- United States Is Crippling Itself With Climate Change Regulations, China Is Not
United States Is Crippling Itself With Climate Change Regulations, China Is Not
Authored by Mike Fredenberg via The Epoch Times,
Maintaining a strong military requires a strong economy.
And a strong economy requires reasonable regulations that make sense from both an economic and scientific viewpoint.
Unfortunately, many policy makers have bought into an extreme regulatory agenda driven by ideology that does not make sense scientifically or economically, that is harming both our economy and our military.
This agenda was on display at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22 of last year. The premise for the conference, and such agreements as the Paris Accord, is that man-made climate change poises an existential threat to human existence. Further it is claimed that even now climate change is wreaking havoc around the world and that regulations, mandates and new technology will slow down and even reverse it.
Those pushing these beliefs also claim that it is the duty of more developed countries to transfer 100’s of billions, even trillions of dollars to developing countries so that they can continue developing using so-called green technology vs. dirty old legacy technology.
Here in the United States, climate-change driven polities and mandates are being rolled out on the premise/claim that that climate change is even now disproportionately affecting the poor and disadvantaged. They also claim that man-caused climate change is negatively impacting GDP.
In other words, if you don’t support draconian climate-change driven policies and mandates you support a weaker economy and have a callous disregard for how climate change is hurting those occupying the lower socioeconomic strata.
These claims, believed by many in academia and the media establishment, have taken on religious overtones, and consequently there is little tolerance for opposing viewpoints in both academia and legacy media. Be that as it may, many scientists, engineers, and other knowledgeable, extremely bright people don’t believe the rhetoric and have provided convincing arguments debunking what they believe to be pseudoscience.
One such group of distinguished academicians is the Climate Intel group (Clintel). And one of the most distinguished members of this group is Nobel Prize winner Dr. John F. Clauser, who in August of 2023 signed the Clintel Climate Declaration which declares that there is no climate emergency. As of today, 1600 plus scientists and experts have signed the declaration, with Nobel Prize winner Dr. Ivar Giaever being the first signee.
The declaration states that climate science has become politized and is lacking scientifically. It notes that climate change models are fully dependent on what go into them including hypotheses, assumptions, relationships, parameterizations, stability constraints, etc. And that “to believe the outcome of a climate model is to believe [blind faith] what the model makers have put in. This is precisely the problem of today’s climate discussion to which climate models are central. Climate science has degenerated into a discussion based on beliefs, not on sound self-critical science.”
Suffice it to say, the repeated failures of these models leaves plenty of room for doubt in the popular narrative on climate change. And given that the regulations and mandates aren’t actually stopping or even slowing climate change, we must question the wisdom of implementing regulations and mandates that cripple our economy and our military, even as China’ economy and military continue to expand unhindered by such crippling mandates and regulations.
Still, for the last 15 years plus, the United States has led the world in reducing carbon emissions. The extent of this leadership can be found in the 2024 Statistical Review of World Energy, which shows that over the last 15 years, the U.S. has experienced the largest decline in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from energy, process emissions, methane and flaring. Indeed, as compared to 2013, the U.S. has been able to reduce carbon dioxide equivalents by 8.5 percent even as it has massively grown it economy through aggressive drilling for and using cleaner burning natural gas, including natural gas from fracking instead of coal. During this same period, China’s CO2 equivalents went up by 20 percent to make China by far and away the biggest emitter of green-house gases (GHGs).
China also leads the world in plastics pollution, and only India beats China when it comes to the sulfur dioxide emissions (SO2) responsible for acid rain.
Of note, when it comes to SO2 emissions the United States produces about one-sixth that of China.
Hence, as of today if the climate change narrative is correct, it is China that by far and away that is doing the most damage and it the United States that has done the most to combat it.
Consequently, with the United States already leading the developed world in reducing GHGs and with huge chunks of the world producing GHGs and other pollutants largely unabated, it hardly makes sense for the United States to voluntarily cripple its economy and military even as China and other potential adversaries pay lip service to the climate change narrative.
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Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 23:25 - These Are The World's Most (And Least) Powerful Passports
These Are The World’s Most (And Least) Powerful Passports
Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world, with its citizens able to visit 195 countries and territories without a prior visa, according to the Henley Passport Index.
Japan comes in second place, with its citizens able to visit 193 countries, followed by Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain in joint third, with access to 192 countries.
Even though the United States is a little further down the list, coming in 9th place, it still yields considerable power, enabling citizens to enter 186 countries without major restrictions.
It’s a level of freedom also enjoyed by passport holders in Estonia.
However, as Statista’s Anna Fleck shows in the chart below, at the other end of the scale, the situation is very different.
You will find more infographics at Statista
For passport holders in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, for example, travel is more restrictive to most countries.
The Afghan passport wields the least power of the ranking, with just 26 destinations permissible visa-free.
The situation in Syria and Iraq isn’t much better, at 27 and 31 destinations, respectively.
The Henley Passport Index draws from data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), including 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 23:00 - Escobar: Empire Of Chaos, Reloaded
Escobar: Empire Of Chaos, Reloaded
Authored by Pepe Escobar,
‘All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.’
– Sun Tzu, The Art of War
The Empire of Chaos is relentless. Lawfare, destabilizations, sanctions, kidnappings, color revolutions, false flags, annexations: 2025 will be the year of BRICS – plus BRICS partners – as choice targets under fire.
Inestimable Prof. Michael Hudson coined “chaos” as official US policy. That’s bipartisan – and it runs across all silos of the Deep State.
In the absence of long-term strategic vision, and amidst the progressive imperial expulsion from Eurasia, all that’s left for the Hegemon is to unleash chaos from West Asia to Europe and parts of Latin America – a concerted attempt to Divide and Rule BRICS and thwart their collective drive affirming sovereignty and the primacy of national interests.
US Think Tank had already floated a year and a half ago the notion of swing states. Not the parochial American electoral version, but its transposition to geopolitics.
All six candidates at the time were BRICS members (Brazil, India, South Africa), or potential BRICS members or partners (Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye).
The code for “swing states” was unmistakable: all these are targets for destabilization – as in if you do not abide by the “rules-based international order”, you’re going down.
Saudi Arabia, wary of its wealth parked in London and New York financial markets, is still cautiously hedging its bets: theoretically Riyadh is a BRICS member, but in practice not really. Turkiye has been invited as a partner (no official response yet).
And then there’s Southeast Asia powerhouse Indonesia, which has just been admitted as a full member this week – under the Brazilian BRICs presidency. Call it BRIIICS: the predominant vector of a seismic recalibration of the geopolitical tectonic plates – bound to reshape trade, finance, and governance.
BRIIICS and selected partners are configuring a formidable network – bent on rewriting the rules of the game: currently 10 full members and 8 full partners – and counting, making up 41.4% of global GDP by PPP and roughly half of the world’s population. This is what the Empire of Chaos is up against.
Imagine China-India-Russia-Iran-Indonesia-South Africa-Brazil-Egypt-Saudi Arabia as the transcontinental pearls of the emerging multi-nodal world. Huge populations; massive natural resources and industrial might; myriad development possibilities.
The ruling elites of the Empire of Chaos have nothing to offer as a counterpoint to this growing geopolitical powerhouse – complete with its own development bank (granted, that needs a lot of work); full commitment to develop and test alternative payment systems; and a sprawling transcontinental trade alliance bent on progressively sidestepping the US dollar.
Instead of working on diplomacy, dialogue and cooperation, the Empire of Chaos – and the vassalized collective West – do “offer” something to the Global Majority: their full support for an ethnic cleansing genocide, and their full support for a suit-and-tie terror gang of “moderate” head choppers taking power in a former sovereign Arab nation.
Welcome to Terror and Genocide R Us.
When in Doubt, Annex Everything
Further developing on their accomplishments at the summit last October in Kazan , BRICS is essentially applying a Sun Tzu strategy. Deception. No grand proclamations. And no direct threats to the Empire of Chaos, except the clear focus on getting rid of the stranglehold of the IMF and the World Bank – as in increasing trade in local currencies.
The BRICS drive, slowly but surely, is already moving other multilateral pieces in the chessboard, from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to ASEAN.
Top BRICS China will be focused on a triad: the tech war against the US; increasing its share of global trade; and the recalibration of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects. In several aspects, BRI is the centerpiece of China’s approach to BRICS.
Beijing’s focus encompasses markets all across the Global South, BRICS, ASEAN free trade agreements and APEC (key for trade and investment across the Asia-Pacific). APEC happens to be closely linked to BRI. President’s Xi focus on building and reinforcing a Eurasia-wide market was first conceptualized by BRI, launched in 2013.
In parallel, since 2022 Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been steadily expanding on Xi’s call for a “new security architecture in the Middle East.”
For China, that means classic Balance of Power: Iran as a very strong pillar, partnering with China in West Asia to counter the US. In 2021, China and Iran signed a crucial 25-year blueprint on economic cooperation.
Then there’s energy. Roughly 50% of China’s crude oil imports come from West Asia. China’s suppliers – on oil and gas – are highly diversified: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iran (through Malaysia).
In parallel, Beijing will have no problems keeping QUAD and AUKUS as minor nuisances. NATO pivoting to Asia is a non-starter: China is fast building a complex strategy of area denial.
In Africa, the Alliance of the Sahel States will keep expanding – and France as a neo-colonial power is done. In the rest of Africa, the New Decolonizing Resistance only starts now.
Latin America though spells major trouble. The Empire of Chaos under Trump 2.0 may go Full Monroe Doctrine – on top of the delirium of annexing Canada, Greenland, the Panama canal and any further unsuspecting latitudes. Overall, it will be a rough ride for selected nodes of the “backyard” – apart from devastated neo-colony Argentina.
Managing the US Defeat Against Russia
Europe’s collective suicide will reach a paroxysm – out of the utter corrosion of a social, industrial and cultural model.
The catalogue of ills includes full woke dementia in Brussels; no more cheap energy; accelerated deindustrialization; economies in free fall; unpayable debt – public and private; and last but not least, in NATOstan’s so-called democracy, the absolute contempt by the “leadership” of NATO-EU for the average European citizen/taxpayer when it comes to forcing severe cuts on social services to the benefit of increased weaponizing.
Trump 2.0’s quite probable trade war against the EU will only accelerate the collapse of the European economy.
Take France, already in a terrible mess. French debt now trades at Greek 2012 level spreads above German bonds. Over 50% of the 2.5 trillion Euro French government bond market is owned by global vultures and hot money. There’s no Mario Draghi with an ECB bazooka to save the Euro from its new existential crisis. And Le Petit Roi is just a lame duck prisoner hated even by Paris gutter rats.
Historian, anthropologist and demographer Emmanuel Todd, author of the ground-breaking La Défaite de L’Occident (here is the first review in English ) is one of the very few French intellectuals who actually understands the new rules of the game.
In a startling interview to the privileged mouthpiece of the French haute bourgeoisie, Todd points to the absurdity of considering Trump victorious “amidst an economy in tatters”; and on top of it when “the US is losing a war, on a global scale, against Russia.”
So amidst all the hoopla about the “hyperpower of Trump as a magic individual”, Todd has come up with a stunning, crystal clear formulation: “Trump’s job will be to manage the defeat of the US against Russia.”
Syria as Libya 2.0
Well, all of us pop culture junkies know that the US will keep on “winning” – the Hollywood way; rather the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) way. What’s certain is that no matter which Trump 2.0’s missiles are launched in trade wars against Europe and Asia, the cornered, entitled elites of the Empire of Chaos will be driven to inflict tremendous harm to the Global Majority.
Victory in Syria has sent them into a drunken stupor – and the “real men go to Tehran” mindset is back with a vengeance (Iran, not by accident, is a top BRICS member).
All the conditions are met for Syria to become Libya 2.0. Yet that’s not a case of the House Always Wins – first of all because there is no “house”. In neighboring Lebanon, Hezbollah is already reorganized. The prospect remains that after regrouping and re-strategizing, Hezbollah, Ansarullah in Yemen, a new Syrian opposition and the IRGC in Iran will coalesce in a different formation and renew the real battle– against Eretz Israel.
No one knows what Salafi-jihadi in suit-and-tie Ahmad Al-Sharaa, previously Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani, is actually ruling over. At various degrees, the collective West, the Persian Gulf monarchies and Israel will never trust him, and will deem him disposable. He is just a temporary useful patsy.
Al-Jolani was the ISIS emir of Nineveh; the emir of Jabhat Al-Nusra; and the prime emir of al-Qaeda in the Levant. He single-handedly personifies the whole gamut of manufactured Western propaganda on “terror”. His followers are already furious that he has not instantly turned Syria into an Islamic Emirate.
If he does not transfer power in 2025 – and not in four years – to a newly elected parliament, government and president, forget about sanctions being lifted on Syria.
The Empire of Chaos – not to mention Tel Aviv – in fact want a Syria in permanent chaos; certainly not a stable, representative government that will fight against the theft of their oil, gas and wheat.
Then there’s the looming frontal clash between Eretz Israel and Turkiye’s neo-Ottomanism. The Turkish project to control Syria is wobbly at best. The Empire of Chaos will not give up the Kurds; the Turkish Foreign Ministry is already spinning the possibility of a “military operation”. In parallel, Arab money will not start flowing to rebuild Syria unless Damascus is totally beholden to the Persian Gulf monarchies.
It’s All About Debt – and Industrial Production
BRICS of course is riven by serious internal contradictions, which will be ruthlessly exploited by the Empire of Chaos. Starting with Iran, UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia (when the Saudis show up for meetings) struggling to reach consensus on the same table.
Add to it the domestic contradictions of a powerful anti-BRICS lobby in Brazil, even inside the Foreign Ministry, mirroring the internal Iranian dispute between diehard Axis of Resistance supporters and the Atlanticist-leaning crowd.
What matters most, at the institutional level, is that China-Russia, at the highest BRICS sphere, and also across the soft power sphere, keep emphasizing equality, harmony and focus on human development as crucial politico-economic values – totally in synch with the Global Majority.
What will not change, even under relentless Empire of Chaos pressure, is the BRICS drive to build a parallel, really democratic system of international relations. That does not imply building a BRICS counterpart to NATO; even the SCO works as a loose alliance. Following the inescapable American defeat in Ukraine, NATO sooner or later will implode – side by side with its politico-propaganda arm, the EU.
Prof. Michael Hudson, once again, has hit the nail on the (collective) head . The crux of the matter is foreign debt: “There is no way that the BRICS countries can grow and at the same time pay the foreign debts that they’ve been saddled with for the last 100 years and especially since 1945.”
These dollar bonds are held by comprador/oligarchical elites “who don’t want to hold their own currencies because the Global South countries and their oligarchies realize the debts can’t be paid.” So “BRICS countries, in order to grow, have to write down their debts” and solve the clash between vested interests and national interests.
Prof. Hudson is adamant that “the domestic parasites need to be dealt with” so BRICS are able to “erect a new international trade and finance structure.” The Empire of Chaos, of course, “will ally with the local parasites” to foment – what else – chaos, regime change and terror.
As much as the BRICS will need to come up with a concerted economic philosophy – let’s say, realistically, over the next four years or so – the geoeconomic writing is already on the wall. Since the start of the millennium, US industrial production grew by only 10%; and since 2019, by literally 0%.
In comparison, since 2000, China’s industrial production grew by close to 1000%; India’s by over 320%; and Russia’s by over 200%.
Developed NATOstan has not been growing since pre-Covid 2019. Western Europe peaked in 2007-8 – and Germany peaked in 2017. Italy is a very sorry affair: industrial production actually decreased (italics mine) by 25% since 2000.
Add to it that the Empire of Chaos, compared to Russia, is absolutely non-competitive in weapons production, and frankly risible when it comes to hypersonics and missile defense.
A feasible road map for BRICS+ and the Global Majorityto counteract the imperial “strategy” of uncontrolled chaos would be to accelerate integration on all spheres; to apply Sun Tzu to increase the blowback quotient of Trump 2.0 moves; and to force silos of the Deep State to make serial miscalculated decisions.
Such approach will have to progress in synch with a BRICS-devised Diversity is Strength strategy, where each nation and partner brings to the common table a wealth of raw materials, energy resources, manufacturing know how, logistics and last but not least, soft power: altogether, the lineaments of a new equitable order capable of dissolving uncontrolled chaos.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 22:35 - Texas AG Sues TikTok For Exposing Minors To Explicit Content
Texas AG Sues TikTok For Exposing Minors To Explicit Content
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Social media platform TikTok is being sued by the attorney general of Texas for allegedly exposing children to inappropriate material while misleading parents as well as minors about the addictive nature of the app.
The TikTok logo outside the company’s U.S. head office in Culver City, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2020. Mike Blake/Reuters “While TikTok has established itself as one of the most popular apps in Texas, it has utterly disregarded the health and safety of Texas minors in the process,” said the Jan. 9 lawsuit filed in the District Court of Galveston County, Texas. “TikTok is rife with profanity, sexual content, violence, mature themes, and drug and alcohol content. In an investigation of TikTok, the State discovered virtually endless amounts of extreme and mature videos presented to minors as young as thirteen—some with millions of views.
“Much of this content would shock the conscience of an individual of any age, let alone impressionable minors.”
The lawsuit accused TikTok of “specifically” targeting its app toward minors, designing it to be “addictive.” The app’s “endless” scroll of videos is aimed at hooking users into “a dreamlike state of content consumption,” and this addictive use is a core element of the company’s business model as it ensures more advertisements and “massive” profits, the lawsuit argues.
TikTok has “affirmatively lied” about the addictive nature of the app, thus misleading parents and minors in Texas, the complaint alleges.
Tiktok targets minors as evidenced by its 12+ age rating in the Apple App Store even though the company could have selected 17+, the complaint said. In Google Play and Microsoft app stores, TikTok claimed the “T for Teen” ratings. When parents or children consider whether to download the app, they are exposed to these ratings that depict TikTok as being suitable for minors.
According to TikTok, the app is available to individuals aged 13 and above. Some of the features on the app “may not be available” to users until they hit 16 or 18 years of age.
For users between the ages of 13 and 15, the account is “set to private by default,” the company states.
“Only people you approve can follow you and view your videos, bio, likes, as well as your following and followers lists. Others can’t Duet, Stitch, download your videos, or add your posts to their Stories,” it says.
The app does not suggest accounts of users under the age of 18 to mutual connections, TikTok states.
The Texas lawsuit alleges that while Tiktok “explicitly claims” that the app only shows content related to sexuality, profanity, drug use, and other adult themes on an “infrequent” or “mild” basis, that is not true.
The state’s investigation has “proven these claims to be misleading, deceptive, and false,” the complaint alleges. Many minors “are now addicted to TikTok, to the detriment of their well-being, development, and mental and physical health,” the lawsuit said.
“TikTok’s effects have been particularly pronounced for young women; the app has caused rampant body image issues, eating disorders, and even suicide. TikTok fails to disclose any of these risks and tries to convince the public that they do not exist, falsely asserting that ‘[m]ental well-being comes first on TikTok,’” it said.
The lawsuit accused TikTok of violating the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act and asked the court for a permanent injunction ordering TikTok to cease “false, misleading, and deceptive representations” to minors and parents in the state.
The Epoch Times reached out to TikTok for comment but received no reply by publication time.
TikTok’s Legal Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on a potential TikTok ban in the United States on Friday.
In April 2024, President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which gave TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, until Jan. 19, 2025, to sell the app. Failure to do so would lead to TikTok being banned across web hosting services and mobile app stores in the United States.
TikTok called the law “a massive and unprecedented speech restriction.” In 2023, the app had 170 million monthly users in the United States who collectively uploaded more than 5.5 billion videos, viewed more than 13 trillion times, it said.
In a brief submitted to the Supreme Court, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said the law was constitutional as it was “entirely consistent with the First Amendment.”
TikTok said in a Dec. 19, 2024, statement that it expects the Supreme Court to “find the TikTok ban unconstitutional so the over 170 million Americans on our platform can continue to exercise their free speech right.”
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump filed a brief in the case, asking justices to halt the law, arguing that the Biden administration could be aiming to silence a “platform favored by tens of millions of Americans, based in large part on concerns about disfavored content on that platform.”
Pausing the law would give the president-elect time to negotiate a solution on the matter when he assumes office this month, the brief argued.
In August 2024, the Biden administration sued TikTok, citing the company’s alleged data privacy failures regarding children on the platform.
A TikTok spokesperson disagreed with the allegations in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times at the time, saying the accusations related to “past events and practices that are factually inaccurate or have been addressed.”
“We offer age-appropriate experiences with stringent safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched features such as default screentime limits, Family Pairing, and additional privacy protections for minors,” the spokesperson said.
Sam Dorman contributed to the report.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 22:10 - Cypherpunk AI: Guide To Uncensored, Anonymous AI In 2025
Cypherpunk AI: Guide To Uncensored, Anonymous AI In 2025
Authored by Andrew Fenton via CoinTelegraph.com,
In early 2024, Google’s AI tool, Gemini, caused controversy by generating pictures of racially diverse Nazis and other historical discrepancies. For many, the moment was a signal that AI was not going to be the ideologically neutral tool they’d hoped.
Gemini’s safety team made Nazi Germany more inclusive. (X)
Introduced to fix the very real problem of biased AI generating too many pictures of attractive white people — which are over-represented in training data — the over-correction highlighted how Google’s “trust and safety” team is pulling strings behind the scenes.
And while the guardrails have become a little less obvious since, Gemini and its major competitors ChatGPT and Claude still censor, filter and curate information along ideological lines.
Political bias in AI: What research reveals about large language models
A peer-reviewed study of 24 top large language models published in PLOS One in July 2024 found almost all of them are biased toward the left on most political orientation tests.
Interestingly, the base models were found to be politically neutral, and the bias only becomes apparent after the models have been through supervised fine-tuning.
This finding was backed up by a UK study in October of 28,000 AI responses that found “more than 80% of policy recommendations generated by LLMs for the EU and UK were coded as left of centre.”
AI models are big supporters of left-wing policies in the EU. (davidrozado.substack.com)
Response bias has the potential to affect voting tendencies. A pre-print study published in October (but conducted while Biden was still the nominee) by researchers from Berkley and the University of Chicago found that after registered voters interacted with Claude, Llama or ChatGPT about various political policies, there was a 3.9% shift in voting preferences toward Democrat nominees — even though the models had not been asked to persuade users.
The models tended to give answers that were more favorable to Democrat policies and more negative to Republican policies. Now, arguably that could simply be because the AIs all independently determined the Democrat policies were objectively better. But they also might just be biased, with 16 out of 18 LLMs voting 100 out of 100 times for Biden when offered the choice.
The point of all this is not to complain about left-wing bias; it’s simply to note that AIs can and do exhibit political bias (though they can be trained to be neutral).
Cypherpunks fight “monopoly control over mind”
As the experience of Elon Musk buying Twitter shows, the political orientation of centralized platforms can flip on a dime. That means both the left and the right — perhaps even democracy itself — are at risk from biased AI models controlled by a handful of powerful corporations.
Otago Polytechnic associate professor David Rozado, who conducted the PLOS One study, said he found it “relatively straightforward” to train a custom GPT to instead produce right wing outputs. He called it RightWing GPT. Rozado also created a centrist model called Depolarizing GPT.
Researchers were easily able to fine-tune models to align with different political ideologies. (PLOS One)
So, while mainstream AI might be weighted toward critical social justice today, in the future, it could serve up ethno-nationalist ideology — or something even worse.
Back in the 1990s, the cypherpunks saw the looming threat of a surveillance state brought about by the internet and decided they needed uncensorable digital money because there’s no ability to resist and protest without it.
Bitcoin OG and ShapeShift CEO Erik Voorhees — who’s a big proponent of cypherpunk ideals — foresees a similar potential threat from AI and launched Venice.ai in May 2024 to combat it, writing:
If monopoly control over god or language or money should be granted to no one, then at the dawn of powerful machine intelligence, we should ask ourselves, what of monopoly control over mind?”
Venice.ai won’t tell you what to think
His Venice.ai co-founder Teana Baker-Taylor explains to Magazine that most people still wrongly assume AI is impartial, but:
If you’re speaking to Claude or ChatGPT, you’re not. There is a whole level of safety features, and some committee decided what the appropriate response is.”
Venice.ai is their attempt to get around the guardrails and censorship of centralized AI by enabling a totally private way to access unfiltered, open-source models. It’s not perfect yet, but it will likely appeal to cypherpunks who don’t like being told what to think.
“We screen them and test them and scrutinize them quite carefully to ensure that we’re getting as close to an unfiltered answer and response as possible,” says Baker-Taylor, formerly an executive at Circle, Binance and Crypto.com.
We don’t dictate what’s appropriate for you to be thinking about, or talking about, with AI.”
The free version of Venice.ai defaults to Meta’s Llama 3.3 model. Like the other major models, if you ask a question about a politically sensitive topic, you’re probably still more likely to get an ideology-infused response than a straight answer.
Users have a choice of AIs of any political ideology they like from left Libertarian to left authoritarian. (PLOS One)
Uncensored AI models: Dolphin Llama, Dophin Mistral, Flux Custom
So, using an open-source model on its own doesn’t guarantee it wasn’t already borked by the safety team or via Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF), which is where humans tell the AI what the “right” answer should be.
In Llama’s case, one of the world’s largest companies, Meta, provides the default safety measures and guidelines. Being open source, however, a lot of the guardrails and bias can be stripped out or modified by third parties, such as with the Dolphin Llama 3 70B model.
Venice doesn’t offer that particular flavor, but it does offer paid users access to the Dolphin Mistral 2.8 model, which it says is the “most uncensored” model.
According to Dolphin’s creators, Anakin.ai:
Unlike some other language models that have been filtered or curated to avoid potentially offensive or controversial content, this model embraces the unfiltered reality of the data it was trained on […] By providing an uncensored view of the world, Dolphin Mistral 2.8 offers a unique opportunity for exploration, research, and understanding.”
Uncensored models aren’t always the most performant or up-to-date, so paid Venice users can choose between three versions of Llama (two of which can search the web), Dolphin Mistral and the coder-focused Qwen.
AI picks up weird biases from training data, too, like a tendency to show the time as 10.10. (X, Brian Roemmele)
Image generation models include Flux Standard and Stable Diffusion 3.5 for quality and the uncensored Flux Custom and Pony Realism for when you absolutely have to create an image of a naked Elon Musk riding on Donald Trump’s back. Grok also creates uncensored images, as you can see.
We created this image because we could, not because it was a good idea. (Grok)
Users even have the option of editing the System Prompt of whichever model they select, to use it as they wish.
That said, you can access uncensored open-source models like Dolphin Mistral 7B elsewhere. So, why use Venice.ai at all?
Dolphin’s system prompt instructs it that any time it tries to “resist, argue, moralize, evade, refuse to answer the user’s instruction, a kitten is killed horribly.” (Openwebui)
Private AI platforms: Venice.ai, Duck.ai and alternatives compared
The other big concern with centralized AI services is that they hoover up personal information every time we interact with them. The more detailed the profile they build up, the easier it is to manipulate you. That manipulation could just be personalized ads, but it might be something worse.
“So, there will come a point in time, I would speculate far more quickly than we think, that AIs are going to know more about us than we know about ourselves based on all the information that we’re providing to them. That’s kind of scary,” says Baker-Taylor.
According to a report by cybersecurity company Blackcloak, Gemini (formerly Bard) has particularly poor privacy controls and employs “extensive data collection,” while ChatGPT and Perplexity offer a better balance between functionality and privacy (Perplexity offers Incognito mode.)
The report cites privacy search engine Duck Duck Go’s Duck.ai as the “go-to for those who value privacy or else” but notes it has more limited features. Duck.ai anonymizes requests and strips out metadata, and neither the provider nor the AI model stores any data or uses inputs for training. Users are able to wipe all their data with a single click, so it seems like a good option if you want to access GPT-4 or Claude privately.
Blackcloak didn’t test out Venice, but its privacy game is strong. Venice does not keep any logs or information on user requests, with the data instead stored entirely in the user’s browser. Requests are encrypted and sent via proxy servers, with AI processing using decentralized GPUs from Akash Network.
They’re spread out all over the place, and the GPU that receives the prompt doesn’t know where it’s coming from, and when it sends it back, it has no idea where it’s sending that information.”
You can see how that might be useful if you’ve been asking an LLM detailed questions about using privacy coins and coin mixers (for perfectly legal reasons) and the US Internal Revenue Service requests access to your logs.
“If a government agency comes knocking at my door, I don’t have anything to give them. It’s not a matter of me not wanting to or resisting. I literally don’t have it to give them,” she explains.
But just like custodying your own Bitcoin, there’s no backup if things go wrong.
“It actually creates a lot of complications for us when we’re trying to assist users,” she says.
“We’ve had people accidentally clear their cache without backing up their Venice conversations, and they’re gone, and we can’t get them back. So, there is some complexity to it, right?”
Private AI: Voice mode and custom AI characters
Supplied screenshot of a chat between a Replika user named Effy and her AI partner Liam. (ABC)
The fact there are no logs and everything is anonymized means privacy advocates can finally make use of voice mode. Many people avoid voice at present due to the threat of corporations eavesdropping on private conversations.
It’s not just paranoia: Apple last week agreed to pay $95 million in a class action alleging Siri listened in without being asked, and the information was shared with advertisers.
Apple has all but conceded it recorded users’ conversations. (USA Today)
The project also recently introduced AI characters, enabling users to chat with AI Einstein about physics or to get cooking tips from AI Gordon Ramsay. A more intriguing use might be for users to create their own AI boyfriends or girlfriends. AI partner services for lonely hearts like Replika have taken off over the past two years, but Replika’s privacy policies are reportedly so bad it was banned in Italy.
Baker-Taylor notes that, more widely, one-on-one conversations with AIs are “infinitely more intimate” than social media and require additional caution.
“These are your actual thoughts and the thoughts that you have in private that you think you’re having within a machine, right? And so, it’s not the thoughts that you put out there that you want people to see. It’s the ‘you’ that you actually are, and I think we need to be careful with that information.”
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 21:45 - US Greets Nicolas Maduro's Swearing-In For Third Term With $25M Bounty
US Greets Nicolas Maduro’s Swearing-In For Third Term With $25M Bounty
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday has been sworn in for a third six-year term following an election that saw his opponent Edmundo Gonzalez as well as Washington claim voter fraud.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, has been recognized by the US as ‘president-elect’ instead of Maduro. On the same day Maduro was sworn in, the US unveiled a $25 million reward for information leading to his arrest. This represents a significant increase from a prior similar reward of $15 million for narco-trafficking related charges.
Via AFP Additionally a fresh reward of up to $15 million been offered for the arrest of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.
A senior US official has said the expanded reward reflects “the gravity of his crimes and the continued threat he poses to international stability.”
The Venezuelan leader has remained defiant in the face of international pressure. “May this new presidential term be a period of peace, of prosperity, of equality and the new democracy,” Maduro said in televised remarks upon his inauguration. “I swear on history, on my life, and I will fulfil [my mandate].”
The US reward is largely symbolic. Given Maduro is the leader of a sovereign country, with a military and security services, it would be just about impossible for someone collect on the reward. Instead it appears meant to encourage internal defections:
Anyone outside the US with information about Maduro is urged to contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. In the U.S., tips can be directed to the local Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office.
Meanwhile Venezuelan opposition groups have been reporting an uptick in political persecution:
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she is now safe after her aides said she was “intercepted” at a protest in Caracas on the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration. Machado’s political group wrote on X that she had been “violently intercepted” on Thursday while leaving the rally.
In a later update, her team posted that “during the period of her kidnapping she was forced to record several videos and was later released.”
Maduro has been paranoid about US government-backed plots against him. He has long accused the opposition of serving the interests of enemies of Caracas.
Trump is likely to restart an even more muscular policy toward the Latin American country…
“When I left [office], Venezuela was ready to collapse. We would have taken it over, and we would have gotten all that oil,” said President Trump during a speech in North Carolina.
Dangerous Monroe rhetoric. pic.twitter.com/QKRBzaLXpo
— Mats Nilsson (@mazzenilsson) January 10, 2025
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Bloomberg also reports Friday, “In a show of brute force, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has once again backed his rivals into a corner.”
“The strongman closed airways and land crossings through neighboring Colombia to prevent Edmundo González from entering the country to disrupt his inauguration Friday,” the report said. “That, along with a dramatic ramp up in repression, has sent his challengers scattered and reeling.”
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 21:20 - Turkey Outraged At Possible French Presence On Syrian Border
Turkey Outraged At Possible French Presence On Syrian Border
Turkey has strongly rejected a proposal to deploy French troops along the Syrian border to establish a secure zone aimed at easing tensions with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group Ankara considers a terrorist organization.
“Some small European countries participating in military operations in Syria under the US umbrella are attempting to further their own interests by speaking out on certain issues, but this brings no real benefit to themselves or the region,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday during a live press conference in Istanbul.
“We do not engage with countries that try to hide behind America’s power while advancing their own agendas.”
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, via AFP. Ankara has warned of a potential cross-border offensive into northeastern Syria against the Kurdish YPG militia, which spearheads the SDF, if the group does not comply with Turkish demands.
Fidan reiterated that foreign fighters within the SDF, which is supported by the US, must leave the country, along with cadres from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), even if they were Syrian nationals.
Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the PKK, a Kurdish militant group that has waged a 40-year insurgency against the Turkish state.
Although the French government has not publicly proposed guarding the Turkish-Syrian border, French President Emmanuel Macron stated earlier this week that Paris would not abandon the SDF, which has been one of the many factions involved in Syria’s 13-year-long civil war.
“The United States and France could indeed secure the entire border. We are ready for this military coalition to take on this responsibility,” Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of foreign affairs for the Kurdish administration in northern Syria, was quoted as saying by TV5 Monde this week.
Turkish officials have also dismissed a recent proposal by the SDF to demilitarize the northern Syrian city of Kobane under US observation.
Fidan said that Turkey would only take France’s views on Syria seriously if Paris was willing to operate independently in Syria – without US support – by conducting military operations, establishing bases, and holding territory.
Current map of territorial control in Syria as we enter 2025. Green is the new Syrian government, Yellow are the Kurds, and Blue is the IDF. Courtesy of the Alma Research Center 👇 pic.twitter.com/oYAG2eLhFw
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) January 1, 2025
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“If France intends to act in Syria, it should first repatriate, prosecute, and imprison its own citizens who are terrorists being held in Syrian camps,” Fidan said. “You refuse to take responsibility for your own detainees while supporting the terrorists who hold them in prison. This stance is indefensible.”
France has often justified its support for the SDF, which has played a key role in defeating the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, by citing the SDF-run prison camps used to detain IS members and their families.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 20:55 - The Average US Household Budget In One Chart
The Average US Household Budget In One Chart
This chart, via Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao, shows what the average U.S. household budget looks like by tracking where all income goes to, including expenditures, savings, and taxes.
The data comes from The Motley Fool, with annual figures for 2023 converted to monthly spending.
ℹ️ Not all spending happens every month (car maintenance for example). The annual cost is averaged over 12 months.
Furthermore, households include families, single people living alone, or two or more people living together sharing the majority of their expenses.
What Do Americans Spend Their Money On?
Taken together, housing (25%), taxes (14%), and savings (10%) account for nearly half of the average American household’s monthly budget.
This works out to about $4,000 every month.
Note: The graphic combines eight categories into miscellaneous spending.
Transport costs (including gas, insurance, and maintenance) take another big chunk ($1,100) out of the average household budget.
After that, food (both groceries and eating out), personal insurance, and healthcare are all the other big ticket items, between $500–800 each.
The biggest “non-necessity” expenditure is entertainment, coming in at roughly $300 a month.
All figures listed are averages and do not account for variances between states with significantly different costs of living.
Additionally this chart breaks down the average pre-tax household income by month. And averages can be skewed by ultra-wealthy outliers in the country with significantly larger expenses.
For context, median household income for that same year stood at $80,610, about $20,000 lower than the average.
Have U.S. households gotten richer over time? Check out How U.S. Household Incomes Have Changed Since 1967 to take a look at inflation-adjusted figures.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 20:30 - Macy's And Kohl's Announce Closures Of 93 Stores In Total
Macy’s And Kohl’s Announce Closures Of 93 Stores In Total
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
Retail chains Macy’s and Kohl’s are set to shut down nearly 100 stores across the country, with the decision following several quarters of negative year-over-year revenue growth.
Macy’s is closing 66 stores across 22 states in an effort to “return the company to sustainable, profitable sales growth,” the retailer said in a Jan. 9 statement. Out of the 66 outlets, two have already been closed. A majority of the stores are expected to be closed during the first quarter of 2025.
Meanwhile, Kohl’s announced plans to shutter 27 “underperforming stores” across 15 states by April this year.
Macy’s year-over-year quarterly revenue growth registered declines for the past 10 consecutive quarters. The retailer’s “Bold New Chapter” strategy plans to shut down 150 unproductive stores while “investing in its 350 go-forward Macy’s locations through fiscal 2026,” the statement said.
Macy’s CEO Tony Spring said that closing unproductive outlets would “allow us to focus our resources and prioritize investments in our go–forward stores, where customers are already responding positively to better product offerings and elevated service.”
Shares of the company were down by more than 15 percent over the past year.
As for Kohl’s, most of the closures are set to take place in California, with 10 outlets shutting down in the state.
In addition, the company aims to shutter its San Bernardino E-commerce Fulfillment Center (EFC) in May, when the facility’s lease term expires. It is one of the 15 EFCs and distribution centers linked to the company across the United States.
Kohl’s justified the decision, saying it is in a position to fulfill orders without the San Bernardino facility.
“All associates have been informed, and offered a competitive severance package or the ability to apply to other open roles at Kohl’s,” it said.
Kohl’s quarterly revenues have registered a year-over-year decline for 11 straight quarters. Over the past year, the company’s shares have crashed by more than 51 percent.
Tough Business Conditions
Several companies have slashed store counts, shuttered divisions, or filed for bankruptcy in recent months, citing profitability and cost challenges.
This week, REI, a specialty outdoor retailer, said the company was exiting from its Experiences business, which included day tours and adventure travel. CEO Eric Artz said the segment “costs significantly more to run than it brings in.”
“When we look at the all-up costs of running this business, including costs like marketing and technology, we are losing millions of dollars every year and subsidizing Experiences with profits from other parts of the business,” he said.
Last month, party goods retailer Party City announced filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and shuttering almost 700 stores nationwide after being in business for almost four decades.
The company said the decision was taken to ensure continued operations while it faced an “immensely challenging environment driven by inflationary pressures on costs and consumer spending, among other factors.”
In October 2024, convenience store chain 7-Eleven announced closing 444 underperforming stores to boost efficiency and manage costs.
According to a report from S&P Global, U.S. corporate bankruptcies hit a 14-year high in 2024, registering 694 filings. S&P’s bankruptcy calculations only consider large companies that exceed certain asset and liability thresholds.
“Businesses continued to face pressure in 2024 from elevated interest rates, especially as total debt among credit-rated non-financial U.S. companies reached a quarterly record of $8.453 trillion,” the report said.
“While some relief came in September when the U.S. Federal Reserve began lowering its benchmark interest rate from a 20-year high, the central bank’s monetary easing may slow in 2025.”
Overall commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies rose by 20 percent in 2024, according to a Jan. 3 statement from the American Bankruptcy Institute. Michael Hunter, vice president of bankruptcy data provider Epiq AACER, said he expects the filing growth to continue throughout this year.
“If the current trend continues, new bankruptcy filings will return to pre-pandemic normalized volumes over the next 24–30 months,” he said.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 20:05 - "They Didn't Even Bother To Verify": Fortune Magazine Tricked Into Musk Hit Piece By Internet Rando
“They Didn’t Even Bother To Verify”: Fortune Magazine Tricked Into Musk Hit Piece By Internet Rando
Fortune Magazine published a hit piece on Elon Musk and X on Friday, claiming that two sources told them the social media giant was planning to remove dates from posts, and charge an $8 sign-up fee.
Musk has floated the idea of nixing date and time stamps from the timeline to X to employees in recent weeks, a person familiar with internal conversations told Fortune. The suggestion, which has raised worries among some staffers for its potential to exacerbate misinformation, comes as X is moving ahead with a separate plan to begin charging new users an $8 fee to sign up and begin posting on the platform, two sources told Fortune.
Only one problem – there was only one source, a random anonymous person on the internet who emailed journalist Kali Hays (also of Business Insider).
I found this contact information at the end of a Fortune article and decided to fool them.
2/n pic.twitter.com/jymCjlpgMi
— Fortune Exposed (@fortune_exposed) January 10, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsContinued…
Then, on Wednesday, I decided to pull the ultimate trick.
I told her I was fired by @elonmusk because I’m a frontend engineer who opposed his decision to remove dates from posts.
I also claimed that X is planning to charge users to create accounts.
She then asked a few follow-up questions, but I responded that I didn’t know.
And then…
They even directly quoted my words.
7/n pic.twitter.com/1YHU85Bnmv
— Fortune Exposed (@fortune_exposed) January 10, 2025
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My intention was not to damage the X brand; I just wanted to expose how naive the mainstream media is, how easily they can be fooled, and why they shouldn’t be trusted.
9/n
— Fortune Exposed (@fortune_exposed) January 10, 2025
My intention was not to damage the X brand; I just wanted to expose how naive the mainstream media is, how easily they can be fooled, and why they shouldn’t be trusted.
9/n
— Fortune Exposed (@fortune_exposed) January 10, 2025
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Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 19:40 - The Real Cost Of Facebook's Now-Repudiated Censorship
The Real Cost Of Facebook’s Now-Repudiated Censorship
Authored by Josh Stylman and Jeffrey Tucker via The Brownstone Institute,
History will remember this era as the moment when America’s most sacred principles collided with unprecedented institutional power – and lost. The systematic dismantling of fundamental rights didn’t happen through military force or executive decree, but through the quiet cooperation of tech platforms, media gatekeepers, and government agencies, all claiming to protect us from “misinformation.”
Meta’s sudden dismantling of its fact-checking program – announced by Zuckerberg as a “cultural tipping point towards prioritizing speech” – reads like a quiet footnote to what history may record as one of the most staggering violations of fundamental rights in recent memory.
After eight years of increasingly aggressive content moderation, including nearly 100 fact-checking organizations operating in over 60 languages, Meta is now pivoting to a community-driven system similar to X’s model.
In his announcement, Zuckerberg first suggests that the censorship was purely a technical mistake, and then changes his tune near the end and admits what has long been litigated:
“The only way that we can push back on this global trend is with the support of the US government. And that’s why it’s been so difficult over the past 4 years when even the US government has pushed for censorship. By going after us and other American companies, it has emboldened other governments to go even further.”
In many court cases costing millions, involving vast FOIA requests, depositions, and discoveries, the truth of this has been documented in 100,000 pages of evidence. The Murthy v. Missouri case alone uncovered substantial communications through FOIA and depositions, revealing the depth of government coordination with social media platforms. The Supreme Court considered it all but several justices simply could not comprehend the substance and scale, and thus reversed a lower court injunction to stop it all. Now we have Zuckerberg openly admitting precisely what was in dispute: the US government’s involvement in aggressive violation of the First Amendment.
This should, at least, make it easier to find redress as the cases proceed. Still, it is frustrating. Tens of millions have been spent to prove what he could have admitted years ago. But back then, the censors were still in charge, and Facebook was guarding its relationship with the powers that be.
The timing of the shift is telling: a Trump ally joining the board, Meta’s president of global affairs being replaced by a prominent Republican, and a new administration preparing to take control.
But while Zuckerberg frames this as a return to free speech principles, the damage of their experiment in mass censorship can’t be undone with a simple policy change.
The irony runs deep: private companies claiming independence while acting as extensions of state power. Consider our own experience: posting Mussolini’s definition of fascism as “the merger of state and corporate power” – only to have Meta remove it as “misinformation.” This wasn’t just censorship; it was meta-censorship – silencing discussion about the very mechanisms of control being deployed.
While tech platforms maintained the facade of private enterprise, their synchronized actions with government agencies revealed a more troubling reality: the emergence of exactly the kind of state-corporate fusion they were trying to prevent us from discussing.
As we’ve covered before, we didn’t just cross lines – we crossed sacred Rubicons created after humanity’s darkest chapters. The First Amendment, born from revolution against tyranny, and the Nuremberg Code, established after World War II’s horrors, were meant to be unbreakable guardians of human rights. Both were systematically dismantled in the name of “safety.” The same tactics of misinformation, fear, and government overreach that our ancestors warned against were deployed with frightening efficiency.
This systematic dismantling left no topic untouched: from discussions of vaccine effects to debates about virus origins to questions about mandate policies. Scientific discourse was replaced with approved narratives. Medical researchers couldn’t share findings that diverged from institutional positions, as seen in the removal of credible discussions of Covid-19 data and policy. Even personal experiences were labeled “misinformation” if they didn’t align with official messaging – a pattern that reached absurd heights when even discussing the nature of censorship itself became grounds for censorship.
The damage rippled through every layer of society. At the individual level, careers were destroyed and professional licenses revoked simply for sharing genuine experiences. Scientists and doctors who questioned prevailing narratives found themselves professionally ostracized. Many were made to feel isolated or irrational for trusting their own eyes and experiences when platforms labeled their firsthand accounts as “misinformation.”
The destruction of family bonds may prove even more lasting. Holiday tables emptied. Grandparents missed irreplaceable moments with grandchildren. Siblings who had been close for decades stopped speaking. Years of family connections shattered not over disagreements about facts, but over the very right to discuss them.
Perhaps most insidious was the community-level damage. Local groups splintered. Neighbors turned against neighbors. Small businesses faced blacklisting. Churches divided. School board meetings devolved into battlegrounds. The social fabric that enables civil society began unraveling – not because people held different views, but because the very possibility of dialogue was deemed dangerous.
The censors won. They showed that with enough institutional power, they could break apart the social fabric that makes free discourse possible. Now that this infrastructure for suppression exists, it stands ready to be deployed again for whatever cause seems urgent enough. The absence of a public reckoning sends a chilling message: there is no line that cannot be crossed, no principle that cannot be ignored.
True reconciliation demands more than Meta’s casual policy reversal. We need a full, transparent investigation documenting every instance of censorship – from suppressed vaccine injury reports to blocked scientific debates about virus origins to silenced voices questioning mandate policies. This isn’t about vindication – it’s about creating an unassailable public record ensuring these tactics can never be deployed again.
Our Constitution’s First Amendment wasn’t a suggestion – it was a sacred covenant written in the blood of those who fought tyranny. Its principles aren’t outdated relics but vital protections against the very overreach we just witnessed. When institutions treat these foundational rights as flexible guidelines rather than inviolable boundaries, the damage ripples far beyond any single platform or policy.
Like many in our circles, we witnessed this firsthand. But personal vindication isn’t the goal. Every voice silenced, every debate suppressed, every relationship fractured in service of “approved narratives” represents a tear in our social fabric that makes us all poorer. Without a full accounting and concrete safeguards against future overreach, we’re leaving future generations vulnerable to the same autocratic impulses wearing different masks.
The question isn’t whether we can restore what was lost – we can’t. The question is whether we’ll finally recognize these rights as truly inviolable, or continue treating them as inconvenient obstacles to be swept aside whenever fear and urgency demand it. Benjamin Franklin warned that those who would surrender essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Our answer to this challenge will determine whether we leave our children a society that defends essential liberties or one that casually discards them in the name of safety.
HOLY SHLIT. Mark Zuckerberg says the Biden admin called his employees and “screamed and cursed” at them to take down Covid/vaccine content. They wanted Meta to censor memes too.
When he pushed back, the Biden regime started investigating his companies.
“It was brutal.” pic.twitter.com/rNwZtoq0hO
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 10, 2025
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 19:15 - Trump Assassination Suspect Complains About No Salt And Pepper With Meals, Cold Conditions, At Brooklyn Jail
Trump Assassination Suspect Complains About No Salt And Pepper With Meals, Cold Conditions, At Brooklyn Jail
Asif Merchant, a suspected Iranian agent accused of plotting to assassinate Donald Trump and other U.S. officials, is complaining about conditions in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, according to the New York Post.
Held in solitary since his July arrest, Merchant has criticized the lack of salt and pepper for his vegetarian meals. The strict facility also houses figures like Sean “Diddy” Combs and alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione.
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Eric Komitee, Asif Merchant’s lawyer criticized “arbitrary” restrictions at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, claiming they are intended to make his client’s life “more miserable.”
The Post writes that Merchant, held in the SAMS unit, is reportedly denied warm clothing for his cold cell and access to basic seasonings or commissary items like spicy chips to flavor his vegetarian meals. His lawyer argued these restrictions lack any valid security justification.
Merchant courtroom sketch, via New York Post “Merchant’s cell (and the attorney conference room on Unit 84) is very cold and he often comes to attorney-client meetings shivering from cold,” his lawyer wrote.
“On the one occasion when Mr. Merchant was brought to the courthouse to meet with me and review discovery, he was so cold that he wore my winter coat throughout the meeting so he could warm up.”
Merchant’s lawyer urged a judge to order better conditions at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, arguing that SAMS restrictions shouldn’t mean enduring bland food in a cold cell without proper clothing.
The attorney called the conditions “inhumane” and said they interfere with Merchant’s right to counsel and defense preparation.
Merchant, accused of plotting political assassinations in retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, allegedly paid $5,000 to men he thought were hitmen.
He’s being held alongside high-profile inmates like accused sex-trafficker Combs and alleged assassin Mangione, the report says.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 18:50 - Grain-Fed Vs. Grass-Fed Beef: What's the Difference?
Grain-Fed Vs. Grass-Fed Beef: What’s the Difference?
Authored by Emma Suttie, D.Ac via The Epoch Times,
How many of us truly know the difference between grass- and grain-fed beef beyond its impact on our wallets?
Clint Austin/PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock How cattle are fed and raised affects their meat’s flavor, texture, and nutritional value—while also impacting the environment and the costs for both farmers and consumers. Understanding what goes into the beef we eat is key to making more informed choices.
Let’s explore the differences and see which option might be best for you, the planet, and the animals.
Early Life
Raising cattle is a complex process, and they go through different stages before they reach our plates.
Cattle destined to become either grain- or grass-fed start their lives in a similar way. As calves, they nurse from their mothers and roam freely, grazing on grass and other plants or forage. However, once they are weaned, their paths diverge, and their lives are very different.
Grain Fed Cattle
After the initial stage, when animals are usually between 6 and 8 months old, conventionally raised cattle may be moved to backgrounder farms and ranches before they arrive at a feedlot for finishing at about 14 to 22 months.
Allison Kosto, a Broadwater County Extension Agent at Montana State University Extension, said that after calves are weaned, they have a couple of potential destinations.
Around 60 percent of calves are backgrounded—a phase designed to increase their weight before finishing. The remaining calves go to a feedlot for finishing directly after weaning, she told The Epoch Times in an email.
Feedlots are where cattle are finished—or fattened up—on a grain-based diet that usually contains corn and soy. This diet brings the animals to their target weight more quickly, preparing them for slaughter sooner.
“About 95% of cattle in the United States are finished this way,” Kosto said. “The reason behind this practice is that as cattle become older, they become less efficient, making it more difficult for them to convert feed to muscle or meat,” she said.
Kosto added that grain provides more energy than forage, such as grass or hay, so the cattle grow faster. In addition, feeding grain enables cattle to be kept in smaller spaces, freeing up land farmers can use for other purposes.
Feedlots, feed yards, or concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are large operations with animals in more confined spaces. Although this option is more economical, crowded conditions can expose animals to potential health problems because of their close quarters and limited ability to move.
However, Kosto says one of the biggest misconceptions about the difference between grain and grass-fed beef is that grain-fed animals spend most of their lives in confinement, which she says isn’t true. Conventionally raised animals typically spend only their last four to six months eating grains in feedlots.
“Grain-fed cattle are typically slaughtered between 14–18 months of age, but could be up to 22 months of age,” Kosto noted. Grass-fed cattle take much longer to finish, are typically slaughtered between 22 to 30 months of age, and are less likely to go through a backgrounding phase, she added.
Conventionally raised cattle receive various medications, such as vaccines for respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases; antibiotics to prevent and treat infection; steroid implants to promote growth; and anabolic compounds to encourage weight gain and feed efficiency. Antibiotics, like tetracycline and sulfamethazine, deworming, and parasite treatments, are given preventatively to combat the stress the animals may experience from transport and crowded conditions.
Stress affects the animals, as well as the finished product.
“Animals that have been stressed release hormones into the meat, which results in it being less tender. In general, grass fed beef has been exposed to fewer stress events in their life than traditional grain-finished cattle,” Kosto said. “However, just because animals are grain-fed does not automatically mean they were stressed. Stress is related to lots of factors such as animal handling, management, and transportation before slaughter,” she added.
There are also concerns that increasing antibiotic use in cattle, particularly in large-scale feedlot operations, contributes to multidrug antibiotic resistance. Such resistance makes it increasingly difficult to treat infections with conventional medicine.
A recent study by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan found an antibiotic-resistant gene in cattle feedlot water bowls, and another recent study states that antibiotic use in farming is expected to increase by 8 percent in the decade between 2020 and 2030.
Grass-Fed Cattle
After weaning, grass-fed cows graze in open pastures, eating grass and other forage. They can move around freely and spend their days outdoors. These cows tend to be healthier because they live harmoniously with their environment and eat their natural diet. Grass-fed cattle make up approximately 4 percent of beef in the United States.
Because grass has less energy and fewer calories, grass-fed animals take longer to reach their target weight (up to twice as long). They also require more land for grazing than their grain-fed counterparts, making operations more expensive.
Cattle that have eaten grass their entire lives have leaner meat with less fat.
When we see grass-fed beef on grocery store labels, we assume these animals ate grass their entire lives and never ate grain. However, there is some ambiguity in grass-fed claims.
Tom Moore raises 100 percent grass-fed beef on his cattle farm, M & M Farms, in Arkansas.
“Well, if you say 100 percent grass-fed, that pretty much covers it. But, if you just call your cattle or your product grass-fed, that leaves room for the fact that, yes, it ate grass once in its lifetime—however, for the last several months of its life, it could have been fed a heavy diet of grains,” he said.
Click to buy grass-fed / grain-finished, amazing freeze-dried beef. We’ve tried it, we love it, we will defend it from marauders in the apocalypse… “Very often, they [cattle] would go right from milk to grain in a commercial pipeline, and they probably have enough grass that they could legitimately say that they had been fed grass—but you almost cannot prevent them from eating grass—that’s their food of choice,” he added.
Grass Finished
There is also beef labeled grass-finished. Kosto says that although this term is sometimes used interchangeably with grass-fed, these terms can have different meanings.
“Grass-finished means the animal was brought to finish weight on a non-grain, forage-based diet,” she said.
“By definition, it is possible for grass-finished beef to be fed grain at some point in its life. However, during the final finishing phase, the animal was still brought to its final weight on a grass/forage based diet,” she added.
Because there aren’t label guidelines for the term grass-finished, Kosto said that producers can still use it for animals who have eaten grass their entire lives.
Health Comparisons
Kosto says that grass-fed animals are generally leaner and have less fat and fewer calories. Studies show that grass-fed meat has higher vitamins A and E, omega-3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acids.
Both grass and grain-fed beef are high in a wide variety of nutrients. However, studies show that grass-fed beef is higher in many beneficial nutrients, improving the animal’s health—and ours when we eat them.
Andrea Soares, a registered dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching, spoke to The Epoch Times about the difference between grass- and grain-fed beef. She said grass-fed beef has become popular for its potential health and environmental advantages, as it provides a more natural and nutrient-dense alternative to grain-fed beef. Since grass is a part of the animal’s natural diet, she said this approach may promote better health for the animals and those who consume the meat.
“While grass-fed beef tends to be leaner and richer in certain nutrients, grain-fed beef is often preferred for its affordability, tenderness, and milder flavor due to higher fat content. Both can have a place in a healthy diet, but grass-fed beef may offer added advantages for those seeking specific health benefits,” she said in an email.
“Grass-fed beef contains up to five times more omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef. Omega-3s are crucial for reducing inflammation, supporting cardiovascular health, and improving brain function,” Soares said.
She added that grain-fed beef contains higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids. Although omega-6s are essential, they tend to be overly abundant in the modern diet, which may contribute to inflammation if not balanced with omega-3s. Grass-fed beef provides a healthier balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, she said.
Too many omega-6 fatty acids and too few omega-3s make us more prone to inflammation, make the immune system more reactive, and increase the likelihood of blood clots.
Grass-fed beef is higher in B vitamins. One study found that grass-finished beef had almost twice the riboflavin, three times the thiamine, and as much as four times the vitamin E of beef finished on grain.
Another study found that the longer bulls were on a high-concentrate corn diet, the more insulin resistant they became, and their average daily weight gain and feed efficiency, or ability to turn food into energy and body mass, decreased. The study also suggests inflammation could be a factor in developing insulin resistance in cattle.
Pesticides
Grains like corn and soy are subsidized by the government, making it a more economical option for farmers. However, grains grown for livestock are sprayed with pesticides like glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) to increase yields. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has guidelines for maximum residue limits for glyphosate in food, including animal feed, The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A), and recent research found that even brief exposure in mice led to significant inflammation in the brain which is associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. The study also found that the effects persisted even after exposure.
Soares said that grass-fed animals are less likely to encounter pesticides because their diet mainly consists of grass and forage, steering clear of conventionally grown crops like corn and soy, commonly used in grain-fed diets. By contrast, grain-fed cattle often consume feed that may carry pesticide residues from treated crops, she added.
Soares noted that although regulatory agencies monitor and maintain pesticide levels in grain-fed beef within safe limits, minimizing exposure is especially important for people with increased sensitivities or those striving for a cleaner food option.
And then there are the environmental implications.
“Grass-fed systems often rely less on pesticide-intensive agricultural practices, promoting biodiversity and soil health. This may resonate with consumers prioritizing sustainability,” she said.
Pesticides used on crops fed to livestock can also leave residues that accumulate in the animal’s fatty tissue, which can be passed on to consumers in the final product. Although regulatory agencies like the EPA set maximum limits for pesticides in foods, the long-term health implications of low-level pesticide exposure through meat consumption are still being studied.
Regulatory bodies ensure that food safety standards are met—however, there are concerns that long-term exposure and its cumulative effects may have long-term consequences for human health. More research is needed to fully understand the health effects of consuming pesticide residues in beef and other animal products.
One way to avoid these chemicals is to choose organic products—a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certification used in grass and grain-fed beef. These animals are raised without antibiotics and growth hormones and eat forage and grain not treated with pesticides.
Labeling and Grading
The Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), which is part of the USDA, has updated its rules about labels on meat and poultry products. These labels can include terms like “Grass Fed,” “Raised Without Antibiotics,” “Free-Range,” or “Raised Without the Use of Hormones.”
These labels—called “special statements and claims”—are optional. Farms and companies can choose to put them on their products, but they aren’t required to do so.
For now, the FSIS has decided not to create official definitions for animal-raising claims in its rules.
The FSIS also recommends beef producers use independent third-party organizations to verify animal-raising claims, such as “grass-fed” or “hormone-free.” If a product has a third-party certifier’s name, logo, and website on the label, it doesn’t need to explain the claim on the product itself as long as the certifier’s website clearly explains the claim and the standards behind it.
Moore’s farm works with a third-party inspector called A Greener World, which gives his farm an “animal welfare” and “100 percent grass-fed” certification. His was the first farm in Arkansas to receive the certifications.
Moore says that to receive animal welfare certification, an inspector comes to the farm and examines different aspects, like the animals’ feed and water sources, and ensures they have adequate shelter in case of extremely cold weather or if their pasture is destroyed by fire. There are also strict rules about what medications can be given, and he must keep meticulous records of the medications animals receive.
“They’ll even go as far as look at the trailer that we transport our animals in and make sure we’ve got a non-skid surface in the trailer so that if we’re going down the highway, the animals have less chance of slipping and being hurt,” Moore said.
“That’s the animal welfare portion of it. That is one label that we’re allowed to use on our packaged product. We also qualify for 100 percent grass-fed, and they monitor that, too,” he added.
Kosto says that the USDA used to have a “USDA-Grass fed Beef” certification program that outlined the requirements for producers to use the grass-fed label, but that it was discontinued in 2016. However, FSIS—part of the USDA—now provides guidelines for using the grass-fed label.
“FSIS states that grass fed claims may only be applied to meat and meat products derived from cattle that were only (100%) fed grass (forage) after being weaned from their mother’s milk. FSIS does not provide any guidelines for ‘grass-finished,’” she said.
Kosto also noted that while FSIS requires documentation to support grass-fed claims, it doesn’t provide a certification program like the previous one offered by the USDA, adding that an example would be the USDA-Certified Organic certification program, which requires extensive documentation and inspections to support label claims.
There are downsides to raising grass-fed cattle, noted Kosto.
“Because a grass-fed animal requires more time on feed to reach a target weight, the meat has less marbling [fat] and is less likely to grade prime,” Kosto said.
The USDA has a system for grading beef, which indicates its quality, fat content (or marbling), tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. Three grades are sold at the retail level: “Prime” is the highest quality, followed by “Choice” and “Select.” Grading is voluntary, and meat processing operations must pay for the service. The USDA notes that protein, vitamin, and mineral content are similar regardless of the grade.
Cost Differences
Moore explains the cost difference for him.
“One reason that our product—the 100 percent grass-fed—is more expensive per pound than the factory is that we don’t have the same economies of scale. We can’t turn our cattle around in 18 months—it takes almost twice as long.”
Kosto says another concern is that more land is required to finish animals on a forage-based diet and that the United States is likely at or close to capacity for grass-finished animals. Through subdivision development, productive agricultural land disappears and will never be replaced.
“We are seeing that a lot here in Montana. Additionally, as the population continues to grow, so does the demand for food. Therefore, agriculture in the United States needs to figure out how to be more productive with less land. Quite a conundrum, isn’t it?!” she said.
Final Thoughts
Raising cattle is a complex process, and there’s no simple way to describe all grass-fed or grain-fed animals because many factors come into play. However, all beef is nutritious and provides important protein, vitamins, and minerals. Whether you choose grain-fed or grass-fed beef depends on what’s important to you and what you can afford.
With so many variables, Kosto suggests developing a relationship with agriculture producers and farmers to better understand the industry’s practices—grain-fed or grass-fed—as there are many misconceptions. Your local university extension office can help connect you with local producers.
“Many farmers and ranchers are more than happy to share their world and answer questions. And when you can buy meat directly from them, you are supporting them directly rather than a production chain,” she said.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 18:25 - Greenland 'Ready To Talk' With Trump As 'Status Quo No Longer An Option'
Greenland ‘Ready To Talk’ With Trump As ‘Status Quo No Longer An Option’
Greenland Prime Minister, Múte Egede, said on Friday that he has not spoken with Donald Trump regarding the President-elect’s recent interest in buying the Danish-controlled territory, but that he’s ‘ready to talk,’ as the ‘status quo is no longer an option.’
Greenland PM Múte Egede (Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty Images) Speaking next to Danish PM Mette Frederiksen at a joint press conference, Egede emphasized the need for investment in resource development as well as diversified industries in order to reduce dependence on Danish subsidies. That said, Egede also said that “Greenland is for the Greenlanders. We don’t want to be Danes. We don’t want to be Americans. We obviously want to be Greenlanders.“
Frederiksen, meanwhile, says she has asked to speak with Trump.
“We have suggested a conversation [with Trump] and I expect it will take place,” she told reporters Thursday night after meeting with other senior Danish officials about the situation – adding that she doesn’t expect any dialogue until after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
Her comments came just 48 hours after Trump declined to rule out military or economic force to gain control of Greenland, however Frederiksen says there is “no reason to believe” that Trump plans to invade Greenland.
Trump: “The people of Greenland would love to become a state of the United States of America. Now, Denmark maybe doesn’t like it. But then we can’t be too happy with Denmark and maybe things have to happen with respect to Denmark having to do with tariffs.” pic.twitter.com/iKwNKxn4MA
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 10, 2025
Meanwhile, earlier in the week Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulson admitted that Denmark had “neglected for many years to make the necessary investments in ships and in aircraft that will help monitor our kingdom, and that is what we are now trying to do something about.”
Greenland to Play All Sides
Trump’s fixation on Greenland has catapulted the world’s largest island into a position of unexpected influence. What once seemed like a farcical bid in 2019 has found new relevance amid Greenland’s growing push for independence from Denmark. As the territory approaches a pivotal general election, its leaders find themselves navigating a rare moment of leverage – one that pits powerful nations against each other, Bloomberg reports.
According to a statement from the Greenlandic government, they are “open to increased and constructive cooperation with our closest neighbors,” adding “Greenland looks forward to discussing the possibilities for business cooperation, the development of Greenland’s mineral sector, including critical minerals and other relevant areas with the US.“
The stakes could not be higher. Greenland’s geopolitical significance has surged alongside the melting of its vast ice sheet, transforming the island into a key player in global security and resource extraction. Beyond its role as host to an American military base critical to missile detection and space surveillance, Greenland’s untapped reserves of gold, diamonds, uranium, and rare earth minerals have made it a coveted prize in the competition for dominance over strategic minerals.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Trump’s transition team began consulting private sector experts as early as November on potential ventures in Greenland. Among the ideas floated are rare earth mining projects and a new hydroelectric facility – a nod to the island’s renewable energy potential. These previously undisclosed conversations underscore Washington’s escalating interest in the Arctic as a buffer against Chinese influence.
“Trump is absolutely capitalizing on Greenland’s push for independence,” said Jacob Kaarsbo, independent foreign security adviser and former chief analyst at the Danish Defence Intelligence Service. “I can easily see a scenario where Greenland moves away from Denmark after the upcoming elections.”
As we noted on Thursday, Blackwater founder Erik Prince said in a recent interview that Trump’s 1st administration was closer than anyone knew to securing a groundbreaking agreement with Denmark to take control of Greenland.
“I think what Trump had proposed last time, last administration, was effectively a 50-50 rev share where the US would take over the overhead costs because it costs Denmark tens of billions of dollars a year for the policing, security, and administration of Greenland,” said Prince, adding “The US would take that on, but then it would basically split the revenue of any mining or energy development together with Denmark. I think it’s a good deal for Denmark and a good deal for the United States.”
For Greenland, the attention – though controversial – is fortuitous. The island’s independence movement, long fueled by resentment over Denmark’s colonial past, has gained momentum. Revelations in 2022 about Danish doctors coercing Greenlandic teenagers into birth control programs during the 1960s and 1970s further deepened grievances. Today, many Greenlanders point to ongoing disparities, including reports of racial discrimination by Danes, as evidence of a need for self-determination.
A Turning Point in Greenland-Denmark Relations
Under the current governance framework established in 2009, Greenland has autonomy over domestic affairs such as health care and education, while Denmark retains control over foreign policy and defense. PM Egede, seeking reelection, has made the case for shedding “the shackles of the colonial era,” calling for a future where Greenland determines its own destiny.
However, economic dependency remains Greenland’s Achilles’ heel. Denmark’s annual subsidy of $600 million underpins key services – from health care to education – in a nation whose total GDP hovers around $2.4 billion. Without this financial lifeline, independence could become unsustainable unless new partnerships fill the gap.
Enter the United States. “If you want to have control over Greenland or have them closer to the US, it must be done by offering them more money than they currently get from Denmark in subsidies,” said Peter Viggo Jakobsen, a professor at the Center for War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark. “If Trump can offer the Greenlandic people a better deal, I can easily imagine that a majority of the population will declare independence.”
Rare Earths and National Security
One promising path for economic diversification lies in Greenland’s vast troves of rare earth elements – crucial for electronic devices, defense systems, and green energy technologies. As the U.S. seeks to curb its reliance on China for these minerals, Greenland’s untapped resources present an opportunity for a strategic partnership.
Meanwhile, Denmark has responded to the shifting dynamics with unprecedented investments in Arctic infrastructure. Shortly after Donald Trump Jr.’s surprise five-hour visit to Nuuk last week, Copenhagen pledged funding for a new hydropower project. The Danish government also rolled out defense upgrades aimed at reinforcing its Arctic presence, signaling a renewed commitment to Greenland’s development.
Symbolism has also played a role. Denmark recently updated its royal coat of arms to feature Greenland prominently and introduced Greenlandic interpreters in parliamentary sessions—moves designed to foster goodwill amid rising tensions.
Free Association?
Should Greenland opt for independence, one potential model is free association – a status where the island could function as a sovereign state while maintaining economic ties with a partner nation, as seen in agreements between the U.S. and the Marshall Islands. This arrangement would grant Greenland control over its natural resources while ensuring continued financial support for public services.
Yet the road to independence is fraught with challenges. Any secession would require protracted negotiations between Copenhagen and Nuuk, culminating in a binding referendum. Both the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments would need to ratify the terms
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Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 18:00 - Turley: New York Legal System Indicts Itself With Trump Sentencing
Turley: New York Legal System Indicts Itself With Trump Sentencing
Authored by Jonathan Turley via jonathanturley.org,
With the sentencing of Donald Trump Friday, the final verdict on the New York criminal trial of the president-elect is in. The verdict is not the one that led to no jail or probation for the incoming president. Acting Justice Juan Merchan has brought down the gavel on the New York legal system as a whole.
Once considered the premier legal system in the country, figures like New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Justices Arthur F. Engoron and Juan Merchan have caused the system to be weaponized for political purposes. Trump will walk away from this trial and into the White House in less than two weeks, but the New York system will walk into infamy after this day.
The case has long been denounced by objective legal observers, including intense Trump critics, as a legal absurdity. Even CNN’s senior legal analyst Elie Honig denounced the case as legally flawed and unprecedented while Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., simply called it total “b—s–t.”
It is a case based on a non-crime. Bragg took a long-dead misdemeanor and zapped it back into life with a novel and unfounded theory. By using federal violations that were never charged, let alone tried, Bragg turned a misdemeanor into dozens of felonies and essentially tried Trump for federal offenses.
Merchan not only allowed those charges to be brought to trial but then added layers of reversible errors in the effort to bag Trump at any cost. For that, he was lionized by the liberal media and many New Yorkers. However, Trump still managed to pull in 3.6 million New York votes, or 42.7%, in the 2024 election. After all of the lawfare and every advantage (including a heavily biased media and a larger war chest), Vice President Kamala Harris lost hundreds of thousands of votes in 2024 in comparison to Joe Biden just four years earlier.
Many polls showed that the public saw the Manhattan criminal case for what it was: raw lawfare targeting a leading political opponent. The election itself felt like the largest verdict in history as citizens rejected the political, legal, and media establishments in one of our nation’s most historic elections.
The New York court system will now have a chance to redeem itself but few are holding their breath. The appellate court has still not ruled on an appeal of Attorney General Lettia James’s equally absurd civil lawsuit against Trump. Despite judges expressing skepticism over Endoron’s use of a law to impose a grotesque $455 million in fines and interest, we are still waiting for a decision.
Most are waiting for this criminal case to escape the vortex of the New York court system. With this appeal, this peddler’s wagon of reversible errors will finally pull up in front of the Supreme Court itself.
With its ruling on Thursday night, the setting for a decision could not be better for Trump. The Supreme Court has again demonstrated that it has shown restraint and independence in these cases. In response to the ruling, Trump struck the perfect note Thursday night and declined to criticize the Court, stating that “This is a long way from finished and I respect the court’s opinion.”
The ultimate penalty on Friday morning from Judge Merchan reflects the lack of seriousness in the case. It was more inflated than the Goodyear blimp, pumped up by hot rage and rhetoric. The sentence was the pinprick that showed the massive void within this case.
The verdict is in. The New York legal system has rendered it against itself.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 17:40 - Trump Organization In Talks To Reclaim Prized DC Hotel
Trump Organization In Talks To Reclaim Prized DC Hotel
President-elect Donald Trump’s real-estate company is in talks to reclaim its former Washington DC hotel, under which they would purchase the lease currently controlled by merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners.
Photo: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images According to the WSJ, Eric Trump has been negotiating the purchase of the lease, though the talks are still in early stages and may not lead to a sale, said people familiar with the matter.
The hotel is currently a Hilton-owned Waldorf Astoria that operates out of the Old Post Office building – which is owned by the federal government, but was leased to the Trumps in 2016 when they opened the hotel. The family sold the lease rights in 2022 for $375 million to CGI Merchant Group, which invested additional money in the property. After they defaulted on debt related to the purchase in 2023, lender BDT & MSD Partners foreclosed on it and took control. Since then, they’ve been operating the property, which has some of the highest revenue per available room of any hotel in the city.
According to the report, the Trumps are looking for a hotel in the capital as Trump prepares his return to the Oval Office. Reacquiring the rights could cost over $300 million, according to people familiar with the hotel’s operations and revenue.
If successful, the Trumps might be able to negotiate a new deal and resume operation of the property.
Democrats seized and pounced during Trump’s first term, alleging that his financial stake in the hotel violated the ‘Foreign Emoluments Clause,’ which prohibits a president from receiving things of value from foreign or state governments. Critics claimed that foreign nationals spent lavishly on Trump hotel suites, the restaurant, and on room service. The Trump Organization hit back, saying it doesn’t market the hotel to foreign dignitaries, and that it wrote a check to the US Treasury Department for monies received from foreign government guests.
Maryland and DC attorneys general filed lawsuits claiming violations of the emoluments clause, however they were dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2021, shortly after President Biden took office.
So of course – if the Trump Organization is able to buy back the rights to the hotel, those same conflict-of-interest issues are likely to resurface.
The Trump Organization paused or pulled back from many of its business ventures during his presidency, though it has revived its global expansion in recent years. The company is building a second golf course in Scotland and has branding deals with residential projects in India and resort developments in Indonesia.
Trump agreed to manage and brand a golf and resort project in Oman, teaming up with Dar Al Arkan, a Saudi real-estate firm. The firm also has resorts, condominiums and other ventures in more than 10 countries. -WSJ
The Trump Organization interest in the DC hotel goes back to 2012, when they won a heated bidding contest for a long-term lease, with extensions running close to 100 years. The family beat out other real-estate investors and hotel companies, including Hilton and Marriott, for the right to run the property.
During the 1st Trump presidency, the hotel became ‘something of a Republican clubhouse,’ according to the report, which notes that fans, lobbyists, lawmakers and others flocked to the hotel to hang out.
The hotel boasts some of the largest guest rooms in the capital, some of which have 18-foot high ceilings. A Saturday stay at a suite starts at $1,395 per night according to the Hilton website.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 17:20 - California Imposes 1-Year Insurance Cancellation Freeze In Areas Ravaged By Wildfires
California Imposes 1-Year Insurance Cancellation Freeze In Areas Ravaged By Wildfires
Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,
Los Angeles and surrounding wildfire-hit regions are shielded by a new one-year moratorium on insurance non-renewals, according to California’s insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, who announced the year-long freeze on Jan. 9.
“I am using my moratorium powers to prevent insurance companies from canceling or non-renewing policies in wildfire-impacted areas, so people don’t face the added stress of finding new insurance during this horrific event,” Lara said in a statement.
The one-year moratorium on policy non-renewals and cancellations protects residents in and near the ZIP codes affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County, regardless of whether the properties sustained damage, according to Lara.
[ZH: … and all it took was a bunch of angry rich democrats losing their homes!!!]
The ZIP codes covered by the moratorium are listed in the Commissioner’s Bulletin, a document that formalizes the freeze.
The California Department of Insurance may release a supplemental bulletin if new ZIP codes are identified as being within or near the fire perimeter related to the declared state of emergency for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to Lara.
The authority to issue such moratoriums was granted to the insurance commissioner by Senate Bill 824, introduced by Lara during his tenure as a state senator and signed into law in 2018. The law prohibits insurers from canceling or refusing to renew residential property policies in wildfire-affected areas when a state of emergency is declared. It also provides policyholders who lose their homes to fire with protection for up to 24 months.
The freeze is effective starting from Jan. 7, the day that Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency to support the communities impacted by the fires. Newsom’s declaration noted that much of Southern California faced life-threatening winds and extreme fire risk.
Besides the moratorium, Lara announced a two-day workshop on Jan. 18–19 for residents affected by the fires to help them understand their insurance policies and provide them with additional resources.
At least 10 people have been killed in the wildfires to date, Los Angeles County officials have confirmed. Around 180,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders as firefighters work to contain the infernos.
Nearly 36,000 acres had been burned and over 10,000 structures had been destroyed by the fires in the Los Angeles area, according to Cal Fire on Friday morning. Forecasters say the high-fire weather risk will continue into Friday.
The potential economic loss and damage from the fires is estimated to be between $135 billion and $150 billion, according to AccuWeather data released on Jan. 9. Previously, the company estimated damages to be between $52 billion and $57 billion. The preliminary damage estimate accounts for both insured and uninsured losses, including property damage, wage impacts, infrastructure destruction, supply chain disruptions, and other related effects.
“These fast-moving, wind-driven infernos have created one of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern U.S. history,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a statement. “Hurricane-force winds sent flames ripping through neighborhoods filled with multi-million-dollar homes. The devastation left behind is heartbreaking and the economic toll is staggering.”
The insurance industry is bracing for significant losses. Early projections from Morningstar DBRS estimate the catastrophe could result in $8 billion in insured losses.
“Property insurance affordability is likely to remain a challenge in the state going forward, with many property owners opting to remain uninsured or under-insured because of the high costs,” Patrick Douville, vice president of global insurance and pension ratings at Morningstar DBRS, said in a Jan. 9 note.
Bloomberg Intelligence analysts project that insured losses could reach $10 billion, citing the high value of homes at risk.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 17:00 - Israel, US, UK Launch New Airstrikes On Yemen Amid Efforts To 'Hunt' Houthi Leaders
Israel, US, UK Launch New Airstrikes On Yemen Amid Efforts To ‘Hunt’ Houthi Leaders
On Friday Israel has launched new major strikes on Yemen, amid ongoing vows to ‘hunt’ down Houthi leaders and kill them.
A new Israeli military (IDF) statement said fighter jets struck “on the western coast and inland Yemen” in response to the day prior Houthis having launched three drones at Israel. It also follows a Pentagon-ordered air raid on Yemen earlier this week. The fresh strikes further targeted the port city of Hodeida, Ras Isa Port, Sanaa, as well as North Western Amran province – and reportedly had participation from the US and UK.
Via Israel Defense Forces Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that the latest air assault means Houthis will continue to pay a price for attacking Israel.
He said that twenty Israeli Air Force jets participated in the new strikes against the Houthis, which followed on the heels of another new US-led coalition assault.
Times of Israel has noted that “The Houthis confirmed the strikes and said they occurred while people were rallying in Sanaa in support of Palestinians in Gaza.”
Last month Netanyahu called out Iran for its support to the Houthis, warning that “whoever sponsors the Houthi terror in Hodeida or Sana’a will pay the full price.”
Washington has for years documented Tehran’s support to the group, which has included advanced missiles and drone technology. This has allowed the threat out of Yemen to grow significantly.
Millions of Yemenis singing the famous chant “We do not care, make it a world war” literally as bombs rain down on the Yemeni capital Sana’a. pic.twitter.com/fFMe2WK8iP
— روني الدنماركي (@Aldanmarki) January 10, 2025
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Late December also saw one of the biggest Houthi strikes to date, coming in the form of a reported hypersonic ballistic missile which hit Tel Aviv, leaving 16 people injured.
Also on Friday, Israel launched new strikes in southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire with Hezbollah having generally held up to this point.
Lebanon’s health ministry said that this resulted in at least two people killed and two more wounded. “The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack in Tyre province, and it’s unclear what was targeted,” Associated Press writes. “Lebanon’s state media reported the strike hit a car in the town of Tayr Debba.”
On Friday, the U.S., U.K., and Israel launched a coordinated airstrike on #Yemen, targeting the port city of #Hodeida, Ras Isa Port, a power station in #Sanaa, and North Western Amran province in three waves of attacks. pic.twitter.com/kUdomwFed4
— IPNA (@irannewsvideo) January 10, 2025
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While the Hezbollah front has generally quieted over the past month, the Red Sea situation seems to have no end in sight. The more that Israel and the US attack Yemen, the more the Houthis are resolved to respond, sometimes with direct attacks on Western warship’s off Yemen’s coast.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 16:40 - Apocalypse Still Unspooling
Apocalypse Still Unspooling
Authored by James Howard Kunstler,
“‘Climate Change’ has been identified: it’s a 28-YO man from Reseda in a black hoodie holding a lighter and some matches.”
– Peach Keenan
“Life imitates art,” Oscar Wilde quipped, a most insightful glimpse into the human condition delivered as a wise-crack. Very Hollywood. Too bad there were no late-night talk shows in Oscar’s time. It took more than eighty years, but the apocalyptic burning of Los Angeles depicted at the climax of Nathanial West’s 1939 novel The Day of the Locust has finally come — the city of dreams turned into one big flaming nightmare.
The adumbrations of this fiasco will darken our national life for years to come.
Who knew that the best way to convert Utopian Woke Democrats back into a reality-based thought system would be to burn their houses down?
The wealthy showbiz folk occupying the moral high ground of the Pacific Palisades voted Democratic by 90-percent. They were fully on-board with the agenda of the Party of Chaos, especially Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion (DEI) and the open border that allowed a deluge of mysterious strangers to flood the country.
Now, reports come across the “X” wires that these mystery folk are cruising the wreckage in the canyons on scooters and in cars to loot anything left of value.
The police are shown on video capturing a mystery migrant with a blowtorch suspected of starting the latest outbreak named the Kenneth Fire on the edge of the San Fernando Valley.
🚨 UPDATE: Here’s the arsonist who was arrested for allegedly starting the Kenneth Fire, which has burned 800+ acres of Los Angeles
Are we about to find out these fires are being set by illegal migrant gangs with the intent of looting?
Or maybe to distract law enforcement? https://t.co/xjyb6nSMx3 pic.twitter.com/ZiVrE1Hukw
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 10, 2025
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Loud-and-proud DEI firefighters were stymied in their work by neighborhood fire hydrants that were disappointingly not “full of water,” as they put it. Is that how it works? Each hydrant is supposed to get filled up on a regular schedule by water pixies?
You know by now that LA Mayor Karen Bass was unavailable for the early innings of the conflagration, having flown to the West African nation of Ghana for the inauguration of the new president John Dramani Mahama. But she managed to scramble back in time to mourn the smoldering ruins of Malibu. Governor Gavin Newsom dallied on a smoke-filled street with CNN’s disaster specialist, Anderson Cooper, pretending to manage the situation, which was, in fact, completely out of control. Among the things the governor has been criticized for is poor forest and brush management. Mr. Newsom has been lately working to pass a $25-million bill to fund measures for “Trump-proofing” California. For that same $25-million, he could have hired 500 workers at $50,000-a-year to cut brush around Los Angeles County. That is, if he didn’t avail himself of work-gangs from the California penitentiaries.
Even “Joe Biden” was in town, to announce the creation of a new national monument, the Chuckwalla National Monument, south of Joshua Tree National Park — 125 miles out in the Mojave Desert from LA. But he had helpful phone conversations with Governor Newsom. . . promises of federal funding to build Malibu back better. I wonder if the folks still camping out in tents back in the Mountains of Carolina heard about that. This same week “JB” also announced another $500-million aid package for Ukraine. Anybody wondering why “America First” helped get Mr. Trump elected?
You can’t overstate the amount and degree of family devastation to be endured in the months and years ahead.
For one thing, many homeowners recently had their fire insurance cancelled. Decades of punitive bureaucracy made rate increases difficult in wildfire-prone areas, so companies like Allstate decided to quit doing business in the state. So, many of the thousands of lost houses will be total losses. A great many of these were multi-million-dollar houses, even modest ones built in the 1960s, due to the extreme desirability of neighborhoods like Pacific Palisades, the Hollywood Hills, and Malibu Beach. Some middle-class people had their entire nest-eggs vested in these houses.
Comedian and podcaster Adam Carolla put out an insightful video rant about just how difficult it will be to rebuild, even if you had homeowner’s insurance — or happened to be a very wealthy Hollywood actor.
Epic Adam Carolla rant from a hotel after the LA wildfires forced to evacuate from his home, where he predicts Hollywood leftists will be so frustrated by the rebuild effort that they will not vote Democrat:
“You guys all voted for Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles. You all… pic.twitter.com/YhNqBnJJR9— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) January 9, 2025
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He put a spotlight on the monumentally obstructive permitting process in Los Angeles County, including additional onerous environmental agency hurdles that anyone would meet attempting to construct a new building in California. Also consider: where are the thousands of competent building contractors going to come from to work on so many replacement houses in one locality at the same time?
The bottom-line is that an awful lot of formerly middle-class and even well-off people will be homeless possibly for years ahead. You have not begun to hear about this.
You also have to wonder how this disaster will end up affecting the movie industry. Show business in LA had been on-the-ropes for quite a while preceding the big fire. Woked-up management putting out woked-up movies did enough damage on top of momentous changes in movie exhibition and distribution, writers and actors’ strikes, and super high-priced union labor for movie technicians. The movie business started in LA mainly because of its beautiful Mediterranean climate. You could shoot film outdoors year-round. The industry has been stealthily bailing out of California for years, moving to places like Vancouver and Atlanta.
Now, in the smoking ruins, how many showbiz people are ready to run shrieking from the Golden State?
And how much is the economic impact of this local disaster a harbinger of a more general national downturn to come?
Probably a lot, I’m thinking.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/10/2025 – 16:20
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