Today’s News 26th January 2025

• Rubio Tells Chinese Counterpart That US Interests Come First
  Rubio Tells Chinese Counterpart That US Interests Come First

  Authored by Dorothy Li via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told his Chinese counterpart that the Trump administration will prioritize American interest in its relationship with communist China, according to the State Department.

  

  Rubio conveyed this message during a phone call on Jan. 24 with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, marking his first publicly known formal exchange with Wang as the top U.S. diplomat.

  Rubio emphasized that the Trump administration will pursue a relationship with China that “advances U.S. interests and puts the American people first,” according to the U.S. readout of the call.

  State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the secretary “stressed the United States’ commitment to our allies in the region and serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan and in the South China Sea.”

  According to a summary of the call issued by China’s foreign ministry, Wang told Rubio that teams from both sides should implement the consensus reached during last week’s conversation between the two countries’ leaders, which had “pointed out the direction” and “established the tone” for Sino–U.S. relations.

  Wang reiterated the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) sovereignty claims over Taiwan, a self-ruled island that the regime has not ruled out using force to bring under its control.

  Wang also issued a veiled warning to Rubio, who was placed on Beijing’s sanctions list twice in 2020 for his human rights advocacy, saying that he hoped Rubio would “act accordingly” and “play a constructive role for the future of the people of China and the United States,” according to a translation by the Chinese ministry.

  Rubio characterized communist China as “the most potent and dangerous, near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted” during his Senate confirmation hearing last week.

  Trump: US–China Relationship Needs to Be ‘Fair’

  The conversation between the two countries’ top diplomats comes less than a week after President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term.

  Trump had invited CCP leader Xi Jinping to his inauguration in the U.S. Capitol, but the regime chose to send deputy leader Han Zheng as its special envoy for the event.

  Hours before his inauguration ceremony, Trump had a phone call with Xi that he later described as “very good” for both the United States and China.

  The president told reporters later on the day that he had received an invitation to visit China and that a trip this year could be possible.

  Earlier this week, Trump said that he believed under his administration, the United States will have “a very good relationship” with China.

  “All we want is fairness. We just want a level playing field,” the president told the attendees of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos via a video link.

  Highlighting the massive U.S. trade deficits with China, Trump said, “It’s just an unfair relationship, and we have to make it just fair.”

  “We don’t have to make it phenomenal. We have to make it a fair relationship,” he said. “Right now. It’s not a fair relationship.”

  The U.S. trade deficit with China reached $279.4 billion in 2023, according to the latest available data from the U.S. Commerce Department.

  During his presidential campaign, Trump floated the idea of imposing tariffs as high as 60 percent on Chinese imports.

  On Jan. 22, Trump said that an extra 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports could start as early as Feb. 1. The extra duties, according to the president, were based on the “fact that they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada.”

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 23:20

• How Consciousness Opens Doors To Higher Dimensions
  How Consciousness Opens Doors To Higher Dimensions

  Authored by Yuhong Dong M.D., Ph.D. & Makai Allbert via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Dr. Eben Alexander was at the height of his career as a neurosurgeon. With a doctorate in medicine from Duke University and a residency from Harvard, he believed he understood consciousness and the brain. However, on Nov. 10, 2008, a rare and severe bacterial infection attacked his brain, challenging everything he thought he knew.

  

  He fell into a coma and, seven days later, awakened with a complete physical recovery. Yet, while asleep, his mind was not idle. He recalls that his consciousness had gone to another dimension—a place furnished with clouds, shimmering beings, and ethereal sceneries.

  “I was in a place of clouds. Big, puffy, pink-white ones that showed up sharply against the deep blue-black sky. Higher than the clouds—immeasurably higher—flocks of transparent orbs, shimmering beings arced across the sky, leaving long, streamer-like lines behind them,” Alexander wrote in his book, “A Proof of Heaven.”

  “I witnessed all of that realm in all of its majesty,” Alexander recounted during an interview with The Epoch Times. “Though I didn’t know where I was or even what I was, I was absolutely sure of one thing: This place I’d suddenly found myself in was completely real,” he said.

  Similarly, Dr. Sam Parnia, a medical doctor and research scientist, observed that seven percent of resuscitated patients recounted visits to an unearthly dimension during their near-death experience (NDE)—an experience people sometimes have on the precipice of death and may remember after recovery. Further, Dr. Pim van Lommel, a cardiologist from the Netherlands, reported that 29 percent of people with NDEs describe entering a vast, beautiful realm beyond our physical reality.

  

  These shared elements have prompted experts to discuss the origin of consciousness. Can our consciousness be linked and travel to a dimension imperceptible to human eyes? While people of faith say they’ve had answers all along, medical doctors are still probing, and physicists claim they are close to finding the answer.

  Multiple Dimensions

  Physicists recognize that there may be numerous dimensions. Modern physics embraces the concept of multidimensional space and parallel universes as a serious scientific idea.

  Leading theories include string theory and M-theory. String theory posits that the fundamental building blocks of the universe are not just particles but tiny, vibrating filaments, or “strings.”

  Imagine analyzing an apple. As you magnify it, you discover layers of structure down to cells, molecules, and atoms. Conventional theories usually stop at subatomic particles. String theory posits that the infinitesimally small subatomic particles are actually strands of energy vibrating in different patterns, much like the strings of a violin. Each distinct vibration produces unique particles, creating a cosmic symphony that constitutes all matter.

  String theories are given credence because they provide a framework to unify the fundamental forces of nature—gravity, electromagnetic force, and nuclear force—into one consistent theory. However, string theory posits a universe with at least 10 dimensions, which is integral to its formulation and mathematical consistency.

  On a related note, M-theory is a concept in physics that combines different theories about tiny strings, which are thought to make up the fabric of the universe. It suggests 11 dimensions instead of the four we experience (three spatial dimensions of space—width, height, and depth—and one of time). M-theory aims to explain how the forces of nature, including gravity, work together in a single framework, making it a potential “theory of everything.”

  While the string and M-theories are mathematically rich and elegant frameworks that help explain certain aspects of particle physics and gravity, they do not have empirically verifiable predictions.

  Nevertheless, in the aggregate, these phenomena open the door to ideas about multi-dimensions. Other dimensions, though invisible, may exist simultaneously among us.

  Out of the ‘Painting’

  John Burke, who has a degree in engineering and authored multiple books on NDEs, offered an analogy: Imagine we lived inside a flat, two-dimensional black-and-white painting. In such a scenario, we would experience only length and width—up and down and side to side—but not depth.

  “We couldn’t even conceive of it,” he told The Epoch Times in an interview.

  Burke suggested that NDEs might be like our two-dimensional consciousness peeling away from that flat painting and entering a three-dimensional world—a realm that has always existed beyond our perception. From this new viewpoint, we could look back at our flat world and understand it as part of a greater dimensional reality.

  When our consciousness leaves the body, it’s likely to enter these wider, multi-dimensional spaces, Michael Pravica, who holds a doctorate in condensed matter physics from Harvard University and is a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told The Epoch Times.

  The Tunnel

  Individuals with NDEs often describe passing through a tunnel-like expanse with a light at the end before entering the other dimension.

  Ned Dougherty, a former director of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, wrote about his personal tunnel experience in his book, “Fast Lane to Heaven.” In it, he explains that after losing physical consciousness, he was drawn to an immense tunnel. At the distant opening of the tunnel, he saw another universe.

  “I pondered the purpose of the tunnel. It seemed to stretch from Earth into the universe for a distance measured in light years,” Dougherty wrote.

  Interestingly, the tunnels described by people who have had NDEs bear a striking resemblance to a concept explored in string theory, where wormholes connect different dimensions.

  Additionally, as discussed in Part 1 of this series, physicist Roger Penrose and anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff proposed that microtubules in the brain may serve as quantum receivers of consciousness. These microtubules also have a unique structure akin to tunnel-like objects.

  

  In a 2022 study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Sam Parnia and a team of medical experts from prominent universities provided the first comprehensive medical consensus documenting the existence of NDEs.

  Notably, the team identified tunnel experiences as one of the main characteristics of NDEs.

  The tunnel, according to the study, appears to be a connection to another dimension, where people report seeing magnificent, luminous beings and relive their entire lives in a way unconstrained by time—a phenomenon called the “life review.”

  Timeless ‘Whole Life’

  Of 617 near-death experiences collected by the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation published in a 2014 study, 14 percent of the near-death experiencers experienced a life review. This experience felt like watching a stereoscopic movie of their life.

  Overall, 50 percent of near-death experience survivors in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake were reported to have experienced a life review.

  According to Bernard Carr, emeritus professor of mathematics and astronomy at Queen Mary University of London, many elements of NDEs, such as the tunnel phenomenon, intense light, and life reviews, align with the idea of transitioning through or interacting with higher dimensions. He interprets these experiences not as hallucinations or brain-generated phenomena but as glimpses into the true multidimensional nature of reality.

  In his book, “Evidence of the Afterlife” Dr. Jeffery Long, a practicing radiation oncologist, and researcher who has studied NDEs for more than 25 years, recorded a case of a man named Roger who was returning from Quebec City when he had an out-of-body experience during a car crash.

  “I then began to see my whole life unfolding before me like a film projected on a screen, from babyhood to adult life. It was so real!” Roger recalled.

  He said the experience was more realistic than a 3D movie, as he could sense the feelings of the people he interacted with over the years and the good or bad emotions he made them feel.

  Those who experience a life review during a near-death experience often recount it with a deep sense of realism. This includes re-experiencing long-forgotten events often confirmed to have occurred, as well as a deep understanding of the thoughts and feelings of others during past interactions.

  According to a study published in Missouri Medicine, these life reviews are consistently accurate. 

  Life reviews appear to access a dimension where all events are recorded in their entirety, and time flows differently—allowing the person to review their entire life instantly.

  The book “Lessons From the Light,” co-authored by Kenneth Ring, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Connecticut, who published nearly 100 papers on NDEs, recorded a case of a man who reported re-experiencing every event in 22 years of his life.

  “The brightness showed me every second of all those years, in exquisite detail, in what seemed only an instant of time,” he said.

  “It’s a reliving of events, not just a remembering of events,” said Alexander. He explains that during the life review, if you had acted selfishly toward others during your lifetime, you would experience those events again, but now from the viewpoint of the people who experienced the suffering.

  He believes this is where the concept of “hell” originates—those who inflicted pain and suffering during their lives would have to confront and experience that same pain during the life review. This should nudge people to realize that “We’re really all in this together and need to take care of each other and get along,” he said.

  Read the rest here…

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 22:45

• 59% Of Americans Don't Have Enough Savings For A $1,000 Emergency: Report
  59% Of Americans Don’t Have Enough Savings For A $1,000 Emergency: Report

  Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Most Americans cannot afford a $1,000 emergency expense, with inflation and high interest rates affecting their ability to save adequately, according to a recent survey by consumer services company Bankrate.

  

  A full 59 percent of Americans aren’t in a position to use their savings “to pay for a major unexpected expense, such as $1,000 for an emergency room visit or car repair,” said a Jan. 23 report from the company.

  This is up from 56 percent a year back.

  “We are essentially a paycheck-to-paycheck nation,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate. “Fewer Americans have the equivalent of a financial safety net to cover inevitable unexpected expenses, despite low unemployment and steady growth.”

  To help alleviate the financial crunch, President Donald Trump issued an executive order for delivering “emergency price relief” for families and tackling the cost of living crisis facing America on his first day in office. The 12-month inflation rate, which has remained below 3 percent since July, has risen for the past three months.

  Bankrate said Americans have been struggling against a “number of economic headwinds” over the past several years, including a slowing job market and high inflation.

  In the survey, 73 percent of respondents blamed inflation, high interest rates, or a change in income or employment status as reasons why they were saving less to meet unforeseen expenses. This is up from 68 percent last year.

  According to data tracked by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the average city price of a dozen Grade A large eggs has risen by more than 182 percent between January 2021 and December 2024. The price of ground beef per pound is up by 41 percent, fresh whole chicken by nearly 30 percent, whole fortified fresh milk per gallon by 18 percent, and white pan bread per pound by almost 24 percent.

  A quarter of respondents said they would have to fund $1,000 in emergency expenses by financing it with a credit card and paying off the debt over time. This is up from 21 percent in 2024.

  Hamrick said the increase in cost of living is “prompting more individuals and households to turn to credit cards when in a bind.”

  “They are a terrific tool when used wisely and effectively. But with interest rates still high, we need to avoid a deepening debt burden which could make it more challenging to save.”

  High Cost of Living

  The Trump executive order blamed the prior administration’s vast government spending, overregulation, and “destructive” policies for pushing Americans into an inflation crisis.

  “Hardworking families today are overwhelmed by the cost of fuel, food, housing, automobiles, medical care, utilities, and insurance,” said the order.

  Trump directed the heads of all executives and agencies to look for ways to cut down housing costs and boost supply, eliminate practices that raise health care costs, eliminate any requirements that contribute to higher home appliance prices, and get rid of harmful climate policies that increase the costs of fuel and food.

  The cost of living crisis among Americans developed while the savings rate has gone down. Since 2022, the personal saving rate of U.S. citizens has mostly remained below 5 percent. Prior to the pandemic, the rate largely was above the 5 percent level.

  A recent survey from Marist Poll and Yahoo Finance showed that only one in 10 banked households were “completely satisfied” with their amount of savings.

  The rising cost of living was cited as the biggest hurdle to saving more, with two in three households saying these expenses are “not very affordable or not affordable at all” in their area.

  “Looking to 2025, banked households are cautiously optimistic about their savings. A plurality (44 percent) think they will be able to save more money, and 32 percent believe they will save about the same in the coming year. 24 percent think they will save less money,” said the survey.

  “Six in ten banked households in America (60 percent) are more optimistic about their finances in the coming year with Donald Trump as President. There is cross-generational consensus on this question, with a majority in every generation saying they are more optimistic. Gen Z (70 percent) is the most optimistic.”

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 22:10

• US Passed Secret Intelligence To AQ-Linked Rulers Of Syria: WaPo
  US Passed Secret Intelligence To AQ-Linked Rulers Of Syria: WaPo

  Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which rules Syria from Damascus under Jolani, is still a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization under US law. The only change which happened at the end of the Biden administration was that the US $10 million bounty on Jolani’s head was removed, at a moment Western officials have engaged the new regime in Damascus on a diplomatic level.

  But The Washington Post has just revealed that American intelligence officials met with HTS representatives and passed them classified intelligence information. This happened during the tail-end of the Biden White House.

  The Washington Post report begins, “In the chaotic days after the fall of [Bashar] al-Assad, the Biden administration began to engage cautiously with HTS and its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Julani.”

  

  “The intelligence exchange with HTS has occurred in direct encounters between US intelligence officials and representatives of HTS, rather than via third parties.” The Post continues.

  The report adds that this “has involved exchanges between the two sides, in Syria and a third country. It began roughly two weeks after HTS came to power on Dec. 8.”

  This is being presented by US officials as to combat threats being presented by a resurgent ISIS. For example, there have been recent reported plots against a key Shia religious pilgrimage site on the outskirts of Damascus, the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque.

  “In at least one case, the U.S. intelligence helped thwart an ISIS plot to attack a religious shrine outside Damascus earlier this month, according to the officials,” the WaPo report says.

  The serious contradiction in all of this is that American companies and citizens are still unable to do business or any interactions with Syrian entities under US counterterrorism laws and due to the long-existent sanctions. And yet, US intelligence is passing on classified information to Syrian leaders despite the terror designation and ongoing sanctions.

  The other glaring contradiction is that the separation between HTS and ISIS ideology is thin and slim. Jolani himself was once the personal emissary of ISIS chief pf Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the early days of the anti-Assad war for regime change.

  AntiWar.com has written the following review:

  HTS grew out of the al-Nusra Front, an organization that Julani formed in 2009 in coordination with al-Qaeda’s central leadership. Juliani is a veteran of the Iraq War, where he fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq against US forces.

  Even with this background, the Biden administration elected to try to develop ties with Julani. “It’s the right, prudent and appropriate thing to do, given that there was credible, specific information [about ISIS threats], and coupled with our efforts to cultivate a relationship with these guys,” one former US official told The Post.

  They destroyed Iraq under the pretext of chemical weapons and Al-Qaeda. Then they devastated Syria to empower Al-Qaeda. https://t.co/tuzjQ3a5z1

  — Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) January 23, 2025

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  We’ve documented previously that in some cases ISIS fighters have simply changed out their black flag patch for a HTS logo: Watch: Syrian ‘Moderate Rebel’ Removes ISIS Patch At Prompting Of American Journalist.

  Foreign fighters have also continued to thrive in post-Assad Syria, with reports of global jihadists terrorizing and pressuring Christians, Alawites, and Druze – most often in the countryside and far away from international media cameras. The US State Department in the early years of the Syrian war acknowledged that tens of thousands of foreign jihadists poured across the borders of Iraq, Jordan, and Iraq to fight Assad forces.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 21:00

• New Documents: Hunter Biden's Name, Signature Tied To $60 Million Fraud Investigation
  New Documents: Hunter Biden’s Name, Signature Tied To $60 Million Fraud Investigation

  Recently pardoned Hunter Biden has once again found himself at the center of controversy, as newly surfaced bank records and corporate documents indicate that a shared bank account linked to the future first son was used in a fraudulent bond transaction tied to Burnham Asset Management. The firm was involved in a million-dollar securities fraud that saw two of Biden’s business partners arrested and convicted – while Hunter escaped accountability, Just the News reports.

  

  Huntr’s former business partners, Devon Archer and Jason Galanis, were convicted for their roles in a scheme that defrauded an Oglala Sioux Native American tribal entity of tens of millions of dollars. Federal authorities found that instead of investing the funds as promised, Archer, Galanis, and their associates misappropriated the bond proceeds.

  While Archer and Galanis faced prosecution, Hunter quickly faded into the bushes, telling lawmakers in his impeachment inquiry deposition that his proposed role in the company “never came to fruition.” However, bank records and a signature analysis reveal that Biden was more entangled with the firm than he has publicly acknowledged.

  A Shared Bank Account Used in the Scheme

  Records show that a bank account linked to Biden and Archer – Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC (RSB) – was directly involved in the fraudulent bond transaction. According to a source close to the transaction, the bonds were transferred to and from the RSB account, possibly to capitalize on the Biden name – a pattern consistent with House Republican claims that Hunter Biden leveraged his last name for lucrative deals.

  Last year Just the News reported the first evidence that the younger Biden was much more closely associated with the entities involved in the tribal bonds fraud. Corporate records show that Hunter Biden served as Vice Chairman of Burnham and was promised an $800,000 yearly salary. A signature analysis confirmed Biden signed the employment agreement with Burnham dated April 15, 2015. 

  These documents were first collected by the SEC and FBI agents back in 2016, obtained by Congress during the impeachment inquiry, and recently shared with Just the News. New documents from the same probe of the tribal bond fraud show that Hunter Biden was closer to the action than previously known. 

  For example, a bank account he shared with one business partner was used in part of the bond transaction scrutinized by federal authorities. One individual close to the bond transaction told Just the News that the bonds were transferred to and from the RSB account to associate them specifically with the Biden name, evoking a pattern identified by House Republican investigators that suggested Hunter Biden was trading on his last name to secure lucrative deals. -Just the News

  While Hunter Biden’s former attorney George Mesires, argued that his client’s name was used without his knowledge…

  “The defendants…invoked and used Hunter’s name—without his knowledge—to lend their business venture more credibility,” Mesires said. “As soon as Hunter learned of the illegal conduct, and that his name was being used in this unauthorized and inappropriate manner, Hunter took immediate steps to ensure that his business interests would not be associated with the Burnham Group or with any of the defendants.”

  …however congressional testimony from Archer tells a different story. Archer testified that Biden was not only involved but held the position of corporate secretary at RSB and had “a handshake 50-50 ownership” of the entity.

  Additionally, the RSB account was the primary conduit for Biden’s payments from Burisma Holdings, the controversial Ukrainian energy company at the center of Republican allegations that the Biden family engaged in influence peddling.

  Hunter Biden Floated as a Board Member

  Beyond the bank transactions, draft documents obtained by investigators suggest that Hunter Biden was considered for a leadership role in the bond transaction itself. A draft private placement memorandum for the Wakpamni Lake Community bond offering lists Biden as a potential board member for the issuing entity, Sovereign Re Capital Holdings Inc.

  The document, which was reviewed by Just the News, describes Biden’s credentials, including his tenure at Boies, Schiller, Flexner, LLP, his work with Rosemont Seneca firms, and his position as Honorary Co-Chair of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee – the same year his father became vice president.

  It remains unclear whether this proposed role was finalized or if Biden actively participated in the bond deal. However, during Archer’s trial, his defense attorney, Matthew L. Schwartz, asserted that “Hunter Biden was part of this deal.”

  Hunter Biden’s legal team disputed this claim, maintaining that he was never actively involved in Burnham or the fraudulent transactions.

  Biden’s Testimony and Congressional Scrutiny

  During his 2024 impeachment inquiry deposition, Biden reiterated his stance that his involvement in Burnham “never came to fruition.”

  Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) directly questioned Biden on the matter:

  • Biggs: “Did you have any active participation in Burnham, either as an equity holder, director, or officer?”

  • Biden: “No. I don’t think that ever came to fruition. I think that there was a proposal that I’d be a part of that, but it all fell apart in all of this.”

  Despite his denials, congressional Republicans remain skeptical. With President Joe Biden’s recent sweeping pardon covering Hunter Biden’s actions from 2014 to the present, some lawmakers are looking for alternative legal avenues to continue their investigations.

  Burnham Financial Group. Hunter was on the board.

  Burnham Financial Groups activity with the tribe triggered a SARS report to the SEC

  Hunters partners were prosecuted. Hunter left the board, Burnham delisted, and nothing happened to Hunter pic.twitter.com/EM5rRYiCwJ

  — ThunderB🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@Pimpernell13) September 7, 2023

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  Could Hunter Biden Be Forced to Testify Again?

  One avenue that Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) has floated is compelling Hunter Biden to testify again—this time without Fifth Amendment protections.

  “With Hunter Biden’s pardon, he has no Fifth Amendment right not to testify and tell the truth,” Johnson said in an interview on John Solomon Reports. “So he could be… prosecuted for lying to Congress. He’s going to have to answer truthfully. So that’s a real possibility.”

  During Hunter’s testimony he had total recall of conversations as to why he should join Burisma.

  In the same testimony he couldn’t recall anything about communications surrounding multi-million dollar deals.

  This dissembling demonstrates that he was not being factual with us. pic.twitter.com/rnsXzzaeaJ

  — Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) March 1, 2024

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  House Republicans are now weighing their next steps considering Hunter’s massive pardon in December, the investigation remains far from over. With documented financial transactions, corporate records, and sworn testimony painting an increasingly complicated picture, the Biden family’s business dealings continue to fuel questions about influence peddling and financial transparency.

  As Just the News notes further, one Senator believes it may be possible to bring Hunter Biden back for more questioning. Now that he is protected by his father’s expansive pardon, Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., says Hunter Biden cannot exercise his fifth amendment right to avoid incriminating himself. 

  “But what is interesting is, with Hunter Biden’s pardon, he has no Fifth Amendment right not to testify and tell the truth, and so he could be, we could prosecute him for lying to Congress,” Sen. Johnson told the John Solomon Reports podcast earlier this month. “He’s going to have to answer truthfully. So that’s a real possibility.” 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 20:25

• Experts Warn Of China's Escalating Cyberattacks On Japan And US Defenses
  Experts Warn Of China’s Escalating Cyberattacks On Japan And US Defenses

  Authored by Sean Tseng and Jon Sun via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Chinese cyberattacks on Japan’s defense, aerospace, and advanced technology sectors are increasing at an alarming rate, indicating what experts refer to as a broader strategy to undermine the technological and military strengths of democratic nations, particularly the United States.

  

  The Japanese National Police Agency (NPA) has reported 210 such incursions since 2019, fueling calls for tougher legal frameworks and closer international coordination to protect critical infrastructure.

  The NPA identified the hacker group MirrorFace, which shares traits with Advanced Persistent Threat 10, or APT10, a group linked to China’s Ministry of State Security. The agency noted that the timing of the cyberattacks frequently coincided with standard working hours in China and excluded Chinese holidays, leading authorities to believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been supporting such attacks. 

  The NPA has observed that these increasing cyberattacks have been carried out in three phases.

  The first phase lasted from December 2019 to July 2023. Government entities, think tanks, and the media were primarily targeted, indicating an attempt to sway policy and public sentiment.

  The second phase, from February to October 2023, marked a shift toward semiconductors, manufacturing, and academic institutions, focusing on Japan’s technological hub.

  The third phase, starting in June 2024, has seen a resurgence in targeting academia, politicians, and the media, reflecting an ongoing effort to influence public discourse and shape policies.

  Japan’s 2024 Defense White Paper found that the Chinese military’s cyber warfare unit had emerged from the former Strategic Support Force, which had around 175,000 personnel, including 30,000 dedicated to cyberattacks.

  A high-profile target was the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Hackers exploited VPN vulnerabilities to break into its Microsoft 365 Cloud service, compromising around 200 employee accounts and exfiltrating over 10,000 files between 2023 and 2024, according to Japanese media.

  Among the stolen data were details on JAXA’s Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, part of the agency’s manned lunar program. This raises concerns about China using this information to advance its own Mars endeavors.

  With the MMX program set to launch in 2026 and China’s Mars sample return missions slated for around 2028, both nations are racing to achieve historic breakthroughs.

  In response to ongoing threats, Japan established a dedicated Cyber Defense Unit in March 2022 to monitor government networks around the clock. In the following year, Japan and the United States agreed to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation at the highest levels.

  Su Tzu-yun, director of Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, recently told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times that such measures would only be effective if they are backed by stronger legal frameworks and closer international coordination.

  He said that current laws hinder the prosecution of state-backed hackers and the confirmation of their true identities. Su emphasized that tougher regulations and improved intelligence-sharing among democratic nations are essential to combat digital propaganda, sabotage, and data theft while upholding freedom of speech.

  Similar CCP-backed cyberattacks have occurred in the United States in recent years.

  In 2024, the Salt Typhoon hacking group, backed by China’s Ministry of State Security, stood out as the most serious threat, among others. It has compromised at least eight major U.S. telecom companies.

  The group also hacked the phones of then-presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump and then-vice presidential candidate JD Vance during the election. Vance confirmed the breach on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” though he noted only non-sensitive data was accessed due to his use of encrypted messaging apps.

  Last March, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed the indictment of seven Chinese nationals linked to a group called APT31 for cyber espionage targeting the defense, IT, and energy sectors, aiming to steal data and enable future attacks.

  In 2023, Chinese hackers breached networks related to the U.S. military’s operational capabilities, including those in Guam, a strategic location for potential military operations in the Asia–Pacific region.

  Meanwhile, Volt Typhoon has been compromising U.S. critical infrastructure, including U.S. water, gas, energy, rail, air, and ports since at least mid-2021, a threat first disclosed by Microsoft in May 2023.

  The U.S. response has included sanctions on Chinese entities and a push for more aggressive cyber defense, led by agencies like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency working alongside private industry.

  Cyber analyst Lin Tsung-nan, a professor at National Taiwan University, told The Epoch Times earlier this month that these campaigns are part of the Chinese regime’s “unrestricted warfare,” where intelligence gathering, social media manipulation, and infrastructure sabotage converge.

  He noted that cyber theft offers China a low-cost way to acquire advanced technology from Japan and the West and highlighted the extensive pool of state-sponsored hackers the Chinese regime has assembled for that purpose.

  As governments and private sectors prepare for increasingly sophisticated hacking techniques—amplified by emerging technologies—the stakes keep rising, Su said.

  The ultimate goal, he said, is to safeguard not only state secrets and intellectual property but also to maintain public trust and protect democratic institutions against growing cyber threats.

  Xin Ning contributed to this report.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 19:50

• Federal DEI Officials Try To Disguise To Keep Their Jobs, But There's Nowhere To Hide
  Federal DEI Officials Try To Disguise To Keep Their Jobs, But There’s Nowhere To Hide

  The hunt begins.  On day one of his second term Donald Trump put the federal government’s weight behind the national push to end DEI programs by signing an executive order that would effectively dismantle them from all aspects of the federal government.

  The executive action calls for the termination of DEI programs, mandates, policies, preferences and activities in the federal government along with the review and revision of existing federal employment practices, union contracts and training policies or programs. 

  Agency, department and commission heads have 60 days to terminate to the maximum extent allowed by law all DEI, DEIA and “environmental justice” offices and positions, action plans, equity-related grants or contracts as well as end all DEI or DEIA performance requirements 

  

  Perhaps not believing that this action would come so quickly or so aggressively, diversity offices seem to have been caught completely off guard and employees are now scrambling to figure out how they can still keep their government paycheck.  Federal DEI employees are reportedly “unclear” as to their status and do not know if they are being fired, or if they are being moved to a new position.

  In all likelihood, they will be fired.

  Some officials have decided to preempt their impending pink slip, choosing to rehire themselves under a new label in an attempt to hide the fact that they are DEI.  Others are trying to rename their entire department as something more innocuous, hoping to float under Trump’s radar.  However, these efforts are all in vain. 

  

  Minot Air Force Base is still doing DEI, but it is now called Organizational Culture Office to circumvent Trump pic.twitter.com/VRbLnjvaTe

  — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 24, 2025

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  A memo sent out by the Trump Administration to all federal offices warns that any attempt to hide or disguise DEI programs and employees as something else will be met with “adverse consequences”.  The memo notes:

  “We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances…” 

  “There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However, failure to report this information within 10 days will result in adverse consequences.”

  

  The memo also includes an email at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) where employees are directed to make such reports. 

  Senator Ted Cruz took to X recently to post that he had also been alerted to DEI contractors attempting to obscure their programs in order to avoid potential cuts.  Cruz specifically noted that DEI values incorporated into government funded scientific research was unacceptable.

  My office has been alerted about an agency contractor attempting to obscure its DEI offices and programming in direct violation of the Trump administration’s executive orders.

  For the past four years, Democrats mandated that all taxpayer-funded scientific research and… pic.twitter.com/ccxDf2nPWh

  — Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) January 24, 2025

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  The message to woke activists within the federal government is clear:  You can run, but you can’t hide.  Trump’s memo underscores the administration’s take on diversity programs. 

  “These programs divide Americans by race, waste taxpayer dollars, and result in shameful discrimination…”

    

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 19:15

• Supreme Court Allows Law Requiring Small Businesses To Report Ownership Information
  Supreme Court Allows Law Requiring Small Businesses To Report Ownership Information

  Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The U.S. Supreme Court voted 8–1 on Jan. 23 to allow the federal government to enforce an anti-money laundering law that a lower court blocked late last year.

  

  Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the new ruling.

  The statute at issue, the federal Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), required millions of business entities to file information returns about their owners by Jan. 1, 2025.

  An estimated 33 million small businesses face fines of as much as $591 per day should they fail to comply with the new rule, according to.a Treasury website.

  Businesses with upwards of 20 employees, $5 million in annual sales, and a U.S. office qualify for exemptions from CTA reporting requirements.

  The law provides that affected corporate entities must file reports with the federal government about their beneficial owners, which means individuals with substantial control over the entity or who own or control 25 percent of the entity.

  Entities are required to provide the government with the names of their beneficial owners, along with their birthdates, addresses, and identifying information such as passport or driver’s license numbers.

  The CTA’s reporting requirement was put on hold on Dec. 5, 2024, when the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas sided with challengers, granting a nationwide preliminary injunction—also known as a universal injunction—against the CTA.

  The court found that the challengers would likely succeed with their claim that the act was unconstitutional.

  On Dec. 13, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice, acting on behalf of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a federal agency, asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to stay the injunction.

  The agency argued the law was constitutional and that the challenge to it would probably fail in the end.

  The circuit court’s motions panel granted the government’s request on Dec. 23, 2024, and suspended the injunction pending appeal. FinCEN then extended the filing deadline for corporate entities to Jan. 13, 2025.

  On Dec. 26, 2024, the circuit court performed an about-face and sent the case to its merits panel, which restored the injunction to “preserve the constitutional status quo while the merits panel considers the parties’ weighty substantive arguments.”

  The new Supreme Court order states that the Fifth Circuit’s ruling upholding the injunction is “stayed pending the disposition of the appeal” in the circuit court.

  The Fifth Circuit has scheduled oral argument in the case for March 25.

  Jackson wrote in her dissenting opinion that there was “no need” for the nation’s highest court to lift the Fifth Circuit’s stay of the reporting requirement.

  “However likely the government’s success on the merits may be, in my view, emergency relief is not appropriate because the applicant has failed to demonstrate sufficient exigency to justify our intervention,” the justice wrote.

  She wrote that the circuit court agreed to expedite the government’s appeal, even though the government only moved to enforce the law almost four years after its passage by Congress.

  The government’s argument that the law needs to be enforced immediately is undermined by “the fact that the harms it now says warrant our involvement were likely to occur during that period.”

  The government has not shown if will suffer “injury of a more serious or significant nature … if the Act’s implementation is further delayed while the litigation proceeds in the lower courts.”

  Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, a critic of universal injunctions, concurred with the court’s decision, but wrote that the Supreme Court should “go a step further and … take this case now to resolve definitively the question whether a district court may issue universal injunctive relief.”

  In January 2020, Gorsuch criticized the growing practice of federal judges ruling beyond the scope of a particular case.

  The Supreme Court should “confront” the “real problem” of nationwide injunctions, which raise “serious questions about the scope of courts’ equitable powers under Article III” of the Constitution, he wrote in a ruling.

  That decision stayed a universal injunction that prevented the first Trump administration from enforcing its so-called public charge rule that blocked prospective immigrants from receiving permanent resident status if they were deemed likely to become dependent on government assistance.

  The case is McHenry v. Texas Top Cop Shop.

  The applicant, James R. McHenry, is a longtime U.S. Department of Justice employee who is serving as acting U.S. attorney general.

  McHenry took over temporarily after then-Attorney General Merrick Garland resigned on Jan. 20, the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

  Trump has nominated Pam Bondi, former Florida attorney general, as the next U.S. attorney general. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on her nomination on Jan. 29.

  The lead respondent, Texas Top Cop Shop, is a police supply store in Conroe, Texas.

  Janita Kan contributed to this report.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 18:40

• Trump: Zelensky Passed on Deal, 'Decided To Fight' & Is 'No Angel'
  Trump: Zelensky Passed on Deal, ‘Decided To Fight’ & Is ‘No Angel’

  President Donald Trump appeared on Hannity at the end this week and offered a blunt, critical assessment of Zelensky’s decision-making in the Russia-Ukraine war.

  He strongly suggested that Ukrainian President Zelensky’s policies have only prolonged the war. This includes the unspoken truth that prior Biden administration policies have only served to continue the killing, as billions in arms were pumped to Ukraine’s military, despite there long being acknowledgement that the Russian military machine was superior, and Russian forces have continued making significant gains.

  “Look, Zelensky was fighting a much bigger entity, much bigger, much more powerful. He shouldn’t have done that because we could have made a deal and it would have been a deal that would have been — it would have been a nothing deal,” Trump told Sean Hannity on Thursday. Trump also at one point said Zelensky is “no angel”.

  

  “We started pouring equipment… and they (Ukraine) had the bravery to use the equipment, but in the end, it’s a war that has to be settled,” Trump added.

  But he also admitted: “Putin shouldn’t have done it (launching the full-scale invasion)… and it has to stop.”

  Crucially during the course of the interview Trump indicated that he would have taken that deal. “I could have made that deal so easily. And Zelensky decided that I want to fight,” he said.

  Trump further pointed out that his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden did a “horrible job” by allowing the war to start in the first place. Trump has long maintained that had he been in office after 2020 the Russia-Ukraine war would have never started, as Putin would not have invaded.

  Russian President Putin himself dropped a bomb on Friday, with the following (as CNN puts it):

  Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Friday that “the crisis in Ukraine” might have been prevented if Donald Trump was in power at the time, saying he was ready to talk with the new US president about the conflict.

  Trump has long claimed that the war in Ukraine would not have happened under his watch, but Friday marked the first time Putin suggested the same thing – while also repeating Trump’s false claim that the 2020 US election was “stolen.”

  Here’s what Putin said in the televised comments: “I can’t help but agree with (Trump) that if his victory had not been stolen in 2020, then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022.”

  Trump this past week said, “Zelensky — I will say this, he wants to settle now. He’s had enough. He shouldn’t have allowed this to happen, either.”

  🚨Trump just bodied Zelensky😭

  “He’s no angel. He shouldn’t have allowed this war to happen… When he was talking so brave… we gave them billions of dollars.” pic.twitter.com/tGCdymPVhF

  — johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) January 24, 2025

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  The US President also told Hannity that “It’s gotta end. These are human beings that are being slaughtered” on the battlefield. Trump soon after the inauguration said he plans to meet with Putin “soon”. 

  The US, Russian, and Ukrainian sides are jockeying for diplomatic positions based on building leverage, based on diplomatic rhetoric or on the battlefield. But the big determinant reality remains the battlefield, in the Donbass, where Russian forces are clearly on top and advancing by the day.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 18:05

• House Passes Bill To Protect Babies Born Alive After Failed Abortions
  House Passes Bill To Protect Babies Born Alive After Failed Abortions

  Authored by Samantha Flom via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  A bill to establish standards of care for babies born alive after failed abortions passed along party lines in the House on Jan. 23.

  The 217–204 vote followed a heated debate in the chamber, during which Republicans stressed that the bill was not about abortion but the babies who survive the procedure.

  

  “As a physician, it is beyond my comprehension that anyone would not intervene to save an innocent and defenseless human life,” Rep. Gregory Murphy (R-N.C.) said, defending the bill on the House floor.

  “Neglect is harm. Neglect is immoral. Abortion is not the issue.”

  The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act requires medical professionals present at a newborn abortion survivor’s birth to provide the same level of life-saving care to that baby as would be offered to any other premature infant of the same gestational age.

  The bill mandates the transfer of such infants to a hospital for additional treatment and also establishes reporting requirements for violations. Penalties for violating the law could include fines and up to five years in prison, though the child’s mother would be protected from prosecution.

  Democrats, however, argued that infanticide is already illegal and that the bill is therefore unnecessary.

  “This bill does not solve a problem,” Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), an obstetrician, said before voting against the measure in the House.

  “Doctors are already both honored and obligated to provide appropriate care for their patients. It is illegal to kill a newborn infant in all 50 states.”

  From 2019 to 2021 in Morrison’s home state of Minnesota, there were at least eight reported cases in which newborn abortion survivors died post-birth, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. In five of those cases, no measures were reported to have been taken to save the babies’ lives. In the other three cases, “comfort care” was provided.

  Other Democrats argued that the bill would allow for government interference in women’s reproductive health decisions and deprive parents of the opportunity to comfort their dying babies.

  “Only 1 percent of all abortions happen at 21 weeks or later, and if they do, it is because of a serious fetal abnormality or the health of the mother,” Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) said. “And if you are the one getting that news, it is heartbreaking, it is earth-shattering. And the last thing families need is government to interfere with their access to care.”

  The bill’s passage in the House comes a day after Democrats unanimously opposed its advance in the Senate. With a 60-vote majority needed to invoke cloture, or limit debate, on a bill, the procedural vote failed 52-47.

  That result was no surprise to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).

  Thune had noted hours before that he fully expected Democrats to reject what he felt should be a noncontroversial bill.

  “We should all be able to agree that a baby born alive after an attempted abortion must be protected,” the majority leader said on the Senate floor.

  “But I think it is safe to say that what it all boils down to is this: Democrats will oppose legislation to provide appropriate medical care to newborn children who survive abortions because they are afraid.”

  If Democrats recognized the humanity of a living baby, born in an abortion clinic after a botched abortion, they might be forced to acknowledge the humanity of the unborn baby in that same clinic, Thune said.

  Republicans have tried numerous times in recent years to pass legislation protecting the lives of newborn abortion survivors. Those efforts have been blocked by Democrats.

  Tens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands, of pro-life advocates are expected to flood Washington on Jan. 24 for the 52nd annual National March for Life.

  Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak at the event on behalf of the Trump administration. President Donald Trump will address the March in a video message, a White House official confirmed on Thursday.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 17:30

• "Closer To Disinformation": Ex-Politico Reporters Reveal How "Cowardly Editors" Helped Biden Win 2020 Election
  “Closer To Disinformation”: Ex-Politico Reporters Reveal How “Cowardly Editors” Helped Biden Win 2020 Election

  Two former Politico reporters revealed how “cowardly editors” at their former publication carried water for Joe Biden in the 2020 election by actively working to suppress stories that were unflattering to Biden.

  

  “Politico did that terrible, ill-fated headline: 51 intelligence agents, or former intelligence agents, say that the Hunter Biden laptop was disinformation, or bore the hallmarks of disinformation,” said Marc Caputo, now the senior politics editor at Axios. “Turns out that story was closer to disinformation because the Hunter Biden laptop appeared to be true.”

  The other ex-Politico reporter, Tara Palmeri – who interviewed Caputo on her “Somebody’s Gotta Win” podcast, recalled how social media giants colluded to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story, while Caputo noted that (pre-Musk) Twitter “punished” the New York Post for its accurate reporting – locking the outlet out of its account following a pressure campaign from the Biden DOJ.

  “I was covering Biden at the time,” Caputo told Palmeri, adding: “And I was told this came from on high at Politico: Don’t write about the laptop, don’t talk about the laptop, don’t tweet about the laptop.”

  Caputo added that he was working on a story about Hunter Biden’s shady dealings with Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma, which Politico editors “killed” during the 2020 Democrat primaries.

  “I wrote what would have been a classic story saying, you know, ‘The former vice president’s son was slapped with a big tax lien for the period of time that he worked for this controversial Ukrainian oil concern, or natural gas concern, which is haunting his father on the campaign trail,’” said Caputo, adding that the story was spiked without any explanation.

  According to Caputo, readers “don’t understand the dumb decisions of cowardly editors that are made above us.”

  As Headline USA notes further, Palmeri told Caputo that she worked for three months on a report she co-wrote in March 2021 about the Secret Service trying to obtain a copy of Hunter Biden’s gun-purchase form that he lied on, and eventually resulted in a criminal conviction.

  “I spent three months on it, I went to the laptop shop, and I did all of the reporting in Delaware,” she remembered. “But I do wonder if it could have, if it would have been published a little quicker if it was a different type of story.”

  “It was the beginning of his administration, it was a honeymoon period — you know what I mean?”

  h/t Julianna Frieman via Headline USA

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 16:55

• Whistleblower: FBI's New Orleans Boss Stayed On Vacation after New Year's Terrorist Attack
  Whistleblower: FBI’s New Orleans Boss Stayed On Vacation after New Year’s Terrorist Attack

  Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA,

  Apparently the second-deadliest foreign-inspired terrorist attack in the U.S. since 9/11 wasn’t enough for the boss of the New Orleans FBI field office to end his vacation early.

  

  Early on New Year’s Day, 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans’s famed French Quarter—killing 14 people who were celebrating the New Year. Police fatally shot Jabbar in a following firefight, and authorities later determined that the incident was inspired by the foreign terrorist organization ISIS.

  Despite that, New Orleans FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil took several more days to return to the office, according to a whistleblower working with the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

  “Myrthil vacationed in Europe from late December to early January, which included New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and the Sugar Bowl and took multiple days to return to New Orleans after the terrorist attack on January 1,” Grassley said in a Tuesday letter to FBI Acting Director Brian Driscol and Acting Attorney General James McHenry.

  “The FBI failed to note this in any of the joint briefings it provided to Congress and must provide more information.”

  A lazy SAC of …..
  According to a whistleblower working with Sen. Grassley’s office, the New Orleans FBI Special Agent in Charge did not leave his vacation early after the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in his city — one of the deadliest terrorist attacks since 9/11 pic.twitter.com/fCD8vpbWWF

  — Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) January 24, 2025

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  Along with questions about the vacationing SAC, Grassley’s office seeks more information about the New Orleans attack, as well as info about the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on the same day. Grassley also wants to make sure whether those two attacks were connected—especially given that the driver of the Cybertruck, Matthew Alan Livelsberger, served at Fort Bragg and in Afghanistan at the same time as Jabbar.

  “Similarities do reportedly exist between Jabbar and Livelsberger. For example, both individuals had experience in the U.S. Army and the vehicles in both incidents were rented from the same company, Turo. Further, according to reports, authorities claimed Livelsberger and Jabbar “likely overlapped at Fort Bragg and again in Afghanistan,’” Grassley noted. “It remains unclear whether there are additional similarities or connections between Jabbar and Livelsberger.”

  Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson seek updates on the New Year’s Day attacks by Feb. 5.

  Grassley and Johnson also wrote a separate letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, asking about Jabbar’s terroristic Facebook posts in the leadup to his attack.

  Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 16:20

• Lower 48 Polar Blast Coldest "Since 1994" As Global Warming Alarmists Go Silent
  Lower 48 Polar Blast Coldest “Since 1994” As Global Warming Alarmists Go Silent

  After years of “unprecedented man-made global boiling” propaganda pushed by woke scientists, far-left corporate media outlets, grifting ‘green’ billionaires, and climate change warrior non-profits, Al Gore and Greta Thunberg have a lot of explaining to do after this January across the Lower 48 could shape up to be one of the coldest in years if not decades. 

  “With an average temperature running 3.6 degrees below normal, this is currently the coldest January nationally (lower 48) since 1994,” meteorologist Kevin Williams and founder of private weather forecasting firm Weather-Track, wrote on X. 

  With an average temperature running 3.6 degrees below normal, this is currently the coldest January nationally (lower 48) since 1994. pic.twitter.com/fjigNqIDmk

  — Kevin Williams (@wxbywilliams) January 24, 2025

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  Meteorologist Joe Bastardi wrote on X, “The nation for Jan is now the coldest max temps since 1988 at – 4.2.  Still lagging 94 for average).” 

  The nation for Jan is now the coldest max temps since 1988 at – 4.2. Still lagging 94 for average)
  94 was colder in the east,but the western warmth took it out max temp wise 2011 now a full degree higher. This in the face of the US climate model which on Dec 21 forecasted a top… pic.twitter.com/lQ7NIIlvi9

  — The American Storm (@BigJoeBastardi) January 24, 2025

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  “This month will end up finishing in the top 5 coldest JANs since 1990. Currently should finish 3rd right behind 1994 and 1991. Historically cold top 5 coldest JANs roll into this look for FEB on the right. Still some winter left in the tank we believe,” private weather forecaster BAMWX said on X. 

  This month will end up finishing in the top 5 coldest JANs since 1990.

  Currently should finish 3rd right behind 1994 and 1991.

  Historically cold top 5 coldest JANs roll into this look for FEB on the right.

  Still some winter left in the tank we believe. pic.twitter.com/HSuhXQa5HY

  — BAM Weather (@bamwxcom) January 23, 2025

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  We’ve also been closely following the polar vortex blast and its impact on the economy and energy markets this winter season: 

  • Ski Weather At Vail Resorts “Solid” With Above-Average Snowfall At Northeast Slopes

  • Goldman: “Cold January” & “Record LNG Demand” Drive Upside Risk In Natty Prices

  • Incoming: “Big Dumps Of Cold Air. Reminiscent Of 2013/14 Winter”

  • Doesn’t Fit MSM Narrative: Parts Of US Could Rival Coldest January Since 1977

  • Polar Vortex, Back-To-Back-To-Back Winter Storms Target Eastern Half Of US

  • Extreme Cold, Snow Places Texas Power Grid & Permian On Alert

  • PJM Grid Declares “Max Generation Alert” As Polar Vortex Unleashes Mini Ice Age

  Despite billions of tons of emissions released by fossil fuel energy plants, factories, jumbo jets, cow farts, gas stoves, and vehicles over the years, and Greta’s claim about the world ending in a firey death by 2023…

  

  … somehow, January is shaping up to be one of the coldest in years. 

  

  Ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter, climate crisis warriors were out spreading propaganda with the intent of causing climate anxieties amongst the population by warning about the “hottest ever” conditions while completely ignoring the warming effects of the Hunga Tonga undersea volcano. Instead, Taylor Swift’s private jet and cow farts were blamed on warming conditions. 

  At the start of last week, President Trump officially ended America’s involvement in the Paris Climate Agreement, citing its de-growth and inflationary policies that have strangled the US economy.

  It’s communism. pic.twitter.com/luTqwOEan6

  — Fight With Memes (@fightwithmemes) January 25, 2025

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  Climate grifters were put on notice by the president.

  Al Gore

  

  Michael Bloomberg

  

  Al Gore will just blame the cold weather on global warming. No accountability. That must change in the era of Trump 2.0. 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 15:45

• Rubio To Visit Panama Amid Rising Tensions Over Canal
  Rubio To Visit Panama Amid Rising Tensions Over Canal

  Authored by Darlene McCormick Sanchez via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to make his first trip abroad next week, which will include a stop in Panama amid rising tensions over President Donald Trump’s vow to take back the Panama Canal.

  

  “China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back,” Trump said during his inaugural speech.

  Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has denied that China is running the canal and stated it won’t be returned to the United States.

  Tammy Bruce, department spokeswoman, said Rubio—a Florida Senator with Cuban roots—also planned to visit El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

  Bruce said the visit stemmed from Rubio’s interest in the region and his desire to strengthen ties with Central American countries, in particular to battle illegal immigration.

  Rubio may have his work cut out during his visit to Panama as tensions over Trump’s comments have escalated.

  During his confirmation hearing, Rubio characterized the Panamanian government as “very friendly to the United States and very cooperative.”

  “We want that to continue,” he said.

  One bright spot during the visit could include working with Panama to curtail mass migration.

  Mulino campaigned on shutting down illegal immigration through Panama’s Darien Gap.

  However, the focus on the Panama Canal could overshadow immigration talks.

  Rubio noted during his hearing that Chinese companies controlling port facilities on both ends of the canal have been a concern for a decade.

  During a 2017 trip to Panama, Rubio said he discussed China’s influence along the waterway, which is a choke point with military value. It’s a critical pathway for U.S. warships in both the Atlantic and Pacific.

  Rubio said military and security officials in Panama said during his visit that Beijing could potentially use its commercial ports during a military conflict.

  There are “no independent Chinese companies,” Rubio said. “They all exist because they’ve been identified as national champions. They’re supported by the Chinese government.”

  The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mandates that Chinese companies cooperate with state intelligence agencies.

  China began to invest in Panama around 2016 and 2017, and the money had strings attached, Rubio said.

  The China-based Landbridge struck a $900 million deal in 2016 to control Margarita Island, Panama’s largest port on the Atlantic side, to build a deepwater port.

  In 2017, Panama signed on to China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), dubbed a modern Silk Road, after publicly recognizing Taiwan as part of China, much to the surprise and concern of the United States.

  In 2018, during Trump’s first term in office, U.S. and domestic Panamanian pressure was credited with ending China’s plan to construct a large embassy at the mouth of the canal, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

  That same year, a Chinese consortium headed by China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) and state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) was awarded a $1.4 billion contract for the canal’s fourth bridge.

  The CCCC was involved in constructing China’s man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea.

  On the Pacific side of the canal, in the spring of 2024, Chinese companies completed work on the enormous Amador Pacific Coast cruise terminal built by the CHEC.

  Who Has De Facto Control?

  This month, in an interview with The Associated Press, canal administrator Ricaurte Vásquez rejected claims that the canal was controlled by China while noting that American and Taiwanese businesses also operate ports along the canal.

  The Panama Canal Authority manages the administration and maintenance of the waterway’s resources and security. It operates independently of the Panamanian government.

  “I mean, that’s one of those things that is factual but not truthful,” said Joshua Trevino, a former vice president of policy at the Pacific Research Institute and current policy analyst for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

  The canal authority may technically control the waterway, but Chinese companies also have functional control over the ports and pay the bills, he told The Epoch Times.

  “If you have the financial and operational control—which they do—the titular government is a lot less important than those two things,” he said.

  Eva Fu, Ryan Morgan, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 15:10

• As Four Israeli Hostages Released, Hamas Displays It Has Entire Well-Armed Battalion
  As Four Israeli Hostages Released, Hamas Displays It Has Entire Well-Armed Battalion

  Israel, Palestinians, and the United States are all celebrating after on Saturday the second big hostage exchange went off successfully. Four female Israeli soldiers were released and have been reunited with their families in Israel.

  On the other side, 200 Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails under the terms of the ceasefire. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) oversaw the transfer of the prisoners, which was done with much ceremony and propaganda optics on the Hamas side.

  

  The Trump White House spiked the football, following its campaign promises to negotiate peace in conflict hot spots around the world. The White House statement upon the release of the four Israelis said “Today the world celebrates as President Trump secured the release of four more Israeli hostages who were, for far too long, held against their will by Hamas in horrific conditions.”

  “The United States will continue with its great partner Israel to push for the release of all remaining hostages and the pursuit of peace throughout the region,” it added.

  The hostages spent 475 days in captivity as war ensued all around them. The newly released have been identified as Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag.

  There have been some severe disagreements concerning some of the details about the release of the Israelis. First, the four women were dressed in Israeli military uniforms in order for Hamas to underscore that they were combatants. The Israeli negotiators had insisted they be dressed in civilian clothing.

  Celebrations ensue in Gaza as 200 Palestinians released from Israeli jails…

  

  Second, the hostages just before they were handed over to the Red Cross were paraded in front of banners denouncing the ‘terrorist Zionists’ and other propaganda displays.

  Still, it proceeded without major incident, and there have been large celebrations in Gaza as the ceasefire continues to hold, and as the 200 Palestinian prisoners were returned.

  Huge numbers of well-armed, uniformed Hamas militants filled up a town square, displaying continued existence of significant Hamas forces despite about a year-and-half of the major IDF ground and air offensive in the Strip…

  Israeli media is shocked:

  Gaza is filled with Hamas members again; this time an entire military battalion of resistance fighters appeared during the exchange deal in Palestine Square in the Gaza Strip pic.twitter.com/M7IoXunsbd

  — Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) January 25, 2025

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

  “While the exchange of another four hostages under the deal is a positive step forward in the continued ceasefire, it also could be in direct violation of the agreement as female civilians were supposed to be released ahead of all female soldiers, followed by the elderly and wounded men,” Fox News observes.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 14:35

• Did Hedge Funds Steal Half Their Investors' Money?
  Did Hedge Funds Steal Half Their Investors’ Money?

  Authored by Aaron Brown via RealClearMarkets,

  A report released by LCH Research got widespread coverage with the Wall Street Journal making its headline, “Hedge-Fund Fees Eat Up Half of Clients’ Profits,” and Bloomberg chimed in with, “Hedge Funds Kept $1.8 Trillion as Fees, or Half Their Gains.” The coverage used words like “staggering” and “exploitation,” but I think this is an innumerate reaction.

  

  Before getting to the right way to think about these numbers, I want to address the idea of forming estimates to the nearest hundred million dollars of the total return and total fees of all hedge funds since Alfred Winslow Jones invented them in 1949. It’s difficult even to define all hedge funds, and few of them disclose results to the public. The disclosures some make to databases are not complete enough to make accurate calculations. But LCH has access to a lot of non-public information and a solid reputation for accurate research. I don’t think they know the numbers to the nearest hundred million dollars, but there’s no reason to think their numbers are wildly wrong. Moreover the ratio of fees to investor returns is easier to estimate than the absolute dollar totals of either one.

  Let’s start with the numbers for 20 large hedge funds, which I think are more reliable than the totals for all hedge funds. Here we have a defined universe of funds, all very well known, and few enough that each can be examined in detail. According to LCH these 20 funds have generated $1,301.1 billion in total gains since inception, and taken $446.6 billion of that, 34.3%, in fees.

  If you think about it, this is not meaningful information. What matters is whether the net investor returns beat the market. If the money invested in the 20 hedge funds had instead been in index funds, the fees would likely have been around $15 billion, one-thirtieth of what the hedge funds charged. But the index funds would not have beaten the market for their investors, only matched it before fees were subtracted. Traditional asset managers might have charged $100 billion, then lost to index funds on average.

  Unfortunately, the 20 hedge funds represent a wide range of strategies with different benchmarks and fee structures, so we have no way of estimating the amount of excess return or alpha they delivered to investors. But we can still make sense of the numbers by assuming they were from a single fund that charged a 2% management fee and 20% of profits beyond a 3% hurdle rate (3% is about the weighted average one-month treasury bill rate over the period of operation). This is a reasonable guess for either a low-risk or market-neutral hedge fund.

  In that case, the hedge funds’ gross return of $1,301.1 billion represented about 13% per year, and delivered $994.1 billion above the hurdle rate. The hypothetical fund took a performance fee of $241.9 billion, or 24% of the profit above hurdle. 24% is higher than the stated 20% performance fee because investors do not all redeem at high-water mark—both because investors cannot time peaks perfectly and also because they tend to redeem after losses.

  But what if we treat this like a high-risk hedge fund run to a Beta of 0.5 to the S&P500. Based on weighted average stock returns over the period, that would suggest a hurdle rate of 6% rather than 3%. In turn, that would reduce the hypothetical excess return to $687.0 billion, and the performance fee would represent 35% of excess profits.

  Since the actual funds are mix of high and low risk funds, with different correlations to major financial markets and different fee arrangements, all we can say is it seems these 20 hedge funds are taking something like 30% of excess profits as performance fees.

  But this is a biased number because none of the 20 successful funds blew up, and in fact they all posted above-average returns which is why they grew to be successful. If we perform the same calculations for the remaining hedge funds we find they seem to have averaged about a 6% annual return, and taken between 44% and 100% of excess returns as performance fees, say 75% as a ballpark guess for the average.

  I understand these are highly oversimplified calculations. If we had fund-by-fund and investor-by-investor numbers we might have very different values. I only maintain that if we’re guessing from the numbers we do have, a 30% effective performance fee for top hedge funds and 75% for other hedge funds are not unreasonable.

  Now comes the question of what effective performance fees should be. If a manager has unique and certain alpha, then he or she is in a position to charge any amount that leaves investors better off than not taking the deal. Even with a 99.9% performance fee, it would make sense for someone to invest.

  However, there is a behavioral economics literature called “ultimatum games” that suggest empirically investors would reject wildly unbalanced splits, even though turning them down results in lower overall returns. The literature suggests even the unique and certain alpha manager could not take more than, say, 75% of excess performance to gain traction with investors.

  Of course, no real manager has unique and certain alpha. At the other extreme is a “hedge fund Beta” manager who offers well-known, inexpensive-to-run strategies that beat index funds over the medium-term, but which are essentially identical to competitors’ funds. These funds do not have certain outperformance, they have periods of doing better and worse than the benchmark. Economics argues that fees for these funds should be competed down to cost. Since cost is unrelated to performance, this means a zero performance fee, and a management fee only large enough to cover expenses—including the manager’s time and effort.

  I think the numbers reinforce two things I think most investors already know. If you can get into good hedge funds, like the top 20 in the study but also lots of other funds, they offer great advantages for investors both in diversification and excess return. Institutions that carefully select from good funds have better long-term investment returns with large allocations to alternatives than small allocations to alternatives. But if you pick hedge funds at random, or if you can only get your money into the less desirable funds, you will probably do more good for the managers than yourself, and could easily do worse than you would have from index funds.

  Aaron Brown is the author of many books, including The Poker Face of Wall Street.  He’s a long-time risk manager in the hedge fund space.  

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 14:00

• Noem Confirmed As DHS Secretary
  Noem Confirmed As DHS Secretary

  The Senate on Saturday confirmed Kristi Noem as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security, meaning that the South Dakota governor will be in charge of a massive agency established after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and has since had a long record of civil liberties and civil rights abuses.

  

  Noem was confirmed by a final vote of 59-34. Of note, the Trump ally who is in her second term as governor received support from several Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee when it voted 13-2 to advance her nomination earlier in the week. Republicans have also expressed confidence in Noem’s ability to lead border security and immigration enforcement, AP reports.

  Meanwhile back at the swamp:

  “Fixing this crisis and restoring respect for the rule of law is one of President Trump and Republicans’ top priorities,” sid Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Friday. “And it’s going to require a decisive and committed leader at the Department of Homeland Security. I believe Kristi has everything it takes to undertake this task.”

  Democrats’ primary opposition to Noem revolved around how to handle border enforcement and immigration under Trump – with figures like Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) vowing to vote against Noem, suggesting instead “bipartisan solutions to fix the mess at our border” vs Noem, who he said “seems headed in the wrong direction.”

  The homeland security secretary oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Citizenship and Immigration Services. Beyond those agencies, the department is also responsible for securing airline transportation, protecting dignitaries, responding to natural disasters and more.

  Trump is planning major changes to how the department functions, including involving the military in immigration enforcement and reshaping the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those plans could immediately put Noem in the spotlight after the new president visited recent disaster sites in North Carolina and California on Friday. -AP

  Noem was repeatedly asked by Senators during her confirmation hearing whether she would administer disaster aid to states even if Trump asked her not to, to which she replied that she would “deliver the programs according to the law and that it will be done with no political bias.”

  Noem was notably a state House Rep. for eight years before becoming governor in 2019.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 13:25

• Face First
  Face First

  Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance

  In a couple of my previous articles, I pointed out that I thought cryptocurrency would wind up being the canary in the coal mine as it relates to the next stock market crash.

  And by the looks of things, the warning signals may not be as difficult to take notice of as I once thought. I wish that was because more people were simply paying attention, but it’s not. It’s because the United States seems to be heading face-first into the crypto business, so it’ll be on every single person’s radar.

  Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has taken bold steps to position the United States as a leader in the cryptocurrency industry. One of his first actions was signing an executive order titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” aimed at fostering innovation while ensuring regulatory clarity in the crypto space. The order outlines protections for public blockchain networks, encourages the development of U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins, and explicitly prohibits the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). To support this effort, a Presidential Task Force on Digital Asset Markets, led by venture capitalist David Sacks, has been established to draft regulatory proposals.

  

  In addition to regulatory measures, President Trump has introduced a strategic initiative to create a national Bitcoin reserve. This plan involves the U.S. government accumulating Bitcoin, either through direct acquisitions or by utilizing cryptocurrency seized from criminal enterprises. The reserve is intended to strengthen the nation’s financial standing in a global economy increasingly influenced by digital assets.

  Trump has also repeatedly called for the U.S. to embrace its role as the “crypto capital of the world,” emphasizing the importance of fostering innovation and providing a clear regulatory environment to attract investment and talent.

  And now, the only question is whether or not this is an asset class that will actually serve a purpose over the long haul. As a result, will we just have to wait for the poor investments in the space to be flushed out—or, in the event that crypto turns out to be a big nothing—will we have to wait for the entire asset class to implode?

  No matter which of these two scenarios occurs, I’m fairly certain one is going to take place. It’s only fitting that for a brand-new asset class, we have an unprecedented, brand-new market correction. I don’t think there has been an asset in the history of the world that hasn’t gotten out over its skis and eventually hit major turmoil. Everything from housing to metals to equities have crashed at some point, and crypto won’t be any different. The only question is to what extent, and when — and I’m not really interested in speculating enough to know, or care, when.

  Here’s what I do know. My long-term readers know I believe it to be a mathematical certainty that the market is eventually going to grind to a halt at some point due to positive real interest rates.

  

  Black: Nominal 1 year treasury, Red: Inflation rate (LTM), Blue: Real 1 year rate

  Very slowly, these positive rates are slowing down the economy and will eventually grind its gears to a halt—the only question is how the stock market and prices will react. Stagflation seems to be the likely scenario heading forward, if I had to guess.

  All the speculation around crypto—and equities—is complicated by the fact that President Trump now believes interest rates should be lower. Trump announced on Thursday plans to push for lower U.S. interest rates, challenging the Federal Reserve’s tradition of political independence. Speaking at the World Economic Forum, he linked the need for rate cuts to anticipated lower oil prices, which he said would ease inflationary pressures.

  Whether or not he’s going to have an effect on the Fed’s Jerome Powell remains to be seen.

  I think I understand his mindset, though: to blow the asset bubble bigger during his presidency and ensure that asset prices continue to rise under his watch. This is all good and well, except for the fact that the Federal Reserve is in an unprecedented position between a rock and a hard place. Inflation is still around 3%, not anywhere near the Fed’s 2% target, and lowering rates now would almost ensure that the Fed’s fight against rising prices will become more difficult. As you can see, inflation is once again ticking higher:

  

  But as I’ve said for years, this was never a fight the Fed was going to win. I said a couple of years ago on Palisades Gold Radio that I was certain the Fed would have to settle for a higher inflation target, and I think that’s what’s going to happen. The result may prop up the nominal price of financial assets a little further, but sadly, cost of living will also stay high for working-class Americans. This is a serious step further toward the nation losing its creditworthiness and descending into a hyperinflationary spiral. It is letting the “inflation genie” out of the bottle further.

  Gimmicks aside, nothing changes the fact that spending is going to need to be cut if we want to attack the national debt, as Trump says he wants to.

  

  The only way crypto helps us attack the national debt is if we stake our claim in a bunch of bitcoin before many other global parties do the same and it becomes a good investment. Theoretically, other buyers in the market would then move the price higher, increasing the value of the bitcoin we’ve already acquired. At some point, we’d have to exit the investment (or use it as collateral) and use the gains to square up the debt—or at least part of it—if that’s what President Trump really wants to do.

  Nobody is talking about the other scenario: what happens if other countries don’t follow our lead and decide the world is not going to adopt a bitcoin standard despite our attempts to lead the way? Then all we’ve done is make another bad investment.

  Meanwhile, the bond market continues to send signals that rates need to be higher, not lower.

  

  At the same time, equities are on a historic run, pushing valuations into territory only touched once before—during the tech bubble of 2000.

  

  Shiller PE

  If we continue along this trajectory, the market will soon be the most overvalued it has ever been in history. At some point, buying stocks will become a bet that they can continue to be the most aggressively valued they’ve ever been in the history of our stock market.

  Look: eventually, this turns into a losing bet. I don’t know when, why, or how it will occur, but it will.

  ---

  🔥 2025 SALE – 50% OFF FOR LIFE: Using this coupon entitles you to 50% off an annual subscription to Fringe Finance for life: Get 50% off forever

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  And make no mistake, we’re not treading cautiously toward the next market correction. We’re ramming the accelerator to the floor, redlining the engine, and taking on whatever comes next face-first, simply hoping that through some sort of financial alchemy, everything works itself out.

  On the positive side, the new administration seems to be making progress with foreign relations, both with our allies and with adversaries of the last administration. Crucial to getting our financial trajectory on a steady path is achieving some type of homeostasis with the rest of the world. Even if it boils down to the United States needing to engineer some type of debt jubilee, we would need the rest of the world to buy in. If we only have our allies, the BRICS nations could call our bluff by labeling any debt restructuring or jubilee for what it really is: a default.

  However, if we achieve buy-in from the other side of the global financial aisle, there’s a chance for four more years of perceived financial prosperity—and at least avoiding total chaos.

  In summary:

  1. Trump is fighting the bond market (and the Fed) on interest rates

  2. Crypto and 0DTE equity options are the tail wagging the stock market dog

  3. Said dog is nearing all time highs for valuation

  4. Real rates have the economy’s balls in a slowly constricting vice grip

  5. Spending cuts need to happen to slow the national debt and return to surplus

  6. Modest gains are being made on the foreign policy front

  What a f*cking mess. Be careful out there.

  

  QTR’s Disclaimer: Please read my full legal disclaimer on my About page here. This post represents my opinions only. In addition, please understand I am an idiot and often get things wrong and lose money. I may own or transact in any names mentioned in this piece at any time without warning. Contributor posts and aggregated posts have been hand selected by me, have not been fact checked and are the opinions of their authors. They are either submitted to QTR by their author, reprinted under a Creative Commons license with my best effort to uphold what the license asks, or with the permission of the author.

  This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any stocks or securities, just my opinions. I often lose money on positions I trade/invest in. I may add any name mentioned in this article and sell any name mentioned in this piece at any time, without further warning. None of this is a solicitation to buy or sell securities. I may or may not own names I write about and are watching. Sometimes I’m bullish without owning things, sometimes I’m bearish and do own things. Just assume my positions could be exactly the opposite of what you think they are just in case. If I’m long I could quickly be short and vice versa. I won’t update my positions. All positions can change immediately as soon as I publish this, with or without notice and at any point I can be long, short or neutral on any position. You are on your own. Do not make decisions based on my blog. I exist on the fringe. The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided in this page. These are not the opinions of any of my employers, partners, or associates. I did my best to be honest about my disclosures but can’t guarantee I am right; I write these posts after a couple beers sometimes. I edit after my posts are published because I’m impatient and lazy, so if you see a typo, check back in a half hour. Also, I just straight up get shit wrong a lot. I mention it twice because it’s that important.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 12:50

• Watch: Trump Destroys LA Mayor To Her Face During Wild Press Conference Spat
  Watch: Trump Destroys LA Mayor To Her Face During Wild Press Conference Spat

  President Donald Trump slammed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) and other Democrat public officials during a Friday press conference in Pacific Palisades to discuss the damage from the recent fires.

  

  While discussing how long it would take to clean up the Palisades and other affected areas, Bass said “The number one thing that we are going to do immediately, and you will see this happen, is to clear out the debris…we are going to move as fast as we can. But we want you to be safe. We want you to be back in your homes immediately.”

  Trump immediately cut in – saying “But the people are willing to clean out their own debris. It doesn’t cost a lot.“

  “You should let them do it. Because by the time you hire contractors, it’s going to be two years. People are willing to get a dumpster and do it themselves and clean it out. There’s not that much left. It’s all incinerated, and you know, it’s just going to take a long time if you do [it].”

  According to Trump, homeowners don’t want to “wait around for seven months till the city hires some demolition contract that’s going to charge $25,000.”

  JUST IN: President Trump and LA mayor Karen Bass spar on live TV, Trump tells her to stop taking so long.

  The spat we’ve all been waiting for.

  Trump: “I’m exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also. You can do everything within 24 hours.”

  Bass: “And if… pic.twitter.com/PCdcjS431S

  — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 25, 2025

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

  As modernity.news notes further, Trump pointed out that people are saying they’ve been told they will have to wait up to 18 months for permits to clean up, and if he is willing to waive federal restrictions then the Mayor should do the same.

  “Let them start the process tonight,” Trump said, with Bass responding “And we will. You can come back and check.”

  Trump then eviscerated California Rep. Brad Sherman (D) who attempted to defend FEMA’s actions in the aftermath of the fires.

  “The problem with FEMA is they come from all over the country,” Trump said. “They end up in arguments with your people from California because they want to do it a totally different way. I can live either way, but you haven’t gotten very much done with FEMA. All you have to do is look at North Carolina. It’s one of the great disasters of all time.”

  “You know who came in and fixed North Carolina or the process? Other states. People from all over the country came. You have the same thing. You have a lot of people from all over the country,” Trump continued. “Getting the people is not a problem. Getting the organization is a big problem. FEMA is incompetently run, and it costs about three times more than it should cost.”

  When Rep. Brad Sherman (D) defends FEMA and tells President Trump small states can’t have thousands of people come to help like FEMA, Trump says the issue isn’t people, “getting the organization is the problem. FEMA is incompetently run and it costs about three times more than it… pic.twitter.com/TnHd90zZ5t

  — Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 25, 2025

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

  “EMA has a standard that’s so slow. They want permit on permit on permit, and then they want permits on top of that. If you use FEMA, you’ll be here for a long time,” Trump said. “What I’m saying is get the city, get the state to give you immediate 24-hour permits. These people are going to build their own homes. They’re going to get them built fast.”

  Trump then roasted Sherman and “people that think like you,” over insurance companies leaving California over state policies, stating that “every insurance company in the country left California.”

  “That’s why you have no insurance, because you made it so impossible. People that think like you made it so impossible,” Trump continued.

  “I’ll tell you this. I’ve never seen a state where almost nobody has insurance. I said, ‘What happened?’ They said, like, six months ago, they all left. Two years ago, they had different quadrants, but they left. You have very little insurance here. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Trump said.

  President Trump goes on to roast Rep. Sherman and “people that think like you” for running the fire insurance companies out of California due to state policies. pic.twitter.com/GVQcEae31C

  — Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 25, 2025

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

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 01/25/2025 – 12:15

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