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Saturday, April 5, 2025

Central Banks Gobbled Up More Gold in February

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) Record prices haven’t dulled central banks’ appetites for gold. Globally, central banks officially added another net 24 tonnes of gold to their reserves in February, according to the latest data released by the World Gold Council.

Poland was the biggest buyer in February, adding another 29 tonnes of gold to its reserves. The National Bank of Poland now holds 480 tonnes of the yellow metal, making up 20 percent of its reserves.

Last year, the Polish central bank expanded its gold holdings by 90 tonnes, leading all buyers.

It will be interesting to see if Poland continues to add to its gold holdings. In 2024, National Bank of Poland Governor Adam Glapiński indicated the central bank planned to increase its gold holdings to 20 percent of its reserves.

“This makes Poland a more credible country, we have a better standing in all ratings, we are a very serious partner, and we will continue to buy gold.”

The People’s Bank of China publicly returned to the table in November after a six-month pause in reporting gold purchases. The Chinese central bank was the second-biggest buyer in February, adding another 5 tonnes of gold to its official reserves. That pushed its official gold holdings to 2,285 tonnes, about 6 percent of its total reserves.

Notice the emphasis on “official.”

The Chinese likely hold significantly more gold than they publicly disclose. As Jan Nieuwenhuijs has reported, the People’s Bank of China is secretly buying large amounts of gold off the books. According to data parsed by the renowned Money Metals researcher, the Chinese central bank is currently sitting on more than 5,000 tonnes of monetary gold located in Beijing – more than TWICE what has been publicly admitted.

The Turkish central bank returned to buying in February after a pause in January, adding 3 tonnes of gold to its official holdings. Turkey ranked second in gold buying among central banks in 2024, expanding its reserves by 74.8 tonnes. The Turks now own 623 tonnes of gold, making up about 38 percent of their reserves.

The following central banks also reported gold purchases of at least 1 tonne in February:

  • Jordan  – 3 tonnes
  • Qatar – 2 tonnes
  • Czech Republic – 2 tonnes

There were some notable sellers. The National Bank of Kazakhstan sold 8 tonnes of gold, and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan trimmed its gold holdings by 12 tonnes. Uzbekistan was the biggest buyer in January.  It is not uncommon for banks that buy from domestic production – such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan – to switch between buying and selling.

Russia also decreased its gold holdings modestly.

Official central bank gold demand topped 1,000 tonnes for the third straight year in 2024. To put that into perspective, central bank gold reserves increased by an average of just 473 tonnes annually between 2010 and 2021.

On net, central banks officially increased their gold holdings by 1,044.6 tonnes last year. It was the 15th consecutive year of expanding gold reserves.

Last year was the third-largest expansion of central bank gold reserves on record, coming in just 6.2 tonnes lower than in 2023 and 91 tonnes lower than the all-time high set in 2022. (1,136 tonnes). 2022 was the highest level of net purchases on record dating back to 1950, including since the suspension of dollar convertibility into gold in 1971.

The World Gold Council summed up the current central bank demand.

“Central banks continue to play a pivotal role in global gold demand, with their purchasing patterns influenced by both economic and geopolitical shifts. The shift from armed conflict to broader economic tensions has reinforced their net buying trend, especially apparent since 2022. Many central banks appear to have strategically leveraged temporary price pullbacks as buying opportunities, while sales have remained limited and largely tactical during price rallies.”


Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Gears Up for Potential Senate Run

(Headline USATexas Attorney General Ken Paxton is gearing up for a potential U.S. Senate run while no longer shadowed by a federal corruption investigation that hung over his rising profile in the Republican Party.

That durability would be tested against Republican Sen. John Cornyn should Paxton embark on what would likely be one of the country’s most contentious 2026 primary battles.

Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has hinted at challenging Cornyn for more than a year but has not said when he will make a decision.

In the final weeks of the Biden administration, the Justice Department decided not to pursue its investigation into Paxton over bribery allegations, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Though the date of the decision was not immediately clear, it was made in the final weeks of the President Joe Biden’s presidency, one of the people said.

The accusations were arguably the most serious of multiple legal troubles Paxton has faced since becoming attorney general in 2015, including felony securities fraud charges that hovered over him for nearly a decade before he agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution fees.

Paxton characterized the investigation as a “bogus witch hunt” in a social media post on X responding to the news Thursday. He also tacked on a fresh barb toward Cornyn.

“Care to comment now, John?” Paxton posted.

Paxton declined an interview request through a spokesperson Thursday.

Spokespeople for Cornyn did not immediately respond to phone and email requests seeking comment.

The quiet dismissal underscores Paxton’s political resiliency and ascendency among his party’s hard-right in recent years while also potentially giving his opponents less fodder for political attacks.

“There are no more clouds over him,” said Bill Miller, a longtime Texas lobbyist and friend of Paxton.

Paxton has targeted Cornyn since the senator became one of few prominent Republicans to criticize him. Cornyn, who helped push a bipartisan gun control bill after the 2022 mass shooting at an Uvalde elementary school, also previously came under criticism from conservative activists who have driven the party’s agenda farther to the right.

Cornyn, who also served as Texas attorney general, has served in the Senate since 2002 and is a popular member of the GOP conference. But Cornyn lost to South Dakota Sen. John Thune in a close bid to become Senate majority leader. If Paxton enters the race, it will likely be the senator’s most competitive primary campaign to date.

In 2020, eight of Paxton’s closest aides accused him of using his office to benefit a Texas real estate developer who employed a woman Paxton was having an extramarital affair with. He was impeached and acquitted in the Texas Senate in 2023.

Nate Paul, the real estate developer, pleaded guilty in January to federal charges for lying to banks to receive millions of dollars in loans.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Trump Fires NSC Officials after Meeting w/ Laura Loomer

(Headline USA) President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’s fired “some” White House National Security Council officials after a meeting with conservative activist Laura Loomer where she raised concerns about staff loyalty.

During Loomer’s Oval Office conversation with Trump, she urged the president to purge staffers that were not loyal to Trump’s mission, according to several people familiar with the matter. They all spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel manner.

“Always we’re letting go of people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he made his way to Miami on Thursday afternoon. “People that we don’t like or people that we don’t think can do the job or people that may have loyalties to somebody else.”

Loomer took to social media after her meeting with the president.

“You know how you know the NSC officials I reported to President Trump are disloyal people who have played a role in sabotaging Donald Trump?” She then noted that “the fired officials” were being defended by Trump critics on CNN and MSNBC.

The firings by Trump of NSC staff come at a tumultuous moment for Trump and his national security team. His national security adviser Mike Waltz, continues to fight back calls for his ouster after using the publicly available encrypted Signal app to discuss planning for the sensitive March 15 military operation targeting Houthi militants in Yemen.

Trump has said he stands by Waltz, who traveled to Florida with the president on Thursday for a dinner event ahead of the LIV Golf tournament in Miami.

Meanwhile, The Pentagon’s acting inspector general announced Thursday that he would review Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal to convey plans on the Houthi operations. The review will also look at other defense officials’ use of the publicly available encrypted app.

Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, Waltz and Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, also took part in the meeting with Loomer, the people said.

The Presidential Personnel Office has fired at least three senior NSC officials and multiple lower-ranking aides since Wednesday’s meeting with Loomer, according to the people familiar with the situation.

The NSC officials fired include Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director for technology and national security, according two people familiar with the matter.

“Laura Loomer is a very good patriot. She is a very strong person,” Trump said.

Trump acknowledged that Loomer “recommended certain people for jobs.”

“Sometimes I listen to those recommendations like I do with everybody,” Trump said. “I listen to everybody than I make a decision.”

“It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my research findings,” Loomer said in a Thursday posting on X. “I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of, and the necessity of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America, and our national security.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

U.S. Adds 228,000 Jobs in March, Surpassing Expectations

(​Dan McCaleb, The Center Square) The U.S. added 228,000 jobs in March, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday, nearly double what was forecast.

Employment gains occurred in the health care, transportation, warehousing and retail trade industries, according to the Labor department.

The overall gains come despite significant layoffs in the federal government under the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump is touting the gains as byproducts of his administration’s policies and of the tariffs he has spoken of for months but revealed specifics of on Wednesday.

“Great job numbers, far better than expected. It’s already working. Hang tough, we can’t lose!!!” the president wrote in all caps on Truth Social Friday morning.

Trump unveiled a series of reciprocal tariffs on countries that have for years been placing tariffs on U.S. imports. While the markets reacted negatively to the tariffs and many economists say they will increase costs for U.S. consumers, Trump says his tariff plan will help bring back manufacturing and other jobs to the country.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the numbers are evidence of Trump’s policies, citing a “sharp increase in transportation, construction, and warehousing employment.

“GREAT NEWS! The economy is starting to roar with a strong 228,000 jobs added in the month of March — well ahead of the market’s expectation,” she wrote on Truth Social. “The President’s push to onshore jobs here in the United States is working. The Golden Age of America is on its way!”

U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement the job numbers demonstrate a “strong expansion that will only continue when jobs that were previously shipped overseas are brought back to the United States.”

Texas House Passes Resolution Celebrating ‘Pakistan Day’

(José Niño, Headline USA) Toward the end of March, the Texas State House passed a resolution designating “Pakistan Day.” 

This resolution was introduced by State Rep. Dr. Suleman Lalani, an immigrant from Pakistan, who represents Texas House District 76, which primarily covers a portion of Fort Bend County, including cities such as Sugar Land, Stafford, Richmond, and Meadows Place.

This resolution commemorates the 85th anniversary of the Lahore Resolution — a political declaration that calls for the establishment of independent states in regions where Muslims were the majority, such as the northwestern and eastern zones of British India. Additionally, the resolution recognizes the “societal, religious, linguistic, and economic contributions” of the roughly 80,000 Pakistanis living in Texas. 

“The success of Texas has been bolstered by Pakistanis and Pakistani Texans through their professional work, cultural background, and values of peace and prosperity,” the resolution stressed. 

The passage of this resolution comes against the backdrop of concerns of Texas becoming a new hub for Islam

Epic City is at the center of these concerns. The East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) is spearheading the creation of a 402-acre development project proposed for unincorporated areas in Collin and Hunt counties, approximately 40 miles northeast of Dallas near the city of Josephine, Texas.

The proposed development would include:

  • More than 1,000 single and multi-family homes
  • A new mosque
  • A K-12 faith-based school
  • Senior housing
  • Commercial developments
  • Sports facilities
  • A community college

Per Yasir Qadhi, a resident scholar at the Plano mosque, the idea for Epic City emerged in response to the growing Muslim population in the region.

 “We need more space, and there are people coming from across the country. Dallas is now known to be a hub of people of our faith, coming not just to the city, but specifically to our mosque,” Qadhi stated. 

The Texas state government has responded to this development in a negative fashion. 

Governor Greg Abbott stated that “Sharia law is not allowed in Texas,” and has referred to the proposed EPIC City as a potential “Sharia city” or “no-go zone,” which he asserts would be clashing with state laws.

He emphasized that all entities in Texas must follow state law, not alternative legal frameworks like Sharia law.

In response to the proposed EPIC development, the Texas government has taken multiple measures to investigate it, amid allegations of potential illegal activities.

For example, Abbott has instructed the Texas Rangers to investigate EPIC and its affiliates for potential criminal law violations. In a similar vein, the Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton is investigating the EPIC project for potential violations of consumer protection laws.

The Muslim population in the Dallas metropolitan area has grown in recent years. According to certain estimates, the Muslim population in Dallas city alone is approximately 150,000 individuals, making it one of the cities with the largest Muslim populations in the United States. 

The broader Texas Muslim population was estimated at 313,209 as of 2020, putting it in 5th place among states with the largest Muslim populations in the country. 

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino

North Carolina Rep. Wants to Ban CCP Retailers From U.S.Military Bases

(José Niño, Headline USA) A North Carolina congressman wants to stop Chinese state-owned companies from running retail outlets on American military installations. 

Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-NC, introduced the Military Installation Retail Security Act on Thursday to address what he believes is a significant national security flaw. 

At the center of Rep. Harrigan’s concerns is GNC, a well-known nutritional supplement retailer operating on U.S. military bases. 

According to Harrigan’s press release, GNC is “100% owned by China’s state-run Harbin Pharmaceutical Group” and currently maintains over 80 stores on American military installations through long-term contracts with military exchanges like AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service), NEXCOM, and MCX. 

These retail agreements reportedly operate with exemptions from standard federal contracting mandates and ownership disclosure regulations.

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), also known as “The Exchange,” is the Department of Defense’s largest exchange service and operates thousands of facilities worldwide, providing goods and services at U.S. Army, Air Force, and Space Force facilities. 

In essence, this widespread presence means that foreign-owned retailers operating through AAFES have significant access to military communities.

Rep. Harrigan’s main concern deals with data collection and potential intelligence risks. Per his statement, these Chinese-owned stores are “in a position to collect personal data from our troops, operate with almost no oversight, and answer directly to a hostile foreign government.”

This aligns with broader concerns about the Chinese Communist Party data collection practices targeting Americans.

Security experts believe such data could be exploited in multiple ways. 

For example, Chinese intelligence services could potentially use the information they collected to identify, target, and recruit U.S. informants. In a similar vein, personal data could also be used for blackmail, propaganda targeting, corporate espionage, or identity fraud. 

Harrigan’s bill would do the following: 

  1. Prohibit companies owned or controlled by China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea from operating physical storefronts on U.S. military facilities
  2. Terminate existing contracts with companies that misrepresented foreign ownership
  3. Require national security reviews of existing on-base retailers with foreign connections
  4. Implement transparency and oversight requirements for future retail agreements on military bases.

This legislation comes against the backdrop of increased  U.S. scrutiny of Chinese involvement near military facilities. 

In recent years, federal attention has focused on Chinese land purchases close to military bases. In May 2024, President Biden issued an executive order shutting down MineOne Partners Ltd., a Chinese-owned firm operating near Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. 

Multiple states have enacted laws banning foreign adversaries from owning land close to military facilities.

The current focus on retail operations constitutes an expansion of these security concerns from surrounding areas to within the confines of bases themselves. 

Harrigan’s statement emphasizes this shift in the United States‘ national security policy vis-a-vis China:

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino

Bill Maher Meets w/ Trump: ‘It Could Not Have Been Better’

(Maire Clayton, Headline USA) Comedian Bill Maher met with President Donald Trump at the White House with singer Kid Rock facilitating the meetup.

Maher took to social media after the Monday meeting to say he will discuss it at a later time.

“Hey everybody, thank you for all the interest in my dinner with the president last night – I promise, all will be revealed on the next @RealTimers on April 11.

As it’s April 1 today, no one would believe what I said today anyway!”

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White was also in attendance.

While Maher didn’t say much on the meeting, Kid Rock went on Fox & Friends Tuesday to spill the details of the meeting.

“It could not have been better. Everyone was so surprised,” Kid Rock said.

The musician said it was a pleasant event with Maher apparently having a good experience.

“There’s never been someone that’s ever met the president in any scenario that’s walked away without saying, ‘Wow, what a great guy.’ He’s so funny, he’s so engaging, he’s so smart,” Kid Rock said.

“Bill even said to me, he goes, ‘Wow.‘”

Kid Rock later spoke with Fox News host Sean Hannity and said Maher and Trump had a conversation about a potential third term.

“It really freaks out Bill when the president’s, when people are talking about a third term, this, that and the other,” he recalled. “He brought that up and the president — they talked about it a little bit.

That was something I would consider private. I feel uncomfortable sharing that.”

Maher previously said he expected Democrats to be angry he decided to meet with the president.

Even though Maher does not agree with Trump, he noted that he did win the presidency and captured the popular vote.

“You have to respect that, the guy did win,” the host said. “It’s more than half the country.”

“You can not like Trump, you can hate him, but you can’t hate everybody who voted for him… I don’t hate half the country and I don’t want to hate half the country,” he continued.

BREAKING: Trump Fires Biden-Appointed NSA Director

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The Washington Post reported late Thursday night that President Donald Trump has fired the Gen. Timothy Haugh, who heads one of the most secretive and powerful government entities in the world: the National Security Agency.

“Gen. Timothy Haugh, who also heads U.S. Cyber Command, was let go along with his deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble,” the Post reported, citing  two current and one former U.S. officials.

“Noble was reassigned to a job within the Pentagon’s office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. The NSA is part of the department.”

The current and former officials told the Post that they don’t know why Haugh was reassigned.

The Post reported that Haugh was travelling Thursday and couldn’t be reached for comment. Other government officials did not respond to media inquiries.

The Post’s report was scarcely an hour old when a top Democrat blasted Trump over the firing.

“I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed teh law and put national security first—I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this administration,” said Sen. Jim Himes, D-Ct., the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

According to the Post, billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency visited Haugh and the NSA last month.

Biden nominated Haugh as head of the NSA—the agency that collects electronic communications around the world—in May 2023. The Senate confirmed him in December of that year. He also headed the U.S. Cyber Command, which conducts cybersecurity operations for the Pentagon.

Largely operating in the shadows for decades, the NSA was thrust into the national spotlight in 2013, when former contractor Ed Snowden leaked info showing that the agency was collecting Americans’ electronic communications in bulk, without a warrant.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Chief Justice Roberts Spent Week w/ Anti-Trump Attorney in Czech Republic

(Luis CornelioHeadline USA) Norm Eisen—a former Obama ambassador, CNN mouthpiece and mastermind behind the anti-Trump lawfare—revealed a personal connection to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.  

Eisen may soon represent plaintiffs before the high court, opening the window for potential conflicts of interest, given that he claimed Roberts once lodged at his residence to work on “rule-of-law” matters. 

He made these remarks on the Pantsuit Politics podcast in 2024. But his comments resurfaced online Thursday via an X page called The Researcher. 

“I know the chief justice well,” Eisen said. 

“He stayed when I was ambassador, stayed under my roof, came and spent a week with us. We worked on American and European rule of law issues together,” he added.  

Eisen served as ambassador to the Czech Republic under the Obama administration from 2011 and 2014. He also authored Overcoming Trumpery, a book that schools Democrats on how to use the law and ethics to attack Trump. 

Eisen is currently representing anonymous FBI agents suing the DOJ to block Trump-led efforts to expose the identities of federal agents who aggressively targeted Jan. 6 defendants. 

This case—along with others aimed at the Trump administration—could soon reach the Supreme Court. And Eisen may be arguing them, raising serious concerns over conflict of interest. 

It is unclear whether Roberts, who oversees all aspects of the high court, would recuse himself from any cases tied to Eisen. Doing so could work in Trump’s favor. 

The current court has two staunch conservatives: Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. 

Three others—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett—are seen as conservatives but frequently side with the leftist wing, which includes Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. 

Then there’s Roberts—who often sides with the left and works to persuade one of the three Trump-appointed conservatives to side with the leftist minority. 

Dem. Fundraising Group Facilitated ‘Potentially Illegal’ Donations in 2024, Investigation Finds

(Luis CornelioHeadline USA) Internal documents show that Democratic fundraising giant ActBlue made its anti-fraud prevention policies “more lenient” twice in 2024, allowing foreign and domestic fraudulent actors to funnel money into campaigns. 

These documents were released in a 479-page report as a collaborative effort by the House Administration, House Judiciary and House Oversight committees. 

ActBlue reportedly changed its policies in April and September 2024. These changes opened the door to roughly 14 and 28 additional fraudulent contributions each month after testing whether requiring credit card security codes would hurt their fundraising efforts. 

The documents reveal that ActBlue automatically accepts 99.8 percent of donations, with the remaining 0.2 percent manually reviewed. Yet only five percent—or “less than 0.1” percent—of flagged transactions are rejected. 

According to the New York Post’s assessment, up to 6.4 percent of the donations that should have been rejected for fraud were missed. 

Internal training guides show that new ActBlue employees were instructed to “look for reasons to accept contributions.” One chief fraud-prevention official even expressed willingness to accept 10 percent more potentially fraudulent donations. 

In 30 days during September and October 2024, ActBlue processed 237 donations from foreign IP addresses using domestic prepaid cards, according to the documents. 

The chairmen of the House committees—Bryan Steil, Jim Jordan, and James Comer—wrote a scathing letter to ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones, demanding more documents and testimony from two employees. 

They also requested records identifying which staff members are responsible for ActBlue’s federal compliance and documents regarding potential retaliation against whistleblowers. 

Additionally, they demanded all documents and communications about the resignation of Vice President for Customer Service Alyssa Twomey and the resignation of staff members from ActBlue’s Office of the General Counsel, including former General Counsel Darrin Hurwitz. 

The committees’ chairmen gave Wallace-Jones until April 16 to respond.