You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Now, President Trump ran for office saying, I’m going to review every single penny in the federal budget. Now, how are you going to review the spending in the federal budget without reviewing the spending?
And that’s what Mr. Musk is doing. Now, many of my Democratic colleagues and some of the tofu-eating Wookerati at the USAID are screaming like they’re part of a prison riot because they don’t want us reviewing the spending. But that’s all Mr. Musk is doing, and he’s finding some pretty interesting stuff. To my friends who are upset, I would say with respect, you know, call somebody who cares. They better get used to this. It’s USAID today.
It’s going to be Department of Education tomorrow. And really, here’s what’s going on. For four years under President Biden, the people in charge ask one simple question.
Who needs to pay more in taxes? Who needs to pay more in taxes? Well, that’s not the question that the Republicans and President Trump are going to ask.
Our question is, what the hell happened to the money? And that’s all that’s going on.
Watch the video below:
Senator John Kennedy: “To my friends who are upset, call somebody who cares. You better get used to this. It’s USAID today, it’s gonna be Department of Education tomorrow.”
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: “The USAID are screaming like they’re part of a prison riot because they don’t want us reviewing the spending. But that’s all @elonmusk is doing. And he’s finding some pretty interesting stuff … Just what the President said he was going to appoint Musk to do.” pic.twitter.com/etfGizrxEI
Donald Trump should know better than that you might say. He is after all the leader of the free world and has at his disposal as many foreign policy advisers as he cares to listen to.
If he had asked them they would have told him there are a few issues with his proposal that the people of Gaza leave and don’t go back.
Firstly they regard Gaza as their home. They are fiercely proud of their heritage and their history of being there. Ask anyone who has ever been to Gaza.
Image: For Palestinians there may not be much left standing in Gaza, but it is still their home. Pic: AP
Secondly, contrary to the US president’s claim that many countries have offered to help take them in, none have done so publicly.
In fact Israel’s immediate neighbours Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia have all dismissed the idea out of hand.
But thirdly, and more to the point, there is a long and dark history of Palestinians being encouraged one way or another to leave their homes never to return.
Many of those living in Gaza’s ‘refugee camps’ are descendants of the victims of the Nakba, as they call it, or the catastrophe when during Israel’s first war of independence, they had to flee homes on land that is now in Israel.
They believe they should be allowed to return to that land which they say Israelis wrongly took from them. Any acquiescence with another mass displacement would be a betrayal of their forefathers’ rights of return, they believe.
In the early days of the Gaza war, Israeli right wing politicians quietly pushed the idea that maybe the world could take Gazans in, give them a better life etc.
They don’t really want to live there anyway we were told, they’d be much better off in Michigan, or the emptier bits of Europe, or maybe Jordan, and Egypt might be persuaded to take in more in return for the huge amounts of American aid they receive.
Those politicians and diplomats understand their neighbours more than Donald Trump, or should do and should have known better. But the idea never went away.
Donald Trump it seems was listening and is now advocating the idea despite all its obvious shortcomings.
That will embolden far right Jewish extremists in the Netanyahu government who openly advocate the return of Israeli settlers to occupy Gaza.
But it will do nothing to bring a solution to the conflict – quite the opposite.
Icebergs are photographed from the window of an airplane carrying NASA scientists as they fly on a mission to track melting ice in eastern Greenland on Aug. 14, 2019.
Mstyslav Chernov/AP
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NUUK, Greenland — Greenland’s parliament passed a bill Tuesday that bans political parties from receiving contributions “from foreign or anonymous contributors” after President Donald Trump expressed his wish that the United States take over the vast and mineral-rich Arctic island that belongs to Denmark.
The bill is aimed at protecting “Greenland’s political integrity” and will take effect immediately, according to a translation of a parliamentary document in Danish outlining the measure.
The bill “must be seen in light of the geopolitical interests in Greenland and the current situation where representatives of an allied great power have expressed interest in taking over and controlling Greenland,” the document said.
Before taking office for his second term on Jan. 20, Trump said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of Greenland, calling it vital to U.S. national security. His oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland last month and told citizens: “We’re going to treat you well.”
Denmark is a longtime U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO, and its semiautonomous territory is home to a large U.S. military base.
With a total area of 2.17 million square kilometers (836,000 square miles), Greenland — population about 57,000 — is over one-fifth the size of the United States, according to the CIA World Factbook.
A senior legal officer at Greenland’s parliament, Kent Fridberg, told The Associated Press he did not know whether any foreign donors had contributed to Greenland’s political parties and the idea for the bill was “basically a preventative measure.”
Fridberg noted that some Russian politicians had voiced a similar interest — and that political parties in Greenland are generally funded by public means.
The new measure also prohibits any single party from receiving domestic private contributions that exceed 200,000 Danish kroner (about $27,700) in total, or 20,000 kroner (about $2,770) from a single contributor.
Mass demonstrations against President Trump’s crackdown on immigration continued for a third day in downtown Los Angeles, with hundreds of students walking out of class Tuesday to join the march and one adult protester arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism.
The protests began in the morning and continued to grow throughout the afternoon, with crowds bearing flags from Mexico and other Latin American countries and waving anti-Trump banners. A man participating in the demonstration was arrested on suspicion of vandalizing several buildings and a Waymo, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Students join in the Los Angeles protests. L.A. Unified reported attendance was 66% Monday compared with 93% for the year as a whole.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A dispersal order was issued and an unlawful assembly declared around Los Angeles City Hall at 3:36 p.m., following reports of students throwing rocks and bottles at officers, according to the LAPD.
“Anyone who remains in violation of this order will be arrested,” Police Cmdr. Lillian Carranza said in a statement. “Officers and supervisors on the scene will ensure those who violate the law are cited or booked.”
Slogans including “F— Trump,” “F— ICE” and a Spanish phrase that roughly translates to “F— Border Patrol/ICE” were spray-painted on City Hall and surrounding buildings.
The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles reported having been vandalized during the marches.
“The vandalism includes spray painted ‘Viva La Raza,’ ‘F— Ice’ and ‘F— Trump’ all across the building,” a spokesperson for the museum said in a statement. “Sadly, this is not the first time the museum has faced march-related vandalism and the repairs are often very costly for the museum which is a non-profit organization.”
The protests began Sunday with thousands rallying downtown and shutting down a section of the 101 Freeway.
The marches continued Monday, when many students skipped class and businesses shut down as part of a national protest called “A day without immigrants.” The Los Angeles Unified School District’s attendance was 66% Monday compared with 93% for the year as a whole, according to the district.
Nicole Fefferman, an educator with the UCLA Labor Center, was teaching a class at Garfield High School on Tuesday when a large group of students walked off campus and joined with hundreds of students from other LAUSD campuses, including Marshall High School and the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, to make their voices heard at the protests, she said.
Garfield students also covered the walls of their campus with chalk messages such as “Immigrants make America great again,” “Mexicans make the world go round,” “I’m doing this for my father” and “Brown n proud.”
Nathan, a senior at Garfield, told the Boyle Heights Beat that he was participating in Tuesday’s protests to speak up for the Latino community and show the nation that Latinos matter.
“We’re often overlooked or judged unfairly, but in reality, we help build this country in so many ways through hard work, culture and dedication,” he told the news site. “I hope that these walkouts show the country that we are powerful and that the U.S. needs us. If we step away, even for a short time, people will see the impact we have.”
Since assuming office, Trump has vowed to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history and declared a national emergency at the southern border, deploying troops there.
He has issued executive orders limiting legal pathways for entering the United States, bolstering efforts to seal off the U.S.-Mexico border, and promoting sweeps to round up and deport people who are not authorized to be in the United States. Some of the orders have been challenged in court.
There are an estimated 11 million to 15 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., including more than 2 million in California.
It’s been a rough few days for former UFC Heavyweight Jamal Pogues.
On Saturday (Feb. 1, 2025), Pogues competed inside the Octagon for the fourth time opposite Hamdy Abdelwahab at UFC Saudi Arabia. The bout started slow and never really kicked into third gear. Abdelwahap found some success early with his wrestling, but as the fight wore on, he quickly fatigued. The rest of the match took place on the feet, and Pogues landed the better blows in rounds two and three in the eyes of most.
Unfortunately for “Stormtrooper,” two out of the three judges sided against him. He didn’t take the loss lying down, however, going on social media to protest shortly afterward.
“We know we got robbed,” Pogues said on Instagram (via MMA Fighting). “There’s not really much to say when you fight in people’s f—king country and s—t, they’re going to pick the hometown guy. I know I won two and three. Other than that, I really don’t know what’s next. We’ll see what the UFC do, if they re-sign me or not. If not, I appreciate everything about this journey. F—k, just go back home, heal up, and just hang out with my family. We’ll see where God takes me next.”
Generally, new UFC contracts are for four fights, meaning Pogues fought out his debut contract in defeat. That really hurts his position heading into negotiations, and UFC Roster Tracker revealed on Tuesday that Pogues was subsequently cut from the roster. Prior to the Abdelwahab bout, Pogues won two of his first three bouts, defeating Josh Parisian and Thomas Peterson while losing to the highly regarded Mick Parkin.
His current professional record stands at 11-5, and it remains to be seen where he competes next.
Insomnia
Getting punched by Ilia Topuria is bad for your health.
Badr Hari, 40, was arrested in Amsterdam after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend during a child visitation handover. He remains in custody as officials review the case to determine how to proceed with potential charges.https://t.co/YZlfU63i3u
There’s only like 30 Heavyweights left on the roster, meaning Kennedy Nzechukwu timed his divisional move masterfully!
The post-fight mental battle of wanting to eat literally everything vs. wanting to continue looking incredibly fit is real.
More than a decade after getting released, Miguel Torres is unimpressed by the UFC’s recent free speech embrace.
There’s only one Marvin Vettori.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
These lads are too big to be firing head kicks.
A major drawback to throwing right body kicks against orthodox opponents is that they’re easy to catch.
THAT’S POWER!!!
Nabati scores another huge knockout and improves his perfect record to 23-0. Give this man his rightful opportunity at the gold pic.twitter.com/Lypy1QQ2Ze
Chef Poppy O’Toole with youngsters at Holly Hill Church School in the West Midlands (Image: Jonathan Hipkiss)
Tesco has launched phase two of its incredible campaign to deliver more fruit and veg to youngsters in some of the UK’s most deprived areas. In October, the supermarket giant launched its Fruit & Veg for Schools initiative, a first-of-its kind project helping 140,000 primary and secondary pupils at 400 schools eat at least one piece of fresh fruit or veg every day.
The project, developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, aims to provide pupils in disadvantaged areas with at least one piece of fruit or veg every day – in total providing around 16 million pieces of produce over the course of a school year or 110 portions per child on average. Now Tesco is giving schools slow cookers in a bid to introduce pupils to cooking.
Studies show youngsters tend to be more willing to eat vegetables they’ve been involved in cooking themselves. It’s hoped they will then take the skills into adulthood, thus starting a virtuous circle.
One of the schools taking advantage of the programme is Holly Hill Church School in Rubery in the West Midlands. Funding allocated to each school is proportionate to the number of pupils – ranging from £4,000 to £21,000 annually.
Bursar Michelle Evans goes out each weekend to buy the fruit and veg using the gift card provided by Tesco. She said: “We are based in one of the most deprived parts of Birmingham. If we can relieve pressure on parents, we will do what we can.
“We try to give the children something different every day. We had lychees last week, we’ve had mangos, papaya, melon and passionfruit – it’s a great way for them to try new things. Sometimes it will be different-sized carrots or yellow or orange tomatoes. When we ask them if they’ve tried these things before most of the time, they say no.”
The scope for the slow cookers is huge, with assistant headteacher Cally Parsonage looking for ways to utilise the device – not only to fill bellies but also as part of everyday learning in the classroom. The preparation of food can involve mathematics in measurements and budgeting, science in nutrition and literacy in writing down recipes.
She explains: “I’m now looking at how I can incorporate the slow cookers into the curriculum. In the past when children have prepared foods, like gingerbread men at Christmas, they had to be taken to the kitchen to cook and then brought back to them in the classroom. Now it will be great for the children to see their food being cooked from start to finish.”
Youngsters at Holly Hill Church School in Rubery, West Mids, are vegging out (Image: Jonathan Hipkiss)
Holly Hill Church School headteacher Mark Carr said: “The Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools scheme has allowed us to help children try fruit and veg that they wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to try, resulting in them getting a healthier diet and making healthier choices.
“The children look forward to their breakfast fruit snacks and are excited to come to school to see what they have that day. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries have been the biggest hits so far.”
Cally added: “As a result of the Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools scheme, we’ve seen greater punctuality and it’s taken that pressure off parents. The children get really excited. They run straight over to the big red trays in the morning to find out what fruit and veg they’ve got. It gives opportunities for children to try a wide variety of fruit and vegetables from nursery through to Y2 and this gives them healthier bodies and minds.”
She continues: “The children look forward to the breakfasts because we have a conversation around the food and this helps to build oracy and vocab. We have a really strong focus on, as John Wesley (theologian) said, ‘Living life to the fullest’ and are doing all we can to enable that for our children.
“Parents have responded well to the fruit and veg, they’ve been actively talking about it because they know their children are having breakfast.”
Many of the 400 schools taking part in the Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools scheme are taking up the offer of slow cookers – an initiative that came from a suggestion by a teacher at Hillborough Junior School in Luton, Beds, who used a Tesco Stronger Starts grant to set up a slow cooker club that saw pupils prepare and cook meals and take them home for their families to share.
According to The Institute For Global Food Security at Queens University Belfast, learning to cook at a young age can set young people up with positive dietary patterns for adulthood. Only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 are meeting the five-a-day recommendation and for children taking part in the scheme, Tesco expects to see their overall fruit and veg intake increase by 23%, based on the average five-a-day intakes in school-aged children.
Ten of thousands of pupils across the UK are benefiting from fresh fruit and veg (Image: Jonathan Hipkiss)
Further research by FareShare among 10,000 teachers, found that 28% of teachers across England have brought in food for pupils in the last term, which is up from 26% in summer term 2023.
Only 12% of children aged between 11 and 18 are meeting the five-a-day recommendation.
Celebrity chef Poppy O’Toole, who is supporting the campaign, explains: “Making sure young people have a healthy diet packed with nutritious food is an important part of giving them a stronger start in life.
“Getting youngsters involved in preparing and cooking food is the best way to encourage them to try new foods and help them develop healthy eating habits that will hopefully stay with them for life.”
Elaine Hindal, Chief Executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, adds: “We are delighted to see that the scheme has already delivered almost 2.5 million portions of fruit and vegetables into schools, contributing to improving diets of children and young people.
“It’s particularly inspiring to see the wide variety of different produce being purchased. With over 80 different types so far, from asparagus to edamame and persimmon to pomegranate, these varieties may be new to children and likely out of reach on the tight budget that schools usually have to work to.”
Celebrity chef Poppy O’Toole is supporting Tesco’s Fruit & Veg For Schools scheme (Image: Jonathan Hipkiss)
Since the launch of the Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools scheme in October, thousands of children have enjoyed a piece of fresh fruit or veg every day. The supermarket giant estimates that almost 2.5 million portions of fruit and veg have been consumed.
Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, says: “Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools is making a significant difference by providing young people with more of the essential vitamins and minerals they need to thrive. The slow cookers will go even further in encouraging pupils to give healthy foods a try and form habits that will stay with them as they grow up.”
“Being able to get kids involved in cooking is great, a lot of children watch my videos, which is nice,” adds social media cooking queen Poppy.
“It’s about getting kids seeing more fruit and veg, understanding that pumpkins are not just for carving at Halloween but that you can eat them too. It’s about them exploring the journey of food, trying things they’ve not tried before.
“And, if they’ve helped cook it, they’re more likely to try it. The kids at Holly Hill Church School have been great. Some of them hadn’t seen peas and sweetcorn and leeks before and they really enjoyed eating the meal from the slow cooker afterwards.
“It’s about getting everyone a bit more inspired to see how easy and accessible cooking in the slow cooker can be. It’s also a great way of utilising those yellow label foods that are close to their best before date. Just pop them in the slow cooker and you have a delicious meal.”
Besides credit card welcome bonuses, maximizing your return on daily spending, and then perhaps some advanced manoeuvres, one additional method to acquire loyalty points in some circumstances is by outright buying them from the loyalty program.
While it doesn’t quite have the same satisfying feeling of “travelling for almost free” that you might get from some of the other ways to earn points, and it’s not going to be a strategy that works at all times, a circumstance may arise in which purchasing points could be a good, if not outstanding, deal.
Most of these situations rely on airlines and hotels putting on promotions that allow you to purchase points at a discount from the regular rate, and these promotions come and go frequently, with their durations varying from as little as a few days to a whole month.
Let’s look at a few situations in which it might make sense to buy points outright, and hopefully you’ll be able to apply this analysis next time you receive one of these special offers in your inbox.
1. Buy Points to Top Up Your Account for a Redemption
Imagine that you’ve planned out a major redemption with a certain loyalty program, but you’re just shy of having enough miles to book it.
You’ve found your desired routing, located all the award availability, and set up the rest of your trip to perfectly align with these flights. All you’re missing is that final couple hundred or couple thousand miles before you’ll have enough to book the whole thing.
If it’s a program like Aeroplan where you can instantly transfer over your Amex MR points to top-up, then that would be the best option. Otherwise, if there’s no quick and easy solution to earn that extra small amount of miles, then it may well be in your best interest to purchase them outright, since you’d (presumably) still be getting great value on your redemption even if you have to spend some money.
And even if you’re still way off having enough miles for a major redemption, buying those additional miles to make the trip happen can still be a viable option compared to the alternative of paying cash out-of-pocket.
As an example, consider American Airlines AAdvantage, which regularly allows you to buy miles during a sale. On both sides of the border, coming across AAdvantage miles can be difficult, since the transfer ratio from RBC Avion isn’t ideal and there aren’t many other transfer partners.
If you’re just shy of having enough miles for a redemption on, say, Qatar Airways Qsuites or Qantas First Class, it may be very worthwhile to consider topping up your account.
Topping up your account for an aspirational redemption can be a good case for buying miles
Ideally, there’s an offer available for when you need to buy points, which would just wind up saving you some money in the end. If this is the case, then topping up your account becomes even more attractive.
Otherwise, you’ll need to pay the prevailing rate, which is typically 3.5 cents per point (USD).
Now, acquiring points at this rate usually isn’t a good deal. However, if you have a compelling use of AAdvantage miles in which you are confident of getting higher value than 3.5cpp, then that’d be a different story.
For example, if you were just shy of miles for a Qsuites redemption, you could top up your account and still be getting outsized value out of your points. The other option of paying cash for the flight is almost certainly going to be astronomically higher, so topping up your account is likely the best option.
Of course, this example relies on the loyalty account holder already having an existing balance of miles, so it’s not necessarily generalizable to everyone’s situation.
Nevertheless, it demonstrates an instance in which, given an existing desire to book a certain flight and the otherwise prohibitive cash prices, it can make perfect sense to take up American Airlines AAdvantage’s offer to buy miles, especially at a discount from the standard price.
2. Buy Points to Save Money on Premium Flights
The above example assumes that you have an existing balance with a certain loyalty program, and that you’re buying points to make up the difference for a specific usage of the points. However, what if you’re completely new to a loyalty program and haven’t even collected a single point yet? Would it still make sense to buy points?
Depending on your travel habits, it certainly could. Specifically, if you’re someone who’d otherwise pay cash for premium class flights or five-star hotels and resorts, then it might well be a good deal to buy points at a discount and use those points to book your desired flight, instead of paying the full retail rate.
A one-way flight from the US to Japan in ANA First Class comes with a hefty price tag – one that most people wouldn’t pay for out-of-pocket.
However, if you buy enough Virgin Points during one of Virgin Atlantic’s promotions to cover the cost of an ANA First Class flight, you’d only need to spend around $1,335 (USD), which is a significant discount compared to buying a full-fare First Class ticket.
We tend to see promotions a few times throughout the year, so if you’ve had your eyes set on a luxurious flight to Japan, keep an eye out for an offer and then be ready to act.
Of course, you’ll need to make sure that there’s award availability on your desired flights before you pursue this strategy, so it’s best to check for availability first before making a major points purchase like this.
ANA First Class
3. Buy Points to Save Money on Premium Hotels
A similar idea also works well with luxury hotels and resorts. Let’s take a look at Hilton Honors’srecurring 100% bonus promotion, which tends to run throughout most of the year.
Hilton regularly sells points at 1 cent per point (USD), but with this promotion, they’re selling points at 0.5 cents per point (USD).
If you wanted to stay at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, a free night would cost you 120,000 Hilton Honors points. Therefore, you could purchase 60,000 points under this promotion and get Hilton to match it, which would be enough for one night at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui for only $600 (USD).
Indeed, that’s still a significant splurge. But compared to retail rates, it’s a pretty handsome discount. (Note that 100,000 XPF is equivalent to around $900 USD).
But it can actually get even better, if we tie it back to the first example of buying points to top up your account. Let’s say you’ve been acquiring the US-issued Amex Hilton credit cards, and have already accumulated a healthy 320,000 Hilton Honors points.
Now if you were to buy 80,000 points under the promotion and get Hilton to match the additional 80,000, you’ll have enough points for not four, but five nights at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, because Hilton offers a Fifth Night Free benefit on points redemptions.
So that $800 (USD) outlay is going towards additional nights at one of the best resorts in Bora Bora. If you’re the type to use your points for aspirational once-in-a-lifetime trips, then the opportunity to buy points under lucrative promotions to reach your goals should not be overlooked.
Conrad Bora Bora Nui
As with buying points for aspirational flights, you should be sure to locate award availability prior to making a points purchase, and then act quickly to secure your reservation.
4. Buy Points to Access Points Currencies That Are Harder to Earn
Buying points can also be a useful way to earn points in programs that don’t offer another convenient way to rack up a large balance.
For example, World of Hyatt is known for offering high-value hotel redemptions at its luxury properties, but the program doesn’t have a Canadian-issued co-branded credit card.
(It’s certainly possible to go through the process of getting US credit cards and eventually applying for a Chase Hyatt credit card, but that’s a laborious process that can take several years’ time.)
This allows you to earn up to 55,000 points per year per account simply by acquiring them from the program, and you can reliably redeem these points for higher than their acquisition price to score some nice discounts on Hyatt’s top-tier hotels.
One question that might come to mind is “Should you buy points without a redemption in mind?”
While it may be tempting to buy some points when they’re on sale, it’s almost never a good idea to do so if you don’t have a specific plan for using those points within, say, the next 6–12 months.
You might have a dream trip brewing in the back of your mind, but if the availability doesn’t work out or there’s a devaluation to the program’s award chart, your miles might not end up getting used as you had originally planned.
In some cases, you can take advantage of a limited-time offer to buy points at far lower than their target value. Whenever this happens, you have a chance at scoring an outstanding deal on a higher-value redemption in the future.
For example, in May 2023, Aeroplan points were being sold with a 110% bonus. The effective purchase price became 1.67 cents per point (CAD), which is far lower than our valuation of Aeroplan points at 2.1 cents per point (CAD).
In cases such as these, some Aeroplan members would be comfortable with taking a gamble by buying points without a specific use in mind. If they’re able to then apply those points at a higher value, then the result is positive – but there’s no guarantee of that outcome when making the initial speculative purchase, which is why it’s a gamble at the end of the day.
Redeem Aeroplan points for ANA business class for great value
The Logistics of Buying Points
If you’re interested in purchasing points, be sure to keep a few things in mind about the actual process itself.
First off, if you’re buying points from a US-based loyalty program, like American Airlines AAdvantage or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, then you’ll usually be hit with sales taxes if you input a Canadian billing address during the check-out process.
As you can imagine, this can quickly eat into the already tightened value that you’re getting from buying points in the first place. Thankfully, the way around this is simple: use a US credit card and a US billing address to buy points from these programs.
Another consideration is which credit card you should use when purchasing points, and the answer will depend on which category of transactions the purchase ultimately falls under. Some programs process your points purchases as a transaction with the airline or hotel itself, in which case it’d fall under the “travel” category, and would be eligible for category bonuses like 2x the points on the Amex Gold Rewards Card or the Amex Platinum Card.
However, most programs use a third-party vendor like Points.com to complete the transaction, in which case it’s just a general-category purchase like any other, so you can use any card on which you’re looking to complete a minimum spend.
Among the above examples, American Airlines AAdvantage processes points purchases directly as an airline purchase, whereas Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Hilton Honors, and Aeroplan go through Points.com.
Lastly, you’ll want to be 100% certain that the flight or hotel for which you’re buying points is indeed available when you want it to be. You may run into “phantom” award space, which would be a very disappointing outcome if you’d just spent a large sum of cash on a speculative points purchase and can’t complete your booking.
Conclusion
Buying points allows you to capture the value in points programs without necessarily putting in the work to earn those points at a very low cost. The value of buying points varies depending on each specific situation, but it’s always good to consider your options and keep up to date with any current points sales.
It’s key to crunch the numbers and keep track of previous promotions to ensure you’re not overpaying, too. You’ll want to be 100% sure that you are getting more value out of your purchased points than what you pay for them, otherwise it’s probably not worth it.
Whether you’re short a couple hundred points for that big redemption or looking to save money on aspirational flights or hotels, there are numerous situations in which buying points could be advantageous.
When 40-year-old Liang Wenfeng, founder of the tech world’s latest AI star, DeepSeek, returned to his home village in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong for Lunar New Year’s Eve celebrations last week, he was given a hero’s welcome.
The village honored him with a red banner that said, “Warm congratulations for becoming the pride of his hometown,” according to a translated version of the banner.
Wenfeng’s popularity is partly due to his AI startup, DeepSeek, which rattled U.S. tech stocks when it skyrocketed to the top of app stores last month (it’s still topping iPhone charts) after claiming that its latest AI model matched or surpassed AI from industry leaders like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google—but at a fraction of the cost.
Wenfeng was already popular in Guangdong before DeepSeek. He became a billionaire after establishing the hedge fund High-Flyer in 2015, which exceeded 100 billion yuan (close to $14 billion) in assets under management by 2021. He is now worth at least $1 billion, according to Forbes.
Residents of his hometown told the Financial Times that as a child he was a “top student” who read comic books and excelled in math.
“We all grew up in this village,” one resident told the publication. “We’re very proud of him.”
Who is Liang Wenfeng?
Wenfeng was born in 1985 and was a straight-A student in school, per the Wall Street Journal.
Before founding DeepSeek, Wenfeng pursued an education in engineering. According to The New York Times, he has a technical background in AI engineering and wrote his 2010 thesis on improving AI surveillance systems at Zhejiang University, a public university in Hangzhou, China. He graduated from Zhejiang with a master’s degree in information and communication engineering.
Wenfeng founded the hedge fund High-Flyer in June 2015 at the age of 30, per the Chinese publication QQ.com. He and his team were determined to use math and AI to deliver strong results for clients.
High-Flyer experienced regulatory pressures from 2019 to 2023, leading the team to focus more on AI as a side project and build computing systems with Nvidia graphics cards. Wenfeng officially founded DeepSeek in July 2023. The AI company became more of a focus for him after High-Flyer had to shut down its primary investment product in February 2024, per The Times.
In a 2023 interview with Chinese tech publication 36KR, Wenfeng said that DeepSeek’s goal was general artificial intelligence, or AI that surpasses human cognitive abilities. He also said that AI startups were well-positioned to compete with established companies.
“The market is changing,” Wenfeng told the publication according to an English-translated version of his remarks, which were originally made in Chinese. “The real decisive force is often not some ready-made rules and conditions, but the ability to adapt and adjust to changes.”
Popular automakers — including Honda, Hyundai, and BMW — are racing to get their new flying car models on the market with a new age of travel on the precipice of taking off.
The new category of aircraft has been termed eVTOL — which is an acronym for “electric vertical take-off and landing,” in reference to the way the vehicles are able to fly.
eVTOLs take off and land vertically and have the ability to hover — making them more akin to helicopters than cars or planes.
There is a wide range of concepts presented by the different companies with each modeling their own version of the future of air travel.
BMW’s Skai.
BMW Skai
BMW’s Designworks has developed a four-seated, Hydrogen-powered, electric vehicle designed as an “urban air mobility system.”
The “Skai” has six electric motors and will reportedly reach speeds of 118 miles per hour.
As for safety features, the craft is able to stay airborne on four of its motors should two malfunction — and in the case of total engine failure, the Skai is outfitted with a parachute.
A website for the BMW product calls it, “one of the most exciting things to happen to the mobility industry since the invention of the automobile.”
Toyota Joby eVTOL
Toyota purchased Joby Aviation’s eVTOL for $398 million back in 2020 — and the investment is close to paying off.
The vehicle has completed three of the five stages needed for certification, according to Top Gear.
Toyota and Joby’s eVTOL.
Joby’s eVTOL will be able to fly at speeds up to 200 miles per hour, according to the manufacturer.
The flying vehicle features a V-shaped tail, six propellers, and two seats.
Last November, the car manufacturer announced it would be accelerating efforts to bring its unique product to market.
“Since its founding, Toyota has been working to realize a society in which everyone can move freely,” the company wrote in a statement at the time.
Honda eVTOL
Car and plane maker Honda has also announced the development of its own — still unnamed — hybrid eVTOL.
Honda said it’s seeking to establish “a large ‘mobility ecosystem’ centered around Honda eVTOL.”
A design of their new eVTOL presented by Honda.
Design images shared by the company show a propeller and turbine-equipped craft that looks a lot like a seaplane.
The company shared on its website that its long-term goal is to create a unification between ground, air, and sea modes of transportation.
Honda claims that its hybrid eVTOL will be able to fly at close to 250 miles per hour.
Hydunai Spernal S-A2
Hyundai debuted its sleekly designed SA-2 back at the 2024 CES trade show.
The flying vehicle looks more akin to a traditional helicopter but is replete with the creature comforts of a luxury automobile, according to the manufacturer.
Hyundai’s SA-2.
SA-2’s eight rotors and V-tail design allow it to reach cruising speeds of 120 miles per hour while being almost entirely soundless for the four people aboard, according to the company.
Hyundai has previously stated that the S-A2 will be ready to fly by 2028.
Porsche and Boeing eVTOL
Both Porsche and Boeing have for years promised to deliver a “flying car” design after first teasing the collab in 2019.
Porsche and Boeing’s preliminary design of their eVTOL.
The planned design would not look out of place on the set of “Star Wars” or a “Batman” flick — but could be part of everyday urban travel in the near future.
Detlev von Platen, a board member at Porsche, said the company would be looking “longer term” into the “third dimension of travel,” Top Gear reported.
Stellantis The Midnight
The Midnight, designed by Archer Aviation, will be exclusively put out by automotive industry giant Stellantis — which shelled out $150 million for the rights to make the eVTOL.
The electric craft will be able to travel 100 miles per charge — a shorter range than other hybrid and gas-powered vehicles, according to its plans.
The Midnight from Archer Aviation which was purchased by auto-giant Stellantis.
This design looks like a standard small plane except for its 12 propellers, which face up in the manner of helicopters.
Archer Aviation believes the craft will contribute to the “urban mobility” revolution — highlighting that The Midnight is designed to perform short back-to-back flights of 20-50 miles.
Suzuki SkyDrive
The SkyDrive, a lightweight, three-seat, eVTOL, is Japanese automaker Suzuki’s entry into the unofficial flying car competition.
The Suzuki SkyDrive.
The craft looks like a helicopter topped with a cross pattern of axles and motors, according to design renderings.
SkyDrive will top out at 62 miles per hour — and is expected to make an official debut this year.
Xpeng AeroHT eVTOL
The unique buggy from Chinese EV manufacturer Xpeng is a “human-carrying drone” and comes equipped with its own Land Aircraft Carrier, according to design plans.
The aircraft fits snugly in the trunk of a custom SUV for storage and travel — and is ejected and prepped for flight through an automated process.
Xpeng AeroHT’s eVTOL.
The two-seated “drone” gets ejected from the trunk of the SUV before it can cruise about the sky.
Over 3,000 people have pre-ordered the Chinese-made contraption, which is close to getting regulatory approval, Top Gear reported.
It’s been four months since Donald Trump and Republicans swept the 2024 elections — and Democrats haven’t learned a thing.
Here are three snapshots of a party wallowing in denial: When the eight candidates running to head the Democratic National Committee were asked if they believed “racism and misogyny” were factors in Kamala Harris’ defeat, all eight raised their hands.
When congressional Dems gathered outside the headquarters of the rogue USAID agency that Trump plans to shrink or close, one of their lead speakers was the antisemitic terror defender and America-hating Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Then there’s New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who said Saturday he was hiding an illegal immigrant in his house and challenged ICE, saying “good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her.”
I’ve long believed Trump has a gift for driving his opponents over the edge.
Sputtering mad over his style and success, they say and do the dumbest things, which reveals them to be the real crazies.
Murphy plays the fool
Take Murphy: His office quickly backtracked, saying there is no illegal immigrant living in his house and that he was referring to a legal immigrant who is a friend.
Huh?
So why did he feel the need to lie and make himself out to be a deportation resister?
And why in the same speech did he go back to the Hitler, Hitler, Hitler nonsense that failed during the campaign?
“Germans in the ’20s and ’30s got tired. They got sick of fighting and look at the price we paid,” Murphy said.
Trump’s success is driving him nuts, so Murphy retaliates by making a fool of himself!
Such is the case with much of Washington as Dems and their media mouthpieces rage over the president’s first two weeks in office. In their rush to paint Trump as an extremist, they are saying and doing extreme things.
They’re also showing their ignorance.
Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly foolishly tried to summon the ghost of Winston Churchill’s famous World War II pledge that “We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall never surrender.”
Connolly’s embarrassing imitation came outside the closed USAID building when he said: “We are going to fight in every way we can in the courts, in public opinion, with the bully pulpit, in the halls of Congress, and here at USAID itself. We are not going to let this injustice happen.”
Churchill he’s not, nor is the slashing of unaccountable spending the equivalent of World War II.
Resistance is passe
Huff and puff as they might, the resistance movement doesn’t have nearly the same appeal it did when Trump took office in 2017.
Then streets in big blue cities were filled with protesters as pink pussy hats became a symbol of defiance.
The zeal persisted and led to the effort to drive him from office, starting with the despicable Russia hoax that was a fabrication of the FBI and Hillary Clinton.
It failed, only to be repeated following the 2020 election by a series of prosecutions designed to lock him up and keep him off the ballot, scandalous moves urged by Joe Biden and carried out by Attorney General Merrick Garland and the FBI.
None of it worked — in fact, the weaponization of the FBI and the courts backfired and helped lift Trump to victory.
So did the assassination attempts, which I believe were inspired by claims he was a threat to democracy.
Yet most top Dem officials are still trying to stoke the old anger, as if it’s the only playbook they know.
What they should do instead is do an honest, no-sacred-cows-spared assessment of why he’s in the Oval Office and Kamala Harris is grocery shopping in California.
Such an examination would begin with the admission the party has lost touch with the majority of voters. Trump won all seven battleground states and was the first Republican to win the national popular vote in 20 years.
The broad result indicates something far larger than a “messaging problem,” which is the only mistake the dead-enders will concede.
In fact, voters understood exactly who the Dems are and what they stand for.
That’s why Trump pulled in record numbers of black, Latino, Asian and young people as he transformed the GOP into a middle- and working-class party.
The country wanted big changes, and Harris promised more of the same.
Even now, her party still misses the point when it goes after Trump for staffing his administration with people outside the usual government boxes and for launching tariff wars.
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Did they really think he was going to have a conventional administration?
One of the silliest arguments The New York Times makes is a near-daily accusation that Trump’s efforts amount to “revenge.”
The implication is that the only acceptable administration is one that pursues Biden’s policies and allows the permanent government to continue to control everything.
And while it’s true there are a few questionable players on Trump’s team — RFK Jr. for one — the larger truth is that his administration already is a huge upgrade over Biden’s team of losers.
Most important, Trump is doing exactly what he promised — and what the public voted for.
Isn’t that democracy?
Get these numbers: Some 87% of adults favor deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records in one of the Times’ own polls, while 74% of registered voters support it in a Wall Street Journal poll.
The Times also found that 55% support deporting all illegal immigrants.
Trump’s finger on pulse
Other surveys found huge backing for other Trump policies.
One found 57% support for his decision to send the military to secure the southern border, 56% support for his demand that federal employees return to the office full-time and 54% support for his blocking the use of federal funds to promote gender ideology.
Those are big numbers in a polarized nation and if Dems continue to oppose such popular, common-sense corrections, they’ll be spending a lot more time in the wilderness.
In fact, it’s impossible to say what they stand for that most Americans want.
All we know is that they remain committed to opposing everything Trump says and does.
The new head of the DNC, Ken Martin, a party lifer from Minnesota, struck a sour note in his victory speech.
“I’ve always viewed my role’s as a chair of the Democratic Party to take the low road so my candidates and elected officials can take the high road,” Martin said.
“So Donald Trump, Republican Party: This is a new DNC. We are not going to sit back and not take you on when you fail the American people.”
If it really were a new DNC, Dems would have a fighting chance of winning back public trust.
Instead, they are living examples of the maxim that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
