Author of the controversial “Nunes Memo” of Russian poll scam, Patel will be a disruptor like what presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy would have been. His book 'Government Gangsters' talks about moving the FBI headquarters out of Washington and sending the agents as cops to the field across the US in order to check crimes rather than focusing on investigation. In fact, 'The New' Trump admin has already begun firing thousands from the DOJ. (Today's headlines )

WASHINGTON, Feb 21: President "The New" Trump's confidant and loyalist Indian-origin Kash Patel, 44, was sworn in as the FBI director by Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) on the White House campus in Washington on Friday following his confirmation on Thursday by the Senate. Patel is the ninth director of the FBI, succeeding Christopher Wray.

The vote in the Snate was 51-49. He is the 18th Cabinet official confirmed by the Senate.

"I think he'll go down as the best ever at that position," President Donald Trump told reporters ahead of the swearing-in attended by Republican supporters in Congress.

All the Democrats and two Republicans - Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) - opposed him in the Senate.

Patel will be a disruptor like what presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy would have been. However, Dems said in the Senate he lacked experience and is unqualified for the job.

'Government Gangsters'

An anti-corruption crusader and critic of the ‘Deep State’, Patel is likely to overhaul the agency. His book 'Government Gangsters' talks about moving the FBI headquarters out of Washington. But he has a tendency to attack reporters.

"He had served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defence, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Mr. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials,” Trump had said at the time of his nomination.

His brief will be: “This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Mr. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI,” Trump had said.

Christopher Wray (58), an attorney, who was picked by Trump in 2017 in his previous term as the FBI Director resigned last month before Trump's inauguration as he fell out with Trump. Wray's predecessor, lawyer James Comey (64), the 7th director, was in office since 2013 and terminated in 2017. The term of the FBI Director is 10 years. The FBI was created in 1936 converting DOJ's investigation unit.

Patel saved Trump from the Russian poll scam by manipulating the investigation. Trump who does'nt stick will use him to the hilt.

Patel's girlfriend

Patel's girlfriend Alexis Wilkins, a successful country singer and Republican representative Abraham Hamade's press secretary, was also present at the swearing-in alongwith his relatives. She was born in Boston and raised in London, Switzerland, Arkansas and Los Angeles. She is an active supporter of military issues. A woman of many parts. Patel met her first at a rally in 2022 and became instant friends.

Patel, like many Indian-Americans, is keen to demonstrate his Indian heritage. Chanting ‘Jai Shri Krishna’ before starting any activity is also a favourite with Patel.

Patel was born to Indian Gujarati parents in New York in 1980. His parents had migrated to Uganda and when President Idi Amin expelled all Asians, they took asylum in Canada from where later they moved and settled in New York. Patel studied at the University of Richmond and took his degree in law from Pace University School of Law. He practiced at State and Federal courts. He has worked for the national security and intelligence agencies. He was Justice Department counterterrorism prosecutor too.

Senate Judiciary Committee approval

On February 13 Patel had won the approval of the Republican-controlled US Senate Judiciary Committee in a 12-10 vote, paving the way for the final confirmation by the Senate. The Democrats said Patel, who had called for a root and branch change in the top law enforcement agency, is unfit to lead the bureau. He had also called for the FBI's headquarters in Washington to be ermanently shut and converted into a museum and the staff sent to the field across the US as cops.

"We are inviting a political disaster if we put Kash Patel into this job," said Democrat member Dick Durbin.

Previously the Trump nominee had testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on January 30. In the meantime, the FBI was ordered to hand over a list of the employees behind th January 6 investigations. The ovehaul had already begun.

Patel denied keeping a list of "deep state" enemies.

He had a role in getting Trump a clean chit in the Russian poll meddling scam. Patel had also worked in counterterrorism at the Justice Department for about three years. In other positions he worked for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Council and as chief of staff to the defence secretary.

After the first Trump term Patel began business dealings with several foreign countries including China. Critics say his dealimgs abroad pose threat to national security interests. He holds unvested stock in Shein. His work for the Embassy of Qatar has also come under a cloud.

Patel reaction on confirmation

Patel said in a post on X, "I am honored to be confirmed as the ninth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Thank you to President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for your unwavering confidence and support.

"The FBI has a storied legacy—from the “G-Men” to safeguarding our nation in the wake of 9/11. The American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice. The politicalization of our justice system has eroded public trust—but that ends today.

"My mission as Director is clear: let good cops be cops—and rebuild trust in the FBI. Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Bureau and our partners, we will rebuild an FBI the American people can be proud of.

"And to those who seek to harm Americans—consider this your warning. We will hunt you down in every corner of this planet.

"Mission First. America Always. Let’s get to work."

COMMENT: Dragon, unlike what has been reported in the media, is not a rescue mission. Its schedule of liftoff or return has not been changed to suit the stranded astronauts. On the other hand, the astronauts' return has been put off by several months to suit the Dragon's schedule. What SpaceX has done is only dropping two spacemen to accommodate Suni and Wilmore on the capsule's return. And that too was at the instance of NASA which has authority over the choice of astronauts under the contract which facilitates flow of moneys from the American treasury to the pocket of Elon Musk for running his SpaceX business, making him a billionaire and dance with abandon. Result: NASA is a divided house!

Note: The video of the debate (above), a replica of the live telecast, is the best bet to get a real picture of what really was the latest American presidential debate, first hand. Watch.

Kamala Harris had pleaded for unmuting the mic but Trump had his knees knocking. She was a prosecutor and wanted to have a face-to-face with him, an exchange, some pointed questions, unmask him and his money power, expose him before the American people. But that was not to be and we will not call it a debate. Only the moderator will ask questions!

Harris will be seen Tuesday night on the television on the viewers' right side as they sit in front of the set. Viewers tend to focus towards their right side and that in turn can provide a better impact on their voting behaviour. And from the stage's right podium, or the interviewer's stand, she will be in a commanding position vis-a-vis her rival.

HERE's THE PROOF: Attorney General Merrick Garland has accused Russian State broadcaster RT of paying a Tennessee firm $ 10 m to create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian Government messaging. RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan (see pix) is one of 10 people sanctioned by the US for trying to manipulate the elections.

And now Putin declaring an unsolicited support to Harris: A close connection is seen in Trump, in his interview with his chum Musk, making an inappropriate comment calling Harris as most beautiful and comparing her to his wife with a view to blunting her electoral campaign like the fox in the crow story. And Musk later sharing an AI-generated image of Harris as Communist dictator in uniform. The South African has joined the war as his empire is at stake!! All these look like a coordinated Russian traditional job. The Russians managed to give it to Trump in 2016 by damaging Clinton, but failed in 2020!

• In a fiery speech, an emboldened "girl fallen from the coconut tree" opened her box of agenda and promised the Americans she will take the country to new heights.
• Kamala exhorted all Americans to forge a new unity that will "chart a new way forward," a first in history, laying the foundations of a new America, and that's her vision. She was greeted with a non-stop standing ovation by the delegates as she took the mike at the jam-packed convention arena.
• "I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A President who leads and listens. Who is realistic. Practical," she promised.

Joe Biden was so pleasing to the ears as he sought to invoke the power of democracy and list his Government's achievements all due to the grace of God. But what broke the mike was Clinton's hard metallic, sounding so genuine and dedicated as, may be, she had a revenge carryover from 2016, the year when the Russians were alleged to have begun a social media misinformation campaign in favour of Trump and a suspected hacking of the machines using applications quite unfamiliar to the rest of the world. Which was thwarted by the Democrats in the nick of time in 2020 although Trump as President tried to block them by cutting postal funds. He went violent and attempted insurrection not fully because of his animal insticts but also because he was made to believe in a result like the 2016's and that belief was shattered. What marked out Day One at the convention was a 'presumptive' candidate's unscheduled appearance on the stage made possible by the virtual roll call of August 1 - Kamala Harris, the Vice President. The day also facilitated a less known but deserving New York Guv Kathy Hochul, the American cheetah breaking into the national scene for future purpose! Not well done this time!

ALL ISMs APART, WHO IS Muhammad Yunus? Aside from a Nobel prize that does not assess but compare, Yunus's social biz idea of melding capitalism and social responsibility in the late 1980s, known as microfinance, did revolutionise rural Bangladesh - unlike the destructive infrastructure funding mania of the political underdogs - pulling millions out of perennial poverty, setting an example for many other poor countries to emulate.

On the lines of Dr Verghese Kurien of India much much earlier, who was hounded by the communists as a CIA agent out of compulsive ignorance and a lack of basic ability to gauge what he had done which they should have indeed. He mobilised the Indian grassroots, introducing the concept of cooperatives, the implications of which the pseudo socialists and their forefathers couldn't ever dream of.

Certified for use as store, if the space was being illegally used as library, who should primarily be held responsible, irrespective of whether such usage was the cause of the tragedy or not. Could anybody guess right? No. The police have arrested any number of people! What for? Now a CBI inquiry! Into what?

The court also 'discovered' (nobody else knows!) that, "Delhi has multiplicity of authorities who are only passing the buck and blaming each other.”

A PROGNOSIS: Much maligned over old age and gaffes (or allowed to be !), Biden (81) leaving the scene has made Trump (78) the old man in the field! Now on a weak wicket, having forced to change his target mid-stream and rearrange his campaign strategy, the 'rogue' behind the Capitol rampage will be asked by a woman opponent, how old are you? Additionally, the sharpshooting prosecutor will be converting the hustings into a trial court for a decisive onslaught where the convicted felon will finally succumb.

OPINION: Quotas, permanent Government jobs, pay scales and tons of allowances and more than matching pensions are the 'gifts' of wretched vote bank politics in developing societies masquerading as a type of nascent democracy. Depressing poverty and painful migrations are the byproducts. The reality is: There can't be permanent jobs because demand for work is a 'variable'. And quota is its offspring. The agenda of creating jobs and quotas is therefore poor economics, with far-reaching social impacts, but of course serves those politicians in the short term.

ANALYSIS: A pious Catholic and a gentleman (in contrast to the savage-looking felon), Biden is the most experienced politician that he doesn't look. Of Irish descent, he has been around the Capitol Hill and the White House for over five decades, quietly observing people and events. With his rich experience and insight, understanding Biden and what he does now will be possible only retrospectively, may be a year later!! Therefore not many Americans can see that for some time now he has been preparing his 'favourite child' to take on his mantle.

At the end of it all what will stand is what Nikki Haley said on X, "Mark my words... Biden will not be the Democratic nominee. Republicans, get your guard up!"

If and when he withdraws from contest, he must quit White House as well. Why?

OPPOSITION WAKES UP ! The Opposition accused the Prime Minister, who seems to insist he alone will inaugurate everything in the country, of "hurriedly inaugurating" an "incomplete terminal" in March last for publicity on the eve of the general elections. At that time he had also laid the foundation stone for 15 other airport projects across the country. He was also accused of inaugurating an incomplete Ram temple in Ayodhya in January which started leaking in the first downpour last weekend.

It is also puzzling why every few years airport buildings are demolished in Delhi and new plans are made for new constructions and nobody seems to take notice! (Because the airport itself is tucked away in a far corner, not easily accessible to the discerning, with a web of roads going only round and round like a tape around a spool, as if not reaching anywhere!)

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi Government of "corruption and criminal negligence" in the name of infrastructure projects (launched every other day) in the last 10 years. Kharge also said Modi has been keen on indulging in ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale asked, "Why shouldn't PM Modi be charged with culpable homicide?"

COMMENT: A simple question but difficult to understand is why the people should be concerned about whether an NTA director is sacked for paper leakage or a DGP is removed for law and order breakdown. The people have nothing to do with the elite appointments nor their conduct. They are the cousin-brothers of the political dispensation. If not barred by fixation, kindly take a look at other countries!

“What I want to do and what I will do is, you graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically as part of your diploma (two-year programs or doctoral degrees) a green card to be able to stay in this country” permanently, the presidential candidate said. Asked if he would promise to allow the “best and the brightest around the world to (come to) America,” Trump firmly replied: “I do promise.”

COMMENT: Could Biden visualise a better immigration formula to build a still stronger America? Will Kamala Harris, in charge of migration, and struggling for ideas, take note?

Delhi has recorded the hottest night (35+ deg C), unheard of since the beginning of time! For 30 consecutive days the maximum temp is above 40 deg C and in the nights too the mercury stayed high as there is hardly any earth around to absorb and dissipate the day's heat. Add on to the nightmare the acute water shortage in the national Capital due to the power-hungry, low-grade politicians squabbling for one-upmanship. More than 200 people died in Delhi-NCR in the past two days. Most of them are poor people, labourers, the homeless, beggars.

An anatomy of NEET 2024: From the start till finish NEET will stay put as a conundrum jinxed as it is. What if it was thought angels would come down from the heaven to conduct the entrance exam if done at the Centre and if in the States, they would be conducted by the corrupt mortals. So NEET was born... It's 'guaranteed' that no party will ever be able to do what is required to be done in the country. Because of their genetics. Frauds will only multiply. Is there anything worse? Yes. Shoot the messenger!

A video shows the terrifying scene of the chopper swirling and dropping nose down mid-air around the helipad. In fact, the rear rotor had gone for a toss and the pilot was performing autorotation for a crash-landing. He pulled it off! Congrats!

True or false, Savitri claimed her husband had told her to throw Vinod into the canal as all that he does is eat. "How much torture can my son endure?" She picked him up when he was asleep.

Marking a decisive stage in the ongoing tussle between Governors and the Governments in some States, the Governor of Bengal has thrown down the gauntlet to the State police, asking the Raj Bhavan staff to refuse any enquiry from the cops in the sexual harassment case filed by a woman employee against him.

COMMENT: In many a case complaints can be frivolous, made under certain circumstances. So it is more in the interest of the accused that there is an investigation to clear his name. Denial may only mean acceptance of the guilt. Besides, quoting Constitutional immunity in sexual harassment cases is nothing short of a vulgarity of the feudal landlord. Nobody is above the law.

While the universal apprentice scheme will enable the educated youth to stand up (literally) in a country where the people are trampled by wretched politicians, and look about for avenues to earn a living confidently, the provision of student credit cards of up to Rs 10 lakh will ensure each and every student of this country receives equal opportunities to fulfil their aspirations of higher education irrespective of their financial conditions. It will be a game changer. These are on the lines of what US Vice-President Kamala Harris visualised to be happening to the Third World when she hailed Ajay Banga as a transformative World Bank President.