Jan 22

Today’s News 22nd January 2025

  • 2025: The Year The Global Order Unravels
    2025: The Year The Global Order Unravels

    Authored by Nick Giambruno via InternationalMan.com,

    World War 3 is already well underway, even though most don’t recognize it…

    Russia, China, and their allies want to transform the current US-led world order that has been in place since the end of WW2 from unipolar to multipolar—giving themselves a bigger seat at the table in the process.

    The US and its allies want the unipolar status quo to prevail.

    WW3 is unlikely to evolve into a direct kinetic war between the US, Russia, and China because that could invite nuclear Armageddon, where everyone loses.

    Instead, WW3 is playing out on different levels—proxy wars, economic wars, financial wars, cyber wars, biological wars, deniable sabotage, and information wars.

    This is World War 3. It’s happening right now and rapidly escalating.

    2025 could be the year it all comes to a head.

    As I see it, World War 3 is a conflict between two geopolitical blocks.

    The first block consists of the US and its allies who have hitched their wagons to the unipolar world order.

    I’m reluctant to call this block “the West” because the people who control it have values antithetical to Western Civilization.

    A more fitting label would be NATO & Friends.

    The other block comprises Russia, China, Iran, and other countries favorable to a multipolar world order.

    Let’s call them the BRICS+, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and other interested countries.

    BRICS+ is not a perfect label, but it’s a decent representation of the countries favorable to the multipolar world order.

    Some countries don’t fall decisively into one category. I’ve put these countries in a separate Non-Aligned category. They are prime arenas of competition for NATO & Friends and BRICS+.

    Below is an approximate map of the geopolitical chessboard as I see it. Click the image to enlarge.

    I believe proxy warfare will likely determine who wins World War 3 and gets to shape the new world order.

    Proxy wars are a method by which major powers fight their battles indirectly, using smaller nations or groups as stand-ins rather than confronting each other directly.

    Major powers support, equip, and finance smaller groups or nations in a proxy war to fight against a common adversary. This support can include military training, weapons, funding, and other resources. The critical point is that the major powers do not engage directly in combat.

    There are numerous ongoing proxy wars in World War 3.

    However, the ones I believe will prove decisive will be in Taiwan, Ukraine, and the Middle East. The other proxy wars are peripheral in comparison.

    Unlike in Europe (Russia) or East Asia (China), there is no sophisticated nuclear power to deter NATO & Friends from more aggressive military action in the Middle East. Iran is, therefore, the weak link in the BRICS+ alliance to push for a multipolar world order.

    That’s why I expect NATO & Friends will make their last stand to scuttle the emergence of a multipolar world order and preserve the US-led world order in the Middle East.

    The Middle East is roughly divided into two different geopolitical groups.

    The first is the US and its allies—Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and others.

    (Though Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are members of BRICS+, their true allegiance is with the agenda of NATO & Friends).

    The second group consists of Iran and its allies—the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, several Palestinian groups (including Hamas), and an assortment of militias in Iraq.

    Iran is a key member of BRICS+ and a proponent of a multipolar world order. That’s why Russia and China stand behind Iran with economic, political, and military support.

    In early 2024, the geopolitical momentum in the Middle East appeared to be with Iran and its allies.

    However, that all changed recently as the Middle East has undergone its most significant geopolitical transformation in generations.

    It culminated with militants supported by Turkey, Israel, and the US overthrowing Bashar al-Assad in Syria. It dealt a severe blow to Iran and its allies and, by extension, the multipolar agenda of BRICS+.

    Previously, it seemed Turkey was moving closer to BRICS+. However, after recent events, it’s now unambiguous. After delivering the biggest geopolitical win for NATO & Friends in decades, there’s little doubt Turkey is fully onboard with their agenda.

    Turkey has emerged as the dominant power and kingmaker in Syria, extending NATO & Friends’ influence into new strategic territory in the heart of the Middle East.

    Turkey’s ambitions likely extend well beyond Syria. Erdogan has made no secret of his intention to create a Neo-Ottoman Empire. He now has a golden opportunity to make this a reality with the help of NATO & Friends.

    Turkey’s conquest of Syria is not without immense challenges. The country remains fractured and unstable.

    Armed Kurdish forces, avowed foes of Turkey, control about a third of Syria.

    Assad loyalists are concentrated in the coastal region and other parts of the country. They remain heavily armed and hostile to the new Syrian authorities.

    There are ISIS remnants that haven’t submitted to the new government either.

    Then there is the Israeli military, which has destroyed all of Syria’s previously formidable air defense systems. The Israeli Air Force now has free reign over the skies of Syria. Israeli tanks and soldiers have occupied new strategic parts of the country.

    In short, the new Syrian authorities have a gigantic mess to deal with. They do not have a monopoly on the use of force within Syria’s borders, and it’s unlikely they’ll be able to achieve that anytime soon.

    That’s why Syria could easily continue being a geopolitical black hole, sucking in blood and treasury from anyone who tries to stabilize a situation that cannot be stabilized.

    Presuming Syria can be stabilized—which is a big if—who will pay for the hundreds of billions required for the country’s reconstruction after more than 14 years of war?

    Nobody knows.

    Turkey and, by extension, NATO & Friends were popping champagne over Assad’s ouster. But the celebration may end soon as they realize they have bit off more than they can chew.

    Turkey, the US, and Israel will be responsible for the chaos that comes out of Syria, which is likely to balkanize with unpredictable results.

    In any case, I have little doubt that NATO & Friends will try to use growing Turkish influence as a way to reshape the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East in their favor as the arbitrary lines (imposed by the Sykes-Picot Agreement of a century ago) that define most modern Middle East nation states collapse.

    In other words, NATO & Friends want an incipient Neo-Ottoman Empire to be the dominant power in the Middle East. BRICS+ wants Iran to be the dominant regional power.

    Nobody knows who will prevail in the Middle East and, by extension, WW3.

    The situation is fluid, volatile, and uncertain.

    There is an excellent chance that NATO & Friends will lose in Ukraine and Taiwan. I think that means they will not be able to stop the emergence of a multipolar world order unless they subdue the Middle East. And they can’t do that unless they overthrow the government in Iran.

    The fall of Assad is indeed a setback for BRICS+, but not a decisive defeat.

    If NATO & Friends want a decisive victory in the Middle East, they will need to take out the government in Iran.

    That’s why I think Iran will be the decisive battlefield of WW3.

    Here is an updated geopolitical map of the Middle East and surrounding region as I see it.

    With Iran’s allies across the Middle East suffering devastating blows in 2024, the US, Israel, and their allies have the most favorable conditions to attack Iran that have existed in decades.

    I suspect they will not let this window of opportunity close without taking advantage of it.

    It could happen in 2025.

    If an attack on Iran does happen, I believe it will be the defining battle of WW3.

    But it will not be a cakewalk…

    Unlike most other nation states in the Middle East, Iran (known as Persia before 1935) is not an artificial construct. By race, religion, and social history, it is a nation. European bureaucrats didn’t dream up Iran by drawing zigzags on a map. The map reflects the geographic reality of a country with natural, fortress-like mountain borders. In the east, the Roman Empire generally ended where the Persian Empire began.

    The US and its allies have tried to overthrow Iran’s government for over 46 years. They’ve tried pretty much everything short of a full-scale invasion.

    In short, NATO & Friends have few other cards to play against Iran.

    If the US really wants to decapitate the BRICS+ agenda in the Middle East, it would need to overthrow the Iranian government. That would require waging a full-scale regional war against all of Iran’s allies and launching a ground invasion of Iran.

    Remember, during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)—back when Saddam was a “good guy”—he threw over 500,000 Iraqi soldiers at the Iranian meat grinder, had the backing of the US AND the Soviet Union, and used chemical weapons on a scale not seen since WW1… and he barely made a dent in Iran.

    The reality is that if the US is serious about invading Iran, it would likely require total mobilization and bringing back the draft. That is not likely to happen, but even if it did, it would not guarantee US victory.

    If Iran thought the US was going to invade, it could also develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent within a matter of weeks or less. It might also already have a couple of secretly obtained nukes.

    Given those unfavorable prospects, NATO & Friends could decide to use nuclear weapons on Iran preemptively.

    Iran is well aware that the US or Israel could use nuclear weapons against it. It has contingency plans for that outcome to ensure the survival of its government. Iran’s plans also likely include making a dash for developing its own nuclear arsenal to be able to respond in kind.

    Further, it’s doubtful that Russia and China would just sit back and do nothing if NATO & Friends looked like they might nuke Iran. For example, Russia could decide to station nuclear weapons and Russian soldiers on Iranian soil as a deterrent.

    In short, NATO & Friends using nukes on Iran could lead to an unpredictable series of events that could quickly spiral out of control, so I don’t view it as a likely outcome.

    The Bottom Line

    NATO & Friends don’t have any attractive options when it comes to dealing with Iran.

    However, with the sun about to set on the US-led unipolar world order and the most favorable conditions to attack Iran that have existed in decades, they may think it’s their last best chance and go for it in 2025.

    What will happen, and who will prevail?

    Of course, no one can know that with certainty.

    That being said, I think we can count on escalating tensions that could culminate in war with Iran in 2025.

    The implications of that are difficult to overstate.

    War with Iran would undoubtedly destroy all models for the energy market and cause a global economic collapse.

    Most people don’t appreciate how close we are to the precipice of a historical disaster.

    Countless millions throughout history were wiped out financially—or worse—during the previous world wars because they failed to see the correct Big Picture and take appropriate action.

    Don’t be one of them.

    *  *  *

    That’s why I just released an urgent new report with all the details, including what you must do to prepare. It’s called The Most Dangerous Economic Crisis in 100 Years… the Top 3 Strategies You Need Right Now. Click here to download the PDF now.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 23:15

  • All Federal DEI Offices To Be Closed By Wednesday EOD, Workers Placed On Paid Leave: White House
    All Federal DEI Offices To Be Closed By Wednesday EOD, Workers Placed On Paid Leave: White House

    The Trump Administration’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has notified the heads of all federal agencies and departments that Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) offices are to be closed by end of day Wednesday, and all staff to be placed on paid leave.

    According to the notice issued by Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell, all departments and agencies are to:

    • Send an agency-wide notice to employees informing them of the closure and asking employees if they know of any efforts to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language
    • Send a notification to all employees of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs.
    • Take down all outward facing media (websites, social media accounts, etc.) of DEIA offices
    • Withdraw any final or pending documents, directives, orders, materials and equity plans issued by the agency in response to the now-repealed Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce (June 25, 2021)
    • Cancel any DEIA-related trainings and terminate any DEIA-related contractors

    The heads of agencies and departments are also instructed to share the following with OPM by noon Thursday, Jan. 23;

    • A complete list of DEIA offices and any employees who were in those offices as of Nov. 5, 2024
    • A complete list of all DEIA-related agency contracts as of Nov. 5, 2024
    • Any agency plans to fully comply with the above executive orders and this memorandum

    By Friday at 5 p.m., agency heads must submit to OPM:

    • A written plan for executing a reduction-in-force action regarding the employees who work in a DEIA office
    • A list of all contract descriptions or personnel position descriptions that were changed since Nov. 5, 2024, to obscure their connection to DEIA programs

    The action comes after President Trump signed an Executive Order that eliminates all DEI programs within the federal government, and signed another order making it “the official policy of the U.S. government to only recognize two genders: male and female.”

    White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the action on X:

    Trump also signed an executive order rescinding Lyndon Johnson’s EO which established affirmative action.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Meanwhile, the Trump State Department has told all Embassies and Outposts that they can only fly the American Flag at facilities, and no others…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

     

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 22:50

  • Why More Americans Are Turning To Holistic Health Care
    Why More Americans Are Turning To Holistic Health Care

    Authored by Maggie Miller via RealClearWire,

    A significant shift is underway in American healthcare as more people embrace alternative therapies that focus on identifying and addressing the root causes of health issues. This transition, often referred to as “root cause medicine,” represents a departure from traditional reactive medical practices toward a preventative and holistic approach. A movement that is expected to expand in 2025.

    According to a JAMA study, 37 percent of adults sought alternative treatments such as acupuncture, yoga, and specialized diagnostic testing—a sharp rise from just 19 percent two decades ago. This movement is also gaining traction among patients of all ages, particularly those over 55, as they seek to age gracefully and optimize their long-term health. Another study published in Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine shows that more Americans 55 and up are seeking a holistic or alternative medicine route and many times are not telling their doctor.

    Doctor Mitchell Ghen, a Florida-based holistic health doctor, has noticed this shift over the past few decades but believes that those numbers are not representative of the number of people using alternative medicine. He said, “I am a little bit surprised it’s 1/3 that’s doing it I would’ve thought it would be closer to 50 percent. Over time, people have that recognition that something’s not right, you can’t fix something unless you address the underlying issue and the underlying biochemistry that’s awry in the first place.”

    A Growing Awareness

    Experts attribute the shift to increased awareness of holistic health. “There’s a lot more knowledge now about mental health, physical health, and gut health,” Adam El- Hosseiny, COO of Access Medical Labs explains. “People want to age healthfully, not just treat symptoms when they arise. They’re choosing preventative care over reactive solutions.”

    Social media has played a pivotal role in exposing people to alternative options. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok feature influencers and healthcare professionals sharing insights into how diet, mindfulness, and personalized diagnostics can help address chronic issues. However, as Dr. Mitch, a practitioner with over 40 years of experience, noted, the trend also reflects growing dissatisfaction with conventional medicine. “Patients are tired of rushed appointments and being prescribed medications without understanding the underlying issue,” he said. “Many are seeking answers that traditional medicine doesn’t always provide.”

    The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated interest in holistic health, as many Americans became hyper-aware of their physical and mental well-being. With lingering health issues like long COVID and increased stress levels, patients began to demand deeper insights into their health. The pandemic served as a wake-up call, prompting people to prioritize preventative care and explore alternative therapies that could enhance their immune systems, energy levels, and overall resilience.

    Addressing Gaps in Traditional Care

    Traditional medicine often relies on an “if-then” model: if you have a symptom, then you’re prescribed a medication. While effective for acute conditions, this approach falls short. “Nutrients, vitamins, and minerals drive the body’s energy cycle. Medications aren’t part of that cycle—they treat symptoms but rarely fix the root problem,” Dr. Mitch said.

    This narrow focus leaves patients searching for more comprehensive solutions. “Unless you dive deeply into an individual’s biochemistry, it’s nearly impossible to fully understand what’s going on,” Dr. Mitch explained. For example, he pointed out that fatigue and brain fog—common complaints among patients—are often overlooked in routine checkups. Standard bloodwork might not flag deficiencies or hormonal imbalances that could explain these symptoms.

    Moreover, the structure of conventional healthcare often limits doctors to short, transactional appointments. “Most doctors have only 10 to 15 minutes per patient,” Dr. Mitch said. “That’s not enough time to ask the right questions, let alone uncover deeper issues.” This time constraint often leads to a cycle of trial-and-error treatments, leaving patients frustrated and seeking alternative solutions.

    The Holistic Approach

    Facilities like Access Medical Labs offer a new perspective, combining advanced diagnostics with a focus on whole-body health. Their testing panels go beyond standard bloodwork, analyzing everything from hormones and food sensitivities to heavy metals and thyroid function. These tests aim to uncover the root causes of common complaints such as fatigue, brain fog, and digestive issues.

    ”People are shocked when they discover foods they eat daily are causing fatigue or bloating. Eliminating those foods often leads to improved energy and mental clarity,” El-Hosseiny said. Comprehensive testing also extends to evaluating environmental allergens, nutrient levels, and even autonomic nervous system functionality, providing a detailed map of a patient’s health.

    A Preventative Paradigm

    Root cause medicine also emphasizes preventative care. For individuals over 55, this means conducting a comprehensive health evaluation akin to inspecting every part of an antique car. “You wouldn’t just check the engine—you’d inspect the entire vehicle to ensure it runs optimally,” El- Hosseiny explained. “You can’t reverse your chronological age, but you can age optimally. People want to look good longer, feel good longer, and ultimately achieve longevity.”

    Holistic health advocates stress that their approach isn’t meant to replace traditional medicine but to complement it. By broadening the lens and addressing blind spots in conventional care, root cause medicine empowers patients to take control of their health and longevity. “This isn’t about dismissing traditional care,” Dr. Mitch clarified. “It’s about enhancing it and taking healthcare to the next level.”

    Technology Driving the Shift

    Advanced laboratory technology has also played a crucial role in making root cause medicine more accessible and efficient. Some laboratories, like Access Medical Labs, use automation to ensure faster turnaround times and minimize human error. “Our automation not only speeds up testing—delivering results in 24 hours compared to the industry’s 7 to 10 day average—but also improves accuracy by reducing the chance of mistakes,” shared El-Hosseiny.

    These advancements have made comprehensive testing less invasive and more patient-friendly. Access Medical Labs requires 50 percent less blood than traditional methods, a convenience appreciated by both patients and physicians. El-Hosseiny shared, “If people are going to get a needle in their arm, they want it done as quickly and painlessly as possible.” Access Medical Labs has had to expand its infrastructure to keep up with demand in testing.

    The Future of Healthcare

    As holistic practices become more mainstream, the healthcare system needs to become more integrated— combining the strengths of traditional medicine with the preventative and personalized focus of root cause care. “People are waking up to the idea that health isn’t just about treating symptoms,” Dr. Mitch said. “It’s about understanding the body as a whole, addressing the underlying issues, and living a better, longer life.”

    *  *  *

    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
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 22:25

  • "YOU'RE FIRED!": Trump Boots 4 High-Profile Biden Appointees Including Mark Milley
    “YOU’RE FIRED!”: Trump Boots 4 High-Profile Biden Appointees Including Mark Milley

    President Trump fired four high-profile presidential appointees just after midnight Tuesday, including Gen. Mark Milley, and Biden’s top envoy to Iran, Brian Hook (who also served in the role during Trump’s first term).

    “Our first day in the White House is not over yet! My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again,” Trump wrote on Truth social just after midnight Tuesday.

    “Let this serve as Official Notice of Dismissal for these 4 individuals, with many more, coming soon,” Trump said before listing off the four officials in the post that ended with “YOU’RE FIRED!”

    Hook was fired from the Wilson Center, Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, while celebrity chef José Andrés was chopped from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Bottoms was axed from the President’s Export Council, after she dropped out of the Atlanta mayor’s race to work as a senior advisor on Biden’s reelection campaign. 

    Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, has questioned whether Trump can carry out his ambitious deportation plans, and seems to be considering a future in politics himself.

    The celebrity chef said he submitted his resignation from the post last week and that his term was already up. He elaborated that he was “honored” to work as the co-chair and asked Trump to allow the council to continue its work. -The Hill

    “I’m proud of what we accomplished on behalf of the American people…like a historic partnership between the White House and every major sports league to increase access to sports and health programs for kids,” Andres posted Tuesday morning on X.

    Coast Guard Commandant Fired

    Meanwhile, the acting secretary of Homeland Security removed the Coast Guard commandant from her position, according to USNI News.

    Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan salutes the national ensign while embarking U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun (WMSL-759), April 20, 2024. US Coast Guard Photo

    Adm. Linda Fagan, the first female commandant of the Coast Guard who assumed duties on June 1, 2022, was terminated over issues with recruitment, operational concerns, and a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

    “Under my statutory authority as the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security I have relieved Admiral Linda L. Fagan of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. She served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation,” reads an ALCOAST message.

    Bye Felicias…

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 22:23

  • The US 'Was' The Largest Contributor To The WHO
    The US ‘Was’ The Largest Contributor To The WHO

    Four and a half years after Donald Trump’s first attempt of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization, which was undone by his successor Joe Biden before taking affect, the newly inaugurated president wasted no time to take care of unfinished business.

    As Statista’s Felix Richter reports, as one of many first-day actions, Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday, announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO due to the organization’s alleged mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic, its “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”

    Trump also criticized the organization for demanding “unfairly onerous payments” from the U.S. in comparison to other member states and from China in particular.

    As Statista shows in the chart below, the United States is (was) indeed the largest contributor to the WHO.

    Infographic: The U.S. Is the Largest Contributor to the WHO | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    According to the latest figures published by the organization, the U.S. donated $1.28 billion to the WHO’s budget for the 2022-2023 biennium, including $218 million in assessed contributions, $1.02 billion in voluntary contributions and $47 million in contributions to a contingency fund for emergencies.

    China, in comparison, contributed a total of $157 million during the same period, including $115 million in assessed contributions.

    In an official statement, the WHO expressed its regret over the U.S. announcement to withdraw, highlighting the organization’s crucial role in protecting the health of the world’s people and the United States’ special role as a founding member and decade-long partner.

    “We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe,” the statement concludes.

    For the 2022-2023 period, the WHO’s total approved budget amounted to $10.4 billion, meaning that the U.S. contributed 12 percent to the approved budget.

    Since the budget includes a $2-billion shortfall in funds, the actual U.S. share of total WHO funding was higher at roughly 15 percent.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 22:00

  • Direction Of Global Crises To Depend On Trump's Next Steps, Russia's Lavrov Says
    Direction Of Global Crises To Depend On Trump’s Next Steps, Russia’s Lavrov Says

    Authored by Adam Morrow via The Epoch Times,

    The outcome of several international crises will depend on decisions made by the Trump administration, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

    President Donald Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20 for his second, albeit non-consecutive, four-year term in office.

    “A lot depends on the United States,” Lavrov said at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council held only hours before Trump’s inauguration in Washington.

    According to Moscow’s top diplomat, several key allies of Washington—including Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand—are all “completely guided by the position of the White House.”

    “In this sense, they are waiting to see what its final position will be,” Lavrov said.

    He added that “numerous conflicts,” including the ongoing war in Ukraine, would likely be impacted by decisions taken by Trump and his administration.

    “The global media and social networks have been flooded with news from Washington, coinciding with the arrival of Trump and his team in the [U.S.] capital,” Lavrov said, according to the Kremlin’s transcript of the meeting.

    “Speculation, analytical assessments, and forecasts are also intensifying regarding how this event [Trump’s inauguration] may influence various conflicts across different regions of the world.”

    At the same Security Council meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Trump on becoming the 47th president of the United States.

    Putin also voiced hope of holding talks with Trump to reach a permanent settlement of the war in Ukraine, which will enter its third year next month.

    “Moscow is open for dialogue with the United States that will be built on an equal and mutually respectful basis,” the Russian leader said.

    Eliminating the conflict’s “root causes,” he added, “is the most essential thing.”

    Trump has pledged to quickly resolve the conflict in Ukraine, although it remains unclear how he plans to do so.

    Earlier this month, Trump told a meeting of U.S. Republican state governors that Putin “wants to meet, and we are setting it up.”

    Upon his return to the Oval Office, where he signed a raft of executive orders, Trump said on Jan. 20 that he could speak to his Russian counterpart “very soon.”

    When asked by reporters the following day if any arrangements had been made for a phone call between the two leaders, a Kremlin spokesman said, “Not yet.”

    ‘Bold Actions’

    In a related development, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund appeared to praise Trump, saying the latter’s raft of executive orders showed “decisive leadership.”

    The executive orders, which Trump signed within hours of his inauguration, aim to increase U.S. energy production, curb illegal immigration, and reverse the previous administration’s climate agenda, among other agendas.

    “President Trump’s bold actions today prove that decisive leadership can change the course of history, unlocking economic growth and transforming global challenges into opportunities for dialogue,” Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said on Jan. 21.

    A U.S.-educated former Goldman Sachs banker, Dmitriev helped establish contacts between Russian officials and Trump during the latter’s first term in the White House.

    Dmitriev is currently subject to U.S.-led sanctions, which Moscow regards as illegal and politically driven.

    The RDIF has not indicated whether Dmitriev would play a role in future contacts between Moscow and the Trump administration.

    According to the Kremlin, Dmitriev met Putin on Jan. 13—a week before Trump’s inauguration—to discuss the RDIF’s investment portfolio, which is currently valued at 2.3 trillion rubles ($22.53 billion).

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 21:35

  • ACLU Sues Trump Over Order Ending Birthright Citizenship
    ACLU Sues Trump Over Order Ending Birthright Citizenship

    Groups sued President Donald Trump and his administration on Jan. 20 over his order ending birthright citizenship for certain individuals born in the United States in the future.

    The groups say the order violates the U.S. Constitution’s citizenship clause, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

    Trump’s order, signed within hours of his taking office, states that the clause “has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States” and “has always excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not ’subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’”

    While most people born in the United States are citizens, citizenship is not automatically granted to those whose mothers are in the United States illegally and whose fathers are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents, according to the order.

    As Zachary Stieber reports for The Epoch Times, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups suing over the order pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1898 ruling in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which concluded that a boy born in the United States to Chinese citizens present in the country at the time of his birth was a U.S. citizen.

    The groups also pointed to a law later passed by Congress that stated in part that a person born in the United States and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” shall be a U.S. citizen at birth.

    “Every child born in the United States should be born with the same rights as every other child – and that’s why the U.S. Constitution ensures that no politician can ever decide who among those born in our country is worthy of citizenship,” SangYeob Kim, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU, said in a statement.

    “Trump’s executive order directly opposes our Constitution, values, and history, and it would create a permanent, multigenerational subclass of people born in the U.S. but who are denied full rights.”

    Other groups suing over the order include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Asian Law Caucus.

    Meanwhile, 22 Democrat-led states and two cities have also challenged the EO. Two separate lawsuits, filed in Massachusetts and Washington State have asked federal judges to rule that the order contradicts the Constitution, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the US under the 14th Amendment.

    “President Trump now seeks to abrogate this well-established and longstanding Constitutional principle by executive fiat,” one group of states wrote in their complaint.

    “The principle of birthright citizenship has been enshrined in the Constitution for more than 150 years. The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment unambiguously and expressly confers citizenship on ‘[a]ll persons born’ in and ‘subject to the jurisdiction’ of the United States.”

    The White House has not yet commented on the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in New Hampshire.

    The lawsuit seeks a court order declaring the policy unconstitutional and blocking the administration from enforcing it.

    After reporters raised the possibility of potential legal challenges against the order being successful, Trump said on Monday:

    “We think we have good ground, but you could be right. You’ll find out.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 21:10

  • As US Cattle Ranchers Go Out Of Business, One Family Found A Way To Survive
    As US Cattle Ranchers Go Out Of Business, One Family Found A Way To Survive

    Authored by Kevin Stocklin via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    At a time when thousands of America’s independent cattle farmers are going under each year, and herds falling to a 70-year low, one young couple believes they have found a way to save their family farm.

    Marc and Avery Wrigglesworth, owners of Lily Hill Farm in West Point, Ga., in this file photo. Meg Shelnut

    Livestock farming is now a far cry from what it once was, when ranchers would sell into competitive markets with prices based on quality, as well as prevailing supply and demand.

    Today, four global meatpacking corporations—U.S.-based Cargill and Tyson Foods, and Brazilian-based JBS and National Beef/Marfrig—together buy 85 percent of all cattle in the United States, and many once-independent ranchers have devolved into contract labor for these companies, often selling at prices that don’t cover their costs.

    The result has been an aggregate loss of 655,000 cattle farms since 1980, with an average of 20,000 ranches going under per year in America over the past five years.

    After years of losing money under this system, however, Avery and Marc Wrigglesworth, owners of Lily Hill Farm in West Point, Georgia, decided to take a different path. The only way to survive, they said, was to build their own market that sells directly to customers.

    While Avery grew up on the Georgia farm, Marc was raised on Jersey, a small island in the English Channel. They met in Jersey where they both were working office jobs in the finance industry.

    In 2019, Avery was told by her father that the family’s farm, originally founded by her grandfather after he returned home to Georgia from a POW camp in Germany after World War II, would be sold. The herd had been sold off, down to 80 cattle, in order to pay debts, and the farm had fallen into what Marc calls a “death spiral.”

    What was left was no longer able to generate enough income to keep the business going. Avery and Marc decided to quit their jobs and move to Georgia, hoping that the farm could be saved.

    “We are now the third generation, and there’s always been something that’s drawn me to this place,” Avery told The Epoch Times. “It would have broken my heart to see it parceled up, and houses and subdivisions built all over it.

    “I just felt like it needed to have one last chance to see if we could turn it around.”

    Grass-fed cattle on Lily Hill Farm. Avery and Marc quit their jobs and moved to Georgia, hoping to save the family farm from having to be sold. Avery Wrigglesworth

    Struggling to Stay Afloat

    They soon realized that the farm could not survive the way it was being operated.

    “We were just selling the calf crop at the local stockyards—that’s generally how these cow-calf operations sell,” Marc said. But they weren’t getting enough from the processors to pay their expenses, and they had to find another way.

    They decided, rather than selling to the big packing companies, to try selling directly to customers.

    “It was a leap of faith, but we had no other option,” Avery said. “In the three years we’d been running this place, we had a net operating loss of nearly $600,000, so it was either pack it in and leave with our tail between our legs, or take an even bigger leap and see if this will work.”

    They used their social media skills to build a base of customers, but making the switch cost them both time and money, depleting their savings.

    “We just had to bite the bullet and keep everything back for two years with no farm revenue,” Marc said.

    Avery had already built up a following on Instagram, so they had the beginnings of a customer base. During the two years of transition, they designed their online store and expanded their following, and Avery sharpened her photography skills for a steady stream of online posts.

    They found a company in Alabama that would do the meat processing for them. Once processed, the beef is returned to them, stored in a walk-in freezer on their farm, and shipped out to customers via UPS, packed in dry ice.

    Beef awaits shipment while stored in a walk-in freezer at Lily Hill Farm. Avery and Marc found a company to process the meat. Once processed, the beef is returned to them, stored in a walk-in freezer on their farm, and shipped out to customers directly. Avery Wrigglesworth

    Two years ago, the Lily Hill Farm’s website and online store went live, selling beef directly to customers that is pasture-raised “without additional growth hormones, antibiotics, or animal by-products,” the website states. And through their social media sites, Avery and Marc work to establish personal connections with customers.

    “They want to know where their products are coming from,” Avery said. “They want to know it’s a family behind it, and they want to know the people and the story behind the products they’re purchasing.”

    After years in the red, this new business model has returned the farm to profitability.

    “When we launched in April of 2022, we hit the ground running, and it’s been unstoppable ever since,” Marc said.

    Read the rest here…

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 20:45

  • Alinsky 101: NBC Runs Hegseth Hit Piece Despite Ex-Wife Debunking Accusation
    Alinsky 101: NBC Runs Hegseth Hit Piece Despite Ex-Wife Debunking Accusation

    Just in time for Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, his brother’s ex-wife, Danielle Hegseth, came out with a wild, Kavanaugh-esque claim that Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, made his second wife ‘fear for her safety.’

    Except, Hegseth’s second wife completely denied the claim, and NBC News decided to run the story anyway.

    When asked for comment, Hegseth’s ex, Samantha Hegseth, told the outlet, “I do not believe your information to be accurate, and I have cc’d my lawyer,” adding “There was no physical abuse in my marriage. This is the only further statement I will make to you.”

    An affidavit containing the allegation was delivered to Senators on Tuesday, the receipt of which came after Senate Armed Services Committee staffers were in contact with the ex-sister-in-law for several days.

    And who was it fed to? Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), after he requested a “statement” from the ex-sister-in-law, “attesting to your personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to occupy this important position.”

    And what’s this? Jack Reed is connected to the Steele Dossier used to smear President Trump as a Russian asset!

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    To summarize: The ex-wife of Pete Hegseth’s brother lodged a false accusation against him, which the alleged victim denied, and NBC News decided to run the piece anyway.

    Or as journalist Kyle Becker puts it, Alinsky 101.

    Remember when NBC News worked with a foreign ‘misinformation’ outfit to smear ZeroHedge, lied about the details, and then stealth-edited the article? We remember.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 20:20

  • US Racing Against Time To Reclaim Supply Chain From China: Former Commerce Official
    US Racing Against Time To Reclaim Supply Chain From China: Former Commerce Official

    Authored by Terri Wu and Jan Jekielek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    A former Department of Commerce official recently urged American officials and the general public to adopt an elevated sense of urgency to address the threat of U.S. supply chain dependence on communist China.

    An engineer checks a laser cutting machine, to be sold to automotive manufacturers for the production of new energy vehicles, at a facility in Wuhan, in China’s central Hubei province on June 12, 2023. STR/AFP via Getty Images

    “We are running out of time. We really need to race to solve this,” Nazak Nikakhtar, former assistant secretary for Industry and Analysis during the first Trump administration, recently told EpochTV’s “American Thought Leaders,” adding that the problem had been neglected for “at least two decades.”

    In her view, the issue stems from the deliberate strategic actions of the Chinese communist regime. She said that for many years, Beijing has engaged in unfair trade practices—often paying subsidiaries to flood the global market with cheap made-in-China products that others can’t compete with, thereby gaining control of an industry’s supply chain and moving on to undercut the next one.

    Compared to China’s dominance in the production of steel, batteries, solar cells, and personal protective equipment—all of which the American public is aware of due to the tariffs imposed during the Trump and Biden administrations—China’s dominance in lab-grown industrial diamond production is equally critical yet lesser known.

    These diamonds are essential for cutting tools—crucial for building, drilling, and manufacturing. The affected industries range from cars to aerospace and defense. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), China produces 95 percent of the world’s synthetic diamonds, and U.S. dependence on imports has fluctuated between 80 and 95 percent since 2018.

    On Dec. 3, China’s ruling communist party banned the export of industrial diamonds to the United States, along with gallium, germanium, and antimony—materials critical for making semiconductors. The decision was announced a day after the United States added advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment and software to its export controls to curb Beijing’s access to these critical elements for developing artificial intelligence.

    Diamonds for Industrial Power

    Also referred to as “super hard materials,” industrial diamonds are part of “Made in China 2025,” the Chinese communist regime’s ten-year industrial policy aimed at achieving dominance in advanced manufacturing worldwide.

    Since 2012, the regime has classified the manufacturing of diamonds and related equipment as “strategic new sectors.” Central and local authorities developed policies that promoted these businesses and provided subsidies.

    Although the specific amounts are unclear, sporadic Chinese media reports have revealed annual subsidies of between 10 million yuan ($1.3 million) and 50 million yuan ($6.8 million) per company.

    “Imagine a U.S. economy with zero manufacturing,” Nikakhtar warned.

    USGS data indicate that the nation lacks a stockpile of industrial diamonds, and in 2023, the estimated domestic production of the diamonds met only 16 percent of the total volume needed in the United States.

    “It’s just time to wake up. China has made clear that it is moving in this direction. We’ve got to take them at their word,” she said. “China has already shown us through its recent export controls that it means business, and it really has the ability to hurt the U.S. economy.”

    In the past eight decades, Congress has delegated extensive authority to the president to set tariff rates. A few laws allow America’s chief executive to use tariffs to set foreign policy and protect national security interests.

    During Nikakhtar’s tenure with the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Analysis, President Donald Trump invoked Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 in March 2018 to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent levy on aluminum from all countries except Canada and Mexico.

    In October 2021, President Joe Biden reached an agreement with the European Union and the United Kingdom and replaced the tariffs with quotas in return for lifting the retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports.

    Trump also used Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose tariffs on Chinese imports worth approximately $300 billion annually. The Biden administration kept all the duties and added more last year, following a review conducted every four years.

    As Trump begins his second term, Nikakhtar stated that the new administration is “very confident in how they’ve utilized the novel laws in the past” and will continue leveraging available legal mechanisms to apply tariffs to correct market distortions caused by unfair trade practices.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 19:55

  • Major US Firms Demand Suppliers Embrace "China + 1" Factory Strategy
    Major US Firms Demand Suppliers Embrace “China + 1” Factory Strategy

    The Covid pandemic sparked a wave of global trade uncertainty, prompting US companies to reevaluate their complex supply chains centered in China by either friend-shoring, near-shoring, or re-shoring. This shift toward friend-shoring in Southeast Asia (ex-China) has positioned Thailand as a pivotal ally in Washington’s US-China decoupling strategy.

    The ‘America First’ economic policy directed by President Trump will focus on, most importantly, re-shoring supply chains out of China and back to the US, followed by near-shoring and friend-shoring. Trump is also set to unleash tariffs on foreign goods as the US-China decoupling gathers pace. 

    Focusing on friend-shoring trends, Goldman’s Allen Chang, Verena Jeng, and others hosted the “Make in Thailand Tour” last week.

     

    During the visit to AI server liquid cooling, automotive electronics, electric vehicles, and other high-tech factories in the Southeast Asian country, Chang found a growing number of US companies are requiring suppliers to have not only Chinese factories but also a “plus one” location outside the world’s second-largest economy for diversification purposes. This has only sparked a boom in business activity in Thailand.

    Chang’s first takeaway from the visit to nine factories in Thailand is that geopolitical tensions between US-China are the primary driver of business expansion: 

    Companies shared that US clients started to mention “China + 1” (production sites outside of China) in 2018, turned more serious in 2022 during COVID with China under lockdown, and increased focus further in 2024 during the US elections. Companies shared some of their clients have stated that they will no longer accept suppliers (for new projects) without “China + 1” by end of 2025. We see geopolitical tensions as the major reason companies are diversifying production into Thailand.

    Here are the other main takeaways driving Thailand’s expansion: 

    • Clusters across Southeast Asia: Companies shared there are different clusters across countries in Southeast Asia, and supply chain usually moves with clients to secure timely services. Other than the consideration of distance to the clients, there are different features across different countries as well. For example, Vietnam is closest to China supply chain and developed early; Thailand is open for foreign investment with solid infrastructure; Malaysia’s labours have higher education especially Penang where global-tier semiconductors leaders are developing the OSAT industry since 1970s.

    •  AI servers, PCs, Automotive, LEO satellites are expanding in Thailand: Companies shared that three industries are showing a clear trend of supply chain expansion in Thailand: (1) AI servers supply chain: Quanta announced in Aug 2024 plans to invest US$24m; Inventec announced in late 2023 plans to invest US$152m; Auras’ investment of US$49m to US$55m for the second factory in Thailand; ZDT’s investment of US$250m; Delton’s investment of US$180m; WTT’s investment of US$75m; (2) PC supply chain: Chicony’s investment of US$45m for the phase 2; (3) LEO satellites: Compeq’s investment of US$302m; (4) Automotive: companies shared about more Chinese car OEMs expanding to Thailand, e.g. BYD, Chery, Neta, Greatwall, Geely, etc., leading to supply chain expansion.

    • Lower labour costs, but lower efficiency as well: Companies shared direct labour compensation is around 20-50% lower compared to China, or at Rmb3,000 (US$410) per month; however, for those who speak Mandarin, the costs could be double. Besides, the efficiency is one-third of Chinese labor, and thus the cost is 10-20% higher than China. To reduce costs, most companies have automated production in Thailand, and leverage government support (e.g. tax benefits, tariff benefits, etc.).

    • Hiring is not difficult: Companies shared that hiring is not difficult in Thailand, as there is also labour from countries nearby, e.g. Myanmar. Besides, the working environment is good (new air-conditioned factories) with accommodation or shuttle bus provided, making it easier to attract labour. Some companies shared they received about 90 applications for 20 labour positions.

    • Training in China: To meet US clients’ needs, most factories we visited target to start mass production by mid 2025. To secure a smooth production ramp up, most companies sent local labour to their factories in mainland China for training, and then back to Thailand. Some companies also shared they have 70% Chinese labour in their Thailand factories currently to secure a smooth trial run to production. In general, it takes 12-18 months for factory construction in Thailand (slower than China given there’s rainy season in Thailand), 6 months for equipment set up, 6 months for local labour training in mainland China, leading to mass production target by mid 2025.

    • OEM, ODM / assemblers are closer to airports and ports: We see OEMs, ODM / assemblers factories are 40-60mins drive from airports / ports, while supply chain / component makers are 2-3 hours drive away from airports / ports, but within 1 hour drive to OEMs, ODM / assemblers. Those who invested earlier in Thailand, also enjoy closer distance to airports / ports. For example, Chicony’s Thailand factory dates back to 1989; Auras invested in Thailand in 2019; PI was also early in Thailand and moved to the inner lands to enjoy more tax benefits from the local government.

    • Competition from local peers: All companies we visited didn’t seem worried about local competitors given Technology is not the focus of Thailand (i.e., less students majoring in Electrical Engineering). The government is also open to foreign investment without requirement of forming JV with local peers or cultivating local peers. However, the government strongly encourages local production. For example, the government expects car assembly and components to be produced in Thailand, but not necessarily by Thailand companies.

    • Government policies are supportive: Most companies we visited enjoy 8-year tax free, and they see a stable environment for business operations, with supportive government policies, such as BOI (Board of Investment of Thailand: up to 16 years tax free, tariff free for equipment and raw material imports, funding support for R&D centers, etc.) and EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor: tax free, tariff free for equipment and raw material imports, flexibility in foreign currency outward remittance, etc.). Infrastructure (e.g. road quality) and utilities (electricity, water supply) are also efficient, with stable labour conditions (e.g. less labour strike, disruptions etc).

    • EV market in Thailand: Companies shared that the EV penetration rate in Thailand is around 13-14% (in 2024), or 80k units, which is the largest EV market in Southeast Asia, and the penetration rate could further go up in 2025-26E. The major EV brands in Thailand are all from China, with BYD enjoying 30%+ market share in Thailand’s EV market, followed by Neta at 20%, and other major brands including Changan, SAIC, etc. Companies shared China remains the strongest market for EV, considering the infrastructure (e.g. charging stations) in Thailand is not yet as comprehensive as China.

    Major restructuring of supply chains has been underway since Trump’s first term as re-shoring, near-shoring, and friend-shoring trends will go into hyper-drive under Trump’s second term. 

    In a separate note, Goldman Chief Economist Jan Hatzius, alongside Alec Phillips, David Mericle, and others, commented on Trump’s day one of office on Monday, calling the president’s tariff reveal “more benign than expected.” This was mainly because Trump did not comment on China’s tariff policy while negotiations appeared ongoing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, Trump directed his trade efforts toward Canada and Mexico, threatening a 25% on both countries by February. 

    As for Thailand, it has become an integral part of the US friend-shoring strategy. The big takeaway comes from the Goldman note on US companies demanding suppliers have a plus one factory outside of China, providing tailwinds for Thailand.

    Meanwhile, economic tailwinds have likely produced the next yachting boom for the wealthy residents of Thailand.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 19:30

  • Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht, Slams "Scum" That Worked To Convict Him
    Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht, Slams “Scum” That Worked To Convict Him

    Update (1900ET): Well it may not have been officially Day One but Trump kept his promise and just pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht after he spent 11 years in jail.

    In a statement on Truth Social, President Trump said:

    “I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross.

    The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me.

    He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!“

    Promise made. Promise kept…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Here was Ross back in May when Trump made the promise…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    *  *  *

    “Ross will be freed too.”

    Those five words, posted by Elon Musk to his X account, sent the odds of a pardon for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht soaring to near certainty.

    According to a contract on Polymarket, the odds of a Ulbricht pardon are now above 90%…

    A petition calling for clemency for Ulbricht on freeross.org has gathered over 600,000 signatures since his incarceration.

    The petition has garnered support from those who argue his life sentence is excessive and unjust, and from some bitcoiners that uphold Silk Road’s libertarian ideals.

    As CoinDesk’s Sam Reynolds reports, Trump first promised to pardon Ulbricht during a campaign stop at the Libertarian National Convention last May.

    “If you vote for me, on Day 1, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to a sentence of time served,” Trump said during a speech last year.

    “He’s already served 11 years, we’re gonna get him home.”

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2015 for his role in the operation of the Silk Road marketplace, which pioneered the use of the dark web.

    Supporters of Ulbricht say that his sentence was disproportionately long for the crime.

    Elsewhere on the Polymarket pardon list is Roger Ver, an early bitcoin investor and bitcoin cash (BCH) advocate, who was indicted for tax fraud last April, and the market is giving a 32% chance of a pardon taking place in the first 100 days.

    Despite crypto playing a prominent part of Trump’s campaign, Polymarket bettors are only giving a 43% of a crypto executive order, regarding the use, trading, or legal status of digital assets, happening in the first week.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 19:20

  • The Sky Is Falling
    The Sky Is Falling

    Authored by Jeff Thomas via InternationalMan.com,

    Governments are in the flimflam business.

    Pared down to the bare essentials, governments can be very useful in passing and enforcing a small number of very basic laws. These laws should be limited to policing those who would seek to aggress against others, or their property. Governments may also have a value in providing protection from invasion – organizing an army of able-bodied people to address this collective problem, if and when it occurs.

    And that’s about it. Beyond that, the private sector can, and almost always does, do a better job at virtually everything else. Therefore, a government should be small, cost very little to run and do as little as possible.

    But since a government already exists, why not have it do more? Why not assign to it some of those tasks that tend not to attract businessmen?

    Well, the simple, but almost universally little-understood, reason is that governments do not actually produce anything. They are, in fact, a parasitical construct that consumes money but creates nothing of worth.

    Unlike businesses, they don’t operate on a profit basis. In fact, few politicians or civil servants have any grasp of the concept that prosperity is only created when someone invests his money in a venture, creates a profit and saves or re-invests the difference.

    Although this may seem like a harsh criticism, it’s borne out by the fact that all governments consume money and are more wasteful than any business would be. Worse, politicians and civil servants typically fail entirely to understand that this is a fundamental problem.

    And, yet, like all people, people in governments wish to personally advance, both in position and financial worth.

    And here is where the perennial bugbear of governments appears.

    Since governments, by rights, should never expand unless absolutely necessary, and since this is never enough for those who people any government, they must somehow con the public into believing that government expansion is “for the good of the people.”

    Ergo, even the smallest of governments, in the smallest of jurisdictions, will learn to cajole the public. As the government grows, the con-game grows and duplicity, trickery and skullduggery become the lifeblood of the government – any government.

    The con-game becomes, “Vote for me and I’ll provide you with something at the expense of someone else.”

    “It is the primary business of any government to grow its own power and wealth at the expense of its people.”

    At some point, all governments figure out that the greatest way to expand their own power and personal wealth is through fear. If a people can be made afraid, the government can bypass reason and appeal to emotion – always an easier sell.

    For millennia, governments (like organised religions and for the same reason) have peddled the fear of a demon – usually in the form of an aggressive opponent from outside the jurisdiction who can be regarded as wishing to aggress against the country. In modern times, however, the spin doctors have done this concept one better – they’ve learned to peddle, not an individual, country or army as the demon, but a concept.

    As the reader will know, in recent decades, all any government has needed to do is claim that something that they oppose is related somehow to terrorism and they will be given carte blanche to crush it, however implausible the given reasoning may be.

    Another highly successful demon is Climate Change.

    The Climate Change concept was invented out of whole fabric by the Club of Rome, which was created in 1968 by David Rockefeller. It was originally called “Global Cooling,” as, at that time, the earth was passing through one of its cyclic cooling periods. However, that period soon came to an end and the earth entered a global warming period. So, the same “science” that was used for Global Cooling was then attributed without any change whatever to the new “Global Warming.”

    When that cycle ended and the proponents of Global Warming again had egg on their faces for pushing warming during a new periodic cooling cycle, the proponents finally got clever and renamed it “Climate Change.”

    From that day forward, any flood, drought, hurricane, tornado or variation in the ice caps has immediately been blamed on “increased Climate Change,” even though such occurrences have been with us forever and will be with us forever.

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has repeatedly polled scientists as to whether they agree that climate change exists, and the IPCC states that over 97% agree. What is not asked is whether Climate Change is a direct result of man’s intervention. Asked if climate changes from time to time, the answer is, of course, “yes.” In fact, 100% of scientists should agree, based upon the wording of the question.

    But, of course, this is not science at all, but deception. Always phrase the question in such a way that you will receive the desired answer.

    So, the outcome is that the great majority of people are sold on the idea that Climate Change is due to man’s creation of CO2 and that mankind has to be controlled, or he will destroy the planet with CO2 emissions.

    Since “scientists” are represented as agreeing on this, people tend not to question the logic. The fact that all plants breathe CO2 and would die without it and that, if all plant life were to expire, all animal life would then expire, does not occur to the listener. His government has spoken and he needs to be afraid.

    Since the mid-1970s, politicians have periodically claimed that life on earth will come to an end in a decade or so if emissions are not eliminated globally. Whenever one of these deadlines passes, the presenters simply move up the date another decade or so, maintaining the fear, but never actually reaching the end of the world.

    Of course, the Great Lie should be exposed, due to the fact that governments do not actually pass laws to eliminate CO2 emissions; they merely create taxation and fines for those manufacturers who create CO2.

    So, apparently, it’s all right to end the world, if you pay a hefty tax, instead of cutting CO2.

    “The Jews will destroy Germany”… “The Iranians will destroy the world if they can make a nuclear bomb”… “Your car will destroy the earth”… but Air Force One, which creates 336 times the CO2 of a car, will not.

    With government propaganda, the sky is always falling.

    All the best propaganda appeals at a gut level. If people can be made to abandon reason and accept government-created fear, they can be controlled.

    This doesn’t mean that governments can’t ever be trusted, but it means that they shouldn’t ever be trusted. They should always be questioned, not only as their propaganda is so often false, but as they are, inherently, in the flimflam business.

    *  *  *

    The government never stops growing and extending its reach into new areas of life. It finances this by confiscating wealth through taxation, indebting future generations, and lots of money printing. Unfortunately, there’s little any individual can practically do to change the trajectory of these trends in motion. Most people won’t be prepared for what’s coming. That’s precisely why bestselling author Doug Casey and his team just released an essential guide to Surviving and Thriving and Thriving During an Economic Collapse. Click here to download the PDF now.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 19:05

  • Davos Shocker: Countries Around The World Eyeing Bitcoin Strategic Reserves Thanks To Trump
    Davos Shocker: Countries Around The World Eyeing Bitcoin Strategic Reserves Thanks To Trump

    In a development once deemed unimaginable, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong revealed on Tuesday that finance ministers attending the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, are showing increasing interest in establishing their own Strategic Bitcoin Reserves. According to Armstrong, this growing momentum appears to be inspired by the United States’ consideration of a similar initiative.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    ANDREW SORKIN: Take us inside the room. What was the feeling? We watched the crypto ball and everything also. There seems to be a full-on sea change in Washington about your world.

    BRIAN ARMSTRONG:  It’s the dawn of the new day for crypto. The energy was palpable throughout the room. You have to remember the last four years we felt we were being attacked by the administration and they tried to weaponize the lack of clarity and the rules and push back on the good actors. There were bad actors, to be fair, but they were going after the good actors. We are ready for new rules.

    ANDREW SORKIN: Did you expect an executive order yesterday? To the extent of Bitcoin prices is a signal of something.

    BRIAN ARMSTRONG: It’s been one day. I’m not too worried.

    ANDREW SORKIN: What is the executive order you are looking for?

    BRIAN ARMSTRONG: Directing the agency of the U.S. government to collaborate and look to clear rules passed. That would allow capital to flow into the United States and startups to be built there. Rearticulating the bill of rights with the self-custodial wallets. That was a big issue in the past four years as well. Operation Chokepoint 2.0. Those were some of the things that can be done with executive orders, it will really take congress.

    ANDREW SORKIN: Can I ask about the choke point 2.0? The question is do you believe people were being quote/unquote debanked because they owned crypto at all or debanked because they were seen at those banks as a risk of some sort to the bank?

    BRIAN ARMSTRONG: I think what happened is that the regulators likely cajoled by people like Elizabeth Warren applied a soft pressure to the banks and said we have concerns about crypto. Vague statements. Risk-based statements. If you are a bank CEO, that is hard to do if the regulator comes in and says we’re uncomfortable with this. You say is it illegal? No, we’re uncomfortable. That soft pressure was unlawful in my view was happening.

    ANDREW SORKIN: This became a commotion in the last 48 hours about crypto. What is your feeling about the Trump family involvement in crypto and President Trump put out a meme coin that was at some point worth tens of billions of dollars. Melania doing the same. There are some people inside crypto who are very critical of those decisions because they look like an enrichment of the president.

    BRIAN ARMSTRONG: Look, I think anybody should be able to create a collectible or piece of artwork. There are lots of crypto commodities and hopefully securities in the future. These meme coins are something anybody should put out there. We don’t recommend one asset. We look at the standards and let the market decide.

    ANDREW SORKIN: The concept of a memecoin. Is that good or bad for crypto? If enough people participate and lose, because more people lose than win, and the fact that the president of the United States and his family involved in the project, does that concern you?

    BRIAN ARMSTRONG: A lot of technology looks like a toy. Think about the early internet and people were putting animated gifs and things with cats. It turned out to be much more important than that. You have to be cautious. With meme coins, it is not something I’m trading all the time. I’m not particularly interested in it. It could evolve into something powerful. You have to keep an open mind. I think everybody should have the right.

    REBECCA QUICK: The disappointment that’s being read into the price of crypto today. It’s not down all that much. People are saying there’s disappointment because he didn’t enact on day one. If you look at crypto’s price since his election, bitcoin’s price since his election, it’s up almost 50%. I wonder how much of the positive news is baked into what you are seeing in the price of bitcoin? What you are seeing from here in terms of bitcoin’s growth or volatility that could come with that? A lot of the positive news is already recognized from the moment he was elected?

    BRIAN ARMSTRONG: We have seen an incredible growth and it hit an all-time high yesterday. We feel very good about that. I think over time, bitcoin will get in the millions price range. It is adopted by more and more customers. ETF with the inflow. If we get clear legislation in the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. If the U.S. started, the rest of the G20 would follow. I discussed with leaders from different countries around the world, they are getting more interested in it because the U.S. is looking into it.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 18:40

  • 'Have Mercy On The Crop-Pickers & Gay People, Mr President': Activist Bishop 'Weaponizes' Sermon At National Prayer Service
    ‘Have Mercy On The Crop-Pickers & Gay People, Mr President’: Activist Bishop ‘Weaponizes’ Sermon At National Prayer Service

    The looks on Trump and Vance’s faces (and their wives) tells you all you needed to know about how this morning’s Inauguration Prayer Service went…

    Just hours after President Trump signed executive orders to crack down on illegal immigration and one that states the government will only recognize the two sexes – male and female – Episcopalian Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde decided this was the perfect opportunity to politically weaponize her sermon, urging President Trump to “have mercy” on immigrants and transgender youth.

    “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared,” Budde said from a pulpit.

    “There are gay, lesbian, transgender children, Democratic, Republican, independent families – some who fear for their lives.“

    It is unclear why they fear for their lives…

    But the bishop was not done yet, she had a lot more virtue to signal from her ‘bully pulpit’…

    “The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals…

    …they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals.”

    She outlined that those workers “pay taxes”, are “good neighbors” and are “faithful members” of U.S. churches, mosques, synagogues and temples, arguing that their children “fear their parents are going to be taken away.”

    Additionally, she called on Trump to aid people fleeing war zones and persecution.

    “Find compassion,” she said.

    Watch the full sermon here…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Perhaps some of that compassion should be found for the children that are trafficked; or for the American citizens who have been raped and/or murdered by numerous ‘illegal’ crop-pickers and office-cleaners?

    Reporters were desperate for a comment from Trump as he left the service, he threw it back in their faces:

    “What did you think, did you like it? Did you find it exciting? Not too exciting was it,” the president stated.

    “I think it was a great service.”

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    “They could do much better,” Trump added.

    Bishop Budde’s profile pic… of course!

    Finally, who could have seen this coming from such a virtuous member of the clergy…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Budde is no stranger to woke causes, proclaiming on her diocesan website that she is “an advocate and organizer in support of justice concerns, including racial equity, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons, and the care of creation.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 18:25

  • Correcting Progressive Errors About Why Trump Won
    Correcting Progressive Errors About Why Trump Won

    Authored by Peter Berkowitz via RealClearPolitics,

    Today, in defiance of mighty odds, Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, took the oath of office to become the nation’s 47th president.

    Illiberalism of the left proved a major factor in Trump’s close but clear victory over Vice President Kamala Harris and in progressive elites’ far-fetched rationalizations of Harris’ defeat.

    Some Harris supporters, especially among the D.C. professional class, attribute Harris’ loss to Trump voters’ gullibility or malice. They say that America is thriving, crime is down, employment is low, and Biden passed major legislation to combat inflation and enhance America’s ability to compete with China. Therefore, only a public that fell for right-wing misinformation or backs Trump’s authoritarian dispositions could have elected him president. Among other things, this assessment overlooks that inflation, which surged during Biden’s presidency, battered working-class voters who form the core of Trump’s support, and that declining inflation does not mean that prices have returned to pre-inflation levels. It also underestimates the impact of lawless borders on middle-class and working-class voters. It avoids consideration of the consequences of mainstream-media gaslighting of Americans about Biden’s declining cognitive capabilities. And it ignores the electoral significance of Harris’ inability to distinguish herself from the Biden administration – known early on as the Biden-Harris administration – and to separate herself from the hard-left positions she took in 2019 in pursuit of her party’s presidential nomination and as a senator from, and attorney general of, California.

    Other Harris supporters blame her loss on racism and sexism. They maintain that the American people’s bigotry foiled the election of an African-American woman to the highest office in the land. Well-known facts undercut this accusation. In 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama defeated John McCain – a center-right, white war hero – to become the first black person elected president of the United States. Following his January 2009 inauguration, President Obama enjoyed sky-high approval ratings that cut across party lines. Obama coasted to reelection in 2012 against Mitt Romney – a center-right, white, former businessman and former Massachusetts governor. And former President Obama and his African-American wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, remain popular. Moreover, though losing to Trump in 2016 in the Electoral College, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, demonstrating that a majority of Americans can prefer a woman in the White House.

    In early January in the New York Times, James Carville took a crack at explaining Harris’ loss. He, too, offered an implausible, one-dimensional account.

    In “James Carville: I Was Wrong About the 2024 Election. Here’s Why,” the veteran Democratic campaign advisor and longtime TV political commentator reasonably emphasized that “the most important thing for us now is to face that we were wrong and take action on the prevailing ‘why.’” But his “why” is a misleading cliché. A prominent figure in Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential bid, Carville faulted Democrats in 2024 for neglecting a crucial truth associated with victory 32 years before: “We lost for one very simple reason: It was, it is, and it always will be the economy, stupid.”

    Carville greatly oversimplifies. The economy is a major factor in elections. Yet other matters, including citizens’ sense of personal security and overall well-being and candidates’ positions on culture and foreign affairs, not only shape political preferences but also influence voters’ interpretation of economic performance. For example, voters’ assessment of higher taxes and painful tariffs during wartime differ from their view of these burdens in peacetime.

    While Trump “decisively won by seizing a swath of middle-class and low-income voters focused on the economy,” according to Carville, it was, he contends, the stories that Republicans told about the economy – and that Democrats did not tell – that determined the outcome. “Democrats have flat-out lost the economic narrative,” writes Carville. “The only path to electoral salvation is to take it back. Perception is everything in politics, and a lot of Americans perceive us as out to lunch on the economy – not feeling their pain or caring too much about other things instead.” Accordingly, Carville instructs Democrats to “focus on revving up a transformed messaging machine for the new political paradigm we now find ourselves living in.” To better manage people’s perceptions, Democrats must devise a simple message and execute a disciplined, back-to-basics campaign – “Repetitive. Memorable. And entirely focused on the issues that affect Americans’ everyday lives.”

    Instead of directing ire toward Trump the man, Carville wants Democratic messaging to target the Trump administration’s likely economic measures: tax cuts for the wealthy, tariffs, and major cuts to health care benefits. These, Carville is confident, will hurt ordinary voters.

    He also calls on Democrats to develop their own policies. Implicitly recognizing that Trump tapped into genuine discontents, Carville counsels his party to go “on the offensive with a wildly popular and populist economic agenda” that Republicans cannot but oppose. That agenda should include raising the minimum wage, portraying the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade as an economic issue, and dividing the GOP by supporting immigration reform that encourages high-skilled and well-educated workers to come to America. And, Carville stresses, Democrats must aggressively employ “the new media paradigm” – podcasts, social media, and prominent influencers – to sell their policies.

    Musa al-Gharbi sees matters very differently and accounts for Harris’ defeat far more convincingly. In “A Graveyard of Bad Election Narratives,” he criticizes progressive scholars’ and journalists’ propensity to find the source of Trump’s victory in red-state voters’ moral and intellectual failings. An assistant professor of communication, journalism and, by courtesy, sociology at Stony Brook University, the young scholar – no fan of Trump’s – corrects the record through careful consideration of publicly available data.

    Al-Gharbi concentrates on “what wasn’t the problem” (emphasis in original) for Democrats. It wasn’t racism: Trump did worse with white voters this cycle than in 2020 and 2016; Harris did better with white voters – especially white men – than did Biden in 2020 and Clinton in 2016; and Trump improved his numbers significantly among non-white voters. It wasn’t sexism: While Trump received a share of the male vote similar to that of Nixon, Reagan, and both Bushes, he significantly increased his portion of the women’s vote. It wasn’t billionaires’ influence: Although Trump had Elon Musk and more than 50 other billionaires on his side, Harris had more than 80 billionaires on hers, raised much more money than Trump, and was preferred by the affluent. It wasn’t third parties: In the two states – Michigan and Wisconsin – where third parties received enough votes to make a difference, a majority of their votes had the third-party candidates not run probably would have gone to Trump. And the problem wasn’t voter turnout: Although down overall from 2020, most of the 2024 decrease came from sure-win states for one of the candidates while four swing states that together were decisive – Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Michigan – enjoyed record voter turnout.

    What then was Harris’ problem in election 2024? It starts, according to al-Gharbi, with her deficiencies as a candidate. Harris entered the race extremely late (Biden’s fault) and failed to communicate a compelling agenda (her fault). In addition, maintains al-Gharbi, by courting Liz Cheney and Dick Cheney she alienated her base without attracting swing voters. She neglected Democrats’ “blue wall” Rust Belt states. Speaking on her behalf, Obama antagonized black voters by scolding them for insufficiently supporting a black woman. And Harris declined an invitation from “The Joe Rogan Experience,” a podcast that typically reaches an audience of 11 million and on occasion as many as 50 million.

    The deeper reasons for Trump’s victory involve long-term trends also at work in other Western liberal democracies. The data indicate, argues al-Gharbi, that voters’ top three reasons for rejecting Harris were inflation, immigration, and progressive views on cultural issues. However, if it weren’t for inflation and immigration, argues al-Gharbi, Democrats in 2024 would have continued to shed votes among “non-whites, religious minorities, less affluent people” because of cultural issues’ persistent salience.

    For several election cycles, highly educated, prestigiously credentialed elites have alienated middle-class and working-class voters and driven them to the Republican Party, observes al-Gharbi. Over the last 15 years or so, the “Great Awokening,” he argues, intensified progressive elites’ promulgation of hard-left cultural stances. They championed assaults on free speech – by universities, the prestige press, social media, government, and sometimes all in tandem. They promoted a transgender ideology that encouraged adolescents to change their sex through drug therapy and surgery, and that endorsed the participation in women’s athletic competitions of biological men who declared themselves women. And they avidly advanced Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs that denounced merit as an artifact of white supremacy and sought to place in positions of power and prestige people of favored skin color, ethnicity, sex, and sexual orientation.

    Progressives’ embrace of illiberal doctrines had the strange consequence of transforming Donald Trump into the preferred candidate for president of many who cherish free speech, respect sexual difference while insisting on equal rights, and wish people to be judged based on competence and character. This goes a long way toward explaining Trump’s odds-defying return to the White House.

    Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. From 2019 to 2021, he served as director of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. State Department. His writings are posted at PeterBerkowitz.com and he can be followed on X @BerkowitzPeter.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 18:15

  • Grand Theft Auto VI Priced At $100? This Gaming Analyst Believes So
    Grand Theft Auto VI Priced At $100? This Gaming Analyst Believes So

    A gaming industry analyst penned a lengthy 200+ slide presentation about the state of the US video gaming industry for 2025. 

    Epyllion CEO Matthew Ball pointed out how the gaming industry has tumbled into a slump, pressuring developers and publishers, but new “hopes” center around Rockstar Games’ guaranteed mega-hit Grand Theft Auto 6 release this fall that “could re-establish packed video game prices after decades of deflation despite rampant cost growth.” 

    GTA 6, the long-awaited follow-up to 2013’s GTA 5, will hit store shelves for Xbox and PlayStation this fall. We should note GTA 6 has been previously delayed… 

    Ahead of GTA 5’s release, Goldman analysts reiterated in November a “Buy” rating on Take-Two, the owner of Rockstar Games, with a 12-month price target that was shifted up from $186 to $205. 

    DFC Intelligence, the oldest market analyst firm covering the video games industry, forecasted that GTA 6 could generate over $3 billion in its first year of sales, including $1 billion from just pre-orders. This positions GTA 6 to potentially become the largest-ever entertainment release in history. 

    Epyllion’s Ball predicts that GTA 6 could help reverse the deflationary downturn in the video game industry, stating: “Some game makers hope GTA 6 will be priced at $80-100, breaking the $70 barrier and helping $50 titles move up to $60, $60 to $70, $70 to $80.” 

    He also noted that at $70, GTA 6 would be the “cheapest” entry in the series in relative terms. This suggests a $10-$30 price increase is ahead for the release this fall, which could benefit the video game industry as a whole. 

    In the early 2000s, video games were priced around $50. By the mid-2000s, this increased to $60, and in 2020, the industry raised the price of AAA-rated games to $70. 

    “Packaged game prices have never been lower in real terms than they are today — even though budgets are at all-time highs and player growth is stalled,” Ball continued, adding, “GTA 6 could re-establish packed video game prices after decades of deflation despite rampant cost growth.”

    Reacting to Ball’s lengthy note, Michael Douse, publishing director at Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian, wrote on X, “You’re not supposed to say this out loud!”

    Douse continued, “A good company raises salaries in line with inflation so that their staff don’t die or something, but games prices haven’t risen with inflation. This isn’t the reason the industry is in the shit for now, but it is an uncomfortable truth. On the other hand, the responsibility for a game developer is to make sure that the game they show lives up to that promise, and that investment from the player.”

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    $70, $80, even $100—price increases are unlikely to deter hardcore gamers who have waited over a decade for GTA 6. 

    The question remains whether GTA 6 can single-handedly save the video game industry from a deflationary death spiral. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 17:50

  • Elise Stefanik Will Deliver On President Trump's America First Agenda At The UN
    Elise Stefanik Will Deliver On President Trump’s America First Agenda At The UN

    Authored by Jim Banks via RealClearDefense,

    For four years, we have seen the consequences of weak leadership in the White House: a world rife with conflict, a foreign policy that has emboldened adversaries like Communist China and Iran and abandoned allies like Israel further degrading American security. 

    This past fall, the American people voted to usher in an era of renewed American strength. President Trump campaigned on a promise to restore American leadership on the world stage and is appointing the right team to ensure that promises made are promises kept. Specifically at international institutions like the United Nations, this America First leadership cannot come soon enough. Elise Stefanik is the perfect choice to deliver on President Trump’s agenda as Ambassador to the United Nations.

    Her pledge to bring “transparency and reform” to the international body is desperately needed. For too long, American interests have taken a backseat at the UN.

    The UN rakes in billions of American taxpayer dollars while actively undermining our interests. It allows the worst human rights abusers to sit on the so-called “Human Rights Council,” pushes a radical climate agenda that would destroy our energy industry, and persecutes our most greatest ally Israel while turning a blind eye to bad actors like China and Iran.

    Elise understands that there can be no equivocation in our support for our greatest ally, Israel. As a fellow member of the Armed Services Committee during our shared time in the House, she joined me in pushing legislation after legislation that ensures Israel’s right to defend itself and combat the rampant antisemitism polluting our institutions including the United Nations. 

    At a time when we face upheaval across the globe, Elise understands that security and peace can only be obtained through strength. Gone are the days of allowing our adversaries unchecked. And under President Trump’s historic national security team filled with my former colleagues and friends, we will restore American standing to the world stage. 

    During his first administration, President Trump successfully instituted a historic maximum pressure campaign to hold Iran accountable for its violent actions. Working alongside Congress and with President Trump in the White House, Elise will use her position at the UN to strengthen international pressure on the Iranian regime and hold them accountable once again. 

    In addition to standing with Israel and combating Iranian aggression, another key pillar of restoring American strength will be standing up to China, which continues to be a pressing threat to our nation’s security.

    Elise summed up the dire need for UN reform and specifically the influence of Communist China when she wrote, “We must strive for a UN in which no one nation is expected to foot the bill but receive no accountability or transparency in return, in which no despot or dictator can sit in judgment of others while deflecting attention away from their own human rights abuses, and in which no organization corrupted by the likes of the Chinese Communist Party can dictate sweeping conventions and international standards across its membership.”

    As we saw from their actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN and its World Health Organization are in the pocket of Communist China and its leadership. Across the UN body, subagencies have become mouthpieces for Communist Chinese talking points turning a blind eye to their disgusting human rights violations as they hypocritically chastise other nations’ on the matter from their seat on the Human Rights Council. Under America First leadership and with Elise at the helm, the United Nations will root out this corruption, ensuring accountability for taxpayer dollars sent to the United Nation serve the American people first and foremost. Elise has proven time and time again to be a fighter who will not stand idly by while these international organizations do China’s bidding. 

    During her time in public office Elise has shown that she will fight to protect the interests of the American people, defend American sovereignty, and strengthen American security by empowering our allies like Israel and deterring the malign actions of our adversaries like Communist China and Iran. 

    Now more than ever that fighting spirit is needed at the UN. I look forward to voting in support of her nomination on the Senate floor and encourage my colleagues to follow suit. 

    Sen. Jim Banks (Rep,, Ind.) he preveiously represented Indiana’s 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 17:30

  • Was Biden China's Manchurian Candidate The Entire Time?
    Was Biden China’s Manchurian Candidate The Entire Time?

    “Was Biden China’s Manchurian candidate the entire time?” David Asher, an expert on illicit financing who previously worked at the US Defense and State Departments, asked on X, following the last-minute pardons that former President Biden issued on Monday morning for family members, including his brother, James Biden; his sister-in-law, Sara Jones Biden; his sister, Valerie Biden Owens; his brother-in-law, John T. Owens; and his youngest brother, Francis Biden. 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Asher said, “Biden just pardoned his family, not just Hunter. It’s a clear indication that they have a secret to cover up. Bohai (aka BHR) is worth billions. Via beneficial interest, Biden family may own up to 27%.” 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris, Hunter Biden’s “sugar brother,” purchased Hunter’s 10% stake in the China-backed investment firm BHR Partners during President Biden’s first year in office. The move allowed the Biden family to declare they had divested from foreign business interests. 

    Asher noted, “Hunter says he sold his shares in 2021 to his lawyer/landlord Smith but if that truly happened he would received several billion dollars,” adding, “No evidence of that. All signs are he owns at least 18.8%.” 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    “Bohai appears to own China defense company, Zhongkui Group as well. So potential direct ties to the People’s Liberation Army and domestic/foreign Chinese intelligence. WTF??” Asher emphasized. 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Hmmm.

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Asher questioned: “Are their associates (Bulger, Morris, et al.) “beneficial shareholders” and have been the whole time? What did they do to be given “golden” founders shares, to begin with, if not for the Biden’s?”

    He continued, “Their shares apparently were worth hundreds of millions and possibly billions, at least on paper? So they received this from a Chinese Communist Party company – it is apparently the oldest private equity fund in all of China. While Biden was Vice President and then President? Why are Hunter’s buddies still on the board and or “supervisors.” What’s the deal between Whitey Bulger’s family and the Bidens? Was Biden a Manchurian candidate for the ChiComms?” 

    Asher reposted a clip of Peter Schweizer, who said the Biden family pardons are merely “an extension of Joe Biden himself and his role in the family’s dealings.” 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Earlier, the former president said blanket pardons to family members do not acknowledge wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be viewed as an admission of guilt. They cover all nonviolent offenses beginning on Jan. 1, 2014. This comes as various Biden family members have been under investigation for influence peddling.

    Here’s Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden pictured with Hunter’s Chinese business associates at a 2013 dinner in Beijing. 

    Zero Hedge notes that former President Biden denied attending any dinner or meeting with Hunter’s Chinese business associates. 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Speaking with The Hill on Monday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY.) said the pardons “validated” the investigations into Biden family members.

    “We finished our investigation, we published a very detailed report, and I think the pardons validate everything in that report,” Comer said, adding, “Now it’s Pam Bondi’s.”

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Asher continued, “Trump is making history on day one. We are going to end the BS in the USG and make things in government and for the people more than great again. Trump’s better than he’s ever been before. Even old line conservatives need to get on board.” 

    “If I get back in, the deep State will be upended and we will make the Department of State great again under Secretary Rubio— who is a total genius and tremendous leader under the president. China will pay for COVID and fentanyl. Iran will not be forgiven for attempting to kill the president and many others while it moves to build nukes to destabilize the Middle East and threaten the US and Europe. We can do a great deal without resorting to kinetic force. Peace through strength!” he concluded. 

    The key takeaway is that the last-minute pardons for various members of the Biden family prompted Asher to conduct a public forensic analysis, which raises more questions than answers—particularly about whether Hunter still has ties (potentially beneficial interest) to BHR despite allegedly divesting several years ago. 

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    According to a 2022 Fox News report, Peter Schweizer stated that the CCP leadership employs a strategy known as “elite capture” to influence or buy off prominent US oligarchs—potentially including the Bidens—to avoid direct conflict.

    “If we [CCP] can capture them with sweetheart deals, with other benefits, we can effectively lobotomize the United States by making them unresponsive to our threats,” Schweizer said of Beijing’s strategy. 

    During Biden’s first term, China was largely unchecked in its military base expansion in the South China Sea, the presence of PLA ships in Japanese waters, the deployment of hypersonic missiles capable of destroying US aircraft carriers, and simulated war-gaming around Taiwan. Spy balloons floated over US territory, the drug crisis—fueled by fentanyl precursor chemicals from China smuggled via Mexican cartels across open southern and northern borders—intensified, the origins of Covid from a potential Chinese lab leak were dismissed, and the largest offensive cyberattack against the US (still ongoing) occurred, all without a clear policy response from the Biden administration and a rudderless Department of Defense.

    Asher concluded: “This honeypot strategy by the CCP is as old as time. It’s hard to believe the Bidens would fall for it—let alone get away with it—while the corporate media fails to grasp or report on the massive scale, scope, and influence of Bohai within the Chinese Communist Party establishment.”

    All of this may explain why former President Biden preemptively pardoned his family members.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/21/2025 – 17:10

Digest powered by RSS Digest

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.