Today’s News 5th January 2024

• Only Citizens Should Vote In America: Gingrich
  Only Citizens Should Vote In America: Gingrich

  Authored by Newt Gingrich via RealClear Wire,

  The next step in radically changing America is now underway. City officials in our national capital plan to allow non-citizens to vote next year.

  

  President Joe Biden let millions of illegal immigrants cross the border. Then he bussed them to Washington DC. The city’s Democratic machine now wants to let them vote – knowing they will almost certainly vote Democrat for all the support and assistance.

  This policy is a clear threat to American nationalism.

  Three characteristics define a survivable national identity.

  There must be a border which defines the nation. There must be a broad sense of history and common culture which enables people to see themselves as belonging to a common community. And there must be meaningful citizenship which gives people a stake in the larger national community (in our case, citizenship allows us to vote).

  The American left has been working overtime to erase all three of these characteristics.

  The left believes in open borders – and has done everything to make America open to millions of Biden’s illegal immigrants. This has not been the result of incompetence or lack of resources. This is deliberate policy. And, from the left’s standpoint, it is successful.

  The left hates American history. It despises the great men and women who sacrificed and worked to make America the most successful, prosperous, and freest country in the world. For three generations, the left has been brainwashing children into an anti-American worldview. The anti-American prejudice now infects most of our newsrooms and many of our larger corporations.

  Now that the left has been getting Biden’s illegal immigrants into the country, its members want to start letting illegal immigrants vote. In effect, the non-citizens would offset Americans with whom the left doesn’t agree. They are especially committed to getting new non-citizens to vote. Their dream of a huge American Latino-Democratic majority has been destroyed by the radicalism and real-world failures of Bidenism (Trump is now running ahead of Biden among American Latinos).

  A key test case for getting Biden’s illegal immigrants to vote in 2024 will be the City of Washington DC. Our national capital’s left-wing politicians are totally failing to protect residents from runaway crime (there were 959 car-jackings in DC in 2023). The city bureaucracy is driving sports teams out of town. The roads are decaying, and American citizens must visit their own national capital with a sense of concern for their own safety. Now, the DC City Council has decided its next contribution to American decay is to disenfranchise its own residents and allow non-citizens to vote.

  Now, the left – as they always do – will shout that being concerned about the votes of U.S. citizens being cancelled out by the votes of non-citizens is (you guessed it) racist. This is a ham-fisted attempt to shout down any discussion of what is an absurd, self-destructive policy that would make the entire concept of American citizenship meaningless.

  This is nothing but a fringe political position which is totally rejected by the American people.

  In a national survey from February 2021, Americans deeply opposed allowing non-citizens to vote in American elections. Further, they support requiring citizenship verification during voter registration.

  In Arizona, 81 percent support allowing only American citizens to vote and requiring citizenship verification to register to vote in federal elections. Only 15 percent oppose. In Maine, 75 percent support a ban on non-citizen voting and only 19 percent oppose. In Montana, the figures are 86 percent support and 11 percent oppose, and in West Virginia, they are 84 percent to 13 percent.

  In another national poll by McLaughlin & Associates from May 2021, 61 percent disapproved of “new laws in places such as California and Vermont that allow non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections.” Only 30 percent approved.

  Congress should move this month to block the DC politicians’ effort to let non-citizens vote in our national capital. Congress should also pass a law making it illegal for non-citizens to cast ballots in federal elections.

  The effort to let non-citizens overrule Americans must be stopped.

  For more commentary from Newt Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 01/05/2024 – 00:00

• More Than A 3rd Of US Adults Say Biden's Election Was Illegitimate: Poll
  More Than A 3rd Of US Adults Say Biden’s Election Was Illegitimate: Poll

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

  More than one-third of U.S. adults now believe that President Joe Biden wasn’t legitimately elected, a new survey shows, marking an uptick from December 2021.

  

  The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, conducted last month, found that 36 percent of respondents believe that President Biden’s election was illegitimate—a 7-point increase from two years ago.

  Comparatively, 62 percent said he was legitimately elected, down from 69 percent in 2021.

  Republicans showed the largest decrease in belief in the president’s validity, dropping from 39 percent to 31 percent. Independents also saw a 6-point drop, from 72 percent to 66 percent, while Democrats saw a slight dip, from 94 percent to 91 percent.

  In the same vein, 33 percent of all adults said there’s solid evidence of widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election. That includes 62 percent of Republicans, 33 percent of independents, and 10 percent of Democrats.

  Overall, 63 percent said there’s no solid evidence.

  Election Integrity Still a Concern

  The survey’s results track with the findings of a CNN poll conducted in July 2023.

  That poll found that 38 percent of adults believed President Biden didn’t legitimately win the 2020 election. It was the highest percentage to have given that response out of the eight surveys that the outlet has conducted on that topic.

  Conversely, 61 percent said the president legitimately won enough votes to secure the presidency—a clear majority, but a new low.

  While a majority (51 percent) of those who doubted President Biden’s legitimacy said there was solid evidence that he lost the election, 49 percent said it was just their suspicion. Those results marked a significant decline in certainty among the group from 2021, when 73 percent said there was solid evidence.

  Nevertheless, the results across both polls show that questions linger about the validity of the 2020 election results for a significant portion of the public, despite the insistence of certain media outlets—including The Washington Post—that there’s no evidence of fraud.

  Former President Donald Trump, for his part, has maintained that the 2020 election was stolen—a claim that he’s currently defending in two separate criminal cases.

  Capitol Breach

  The rest of the Washington Post-UMD survey focused primarily on attitudes surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

  Overall, the results show a slight softening in the public’s perception of the event, with 50 percent now saying that the protesters were “mostly violent,” compared to 54 percent who said the same previously.

  Among that group, Republicans again marked the largest shift over time, dropping from 26 percent to 18 percent. By contrast, both Democrats (77 percent) and independents (54 percent) alike were just 1 percent less likely to view the protesters as mostly violent, while those who viewed them as “mostly peaceful” (21 percent) or “equally peaceful and violent” (28 percent) increased slightly.

  Another finding was that fewer Americans hold President Trump responsible for the breach. Where 60 percent said he bears either “a great deal” or “a good amount” of responsibility for the event in 2021, only a slight majority (53 percent) now say the same.

  Republicans again account for most of that change, with just 14 percent holding the 45th president responsible, compared to 27 percent in 2021. However, it’s worth noting that Democrats saw the second-largest drop in this category, from 92 percent to 86 percent, while independents shifted just 1 point down to 56 percent.

  The results are noteworthy, given that two states recently disqualified the 45th president from appearing on their presidential primary ballots based on his alleged activities on and about Jan. 6, 2021.

  The Colorado Supreme Court and Maine’s Democrat Secretary of State Shenna Bellows argue that President Trump is ineligible to hold presidential office under the 14th Amendment, which bars certain individuals from holding federal offices if they have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States.

  That legal theory has been floated by critics of the former president in multiple states as a reason for keeping him off the ballot.

  President Trump’s legal team disputes the clause’s applicability to the presidency and the depiction of the Capitol breach as an insurrection. His attorneys have appealed both states’ decisions, which have been suspended as the litigation plays out.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 23:20

• Was "January 6" A Manufactured Crisis? Media Icons To Clash In ZeroHedge's No-Holds-Barred Debate
  Was “January 6” A Manufactured Crisis? Media Icons To Clash In ZeroHedge’s No-Holds-Barred Debate

  

   

  Depending on whom you ask, it was either “the darkest day in American history” or “a guided tour.” To this day, the January 6 Capitol Riot remains one of the most divisive issues in American politics.

  Conservative pundits like Tucker Carlson and Dinesh D’Souza point to lengthy prison sentences for nonviolent trespassers, the killing of Ashley Babbitt, and suspicious characters like Ray Epps as evidence of a burgeoning “police state” entrapping and imprisoning dissidents.

  On the other hand, liberal pundits and never-Trumpers like MSNBC’s Joy Reid, Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney, believe Jan 6 was nothing short of an attempted coup by former president Donald Trump.

  According to recent polling by the University of Chicago, 80% of Democrats believe Trump broke the law by inciting the Capitol riots, while roughly half of Republicans believe he did nothing wrong: 

  

  Such divides have consequences.

  On December 19, the Colorado Supreme Court — citing “clear and convincing” evidence that he engaged in an “insurrection” — ruled that “President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President” and barred the state’s Secretary from including Trump’s name on the ballot for upcoming GOP primary elections.

  This dispute over January 6 — and whether it was indeed an insurrection — may very well determine the next U.S. President.

  The ZeroHedge “January 6” Debate

  On the coming anniversary of January 6 (Saturday), ZeroHedge will present the second debate in our inaugural series aimed at bringing long-form dialogues back into the ideologically-siloed and echo-chambered media landscape.

  We will host an in-depth discussion on the various aspects of that fateful day in 2021, allowing people with all perspectives a chance to present evidence and make their argument.

  Our panel will include such media luminaries as Alex Jones, Darren Beattie, Glenn Greenwald on one side, and Ed and Brian Krassenstein, as well as YouTuber “Destiny” on the other.

  We hope to get closer to the truth of what happened on that day and get to the bottom of what creates such harsh social divides on this issue.

  Add To Your Calendar

  Set a reminder on your calendar for the Jan 6 ZeroHedge debate, airing on this website and on X, on January 6, 2024 at 7:00pm EST. We will also dedicate a portion of the debate to responding directly to questions submitted by our premium subscribers.

  

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 23:00

• This Is The Most Dangerous Time To Drive In Each US State
  This Is The Most Dangerous Time To Drive In Each US State

  Thousands of commuters around the world lose their lives in vehicular accidents each year, and in the U.S., the most dangerous time to drive can actually depend on which state you’re in.

  According to the CDC, car crashes are the eighth leading cause of death globally, and the leading cause for young people between the ages of 5–29 years old. Each day, the U.S. alone sees an average of 102 fatal traffic accidents.

  Visual Capitalist’s Freny Fernandes introduces this graphic by Clunker Junker uses data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to identify the most dangerous time to drive in each state of the country, based on traffic fatalities.

  

  The Deadly Hours

  On average, U.S. commuters lose over 50 hours of their time in rush hour traffic every year. In addition to being a frustrating drive, NHTSA data found that this time frame is also the most dangerous in some states.

  The number of fatal traffic accidents across various parts of the U.S. increases after 5pm, peaking between 9pm and 10pm.

  State	Most Dangerous Time to Drive
  Alabama	5:00‒5:59 p.m.
  Alaska	2:00‒2:59 p.m.
  Arizona	7:00‒7:59 p.m.
  Arkansas	5:00‒5:59 p.m.
  California	9:00‒9:59 p.m.
  Colorado	5:00‒5:59 p.m.
  Connecticut	7:00‒7:59 p.m.
  Delaware	5:00‒5:59 p.m.
  Florida	8:00‒8:59 p.m.
  Georgia	6:00‒6:59 p.m.
  Hawaii	8:00‒8:59 p.m.
  Idaho	4:00‒4:59 p.m.
  Illinois	6:00‒6:59 p.m.
  Indiana	9:00‒9:59 p.m.
  Iowa	5:00‒5:59 p.m.
  Kansas	1:00‒1:59 p.m.
  Kentucky	2:00‒2:59 p.m.
  Louisiana	9:00‒9:59 p.m.
  Maine	4:00‒4:59 p.m.
  Maryland	9:00‒9:59 p.m.
  Massachusetts	6:00‒6:59 p.m.
  Michigan	9:00‒9:59 p.m.
  Minnesota	4:00‒4:59 p.m.
  Mississippi	8:00‒8:59 p.m.
  Missouri	3:00‒3:59 p.m.
  Montana	2:00‒2:59 p.m.
  Nebraska	4:00‒4:59 p.m.
  Nevada	8:00‒8:59 p.m.
  New Hampshire	2:00‒2:59 p.m.
  New Jersey	8:00‒8:59 p.m.
  New Mexico	6:00‒6:59 p.m.
  New York	6:00‒6:59 p.m.
  North Carolina	6:00‒6:59 p.m.
  North Dakota	4:00‒4:59 p.m.
  Ohio	8:00‒8:59 p.m.
  Oklahoma	3:00‒3:59 p.m.
  Oregon	5:00‒5:59 p.m.
  Pennsylvania	3:00‒3:59 p.m.
  Rhode Island	9:00‒9:59 p.m.
  South Carolina	8:00‒8:59 p.m.
  South Dakota	1:00‒1:59 p.m.
  Tennessee	8:00‒8:59 p.m.
  Texas	9:00‒9:59 p.m.
  Utah	3:00‒3:59 p.m.
  Vermont	5:00‒5:59 p.m.
  Virginia	6:00‒6:59 p.m.
  Washington	5:00‒5:59 p.m.
  West Virginia	3:00‒3:59 p.m.
  Wisconsin	3:00‒3:59 p.m.
  Wyoming	3:00‒3:59 p.m.

  This is reported to be an outcome of various factors: low visibility at night, glaring headlights, more cars on the road, and a higher number of drunk drivers. In some states, regional geography and weather also contribute to dangerous road conditions, including hills and mountains, rain, snow, and strong winds.

  Another factor is congestion. More populated states with longer average commutes like California and Maryland had the most dangerous time to drive as later (between 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.), while central states with smaller populations like Kansas and South Dakota had earlier peak dangerous times (between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.)

  The safest times to drive across all states? Early in the morning from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.

  The Most Dangerous Time to Drive by Month and Day

  While holidays are a time for relaxation and celebration, they can be hazardous on the roads.

  According to NHTSA data, the summer and fall months are the most dangerous by average fatal accidents.

  

  June through August are the peak months of vacation travel in the U.S. and see increased traffic (often on high-speed highways and unfamiliar roads) and fatalities. But September is actually the most dangerous month to drive in America, as the Labor Day weekend and the new school term bring new drivers to the roads.

  Other popular U.S. holidays, including the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve, and Halloween, are also more dangerous than average. In addition to increased instances of drinking and driving, many holidays involve long-distance travel, leading to fatigue.

  And finally, according to the NHTSA, the U.S. sees an average of 4.68 fatal accidents on Saturdays making it the most dangerous day. This reaches a peak of over seven fatal accidents between 9 and 10pm every Saturday.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 23:00

• US Strike Kills Iran-Backed Leader In Baghdad Believed Behind Attacks On US Bases
  US Strike Kills Iran-Backed Leader In Baghdad Believed Behind Attacks On US Bases

  Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

  A US drone strike in Baghdad killed a senior militia leader on Thursday, marking another significant escalation that could lead to a full-blown regional war.

  The strike killed Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, also known as Abu Taqwa, a deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operations in Baghdad. The PMF is a coalition of mostly Shia Iraqi militias that are part of the government’s security forces.

  

  At least one other militia member was killed in the strike, which targeted a PMF base in Baghdad. Later on Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed it was responsible for the bombing.

  The Pentagon claims Abu Taqwa was believed to be responsible for attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria that started in October in response to US support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, but the US has not provided any evidence for the assertion.

  The drone strike has enraged the Iraqi government, which condemned it as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and security of Iraq” and said it was “no different from a terrorist act.”

  The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes in Iraq since October, all of which have been strongly condemned by the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the US’s supposed partner in the country.

  Al-Sudani’s government has also condemned the attacks on US bases in Iraq but wants to work to find the perpetrators and strongly opposes the unilateral US airstrikes and extra-judicial killings.

  

  Al-Sudani said last week that his government was “heading towards” ending the presence of foreign forces in Iraq, which includes 2,500 US troops.

  Iraq’s parliament voted to expel US troops back in 2020 following the US drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, but the US has refused to leave.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 22:40

• "Early Signs Of Rebound": Manhattan Home Prices Rise For First Time In Year
  “Early Signs Of Rebound”: Manhattan Home Prices Rise For First Time In Year

  For the first time in a year, Manhattan home prices in the fourth quarter rose as homebuyers came off the sidelines after the Federal Reserve’s pivot led to a plunge in mortgage rates, laying the groundwork for a re-acceleration in the borough’s housing market this spring. 

  Bloomberg cites new data from appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Douglas Elliman Real Estate, which shows the median sales price closed was around $1.16 million, up 5.1% – the first annual increase since the third quarter of 2022. 

  

  Data showed two-thirds of Manhattan buyers paid cash despite the 30-year fixed mortgage rate plunging from a two-decade high of around 8% at the start of November to about 6.61% by the end of December – on the back of the Federal Reserve’s rate hike cycle pivot. 

  

  Even though the total number of property transactions declined in the quarter, home sales valued at more than $5 million surged – an indication wealthy folks are buying ahead of the spring season. 

  “The market is giving early signs that it’s beginning to rebound,” Miller said, adding, “It’s not going to do an about-face overnight, but it’s trending to stronger performance in terms of transactions and inventory and, to a certain degree, prices.”

  Bloomberg noted, “Contracts to buy homes in Manhattan — a more timely indicator of demand than closed sales — rose in December from a year earlier … The increase signals the start of a process in which lower interest rates bring in more buyers, and prompt more sellers to list their homes.” 

  The late-year surge in the Manhattan housing market came after US home prices in October, one month before mortgage rates began to fall, rose for the 9th straight month. 

  “US home prices accelerated at their fastest annual rate of the year in October,” says Brian D. Luke, Head of Commodities, Real & Digital assets at S&P DJI.

  “We are experiencing broad based home price appreciation across the country, with steady gains seen in nineteen of twenty cities.”

  Could lower mortgage rates and tight housing supply unleash another round of bidding wars for the spring season? 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 22:20

• Florida Surgeon General Warns Against Using mRNA COVID Vaccines Over Possible Cancer Risk
  Florida Surgeon General Warns Against Using mRNA COVID Vaccines Over Possible Cancer Risk

  Authored by Jacob Burg via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Florida’s Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, is warning against any use of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines citing cancer concerns.

  

  Dr. Ladapo says a Canadian study found “billions to hundreds of billions” of DNA molecules per dose, exceeding guidelines set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

  He sent a letter on Dec. 6, to the FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Mandy Cohen outlining his concerns about the high presence of DNA molecules in the mRNA vaccines alongside lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) used to deliver medicine into human cells.

  If LNPs are so effective at administering the vaccine’s medicine into human cells, Dr. Ladapo says he fears they will deliver the contaminant DNA molecules simultaneously.

  He cites a 2007 guidance report from the FDA on the regulatory limits for DNA in vaccines, which indicated risks of affecting the human genes that transform healthy cells into cancerous cells.

  The report also discusses the risk of how this integration of DNA in vaccines can lead to issues with the heart, brain, blood, kidney, liver, bone marrow, lung, ovaries, and testes, draining lymph nodes, spleen, and the vaccine’s administration and injection site.

  “DNA integration poses a unique and elevated risk to human health, and to the integrity of the human genome, including the risk that DNA integrated into sperm or egg, gametes could be passed onto offspring of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine recipients.

  “If the risks of DNA integration have not been assessed for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, these vaccines are not appropriate for use in human beings,” Dr. Ladapo said in a news release.

  He is not calling for a widespread rejection of all vaccines and instead urges health care providers to prioritize non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and treatment while assessing research into overall vaccine risks.

  Dr. Ladapo was in hot water in April 2023 after a public records request discovered edits he made to a state-commissioned survey on mRNA vaccines, garnering accusations of “exaggerating” the data to fit his position against giving COVID-19 vaccines to “healthy” children and adults of certain ages.

  He defended the move as a scientific “revision” and felt justified in removing a certain data analysis from the original survey.

  But others have raised concerns with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as well, including Dr. Eduardo Balbona, an internal medicine doctor from Jacksonville, Florida.

  Dr. Balbona has been practicing for three decades and advocates for evidence-based medicine that emphasizes preventing disease and maintaining health with “education and a deliberative proactive approach to lifelong care.”

  After receiving single or repeat doses of the mRNA vaccines, some of his patients experienced a host of different symptoms and felt “ill immediately afterward.”

  In “some people, it takes a couple of weeks. So there [are] different patterns of injury. And I would say [for] some people, it’s almost an anaphylactic reaction.

  “They have the vaccine, and from that moment on, they’re just not well. Often … they lose their blood pressure, or they have a crazy blood pressure. It either drops to 70 or goes to 200,” Dr. Balbona told The Epoch Times.

  Several of his patients also developed posterior orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a condition that “causes your heart to beat faster than normal when you transition from sitting or lying down to standing up.”

  POTS is not easy to diagnose because several of its symptoms, including dizziness, fainting, chest pain, headaches, and heart palpitations, can occur over time despite resulting from a common cause.

  There is currently no cure for POTS, although exercise, physical activity, and a cardiac rehabilitation program can be used as treatment.

  Dr. Balbona also saw patients with increased blood pressure and others who had developed a hypercoagulable state, which is when the blood coagulates excessively in the absence of bleeding, according to the National Institutes of Health.

  He was also concerned by the number of men in their late teens, 20s, and 30s who developed pulmonary embolisms without genetic predispositions or pre-existing health issues that would cause them.

  A pulmonary embolism occurs when a fragment, most likely a blood clot, gets stuck in a lung artery and blocks the flow of blood, according to the Mayo Clinic.

  Other patients developed myocarditis and pericarditis directly after receiving the vaccine, Dr. Balbona said.

  According to the CDC, “myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis is inflammation of the outer lining of the heart.”

  The symptoms of myocarditis and pericarditis are chest pain, shortness of breath, and “feelings of having a fast beating, fluttering, or pounding heart.”

  The CDC admits that some patients developed these conditions after receiving the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines but that cases are “rare” and that many heal on their own.

  However, since the symptoms can mimic anxiety reactions, some patients might be unaware they have either myocarditis or pericarditis, making data collection difficult.

  Dr. Balbona spoke with patients who went to hospitals with these symptoms and were turned away by nurses and doctors who told them the issues were psychological, possibly assuming the patients were anxious or experiencing acute panic attacks.

  He also believes some who received the vaccines were given “blanks” instead of shots with active medicine inside. Dr. Balbona said he tested several patients after they received their shots, and they lacked COVID-19 antibodies, which should be present in the blood after vaccination.

  Dr. Balbona believes some patients might have been vaccinated with just saline solution as a result of poor storage and handling of the vaccines themselves, which required cold storage at all times to prevent the destruction of the medicine inside.

  Patients often tell him they’re worried about falling ill because of having had one or many COVID-19 vaccines.

  “So if you had the vaccine several years ago, and you feel fine, and you have no problems, you’re likely okay,” he added.

  Dr. Balbona believes the research will eventually catch up with what he and other physicians are seeing while treating their patients.

  “At some point—I think that point is long past due—these vaccines will be withdrawn from the market. They’re not safe. They’re harming people. They may be harming people in ways that are durable. The recent DNA contamination is very concerning for increasing risk of cancer,” he said.

  However, despite the alleged cancer risks of using mRNA inside COVID-19 vaccines, he said, “the underlying technology is something that’s actually very remarkable.

  “mRNA technology was misused in the COVID pandemic,” he said. “It should not be given indiscriminately.

  “It’s gene therapy; there’s no question of that. And it has the ability to do some remarkable things in terms of good in the right situation. If you can turn on and off a gene or a protein in a patient who has a very serious illness, that’s fine.

  “That may be a fabulous tool in the future, but you have to disclose the risks and the benefits.”

  Nanette Holt contributed to this report. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 22:00

• Potential Running Mates For Trump, Including 2 Wildcards
  Potential Running Mates For Trump, Including 2 Wildcards

  Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  As former President Donald Trump’s polling lead over his Republican rivals has come to look insurmountable, more than 40 names have bubbled up in speculation about his pick for vice president in the 2024 election.

  “People are talking about Trump VP picks because they recognize the primary is over and has been for quite some time,” Jason Meister, a New York-based adviser to the former president, told The Epoch Times. “Trump is polling stronger than he did in 2016 and 2020. He’s surging with blacks, independents, and younger Americans.”

  

  Nearly 63 percent of would-be voters say they favor President Trump as the GOP presidential nominee, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.

  That compares with about 11 percent support each for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as President Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.

  President Trump’s dominance in the polls has persisted in spite of—or, some say, because of—the “lawfare” being waged against him. The former president faces 91 criminal charges that threaten his freedom, civil cases aimed at his financial empire, and state-level efforts to boot him from 2024 ballots.

  Arguably, these precarious circumstances make it even more important to wisely choose a running mate, since a vice president must be prepared to step in if the president cannot, for some reason, fulfill his duties.

  Even if the vice president doesn’t assume the role of president, the position often serves as a steppingstone to the presidency.

  

  Among the past 10 presidents, four previously served as vice president, including the incumbent, Democrat President Joe Biden.

  Shopping for the ideal vice president requires consideration of many variables. That person should possess political clout and experience and must embrace the presidential candidate’s proposed policies. He or she also should be capable of drawing more supporters into the fold.

  In that vein, an ethnic minority or a female might make an advantageous vice president choice for President Trump, because such a person might bolster his support among those factions of voters.

  Many of his supporters bristle at the notion of a “check-the-boxes” choice. But savvy presidential candidates always seek to “balance” the ticket and “fill in gaps” of their base, analysts say. Factors such as home state, ideology, and personal characteristics come into play.

  Above all, President Trump has said he has one paramount requirement: his confidence that the person will do a good job.

  Whomever he chooses, a good vice president cannot be overly charismatic and upstage the top of the ticket. This chosen leader also must be capable of being subordinate to the president.

  On top of all that, the running mate’s personality must mesh well with the presidential candidate.

  Opinions All Over the Board

  When choosing a running mate, an overarching principle should be “first, do no harm,” according to Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida. He said it’s “the political equivalent of the Hippocratic oath that doctors take,” and it simply means that a vice presidential candidate cannot be a person who might “drag the ticket down.”

  The choice of a running mate seems to have little effect on whether a candidate becomes the presidential nominee or wins the presidency, Mr. Jewett said.

  Still, many voters do pay at least some attention to the second name on the ticket. And, to some degree, they do judge presidential candidates by the company they keep. Voters see the vice presidential selection as “a sign of the presidential candidate’s judgment,” he said.

  

  These are among the reasons people start buzzing about who might make a good running mate fairly early in an election cycle.

  Speculation about President Trump’s possible running mate began more than two years ago—almost three years in advance of the Republican National Convention, where delegates will choose their nominee for the November ballot.

  Customarily, presidential candidates announce their choice of a running mate a few days before the convention’s start; the GOP convention is set for July 15–18 in Milwaukee.

  Although President Trump and his team have said they aren’t ready to talk about potential running mates, voters wonder who will make the cut—and some have begun voicing opinions about who they prefer.

  On Dec. 13, 2023, Newsweek magazine reported that Mr. DeSantis prevailed as the No. 1 vice president choice among 1,500 voters surveyed, drawing 25 percent support from people who said they would vote for President Trump.

  But a few days after that poll’s release, Mr. DeSantis ranked toward the bottom of a different survey at Turning Point Action’s “AmericaFest 2023” in Arizona. Among the 1,113 attendees who responded to the questions, 81 percent said they were Republican; more than half were over age 50, and one-fifth of them were under age 30.

  When asked whom they favored as a running mate for President Trump, 35 percent named former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson. Only 6 percent named Mr. DeSantis.

  

  Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy was the sole would-be vice president who finished in the top three slots in both of those polls. He drew 16 percent support in the Newsweek survey and 26 percent in the AmericaFest poll.

  Although Ms. Haley’s 19 percent share ranked her second in the Newsweek survey, she was decidedly unpopular with the AmericaFest crowd. The audience booed and jeered when her name was mentioned onstage; the poll showed that only 2 percent wanted her as President Trump’s running mate.

  Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Ramaswamy, and Ms. Haley have all publicly stated they have no desire to be second-in-command. So have a number of other people whose names have been mentioned.

  And, at a Michigan speech in September 2023, President Trump said he saw little running mate potential among the dozen or so candidates who were then vying for the Republican presidential nomination.

  Still, people who said they were uninterested in an offer might change their minds. So could President Trump.

  

  The Epoch Times has compiled a list of potential Trump running mates based on political betting odds, surveys, political scientists’ opinions, online chatter, and interviews with insiders.

  The list includes many of the most-talked-about possibilities—plus a few more obscure picks that just might appeal to President Trump. After all, his eventual 2016 running mate, former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, was an unexpected choice.

  Possible Picks

  US Sen. Tim Scott

  For several reasons, the South Carolina lawmaker could bolster President Trump’s candidacy more than many of the other names that have been proposed in recent months.

  Mr. Scott is passionate about sharing his religious faith, endearing him to evangelical Christians—an important voting bloc that also found President Trump’s former vice president, Mr. Pence, appealing.

  Because he is the only black Republican senator in Congress, Mr. Scott also might help draw more black voters, a group that has traditionally voted Democrat but has recently been shifting more toward President Trump and other Republicans.

  Although Mr. Scott often delivers powerful speeches, they’re tempered by a Southern-gentlemanlike, more genteel demeanor, Mr. Bullock said, which would provide a counterbalance to the brash native New York style of President Trump.

  

  Mr. Scott, 58, comes across as “younger and more vigorous” than President Trump, Mr. Bullock said.

  While campaigning for the presidency earlier this year, Mr. Scott largely avoided attacking President Trump. And the former president, known for aiming barbs at his opponents, had instead praised Mr. Scott.

  Both men used the phrase “good guy” to describe each other in July 2023 amid persistent rumors about the Trump ticket.

  Mr. Scott bowed out of the race in November 2023. One political insider told The Epoch Times that he had direct knowledge that Mr. Scott expressed gratitude to President Trump for a running mate offer but felt he had to turn it down.

  The Epoch Times attempted to reach Mr. Scott for comment in late December, but his staff said he was unavailable during the Christmas-New Year’s holiday break.

  Mr. Scott wasn’t listed as a vice presidential candidate in the Newsweek poll, and he drew less than 1 percent support from the AmericaFest crowd.

  Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley

  Ms. Haley’s former gubernatorial and foreign policy experience, along with her status as a female and the daughter of immigrants from India, make her a logical pick—at least on paper. Both Mr. Jewett and Charles Bullock III, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, concur on those points.

  But in reality, President Trump risks turning off many supporters if he dares to choose her.

  Recently, media outlets began running a flurry of articles themed “Trump is secretly considering Haley as VP.” The reception from Trumpworld has been frosty.

  On Dec. 23, 2023, as such stories were circulating, Trump ally Roger Stone posted on Truth Social: “Fact: The United States has never had a VP nicknamed ‘Birdbrain’–and never will,” referring to a nickname that President Trump bestowed upon Ms. Haley.

  

  Mr. Meister said: “I can’t predict who Trump will ultimately choose as his running mate, but I can tell you who it can’t be. It can’t be Haley.”

  He and others see Ms. Haley as a “neoconservative,“ or a ”neoliberal” who is too closely tied to the entrenched political establishment that President Trump has said he wants to dismantle. Several say they flat-out distrust her.

  The former president’s son Donald Trump Jr. emphatically opposes her.

  But Lara Trump, the wife of President Trump’s other adult son, Eric Trump, refused to rule out Ms. Haley.

  Still, many of President Trump’s supporters dislike Ms. Haley so much that they swear they’ll vote against any ticket that includes the name “Haley.”

  During a Dec. 27, 2023, interview with journalist John Solomon, President Trump disputed reports that he was considering Ms. Haley for a running mate. He said he wasn’t considering anyone for the job because he is focused on winning the upcoming caucuses, which begin on Jan. 15 in Iowa.

  However, the former president did concede that he and Ms. Haley have gotten along well, even though he considers her “somewhat disloyal” for breaking her promise not to run against him. “But that’s a politician,” he said.

  President Trump “doesn’t seem to have the same sort of animosity against her” as he does against Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Jewett said.

  Mr. Bullock noted that Ms. Haley, 51, would provide a more youthful contrast to President Trump, who is 77, and his presumed Democrat opponent, 81-year-old President Biden.

  Other points in Ms. Haley’s favor: She hasn’t attacked President Trump as strongly as some of her fellow Republican challengers. And she has publicly stated, more than once, that she would pardon President Trump if she becomes president and he is convicted of a criminal charge.

  However, she has recently intensified her criticisms of President Trump, saying he shouldn’t be president because chaos follows him.

  Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy

  By starting his candidacy at age 37, the millionaire millennial became the youngest Republican to ever seek the Oval Office.

  Although he lacks experience, the Harvard and Yale graduate brings energy, intelligence, and courage to the table.

  At the first GOP presidential debate on Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee, Mr. Ramaswamy demonstrated that he’s willing to be bold.

  

  Without hesitation, he raised his hand to indicate that he would support President Trump if he were to be criminally convicted yet became the Republican nominee. The other GOP candidates onstage followed Mr. Ramaswamy’s lead, one by one, some rather sheepishly.

  Mr. Ramaswamy has denounced the weaponization of the justice system against President Trump. He also has decried numerous states’ attempts to ban President Trump from the ballot based on claims that he incited an “insurrection” during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Mr. Ramaswamy vowed to withdraw his own name from any ballot that excludes President Trump; he has challenged his fellow candidates to do the same.

  In addition, Mr. Ramaswamy publicly criticized Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel as an ineffective leader and called for her resignation.

  Mr. Ramaswamy recently completed his second round of “The Full Grassley,” making stops in all 99 of Iowa’s counties, a maneuver that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pioneered. Still, he has been lagging in Iowa polls.

  Among the second-tier GOP presidential hopefuls, Mr. Ramaswamy has run “the most interesting and original campaign,” in the opinion of Roger Simon, a columnist for The Epoch Times.

  Many people, including Mr. Simon, have said that Mr. Ramaswamy has a bright future in politics, possibly as a member of a Trump administration—even if not as vice president.

  Besides being a fan favorite in two polls about potential Trump running mates, Mr. Ramaswamy ranks highly among some political betting sites, such as OddsChecker.com.

  And, he, like Ms. Haley, was born to parents who emigrated from India, a background that could appeal to ethnic minorities if President Trump were to choose him as a running mate.

  Still, Mr. Ramaswamy has no prior political or governmental experience. But neither did President Trump before his presidency.

  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem

  Ms. Noem, 52, has risen in prominence during the past several years even though her state has next-to-zero gravitational pull in U.S. politics.

  One reason she gained attention: She refused to impose lockdowns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, saying she trusted citizens to make wise choices for themselves.

  

  Ms. Noem served in Congress for six years and understands the D.C. Beltway. She also served on the Armed Services Committee and, in that role, observed President Trump’s leadership first hand.

  That’s one reason she cited when she endorsed him in September 2023 at a rally in Rapid City, South Dakota. She also pledged to do everything in her power to help President Trump win back the White House.

  Talk about her as a possible running mate choice accelerated after the words “Trump Noem 2024” flashed briefly on a video screen at the rally. And now, such speculation is renewed because Ms. Noem is set to campaign for the former president in Iowa during his pre-caucus blitz.

  She was elected in 2018 as South Dakota’s first female governor. Last year, she won reelection with “the largest vote total in the history of South Dakota,” her online biography says.

  Mr. Jewett put her in the category of “politicians and sort of traditional candidates” but noted, “She’d bring that diversity to the ticket by virtue of being a woman.”

  At one point in late December 2023, Ms. Noem, Mr. Ramaswamy, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) were in a three-way tie as betting favorites to gain the running mate spot. But in the Newsweek poll, Ms. Noem drew only 3 percent support; she registered less than 1 percent in the AmericaFest survey.

  North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum

  “Doug who?” was the question many people asked after Mr. Burgum declared his presidential candidacy in June 2023. He also hails from a low-profile Great Plains state and struggled to gain attention during his campaign, which he ended in early December.

  

  But during that six-month span, Mr. Burgum found a creative way to qualify for two GOP presidential debates—and made a positive impression onstage, drawing glowing remarks from President Trump, who has skipped all of the RNC-sponsored debates.

  After the first debate in August 2023, President Trump, commenting on potential running mate picks, told Newsmax that Mr. Burgum is “great” and said, “I respect him a lot.”

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 21:20

• White House Says Russia Used North Korean Ballistic Missiles In Ukraine
  White House Says Russia Used North Korean Ballistic Missiles In Ukraine

  Throughout much of the Ukraine conflict, the US and UK have alleged secret North Korean artillery shell transfers to Russia, via train in the far east. 

  But this week Washington has ratcheted its accusations further, alleging that Russia is using North Korean supplied ballistic missiles to attack Ukrainian cities. 

  

  White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Thursday pointed to recently declassified intelligence which finds that Pyongyang provided Moscow with these weapons, and further said a North Korean missile was fired on Ukraine at least once. 

  However, any specifics were not forthcoming and the accusations remained vague, perhaps only for the purpose of the US generating some headlines as part of wartime propaganda.

  To be expected, Kirby also highlighted the deepened Russian-Iran relationship, and said that the Kremlin is seeking Iranian close-range ballistic missiles. Kirby said these negotiations are “actively advancing”. 

  In a bit of curious timing, a Bloomberg op-ed published on the same day as Kirby’s briefing urged America to stop the new “axis of evil”…

  Since Feb. 24, 2022, and especially since Oct. 7, 2023, a specter has haunted the world and worried US President Joe Biden in particular: Will Russia’s war against Ukraine, or Israel’s against Hamas, draw in other belligerents, perhaps even culminating in World War III?

  Biden has therefore done everything in his power to support Ukraine and Israel while also keeping the US and its Western allies out of direct confrontations with Russia, Hamas’ backers in Iran, and their Chinese and North Korean quasi-allies. But conflicts change unpredictably. Every vagary increases the risk that an artillery round fired over here sends missiles flying over there and detonates a bigger blow-up.

  The author says, “To avoid a wider war, American diplomacy must keep China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as separate as possible.”

  The US needs to confront the new “Axis of Evil” (Iran, Russia, China, North Korea) by preventing it from even forming @opinion https://t.co/9l26dTp4lp

  — Andreas Kluth (@andreaskluth) January 4, 2024

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

  Russia and Ukraine have over the last several days been engaged in a ramped-up air war, especially following last week’s rare Ukrainian cross-border attack on Belgorod. It the tit-for-tat escalation, scores of civilians have been killed on both sides, bearing the brunt of this latest escalation.

  Given Biden’s new defense aid for Kiev was held up by Republicans in Congress, it seems the only thing the White House has in its arsenal for the time being is to talk up the alleged Russia-North Korea-Iran links.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 21:00

• These 11 States Are Leading America's Oil Production Boom
  These 11 States Are Leading America’s Oil Production Boom

  Authored by Robert Rapier via OilPrice.com,

  • Texas dominates U.S. oil production, contributing 42.6% of the total output, mainly due to the Permian Basin.

  • New Mexico has seen a dramatic 190% increase in oil production over the past five years, becoming the second-leading oil producer in the U.S.

  • California faces a 30.7% reduction in oil production over the past five years, largely due to political and geological challenges.

  U.S. oil production has increased by 21% over the past five years. According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), earlier this month U.S. oil producers set a new annual production record.

  

  This increase is being driven by a surge of production in a handful of states. I thought it might be of interest to look at which states are contributing the most to U.S. oil production, and how much production has changed over the past five years.

  Total production for 2023 is not yet available, but monthly numbers are available through September (as well as weekly number through mid-December). I averaged oil production over the past 12 months (October 2022 through September 2023) for the entire U.S., as well as for every state that reported oil production in the past five years. (See the data source here).

  Here were the Top 11 oil-producing states over the past year. Production is in million barrels per day (BPD).

  

  Top 11 Oil-Producing States in 2023.

  Texas is contributing the largest share to the production record at 42.6% of the U.S. total. This is primarily due to surging production in the Permian Basin. The Permian Basin effect can also be seen in New Mexico’s incredible 190% surge over the past five years. New Mexico is now the country’s second-leading oil producer.

  Production in North Dakota is still above one million bpd, but oil production there is down from its peak. However, North Dakota production has been increasing this year, and is up 17% over the past year.

  Five of the eleven states shown have seen production decline over the past five years. If you wonder why I listed eleven states, it was primarily to include Ohio, which has not historically been thought of as one of the leading oil producers. Ohio’s production is still modest relative to states like Texas and New Mexico, but it is growing due to development in the Utica Shale in the Appalachian Basin.

  A hundred years ago, California was the country’s top oil producer. In the late 1980s, California was still producing over one million bpd. But production has been in steady decline there, due to politics and unfavorable geology that rendered hydraulic fracturing less appealing than in midwestern oil and gas formations. Over the past five years, California’s 30.7% decline in oil production is the largest among top producers.

  One major area of production that I didn’t consider here was federal offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the past year, that contributed another 1.84 million bpd, which is 9.3% higher than it was five years ago (and just under the record 1.898 million bpd level set in 2019).

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 20:40

• Philly Police Fired Their "Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Officer" This Week
  Philly Police Fired Their “Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Officer” This Week

  Thanks to help from Harvard’s Claudine Gay, who was unable to condemn harassment on her campus against Jewish students and was later found to have plagiarized  what appears to be her entire body of academic work, it looks as though the diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) wolf in sheep’s clothing is finally starting to be seen for what it is. 

  That reverberation may have made its way to Philadelphia, where the crime and drug-ridden city is once again attempting to make a swift change back to law and order under newly-sworn in mayor Cherelle Parker, widely acknowledged to be the most pro-police candidate out of the Democratic choices in the city. 

  And just hours before Parker was sworn into office, the Philadelphia Police Department’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, Leslie Marant, was fired, according to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Almost as if when your hellscape of a city needs more police desperately, it doesn’t matter what color, race, creed or orientation they are. Go figure. 

  The report says that Marant started her role in April 2022 and was dismissed by acting Commissioner John M. Stanford during a 10:30 a.m. meeting this Tuesday morning. Stanford stated that due to departmental restructuring under new police commissioner Kevin Bethel, Marant’s services were no longer required.

  

  Spokesperson, Sgt. Eric Gripp, said in a statement: “Under new leadership, restructuring and realignment of an organization is common. We want to express our sincere gratitude to Ms. Marant for her dedicated work and professionalism during her time with the PPD.”

  “As this is a Police Department personnel matter, the administration has no comment,” a spokesman for Mayor Parker said. 

  Despite the firing, the DEI office is going to continue to remain active, the report says. The department will soon reveal an interim director and a nationwide hunt for a permanent successor to Marant’s position is planned, the Inquirer wrote.

  Marant, initially appointed under ex-Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, previously served as chief counsel to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. She holds degrees in finance, human resources, and law from Temple University.

  Lacking prior law enforcement experience, Marant’s DEI officer role, as outlined by Outlaw, involved leading the department’s DEI initiatives across all levels and developing relevant strategies. Her salary was $170,569.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 20:20

• The Houthi Butterfly Flaps Its Wings
  The Houthi Butterfly Flaps Its Wings

  Earlier, we reported that on Wednesday, the White House warned that this ongoing Red Sea turmoil could hit the US economy in a briefing:

  The White House has warned that the potential for higher shipping costs to affect the U.S. economy amid diversion of ships from the Red Sea will depend on how long Houthi rebels sustain their attacks on commercial vessels.

  “If we weren’t concerned, we wouldn’t have stood up an operation in the Red Sea, now consisting of more than 20 nations, to try to protect that commerce,” White House spokesman John Kirby said at a White House press conference on Wednesday, referring to the U.S.-led military force Operation Prosperity Guardian.

  “The Red Sea is a vital waterway, and a significant amount of global trade flows through it. By forcing nations to go around the Cape of Good Hope, you’re adding weeks and weeks onto voyages, and untold resources and expenses have to be applied in order to do that. So obviously there’s a concern about the impact on global trade.”

  Interestingly, Kirby was then asked by a reporter whether the spiraling situation would become “pocketbook” issue for Americans.

  Kirby responded by saying “It would depend on how long this threat goes and on how much more energetic the Houthis think they might become.” He added: “Right now we haven’t seen an uptick or a specific effect on the U.S. economy. But make no mistake. This is a key international waterway. Countries more and more are becoming aware of this increasing threat to the free flow of commerce.”

  Thus he fully acknowledged this is a distinct possibility that’s fast approaching.

  Indeed as Paris Johnson details below via DailyReckoning.com, the impact of a small group of rebels may just cause a financial hurricane in the US.

  The Butterfly Effect

  Houthi rebels are the new Somali pirates.

  Imagine a bunch of goatherders, who are pissed off at Israel over the Gaza bombing, stopping world trade.

  It’s improbable. Unlikely. Fatuous, even.

  And yet, here we are, talking about everything Joke Biden needs to bury if he (or his body double) wants to win in November.

  

  The Butterfly Effect is when a very small change in initial conditions that creates a significantly different outcome.

  In 1950, Alan Turing noted: “The displacement of a single electron by a billionth of a centimeter at one moment might make the difference between a man being killed by an avalanche a year later or escaping.”

  There is no need to wonder what Turing would be thinking if a bunch of Houthis were sitting on the cliffs lining the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, lighting off cheap drones and rockets at any Israeli or Israel-aligned ship.

  If you’re Russian or Chinese or anyone aligned with the Global South, pass “Go” and collect $200.

  From the December 22nd edition of the Rude Awakening:

  On our editorial call on Wednesday, ex-naval aviator and Paradigm’s venerable historian Byron King mentioned something I hadn’t considered.

  Byron said – and I’ll paraphrase – that the Houthis were using $100,000 drones to attack commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while the US Navy was using $1 – 4 million rockets to shoot those drones down.

  You don’t need a mathematics degree to see why experts think this unbalanced exchange of munitions will eventually pressure the Pentagon.

  Well, thanks to these Houthis, we’re heading back to the water routes of the 1860s!

  Why Americans Need to Care About This… And Think Carefully.

  You may not yet recognize the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait I mentioned earlier. That’s the waterway a ship needs to travel through to get to the Suez Canal.

  If the Strait is blocked due to rocket fire and the subsequent suspending of maritime insurance, then the Canal is inaccessible. And that means you’ve got to sail around Africa for goods to reach Europe and the West.

  

  Credit: The Cradle

  The military angle is easy enough.

  From The Cradle:

  While the US military is successful at producing expensive, technologically complex weapons systems that provide excellent profits for the arms industry, such as the F-15 warplanes, it is not capable of producing enough of the weapons needed to actually fight and win real wars on the other side of the world, where supply chains become even more critical.

  But the economic warfare is even more dreadful.

  Impact on Shipping Costs

  Shortest Route

  The Suez Canal offers the most direct sea route between Asia and Europe, significantly reducing travel time and distance compared to the alternative Cape of Good Hope route (around the bottom of Africa). When the canal is inaccessible, ships are forced to take this longer route, increasing travel times by weeks and fuel costs exponentially.

  Fuel Costs

  Longer journeys translate directly into higher fuel consumption. This additional cost is invariably passed onto consumers, raising the prices of goods transported via these routes.

  Charter Rates

  The canal closure often leads to a shortage of available shipping capacity. Ships tied up in extended voyages reduce the supply of vessels available for other routes, driving up charter rates. This, in turn, inflates shipping costs, a burden that the consumer again bears.

  Congestion and Delays

  The aftermath of a canal closure typically involves significant congestion and logistical backlogs. This can lead to substantial delays, further disrupting shipping schedules and increasing operational costs.

  Breaking the Supply Chain

  Just-in-Time Inventory

  Modern business models, such as just-in-time inventory systems, rely heavily on timely and predictable delivery of goods. The closure of the Suez Canal disrupts these delicate systems, leading to widespread shortages and inefficiencies.

  Perishable Goods

  The delay in shipping routes particularly impacts the delivery of perishable goods. This leads to wastage and disrupts food supply chains, affecting markets and consumers globally.

  Manufacturing Delays

  Industries dependent on specific components, such as automotive and electronics, are significantly impacted by delays in the delivery of these parts. This halts production lines, leading to broader economic repercussions.

  Global Interconnectivity

  The closure of the canal highlights the deeply interconnected nature of global trade. A disruption in a single yet crucial location can have far-reaching effects, impacting various sectors and economies worldwide.

  Inflationary Pressures

  Increased Transportation Costs

  The surge in transportation costs due to longer shipping routes and heightened fuel consumption contributes to overall inflation, as these costs are typically transferred to the consumer.

  Supply Shortages

  Disruptions in supply chains can create shortages of various goods. According to the principles of supply and demand, reduced supply often leads to increased prices, contributing to inflation.

  Speculative Increases

  Anticipation and speculation about delays and shortages can trigger preemptive price increases. These speculative actions can exacerbate inflationary pressures even before actual shortages occur.

  Economic Recovery Post-Pandemic

  In a post-pandemic world, where economies are in various stages of recovery, the closure of a critical trade route like the Suez Canal compounds existing challenges, such as labor shortages and heightened consumer demand, further fueling inflation.

  Broader Economic Implications

  Global Trade Dynamics

  The Suez Canal’s role in global trade dynamics is multifaceted. It’s a conduit for goods and a barometer for global economic health. Its closure signals deeper issues in international trade relations and economic stability.

  Energy Markets

  The canal is also vital for the transport of oil and natural gas. Its closure can disrupt energy markets, leading to fluctuations in energy prices globally. This domino effect affects industries and consumers alike, as energy costs are a fundamental component of almost every economic activity.

  Long-Term Strategic Changes

  Repeated disruptions may prompt companies to reassess their supply chain strategies. This might include diversifying shipping routes, increasing inventory levels, or even reshoring some manufacturing operations. While these strategies can mitigate risks, they also come with increased costs and complexities.

  Environmental Impact

  Longer shipping routes increase costs and have a significant environmental impact.

  Wrap Up

  Whether you own a business or are just looking after your investments, it’s paramount that you keep abreast of this situation.

  Yes, a bunch of goatherders has just thrown a monkey wrench into the world’s economic works.

  But this also represents an enormous opportunity to profit if you keep your head about you.

  Look at the energy and transportation sectors. Look at precious metals. Look at other tangible assets and commodities, like copper.

  While the Houthis are wreaking havoc on the West, you can protect your investments and profits before most people even know what’s happening.

  Good hunting!

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 20:00

• Milei's Labor Reforms Hit Roadblock In Argentinian Labor Appeals Court
  Milei’s Labor Reforms Hit Roadblock In Argentinian Labor Appeals Court

  As it turns out, overhauling an entire country can be somewhat of a daunting task, as is being put on display in Argentina where Javier Milei is facing an uphill climb to make broad-stroke changes that the country needs to snap it out of socialism. 

  Argentina’s national labor appeals court suspended part of President Javier Milei’s emergency decree that was put forth to overhaul the country’s failing economy, Bloomberg reported this week. 

  The suspended portion of the decree dealt specifically with labor reforms, simplifying severance pay obligations and hiring “trial periods”. On Wednesday the court issued the injunction which will be seen as a “temporary victory” to the country’s labor unions, the report says. 

  Milei’s team will now challenge the court’s suspension, citing conflict with municipal and provincial rulings. The injunction prevents complete derailment by congress or courts for now, with lawmakers yet to vote on the decree, which hasn’t been blocked in recent administrations.

  We noted that to end 2023, socialist activists and workers unions were carrying images of Che Guevara and Eva Peron while protesting Milei’s cuts.

  As we noted then, the cuts are a part of Milei’s sweeping economic measures that will erase or rewrite over 300 rules regulating and restricting private enterprise within the nation.

  

  “The goal is to start along the path to rebuilding the country… and start to undo the huge number of regulations that have held back and prevented economic growth,” Milei said in a televised speech from the presidential palace.  

  The protests and anger from leftist elements within Argentina illustrate the numerous pitfalls of allowing socialism to be rooted within any country for any length of time. 

  Though Milei’s opposition often argues that Argentina has never been “truly socialist,” the government policies that have been in place for decades certainly are.  It is a classic far-left deflection:  Whenever a socialist government or economy fails, claim it wasn’t real socialism.  Rinse, and repeat.

  Deregulation, protesters argued, would pave the way for big business interests while reducing welfare programs and protections for the public.  The protests are of course built upon a number of assumptions and are reactionary at best, given that Milei has been in office for a mere two weeks.

  We’re also near certain these protestors have not asked critical questions about where the funding for such government programs is going to come from when the country’s currency has been zapped into a hyperinflationary oblivion.

  The country’s national debt has climbed to over $400 billion US dollars and they are struggling with a $44 billion IMF loan.  However, the real threat is their triple digit inflation which is igniting a mounting economic crisis.  It is the same crisis that has resurfaced multiple times since the crash of 1990.  

  But, as usual, we digress…

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 19:40

• For Miners' Seasonal Rally, China Is The Wild Card
  For Miners’ Seasonal Rally, China Is The Wild Card

  By Michael Msika, Bloomberg markets live reporter and strategist

  January and February are usually pretty good months for Europe’s mining stocks, as factories in China rush to replenish their metals reserves. This year, that seasonal lift will hinge on Beijing coming through with stimulus.  

  The Stoxx 600 Basic Resources index is coming into 2023 after a decent run of gains, bouncing 13% from its October 23 trough as it became clear central banks are done hiking interest rates. Historical patterns from the past two decades indicate those gains could continue — January has been a positive month for miners 65% of the time, with an average 1.3% gain. And February, with a 3% average advance, is even better.

  

  Despite those promising signs, a net 26% of European fund managers were underweight basic resources shares, Bank of America’s investor survey found in December, the most unloved sector after chemicals. Their wariness likely stems from fears of an economic downturn, as well as uncertainty on how much stimulus China will deploy to support growth in the world’s largest steelmaking nation.

  Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina notes that US rate-cut prospects, falling Treasury yields and a weaker dollar all tend to act as buy signals for mining shares. He is positive on the sector over the one-three month horizon, with Anglo American, Alcoa and Teck Resources his top picks.

  “The risk is that this Goldilocks scenario might be followed by a recession. If that happens, then the near-term strength in these shares would likely reverse,” LaFemina warns.

  

  Many others are banking on Beijing. After all, China accounts for between 25% and 60% of large cap miners’ revenue, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

  Iron ore, particularly, will be key. At Rio Tinto and BHP — among the world’s biggest miners —  it comprises about 50% of revenue. The steelmaking material raced to fresh 18-month highs this week, after President Xi Jinping pledged to strengthen his country’s economy and amid speculation China’s central bank will cut rates. Recent dataflow, including imports and PMI surveys, also point to resilient commodities demand, says Caroline Bain at Capital Economics.

  Expectation that China will come through with aid is keeping Citi strategists overweight mining stocks. They are particularly bullish on Rio Tinto and South32, betting steel production will remain strong, leading analysts to raise iron ore price estimates. That in turn should underpin earnings momentum for related equities through the first quarter and possibly the second one, they reckon. 

  

  Morgan Stanley analysts led by Alain Gabriel expect a wider dispersion in shareholder returns from the mining sector this year, given uncertainty around Chinese policy, interest rates and the potential reversal in the dollar. Highlighting rising supply stresses in copper markets, they are tactically bullish on producers such as Lundin and Antofagasta.

  

  Finally, valuation could prove a headwind for mining stocks. Their recent bounce has taken forward P/E ratios to about 11, back to long-term averages, while the discount to the broader market has narrowed to 12%. Once-stellar dividend yields too have faded — at about 4%, they offer only a bit more than the Stoxx index’s 3.7%.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 19:20

• Kennedy Condemns Efforts To Remove Trump From Ballots
  Kennedy Condemns Efforts To Remove Trump From Ballots

  Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr said Donald Trump and American voters were being treated unfairly by efforts across the country to block the former president from 2024 ballots. Kennedy’s remarks came at a Wednesday press conference to spotlight his own first major milestone in his pursuit of 50-state ballot access: securing enough signatures to appear in the Utah general election. 

  Trump has already been declared ineligible to appear on Republican primary ballots in two states, as a court in Colorado and an unelected bureaucrat in Maine said he’s disqualified under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, for having engaged in an “insurrection” in the form of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill. 

  

  As we reported Saturday, Colorado and Maine are just the start, as there are 20 states with lawsuits in progress aiming to eject Trump from the democratic process, and more to come. On Wednesday, RFK, Jr said the trend concerns him greatly. 

  “Donald Trump has not been convicted of an insurrection. Maybe he did it but, you know, he hasn’t been charged with it,” said Kennedy. “I don’t think it’s fair.” He also alluded to the fact that the ballot-blocking drive promises to stir the passions on the Trump side of an increasingly divided American electorate, saying it will make Trump backers “angry and frustrated and justifiably so.” 

  If Trump is kept out of office through judicial fiat rather than being defeated in a fair election, his supporters will never accept the result. This country will become ungovernable.

  — Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) December 20, 2023

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  Separately, Tom Lyons, president of the Kennedy-boosting American Values 2024 PAC, told Sharyl Attkisson that Trump’s dilemma relates to the difficulty that independent and third-party candidates have in making it to the ballot:

  “We don’t need to be protected from a candidate by this sort of anti-democratic set of forces that is gaining traction in this country. Whether it’s Bobby Kennedy or Donald Trump or Joe Biden, it’s a direction that’s obviously bad for democracy.”

  The main purpose of Wednesday’s event was to announce that Kennedy has qualified to appear on the election ballot in Utah, having secured signatures from 1,000 registered voters. The campaign expects to spend $15 million on its nationwide ballot-access drive.

  .@BreakingPointsN @krystalball + @esaagar ask about my efforts to get on the ballot in all 50 states, support among non-voters, and whether or not I’ll be on the debate stage with Trump + Biden. #Kennedy24 pic.twitter.com/rqovJqMh0v

  — Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) December 28, 2023

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  Kennedy decried the thicket that he and similarly-situated candidates must navigate just to put their names in front of voters, saying that “arbitrary and capricious” rules create an “undemocratic lock that the major political parties have on this process…It’s all designed to keep third parties from getting on the ballot.”

  Angling to play more than a mere spoiler in the November election, Kennedy shared some math that makes him optimistic: 

  “You could technically win the election with 34 percentage points because it’s winner take all. So all we have to do is take 4.5 percentage points from each President Trump and President Biden to win the national election, and I have 11 months to do that.”

  He may be a little farther from that goal line than he suggests. His numbers may be in the right neighborhood if you look at a three-way race, but in a more realistic five-person race that includes Biden, Trump, Kennedy, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West, the current RealClearPolitics average has Trump at 40.6%, Biden at 35.6% and Kennedy at 13.0%.  

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 19:00

• Justice Department Sues Texas Over New Law Cracking Down On Illegal Immigrants
  Justice Department Sues Texas Over New Law Cracking Down On Illegal Immigrants

  Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times,

  The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against Texas over a new state law aimed at increasing security at the southern border by granting police broader powers to arrest, prosecute, and deport immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

  

  The DOJ filed the lawsuit against Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) in an Austin federal court on Jan. 3 on behalf of the United States federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.

  It lists Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw as defendants.

  Plaintiffs argue SB 4 is preempted by federal law and thus violates the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution and the Foreign Commerce Clause.

  The legislation at the center of the lawsuit was introduced by Republican state Sen. Charles Perry and sponsored in the House by Republican state Rep. David Spiller in November.

  It was passed by the Republican-controlled Texas legislature that same month and signed into law by Mr. Abbott in December.

  The measure makes it a state misdemeanor to illegally cross or attempt to cross into Texas from Mexico at any location other than a lawful port of entry.

  It also allows state and local law enforcement officials to arrest suspected illegal immigrants, take their fingerprints, and conduct a background check.

  According to the legislation, judges would be granted the option to order some illegal immigrants to return to the country from which they illegally entered the United States, in lieu of prosecution, but only after all identifying information is obtained and cross-referenced with local, state, and federal criminal databases.

  However, the misdemeanor charge would be raised to a felony charge if the illegal immigrant has previously been convicted of two or more misdemeanors involving drugs, crimes against a person, or both or if the individual refuses to comply with the judge’s order to return to leave the United States.

  ‘Clearly Unconstitutional’

  The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor charge is one year in prison while for a felony, the penalty is two to 20 years in prison.

  Republicans have argued that the measure, which is scheduled to take effect on March 5, is needed amid what they say is mishandling by the Biden administration of the ongoing immigration crisis. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows that agents encountered a record-setting 2.48 million illegal immigrants at the southern border in fiscal year 2023.

  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) estimated in its December 2023 report that the number of non-detained illegal immigrants inside the United States has now exceeded 6 million.

  

  A Texas National Guard soldier directs migrants during a dust storm at a makeshift camp located between the Rio Grande and the U.S.–Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas, on May 10, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)

  In their lawsuit, the DOJ urges the court to declare SB 4 unconstitutional and prevent Texas from implementing it, arguing that immigration laws can only be enforced by the federal government, not states.

  “SB 4 is clearly unconstitutional,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

  “Under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and long-standing Supreme Court precedent, states cannot adopt immigration laws that interfere with the framework enacted by Congress. The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its responsibility to uphold the Constitution and enforce federal law.”

  The DOJ noted that the Supreme Court, in Arizona v. United States, previously confirmed that decisions relating to the removal of noncitizens from the United States touch “on foreign relations and must be made with one voice.”

  The Department argued that SB 4 impedes the federal government’s ability to enforce entry and removal provisions of federal law and interferes with its conduct of foreign relations.

  

  Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta speaks at a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Dec. 6, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

  ‘Prepared to Fight Lawsuit’

  SB 4 includes some exceptions, including that law enforcement officials may not arrest immigrants who entered the United States illegally if the individual is on the premises or grounds of a public or private primary or secondary school for educational purposes; in a church, synagogue, or other established place of religious worship; or in a health care facility.

  It also states that suspects can provide evidence that they are in the country legally during the prosecution.

  The DOJ’s lawsuit comes after Civil Rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Texas, and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a lawsuit against SB4 in December, claiming it is preempted by federal law and infringes upon the federal government’s authority under the U.S. Constitution to enforce immigration laws.

  

  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference in Austin, Texas, on March 15, 2023. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

  Mr. Abbott responded to the DOJ’s lawsuit on X on Wednesday evening. “Biden sued me today because I signed a law making it illegal for an illegal immigrant to enter or attempt to enter Texas directly from a foreign nation. I like my chances. Texas is the only government in America trying to stop illegal immigration,” he wrote.

  “The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives says that I and the state of Texas have the ‘constitutional authority’ to secure [the] border. Remember, it is Congress, not the President, that has the Constitutional power to regulate immigration,” he added.

  He said in previous comments that SB 4 was needed to “help stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas” and that President Biden’s “deliberate inaction has left Texas to fend for itself.”

  

  Texas builds its own border wall in its effort to secure the border. (Courtesy Office of Greg Abbott)

  In recent years, Texas has spent more than $4 billion a year on efforts to curb illegal immigration at the border, including deploying $11 million in rolls of concertina wire to reinforce portions of the Texas-Mexico border and constructing steel border structures. The Abbott administration has also bused tens of thousands of migrants to sanctuary cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In prior years, Texas spent about $400 million on border security and immigration, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick previously said.

  In a post on X on Wednesday evening, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the measure was created to “address the endless stream of illegal immigration facilitated by the Biden administration.”

  

  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the “Save America” rally in Robstown, Texas, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

  “Millions of unvetted foreign aliens have been released into Texas due to President Biden’s policies of dismantling border security at the US-Mexico border, collaborating with cartels, and inviting violent criminals and drug traffickers to enter the country,” Mr. Paxton said.

  “Just as I am prepared to fight the lawsuit brought by the extremist ACLU and the nonprofits enriching themselves due to the federal government’s open borders doctrine, I am prepared to fight the Biden Administration whose immigration disaster is leading our country to ruin,” he continued.

  “Texas has the sovereign right to protect our state.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 18:40

• Protests By Angry Chinese Workers Surge To Most In 7 Years, Posing A Threat To Beijing's Rule
  Protests By Angry Chinese Workers Surge To Most In 7 Years, Posing A Threat To Beijing’s Rule

  Chinese workers staged twice as many protests to defend their rights in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to a Hong Kong-based human rights group. As the of Epoch Times notes, China observers say that such widespread demonstrations could lead to the downfall of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

  China Labor Bulletin (CLB), a Hong Kong nonprofit organization that “supports and actively engages with the emergent workers’ movement in China,” reported 1,793 protests as of Dec. 31 amid massive layoffs, reduced wages, and business closures in the country. This was the largest number of annual protests in 7 years and the most since the “summers of violence” 2015 and 2016 when the Yuan devaluation sparked widespread economic turmoil across the country.

  

  The emergence of large-scale Chinese workers’ protests is “an inevitable outcome“ of China’s economic crisis,” Lai Jianping, a former Chinese lawyer and current affairs commentator based in Canada, said in a recent interview with the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times.

  Mr. Lai believes that the protests may lead to the demise of China’s communist regime.

  Nationwide Workers’ Protests in 2023

  China’s economy remained sluggish in 2023 despite an abrupt relaxation of the draconian zero-COVID measures since December 2022. Reduced orders from international buyers and poor economic conditions in the country have led factories to lay off workers, relocate to minimize costs, or shut down altogether, according to the CLB.

  The CLB’s report reveals that the protests were mainly related to export-oriented industries—such as electronics, garments and apparel, toys, and automotive—and that workers protested over wages, layoffs, and relocations and demanded compensation.

  Protests broke out across China, including the four municipalities under the direct administration of the CCP.

  

  Guangdong Province, a major manufacturing hub, recorded 510 protests of various sizes last year, the highest in the country, according to the CLB report.

  The second highest number of protests (108) is reportedly in China’s eastern Shandong Province, followed by central Henan Province and northern Shanxi Province (100 protests recorded in each one).

  Of the four municipalities, Beijing, China’s capital city, reportedly recorded 33 protests last year, while Shanghai recorded 47 protests, Chongqing recorded 35, and Tianjin recorded 25.

  On Jan. 7 last year, a large-scale protest broke out in Chongqing after thousands of workers were abruptly laid off by Zybio, Inc., a manufacturer of COVID-19 test kits, one of the earliest protests in the first month of the year that was recorded in CLB’s report. The local authorities sent out riot police to suppress the protest.

  Other Protests

  According to Nikkei Asia, 1,777 demonstrations were recorded in the country that were linked to the property sector between June 2022 and October 2023. Two-thirds of these demonstrators were homebuyers and homeowners who protested over “project delays, contract violations, alleged fraud, and shoddy workmanship,” the report said. Most of the remaining protesters were construction workers demanding unpaid wages.

  On July 21, 2023, thousands of parents rallied at various government agencies in Xi’an city, Shaanxi Province, to protest against a government policy limiting students’ access to high school and college education opportunities.

  Due to Chinese authorities’ record of covering up information, it is difficult to assess the true scale of these protests.

  ‘They Have to Fight for Their Survival’

  Mr. Lai said the recent rights-defending campaigns in China involve “more numbers” of participants and that the events are “more intense than ever.”

  He added that many people are currently facing extreme poverty, lacking the financial resources to support their families, pay for their children’s education, cover medical expenses, and repay mortgages.

  “These individuals can only stand up to defend their legitimate rights, to demand wages arrears, and to request job opportunities,” Mr. Lai said.

  Furthermore, by reverting to the revolutionary era of Mao Zedong, Chinese leader Xi Jinping “has deterred foreign investors and Chinese private entrepreneurs from engaging with China.”

  Li Yuanhua, a former scholar of Chinese history now residing in Australia, believes that the widespread protests among workers primarily stem from their “will to survive.”

  “The privileged class within the CCP has been plundering social assets, while Chinese workers at the bottom of society have been pushed to their limits. Unable to secure their basic needs and survival, they are compelled to take a stand,” Mr. Li told The Epoch Times in a recent interview.

  China’s social welfare system is on the brink of collapse and cannot provide any support to the poor working class, he said, adding that “they have to fight for their survival.”

  Mass Protests May End CCP’s Rule

  The CCP has adopted a heavy-handed approach to suppress dissidents and protesters to maintain its authoritarian rule.

  Nevertheless, when the people struggle for survival, they no longer fear the CCP’s suppression, Mr. Li said, adding that this is what the regime fears.

  “This kind of resistance from the people is genuine, and they don’t fear the CCP’s violent suppression. For them, resistance may lead to death, but without resistance, death is inevitable. So why wouldn’t they resist?!”

  According to Mr. Lai, the CCP cannot effectively quash all the nationwide protest campaigns.

  The question is how much longer can Beijing delay injecting a massive stimulus to appease the angry crowds, one which will send the prices of all commodities across the globe soaring higher and end the Fed’s dream of a “soft landing”…

  Continue reading here.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 18:20

• 2024: The Year To Cancel 'Wokeness' In America
  2024: The Year To Cancel ‘Wokeness’ In America

  Authored by James Gorrie via The Epoch Times,

  When it comes to spending their money and supporting their values, many Americans are now wide awake, and most don’t like what they see. “Peak Wokeness,” a term that may or may not be new (it is to me), is now pervasive in our lives and dominates our culture.

  Undoubtedly, it would like to do the same with our private thoughts and our closely held traditional values and beliefs.

  It just about does.

  

  Wokeness Is Orwellian–and Everywhere

  The woke crowd in America is loud, proud, and … Stalinesque. It’s literally forcing communism down our collective throats.

  Worse, these greatly misguided and extremely intolerant people are seemingly everywhere—from your coffee shop and your bank and your 401k investments to the shows you pay to watch on your smart television. They’re in the boardrooms of corporate America; they run our schools, colleges, and universities that celebrate transgenderism and make indentured servants of their graduates­, and are in Human Resources departments to ensure that no independent thought or idea is expressed in the workplace.

  A big part of the woke movement’s success lies in its Orwellian distortion of language so that commonly understood meanings of words are inverted to mean the opposite. For example, words such as “tolerance” really mean intolerance of competing ideas and values, and “inclusion” found in the common woke phrase “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” or DEI, really means excluding traditional ideas, values, and beliefs.

  DEI is a woke term that’s misleading and un-American, but saturates our K-12 schools. The diversity component applies to every application and interpretation possible—race, ethnicity, sexual orientation—except for straight, white Christian people, over-represented Asian people, and the ideas that are the foundation of America and Western Civilization. No one in the woke DEI crowd wants to “include” politically or culturally conservative Americans in anything except re-education camps.

  To put a finer point on it, that re-education camp population would likely include all Trump voters. That would include Bible-believing Christians, pro-Israel Jews, most veterans, stay-at-home moms, home-schooling families, folks who drive trucks and SUVs, those who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccination, those who think there are only two genders, those who believe that climate change alarmism is a fraud, those who think President Donald Trump won the 2020 election (election deniers, but not 2016 election deniers), and those who believe in the constitutional right to bear arms and self-defense.

  If there were any white, conservative males left over from that list, they would be in the re-education camps as well.

  Changing the Meaning of Words

  Other examples of woke terms are environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing and “stakeholder capitalism.” “Investing,” according to ESG guidelines, seeks to reward those companies that toe the leftist line of socialist policies with more investment money, no matter how inefficient or unprofitable that company might be. That strategy has cost American investors and their retirement accounts millions in lost growth and earnings.

  Like ESG, stakeholder capitalism has nothing to do with capitalism. Rather, it’s a cryptic term for nothing less than fascism, the blending of corporations and government. In stakeholder capitalism, a firm’s focus isn’t on earnings, profitability, or its responsibility to return value to shareholders, but on the “societal stakeholders.” That ambiguous term means that private and public companies must answer to the government and follow socialist and woke hiring policies, such as government-approved and controlled supply chain policies, pricing, and, of course, woke cultural guidelines.

  Fight the Wokeness with Alternatives

  In the aggregate, the woke ideology has nothing to do with the traditional meanings of the terms adherents use, but has everything to do with destroying traditional American society. That can happen only if Americans allow it to.

  The key to stopping this vile movement is to take a page out of their own playbook and cancel the woke mob at every turn, in every aspect of life in which they seek to dominate.

  Thankfully, that’s already happening.

  Woke film companies such as Disney are losing billions on their subversive films because most people can’t stand the woke messaging that permeates their stories. Meanwhile, films that celebrate traditional American values and beliefs, such as “Top Gun Maverick” and “The Sound of Freedom,” have made enormous sums of money. Now there’s Loor.tv, a movie studio committed to telling great stories, comedies, and more, through audience fundraising.

  Furthermore, there are now alternatives to woke Big Tech firms that censor free speech and promote the woke agenda, such as the recently liberated and formerly named Twitter (X). X is now a bastion of free speech, but so is the X alternative Telegram, and YouTube challenger Rumble, which allows much more free flow of content. There’s also a fantastic Amazon alternative called PublicSquare.com that connects consumers “with companies that share your values.” (Full disclosure: I have a product on Public Square.)

  There are certainly other options and opportunities to counter and cancel the so-called woke “mind virus” that’s plaguing our country. Standing up to school boards that push the multi-gender and communist agenda is critical, as is voting out politicians who support anti-American and anti-traditional values and policies.

  The resurgence of American ideals and values isn’t going to happen from the top layer, but from each of us, as individuals and small groups determined to not let our country go down the drain without a fight.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 18:00

• US Admits "No Signs Of Abating" As Houthis Escalate Red Sea Attacks, Deploy Suicide Drone Boat
  US Admits “No Signs Of Abating” As Houthis Escalate Red Sea Attacks, Deploy Suicide Drone Boat

  The Houthis have decided to respond to fresh warnings and threats from the US and Western allies by sending an unmanned boat packed with explosives to disrupt international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. Clearly, Biden’s “warnings” are doing nothing to deter anything.

  The Thursday incident marks the first time the Houthis have deployed a drone boat since its attacks started in the wake of Oct.7. Drones and ballistic missiles from Yemen have wreaked havoc thus far. A US Navy official said, however, that the drone boat exploded before it was able to strike any vessels.

  “We all watched as it exploded,” Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Navy operations in the Middle East said in a press briefing. He described that the “one-way attack” was inbound toward shipping lanes “clearly with the intent to do harm” – and that the boat is a “new capability”. He indicated it came within a couple miles of foreign ships.

  

  “Fortunately, there were no casualties and no ships were hit, but the introduction of a one-way attack USV is a concern,” he added.

  Already major shipping companies have diverted their tanker and cargo ships to avoid the Red Sea region entirely. But ironically on the very day the Houthis unveiled their drone boat capability, the Pentagon tried to put a positive spin on its Operation Prosperity Guardian, meant to thwart Red Sea attacks. Adm. Cooper cited that some 1,500 commercial were able to transit the waters safely since the allied operation was launched on December 18.

  Still, Adm. Cooper admitted that “There are no signs the Houthis’ irresponsible behavior is abating.” The US Navy has tallied that the total number of Houthi attacks since Nov. 18 is now at 25.

  Meanwhile, also on Thursday there’s been a fresh piracy incident off Somalia. A Liberian-flagged vessel bound for Bahrain was boarded by armed men while it traversed to the south-east of Eyl, Somali.

  “Five to six unauthorized armed persons have boarded a merchant vessel…in the vicinity of Eyl,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory. “Crew are mustered in citadel.”

  Somali militants have long threatened these waters, but given the bulk of diverted Red Sea traffic must travel via the Cape of Good Hope instead, the fear is that the resulting increased traffic off the Somali coast will lead to more ‘opportunity’ and ample targets for pirates. 

  On Wednesday, the White House warned that this ongoing Red Sea turmoil could hit the US economy in a briefing:

  The White House has warned that the potential for higher shipping costs to affect the U.S. economy amid diversion of ships from the Red Sea will depend on how long Houthi rebels sustain their attacks on commercial vessels.

  “If we weren’t concerned, we wouldn’t have stood up an operation in the Red Sea, now consisting of more than 20 nations, to try to protect that commerce,” White House spokesman John Kirby said at a White House press conference on Wednesday, referring to the U.S.-led military force Operation Prosperity Guardian.

  “The Red Sea is a vital waterway, and a significant amount of global trade flows through it. By forcing nations to go around the Cape of Good Hope, you’re adding weeks and weeks onto voyages, and untold resources and expenses have to be applied in order to do that. So obviously there’s a concern about the impact on global trade.”

  Interestingly, Kirby was then asked by a reporter whether the spiraling situation would become “pocketbook” issue for Americans.

  Kirby responded by saying “It would depend on how long this threat goes and on how much more energetic the Houthis think they might become.” He added: “Right now we haven’t seen an uptick or a specific effect on the U.S. economy. But make no mistake. This is a key international waterway. Countries more and more are becoming aware of this increasing threat to the free flow of commerce.” Thus he fully acknowledged this is a distinct possibility that’s fast approaching.

  One thing is clear – the Western coalition statement filled with warnings aimed at the Houthis and released with great fanfare clearly didn’t have the intended effect…

  Wild.

  Palestinians would really love to get the same amount of attention and protection as shipping containers. pic.twitter.com/bT4ikWYeKy

  — Yasmine El-Sabawi ياسمين السبعاوي (@yasmineelsabawi) January 3, 2024

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  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 01/04/2024 – 17:40

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