants in its amplification.

The funding networks behind the machine

The deep state’s operations are not possible without financing — much of it indirect, routed through a nexus of private foundations, quasi-governmental entities, and federal agencies.

George Soros’ Open Society Foundations appear throughout the Durham annex. In one instance, Open Society Foundations documents were intercepted by foreign intelligence and used to track coordination between NGOs and the Clinton campaign’s anti-Trump strategy.

This system was not designed for transparency but for control.

Soros has also been a principal funder of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, which ran a project during the Trump administration called the Moscow Project, dedicated to promoting the Russia collusion narrative.

The Tides Foundation and Arabella Advisors both specialize in “dark money” donor-advised funds that obscure the source and destination of political funding. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was the biggest donor to the Arabella Advisors by far, which routed $127 million through Arabella’s network in 2020 alone and nearly $500 million in total.

The MacArthur Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation also financed many of the think tanks named in the Durham annex, including the Council on Foreign Relations.

Federal funding pipelines

Parallel to the private networks are government-funded influence operations, often justified under the guise of “democracy promotion” or counter-disinformation initiatives.

USAID directed $270 million to Soros-affiliated organizations for overseas “democracy” programs, a significant portion of which has reverberated back into domestic influence campaigns.

The State Department funds the National Endowment for Democracy, a quasi-governmental organization with a $315 million annual budget and ties to narrative engineering projects.

The Department of Homeland Security underwrote entities involved in online censorship programs targeting American citizens.

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

The Pentagon, from 2020 to 2024, awarded over $2.4 trillion to private contractors — many with domestic intelligence capabilities. It also directed $1.4 billion to select think tanks since 2019.

According to public records compiled by DataRepublican, these tax-funded flows often support the very actors shaping U.S. political discourse and global perception campaigns.

Not just domestic — but global

What these disclosures confirm is that the deep state is not a theory. It is a documented structure — funded by elite donors, shielded by bureaucracies, and perpetuated by operatives who drift between public office and private influence without accountability.

This system was not designed for transparency but for control. It launders narratives, neutralizes opposition, and overrides democratic will by leveraging the very institutions meant to protect it.

With the Durham annex and the ODNI report, we now see the network's architecture and its actors — names, agencies, funding trails — all laid bare. What remains is the task of dismantling it before its next iteration takes shape.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

The truth behind ‘defense’: How America was rebranded for war

PAUL J. RICHARDS / Staff | Getty Images

Donald Trump emphasizes peace through strength, reminding the world that the United States is willing to fight to win. That’s beyond ‘defense.’

President Donald Trump made headlines this week by signaling a rebrand of the Defense Department — restoring its original name, the Department of War.

At first, I was skeptical. “Defense” suggests restraint, a principle I consider vital to U.S. foreign policy. “War” suggests aggression. But for the first 158 years of the republic, that was the honest name: the Department of War.

A Department of War recognizes the truth: The military exists to fight and, if necessary, to win decisively.

The founders never intended a permanent standing army. When conflict came — the Revolution, the War of 1812, the trenches of France, the beaches of Normandy — the nation called men to arms, fought, and then sent them home. Each campaign was temporary, targeted, and necessary.

From ‘war’ to ‘military-industrial complex’

Everything changed in 1947. President Harry Truman — facing the new reality of nuclear weapons, global tension, and two world wars within 20 years — established a full-time military and rebranded the Department of War as the Department of Defense. Americans resisted; we had never wanted a permanent army. But Truman convinced the country it was necessary.

Was the name change an early form of political correctness? A way to soften America’s image as a global aggressor? Or was it simply practical? Regardless, the move created a permanent, professional military. But it also set the stage for something Truman’s successor, President Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower, famously warned about: the military-industrial complex.

Ike, the five-star general who commanded Allied forces in World War II and stormed Normandy, delivered a harrowing warning during his farewell address: The military-industrial complex would grow powerful. Left unchecked, it could influence policy and push the nation toward unnecessary wars.

And that’s exactly what happened. The Department of Defense, with its full-time and permanent army, began spending like there was no tomorrow. Weapons were developed, deployed, and sometimes used simply to justify their existence.

Peace through strength

When Donald Trump said this week, “I don’t want to be defense only. We want defense, but we want offense too,” some people freaked out. They called him a warmonger. He isn’t. Trump is channeling a principle older than him: peace through strength. Ronald Reagan preached it; Trump is taking it a step further.

Just this week, Trump also suggested limiting nuclear missiles — hardly the considerations of a warmonger — echoing Reagan, who wanted to remove missiles from silos while keeping them deployable on planes.

The seemingly contradictory move of Trump calling for a Department of War sends a clear message: He wants Americans to recognize that our military exists not just for defense, but to project power when necessary.

Trump has pointed to something critically important: The best way to prevent war is to have a leader who knows exactly who he is and what he will do. Trump signals strength, deterrence, and resolve. You want to negotiate? Great. You don’t? Then we’ll finish the fight decisively.

That’s why the world listens to us. That’s why nations come to the table — not because Trump is reckless, but because he means what he says and says what he means. Peace under weakness invites aggression. Peace under strength commands respect.

Trump is the most anti-war president we’ve had since Jimmy Carter. But unlike Carter, Trump isn’t weak. Carter’s indecision emboldened enemies and made the world less safe. Trump’s strength makes the country stronger. He believes in peace as much as any president. But he knows peace requires readiness for war.

Names matter

When we think of “defense,” we imagine cybersecurity, spy programs, and missile shields. But when we think of “war,” we recall its harsh reality: death, destruction, and national survival. Trump is reminding us what the Department of Defense is really for: war. Not nation-building, not diplomacy disguised as military action, not endless training missions. War — full stop.

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Names matter. Words matter. They shape identity and character. A Department of Defense implies passivity, a posture of reaction. A Department of War recognizes the truth: The military exists to fight and, if necessary, to win decisively.

So yes, I’ve changed my mind. I’m for the rebranding to the Department of War. It shows strength to the world. It reminds Americans, internally and externally, of the reality we face. The Department of Defense can no longer be a euphemism. Our military exists for war — not without deterrence, but not without strength either. And we need to stop deluding ourselves.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Censorship, spying, lies—The Deep State’s web finally unmasked

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

From surveillance abuse to censorship, the deep state used state power and private institutions to suppress dissent and influence two US elections.

The term “deep state” has long been dismissed as the province of cranks and conspiracists. But the recent declassification of two critical documents — the Durham annex, released by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and a report publicized by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — has rendered further denial untenable.

These documents lay bare the structure and function of a bureaucratic, semi-autonomous network of agencies, contractors, nonprofits, and media entities that together constitute a parallel government operating alongside — and at times in opposition to — the duly elected one.

The ‘deep state’ is a self-reinforcing institutional machine — a decentralized, global bureaucracy whose members share ideological alignment.

The disclosures do not merely recount past abuses; they offer a schematic of how modern influence operations are conceived, coordinated, and deployed across domestic and international domains.

What they reveal is not a rogue element operating in secret, but a systematized apparatus capable of shaping elections, suppressing dissent, and laundering narratives through a transnational network of intelligence, academia, media, and philanthropic institutions.

Narrative engineering from the top

According to Gabbard’s report, a pivotal moment occurred on December 9, 2016, when the Obama White House convened its national security leadership in the Situation Room. Attendees included CIA Director John Brennan, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Secretary of State John Kerry, and others.

During this meeting, the consensus view up to that point — that Russia had not manipulated the election outcome — was subordinated to new instructions.

The record states plainly: The intelligence community was directed to prepare an assessment “per the President’s request” that would frame Russia as the aggressor and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump as its preferred candidate. Notably absent was any claim that new intelligence had emerged. The motivation was political, not evidentiary.

This maneuver became the foundation for the now-discredited 2017 intelligence community assessment on Russian election interference. From that point on, U.S. intelligence agencies became not neutral evaluators of fact but active participants in constructing a public narrative designed to delegitimize the incoming administration.

Institutional and media coordination

The ODNI report and the Durham annex jointly describe a feedback loop in which intelligence is laundered through think tanks and nongovernmental organizations, then cited by media outlets as “independent verification.” At the center of this loop are agencies like the CIA, FBI, and ODNI; law firms such as Perkins Coie; and NGOs such as the Open Society Foundations.

According to the Durham annex, think tanks including the Atlantic Council, the Carnegie Endowment, and the Center for a New American Security were allegedly informed of Clinton’s 2016 plan to link Trump to Russia. These institutions, operating under the veneer of academic independence, helped diffuse the narrative into public discourse.

Media coordination was not incidental. On the very day of the aforementioned White House meeting, the Washington Post published a front-page article headlined “Obama Orders Review of Russian Hacking During Presidential Campaign” — a story that mirrored the internal shift in official narrative. The article marked the beginning of a coordinated media campaign that would amplify the Trump-Russia collusion narrative throughout the transition period.

Surveillance and suppression

Surveillance, once limited to foreign intelligence operations, was turned inward through the abuse of FISA warrants. The Steele dossier — funded by the Clinton campaign via Perkins Coie and Fusion GPS — served as the basis for wiretaps on Trump affiliates, despite being unverified and partially discredited. The FBI even altered emails to facilitate the warrants.

ROBYN BECK / Contributor | Getty Images

This capacity for internal subversion reappeared in 2020, when 51 former intelligence officials signed a letter labeling the Hunter Biden laptop story as “Russian disinformation.” According to polling, 79% of Americans believed truthful coverage of the laptop could have altered the election. The suppression of that story — now confirmed as authentic — was election interference, pure and simple.

A machine, not a ‘conspiracy theory’

The deep state is a self-reinforcing institutional machine — a decentralized, global bureaucracy whose members share ideological alignment and strategic goals.

Each node — law firms, think tanks, newsrooms, federal agencies — operates with plausible deniability. But taken together, they form a matrix of influence capable of undermining electoral legitimacy and redirecting national policy without democratic input.

The ODNI report and the Durham annex mark the first crack in the firewall shielding this machine. They expose more than a political scandal buried in the past. They lay bare a living system of elite coordination — one that demands exposure, confrontation, and ultimately dismantling.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Trump's proposal explained: Ukraine's path to peace without NATO expansion

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / Contributor | Getty Images

Strategic compromise, not absolute victory, often ensures lasting stability.

When has any country been asked to give up land it won in a war? Even if a nation is at fault, the punishment must be measured.

After World War I, Germany, the main aggressor, faced harsh penalties under the Treaty of Versailles. Germans resented the restrictions, and that resentment fueled the rise of Adolf Hitler, ultimately leading to World War II. History teaches that justice for transgressions must avoid creating conditions for future conflict.

Ukraine and Russia must choose to either continue the cycle of bloodshed or make difficult compromises in pursuit of survival and stability.

Russia and Ukraine now stand at a similar crossroads. They can cling to disputed land and prolong a devastating war, or they can make concessions that might secure a lasting peace. The stakes could not be higher: Tens of thousands die each month, and the choice between endless bloodshed and negotiated stability hinges on each side’s willingness to yield.

History offers a guide. In 1967, Israel faced annihilation. Surrounded by hostile armies, the nation fought back and seized large swaths of territory from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria. Yet Israel did not seek an empire. It held only the buffer zones needed for survival and returned most of the land. Security and peace, not conquest, drove its decisions.

Peace requires concessions

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says both Russia and Ukraine will need to “get something” from a peace deal. He’s right. Israel proved that survival outweighs pride. By giving up land in exchange for recognition and an end to hostilities, it stopped the cycle of war. Egypt and Israel have not fought in more than 50 years.

Russia and Ukraine now press opposing security demands. Moscow wants a buffer to block NATO. Kyiv, scarred by invasion, seeks NATO membership — a pledge that any attack would trigger collective defense by the United States and Europe.

President Donald Trump and his allies have floated a middle path: an Article 5-style guarantee without full NATO membership. Article 5, the core of NATO’s charter, declares that an attack on one is an attack on all. For Ukraine, such a pledge would act as a powerful deterrent. For Russia, it might be more palatable than NATO expansion to its border

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

Peace requires concessions. The human cost is staggering: U.S. estimates indicate 20,000 Russian soldiers died in a single month — nearly half the total U.S. casualties in Vietnam — and the toll on Ukrainians is also severe. To stop this bloodshed, both sides need to recognize reality on the ground, make difficult choices, and anchor negotiations in security and peace rather than pride.

Peace or bloodshed?

Both Russia and Ukraine claim deep historical grievances. Ukraine arguably has a stronger claim of injustice. But the question is not whose parchment is older or whose deed is more valid. The question is whether either side is willing to trade some land for the lives of thousands of innocent people. True security, not historical vindication, must guide the path forward.

History shows that punitive measures or rigid insistence on territorial claims can perpetuate cycles of war. Germany’s punishment after World War I contributed directly to World War II. By contrast, Israel’s willingness to cede land for security and recognition created enduring peace. Ukraine and Russia now face the same choice: Continue the cycle of bloodshed or make difficult compromises in pursuit of survival and stability.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.