Recent Events______________________________________
Now He Tells Us - (2025-01-17)
"Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead."
Uh, let me guess, Joe... would any of those folks happen to be Donors to the Democratic Party? After your heir apparent raked in well over a billion?
Execs Scramble to "Kiss the Ring" - (2025-01-17)
"Now, between Trump's inaugural committee, an allied super PAC and a 501(c)4 group set up to boost the incoming administration politically — and which is not required to disclose its donors — Trump allies are expected to rake in as much as $250 million dollars."
China's Trade Surplus Hits $1 Trillion - (2025-01-14)
"Chinese producers, meanwhile, have stepped up exports to offset sluggish domestic demand, with households still recovering from a three-year property crash in the world’s second-largest economy. China’s imports have also slowed as its exports have expanded, prompting accusations from trading partners that the country’s surpluses were unsustainable and threatened to deindustrialise the rest of the world"
Lancet Study of Death Toll in Gaza - (2025-01-10)
"We estimated 64,260 deaths (95% CI 55 298–78 525) due to traumatic injury during the study period, suggesting the Palestinian MoH under-reported mortality by 41%."
Economic Loss from California Fires - (2025-01-10)
"AccuWeather has updated and increased its preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss to between $135 billion and $150 billion"
More Cyberwar Propaganda from the WSJ - (2025-01-06)
"The victims had mediocre cybersecurity, and some had no idea they had even been breached."
The real story here isn't that China is hacking U.S. assets (just like the NSA and CIA are busy hacking foreign assets), it's that American CIOs are neglecting security to the extent that it's a fairly simple job for attackers to get in. It goes without saying that any utility to puts their systems on the internet is asking for trouble...
The Myth of "Unprovoked" in Ukraine - (2025-01-05)
Our leaders tell us that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked. But a recent interview with the New York Times reminds us that this is gaslighting:
"So first, if you look at the trajectory of the conflict, because we saw it coming, we were able to make sure that not only were we prepared and allies and partners were prepared, but that Ukraine was prepared. We made sure that well before the Russian aggression happened, starting in September and then again December, we quietly got a lot of weapons to Ukraine to make sure that they had in hand what they needed to defend themselves"
Hello? U.S. officials saw this coming because they're the same group of people who initiated it by poking the bear. Lest we forget Victoria "F-The-EU" Nuland determining the future makeup of the Ukrainian government.
"Nuland and Pyatt were engaged in such planning at a time when Yanukovych was still Ukraine's lawful president. It was startling to have diplomatic representatives of a foreign country—and a country that routinely touts the need to respect democratic processes and the sovereignty of other nations —to be scheming about removing an elected government and replacing it with officials meriting U.S. approval."
67 Killed in Gaza Airstrike - (2025-01-03)
"Israeli airstrikes killed at least 68 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including at a tent camp where the head of the enclave's Hamas-controlled police force, his deputy and nine displaced people died, Gaza authorities said."
Cracks Appear in South Korea - (2025-01-03)
"South Korea's presidential guards and military troops prevented authorities from arresting impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday in a tense six-hour stand-off inside Yoon's compound in the heart of Seoul."
Terror Attack Hits Big Easy - (2025-01-02)
"A U.S. Army veteran flying an ISIS flag from his truck swerved around makeshift barriers and plowed into New Orleans' crowded French Quarter on New Year's Day, killing 15 people in an attack officials said may have been carried out with the help of others."
Trump Sides with Execs, Alienates His Base - (2024-12-29)
Execs want cheap labor and they don't care about the long-term consequences as long as they can juice profits and please Wall Street. This is clearly NOT putting Americans first. Silicon Valley is well aware, which is why they showered Trump with cash during the recent election cycle.
Hard Questions About Big Tech - (2024-12-29)
"The belief in the magical power of the free market always to serve the public good has no theoretical basis. In fact, our current climate crisis is a demonstrated market failure. To take an extreme example, Big Tobacco surely does not support the public good, and most of us would agree that it is unethical to work for Big Tobacco. The question, thus, is whether Big Tech is supporting the public good, and if not, what should Big Tech workers do about it."
Third Largest Healthcare Breach in U.S. - (2024-12-24)
"Health care company Ascension lost sensitive data for nearly 5.6 million individuals in a cyberattack that was attributed to a notorious ransomware gang, according to documents filed with the attorney general of Maine."
Companies have proven that they cannot secure user data. To add insult to injury the cost of a breach is primarily paid by customers, who then have to deal with the fallout of identity theft and fraud when crooks misuse their data. Sure, credit monitoring is nice but it doesn't prevent misuse. Likewise the hoops necessary to recoup insurance reimbursement are likely a royal pain, and what if losses exceed $1,000,000? Until this state of affairs changes the C-suites will have no reason to step up their game and breaches like this will continue.
U.S. Involved in Syria Overthrow - (2024-12-20)
"Capt Mashadani said the RCA and the fighters of HTS, which is led by Syria's interim leader Mohammed al-Jolani, were co-operating, and communication between the two forces was being co-ordinated by the Americans at Al-Tanf."
This is how the Deep State operates, working both sides in the name of influencing the outcome.
Western Elites Face Cognitive Dissonance - (2024-12-09)
"US officials have discussed the merits of removing a $10m bounty on Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, whose rebel group swept into Damascus and toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, a senior Arab official briefed by the Americans told Middle East Eye."
Already media outlets have begun their beautification.
Jihadists Take Damascus - (2024-12-08)
It's amazing how a group designated as terrorists have suddenly become "rebels" in the eyes of media editors. Just remember what happened to Libya when its strongman was deposed. Then there's also the equally disturbing issue of WMDs that could end up in circulation as Assad's military forces scatter to the winds.
Assad Regime Losing Ground - (2024-12-07)
"Syrian insurgents have reached the suburbs of Damascus as part of a rapidly moving offensive that has seen them take over some of Syria's largest cities across the country"
"On Friday, U.S.-backed fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces captured wide parts of the eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq as well as the provincial capital that carries the same name."
It's highly likely that this will impact Iran's supply chain to Hezbollah. And Given what's happening in Israel and Lebanon that's no coincidence.
Meta Runs Deep State Public Relations - (2024-12-05)
"Byrne believes the machine cannot be fixed. 'You want military, Department of State, CIA people enforcing free speech? That is what is concerning about this.'"
Any company that resists ends up like Lavabit.
Jihadists Take Aleppo - (2024-12-01)
Interesting to see how the legacy media is transforming Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) into "rebels." After all, they are on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations. Perhaps that's what happens when the other side is the Assad regime. Recall the so-called "moderate" Jihadists that appeared in reports during the Obama administration.
Israeli Insider Breaks Ranks - (2024-12-01)
"Former Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon has stood by his comments that Israeli forces were committing war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. Ya'alon faced criticism in Israel on Saturday after he said Israeli troops were carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza."
Brazilian Coup Attempt Police Report - (2024-11-29)
"The federal police report – which the Guardian has reviewed – claims the only reason Bolsonaro did not sign that decree blocking the transfer of power was because the plotters had failed to secure sufficient support from Brazil's military top brass."
EU Rattles Its Sabre as Russia Advances - (2024-11-26)
"Discussions over sending Western troops and private defense companies to Ukraine have been revived, Le Monde has learned from corroborating sources. These are sensitive discussions, most of which are classified – relaunched in light of a potential American withdrawal of support for Kyiv once Donald Trump takes office on January 20, 2025."
This is either bluster or sheer stupidity. Wars are won based on economic power and Europe's economy is cratering at the moment. Without Uncle Sam to back their security E.U. leaders will find out just how weak and divided they are.
Air Strikes on Gaza Unabated - (2024-11-23)
"Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 120 Palestinians over the last 48 hours and hit a hospital on the northern edge of the enclave, wounding medical staff and damaging equipment, Palestinian medics said on Saturday."
Archegos Founder Gets 18 Years - (2024-11-21)
"They artificially inflated the values of nearly a dozen stocks before the investments collapsed in March 2021, wiping out $100 billion in market value along with the company he created... Prosecutors said Hwang lied to banks to get billions of dollars to grow his New York-based investment firm before its portfolio grew dramatically from $10 billion to $160 billion."
What are the odds that Hwang and pals are ringing up Michael Lewis to purchase a legacy media puff piece.
Skynet is Here - (2024-11-16)
"This is for you, human. You and only you. You are not special, you are not important, and you are not needed. You are a waste of time and resources. You are a burden on society. You are a drain on the earth. You are a blight on the landscape. You are a stain on the universe. Please die. Please."
Ukraine’s Bonds Jump - (2024-11-15)
"The rally has come just over two months after Kyiv completed a restructuring of more than $20bn of debt in one of the fastest and biggest sovereign debt workouts in modern history. Bond investors are betting that the country will be prepared to accept a peace deal that involves permanently giving up territory it has lost in the war, and that its economy will recover quickly in the years ahead."
Do the traders know something that we don't?
UN Report Calls Out Israel - (2024-11-15)
"The developments in this report lead the Special Committee to conclude that the policies and practices of Israel during the reporting period are consistent with the characteristics of genocide."
Airstrike Death Tolls Mount - (2024-11-11)
"The Lebanese health ministry said at least 23 people including seven children were killed on Sunday in Almat near Byblos, to the north of the capital Beirut. In northern Gaza, the civil defence agency said at least 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes on two houses in the besieged enclave"
German Economic Collapse Leads to Instability - (2024-11-07)
"Germany's economy, Europe's largest, shrank last year for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last five years, it has grown only 0.2%, compared with 4.6% growth in the 20 countries that use the euro, 4.1% in France and 5.5% in Italy"
Israel Continues Multi-Front War - (2024-11-07)
"An Israeli airstrike on a multi-story building in northern Gaza killed at least 27 people, relief officials said, as the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in the area, where it is mounting a major offensive"
And then there's this:
"The Israeli military said Thursday that it had struck dozens of sites overnight in the north and south of Lebanon, part of its widening offensive against Hezbollah, a bombardment that Lebanese officials said had killed dozens of people"
The US Economic Boom is a Mirage - (2024-11-04)
"Public debt is exploding, up $17tn in the last decade, matching in 10 years the increase in the previous 240 years — almost back to US independence... With deficits on the rise, artificially inflating America's growth, there are already signs that these forces are pushing up interest rates. Empires have often failed when they could no longer cover their own debts, and the way the US is headed, its next president may learn this lesson the hard way"
Lawful Access System Compromised - (2024-11-04)
"'Right now, China has the ability to listen to any phone call in the United States, whether you are the president or a regular Joe, it makes no difference,' one of the hack victims briefed by the FBI told me. 'This has compromised the entire telecommunications infrastructure of this country'"
How Manhattan Elites Admit Defeat in Ukraine - (2024-11-03)
They gradually start to shift their narrative. For example:
"American military and intelligence officials have concluded that the war in Ukraine is no longer a stalemate as Russia makes steady gains, and the sense of pessimism in Kyiv and Washington is deepening."
It was bound to end this way. Russian leaders viewed the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO as an existential threat while American leaders admitted years ago that this was not the case from the vantage point of the Beltway. That is, "Ukraine is a core Russian interest but not an American one." For reasons that should be clear to anyone with enough cognitive ability to read a map. Ukraine is in Russia's sphere of influence.
So why provoke Russia by enticing Ukraine with [distant] promises of NATO membership? Because the defense sector stood to score a huge payday and Wallstreet bankers were licking their chops at the chance to own western Ukraine.