Television Audience,
The US has bombed Caracas, Venezuela ovrnight and kidnapped Nicolas Maduro and his with minimal resistance from the Venezuelan military, implying an inside job was set up well in advance with bribes. This has been attempted before and the ground has been laid for years. The lack of antiaricraft and anti-ship missile defense and retaliation is very important, because Venezuela could have taken a serious toll on American planes and ships. That stand-down and the quick capture of the Maduros are telling signs of a successful CIA inside operation Trump says he wanted to do it before New Year's Eve, but the weather was bad. Venezuelan Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez is reportedly in Russia, but if the CIA owns top military commanders, and the US wil lrun the government until elections are held, she will have little opportunity to influence anything.
This coup-d'etat should be supportive of $US value, as Venezuelan oil capture will feed US refineries and th $US will control Oil flows to China and Cuba, bringing China to negotiate, and choking Cuba to death for Marco Rubio.
Russia will be internally pressured to again supply Cuba with oil, and China will be externally pressured to turn away from Russia. Iran loses a comrade and customer. Iran is likely next in the US/Israeli crosshairs.
This may cast deals with Trump for Ukrainian peace in a somewhat jaundiced light. We will see.
President Trump discussed the military action in Venezuela with perhaps the most notable aspect of his address being the confirmation that the US will run Venezuela until a safe transition can be undertaken:
*TRUMP: AT MY DIRECTION, US CONDUCTED OPERATION 'MIDNIGHT HAMMER' IN VENEZUELA
*TRUMP: AIR, LAND, SEA USED TO LAUNCH ASSAULT ON CARACAS
*TRUMP: ASSAULT WAS TO BRING MADURO TO JUSTICE
*TRUMP: US SUCCESSFULLY CAPTURED MADURO 'IN DEAD OF NIGHT'
*TRUMP: CALLS MADURO A DRUG 'KINGPIN'
*TRUMP: MADURO WILL STAND TRIAL ON AMERICAN SOIL
*TRUMP: NO AMERICAN SERVICEMEMBER WAS KILLED
*TRUMP: NOT A PIECE OF AMERICAN EQUIPMENT WAS LOST
*TRUMP: WILL STAGE SECOND, LARGER ATTACK IF NEEDED, BUT PROBABLY NOT NECESSARY NOW
*TRUMP: WE WILL RUN VENEZUELA UNTIL WE CAN DO SAFE, PROPER, JUDICIOUS TRANSITION
*TRUMP: CAN'T TAKE A CHANCE THAT SOMEONE TAKES OVER VENEZUELA
*TRUMP: REPEATS CLAIM THAT VENEZUELA SEIZED, SOLD AMERICAN OIL
*TRUMP: US OIL COMPANIES WILL SPEND BILLIONS ON INFRASTRUCTURE
*TRUMP: PARTNERSHIP WITH US WILL MAKE VENEZUELANS RICH, SAFE
*TRUMP: VENEZUELANS WILL BE HAPPY
*TRUMP: REASSERTING AMERICAN POWER IN 'OUR HOME REGION'
*TRUMP: US RETAINS ALL MILITARY OPTIONS UNTIL DEMANDS MET
*TRUMP: WE HAVE SUPERCEDED MONROE DOCTRINE
*TRUMP: WHAT HAPPENED TO MADURO CAN HAPPEN TO OTHERS IN VENZ. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-forces-strike-venezuela-trump-reveals-maduro-has-been-captured
*TRUMP: AT MY DIRECTION, US CONDUCTED OPERATION 'MIDNIGHT HAMMER' IN VENEZUELA
*TRUMP: AIR, LAND, SEA USED TO LAUNCH ASSAULT ON CARACAS
*TRUMP: ASSAULT WAS TO BRING MADURO TO JUSTICE
*TRUMP: US SUCCESSFULLY CAPTURED MADURO 'IN DEAD OF NIGHT'
*TRUMP: CALLS MADURO A DRUG 'KINGPIN'
*TRUMP: MADURO WILL STAND TRIAL ON AMERICAN SOIL
*TRUMP: NO AMERICAN SERVICEMEMBER WAS KILLED
*TRUMP: NOT A PIECE OF AMERICAN EQUIPMENT WAS LOST
*TRUMP: WILL STAGE SECOND, LARGER ATTACK IF NEEDED, BUT PROBABLY NOT NECESSARY NOW
*TRUMP: WE WILL RUN VENEZUELA UNTIL WE CAN DO SAFE, PROPER, JUDICIOUS TRANSITION
*TRUMP: CAN'T TAKE A CHANCE THAT SOMEONE TAKES OVER VENEZUELA
*TRUMP: REPEATS CLAIM THAT VENEZUELA SEIZED, SOLD AMERICAN OIL
*TRUMP: US OIL COMPANIES WILL SPEND BILLIONS ON INFRASTRUCTURE
*TRUMP: PARTNERSHIP WITH US WILL MAKE VENEZUELANS RICH, SAFE
*TRUMP: VENEZUELANS WILL BE HAPPY
*TRUMP: REASSERTING AMERICAN POWER IN 'OUR HOME REGION'
*TRUMP: US RETAINS ALL MILITARY OPTIONS UNTIL DEMANDS MET
*TRUMP: WE HAVE SUPERCEDED MONROE DOCTRINE
*TRUMP: WHAT HAPPENED TO MADURO CAN HAPPEN TO OTHERS IN VENZ. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-forces-strike-venezuela-trump-reveals-maduro-has-been-captured
Thanks Christine. U.S. Pressures Mexico Over Fuel Supply to Crisis-Hit Cuba https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/US-Pressures-Mexico-Over-Fuel-Supply-to-Crisis-Hit-Cuba.html
Simplicius teases out a bit of the rat's nest of western intrigues and counter intrigues, coming up since Trump and Zelensky announced "95% of the way to peace".
Did CIA's Secret Aiding of Ukraine's Refinery Strikes Do More Harm to Ukraine Than Russia? - Spoiler alert: Yes, it did. But maybe that was the plan all along. The new year brings us revelations that the CIA has been secretly teaching Ukraine how to hit Russia’s “Achilles’ heel” by targeting specific oil refineries which were selected by CIA analysts as having parts difficult to source and replace...
...“A C.I.A. expert had identified a type of coupler that was so hard to replace or repair that a refinery would remain offline for weeks.”.....Most intelligent people had already long-assumed this was the case, though many of us had bet on MI6 being the leading agency behind such strikes. At the end of the day, it’s nearly the same thing, as the West’s intel agencies are generally one overlapping arm of the global deep state managed by the same interests—one need only to research the history of the CIA’s foundation to understand this fact.
Not surprisingly, the new revelations include the fact that Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s “shadow fleet” tankers were likewise aided by the CIA...
..There’s a reason it was Zelensky who recently cried uncle first, begging for an “energy truce” in order to halt the much more painful strikes on his own country’s assets. As such, all that this CIA campaign has done is accelerate Ukraine’s demise, which I suppose we can thank the CIA for doing. Not surprisingly, the new revelations include the fact that Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s “shadow fleet” tankers were likewise aided by the CIA...
There are a few other considerations. Firstly, as always we must at least be somewhat wary of these ‘revelations’ from Western rags with their infamous ‘anonymous sources’ because they always come at such convenient times wherein the elites are pulling their hair out at US and Russia’s growing rapprochement...
..It’s also a little peculiar that such a ‘bombshell’ revelation came precisely at the moment that Ukraine apparently attempted to attack Putin’s residence, setting off a firestorm amongst Russian officials. One can likewise see the potential attempt to link the CIA’s covert aiding of Ukraine on the refinery strikes to the strikes on Putin’s residence in order to drive a stake in US-Russian relations...
..Russia apparently is taking it more seriously than initially thought, given that they have now presented to the US the captured data chip of one of the shot-down drones which allegedly has the flight and targeting data said to prove the drone’s terminal target was in fact Putin’s residence. Note the below unprecedented video where Russian intelligence chief, head of the GRU Igor Kostyukov, hands over the flight controller to military attachés from the US embassy in Moscow...
..Many now believe that the reason Russia is following such a formal protocol is because Russia is setting the legal precedent to sharply escalate attacks against the Kiev regime in 2026...
..If the Pentagon and CIA were working fully hand-in-hand, the Pentagon would have never suspended its strike permissions, would have flooded Ukraine with Tomahawks and ATACMs and allowed strikes deep into Russian territory. But in reality, it’s clear top US military brass wanted an off-ramp and de-escalation, while the CIA had a far bigger appetite for risk, given their unique luxury of ‘plausible deniability’. But the point of all this quibbling is to say that Russia recognizes that the US is not a monolith and has competing factions within it. As such, any broad and simple-minded calls for Russia to cut-off the US entirely, or stop its “foolish rapprochement” based on these new revelations miss the plot, as Russia knows any major superpower like the US will never be able to act in full accordance with one unified vision, particularly a superpower wracked by parasitic deep state factions like growing tumors.
Hence, Russia should continue its measured and wary approach in continuing the current political inroads despite attempts by various factions to undermine this. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/did-cias-secret-aiding-of-ukraines
So why has this latest attack by Ukraine sparked such fury on the part of the Russians? This is something more than orchestrated outrage. I think it is a combination of factors, starting with the fact that the attack began while Ukraine’s Zelensky was meeting with Donald Trump for the ostensible purpose of trying to craft a peace proposal for Russia. Whether Zelensky was witting of the plan is not relevant. This was an attack planned and executed with the assistance of Western intelligence, possibly including the CIA, and the timing and the intended target removed any doubt on the part of the Russians that the West could be trusted to negotiate an honest deal. https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/p/russia-is-treating-the-latest-drone
Scott Ritter, Some thoughts regarding the Ukrainian drone attack that targeted President Putin
This includes “Aggression by any state from a military coalition (bloc, alliance) against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies is considered as the aggression by this coalition (bloc, alliance) as a whole”, and “Aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) its allies by any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state is considered as their joint attack.”
Ukraine operates as part of a NATO bloc whose stated objective is the strategic defeat of Russia.
Ukraine’s targeting of the Russian President constitutes “actions by an adversary affecting elements of critically important state or military infrastructure of the Russian Federation, the disablement of which would disrupt response actions by nuclear forces.” ...
..The examination of the drone debris by Russian special services will provide specific technical data pertaining to the targeting data used by Ukraine, which in turn will point to specific sources and methods used to collect and prepare this data for use by Ukraine. In short, there can be no doubt Russia possesses incontrovertible intelligence information that establishes a European connection to the Ukrainian attack on President Putin. https://scottritter.substack.com/p/some-thoughts-regarding-the-ukrainian
Russia said it transferred a Matek H743 flight controller and routing data from an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s Valdai residence to a U.S. military attache. https://defence-blog.com/russia-pushes-valdai-attack-narrative-with-questioned-drone-hardware/
Moon of Alabama, Zelenski’s Choice As New Head Of Office Moves Scale Towards Peace
The acting president of Ukraine Vladimir Zelenski has made an interesting choice by filling the position of his chief of staff with the head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Service (GUR) General Kyrylo Budanov...
..Budanov has accepted his new position.The acting president of Ukraine Vladimir Zelenski has made an interesting choice by filling the position of his chief of staff with the head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Service (GUR) General Kyrylo Budanov...
He is a life long military intelligence man with personal battle experience. He once led a CIA trained unit which in 2016 tried to attack Russian positions in Crimea. He was wounded on several occasions and the CIA once flew him to Washington for rehabilitation in the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The GUR under Budanov has been the main conduit for executing CIA terror attacks in Russia...
Lifting Budanov to the informal number two position in Ukraine might have a different purpose than blocking a rival candidate. It is highly questionable that Zelenski will survive in his position until the end of 2026.
When Zelenski leaves office he will be endangered by various forces. He could go to jail for this or that corruption scheme run through his office, or he could be killed for ‘treason’ by one of the ‘nationalist’ extremist formations.
But if Budanov were anointed as his successor Zelenski could sleep well. It would be a deal similar to the one the former Russian president Yelzin made in 1999 when he anointed Vladimir Putin in exchange for protection.
In two days Budanov will celebrate his 40th birthday. His career has only just started.
One aspect of interest here is the rivalry between the CIA and its British MI-6 competition. Yermak, the ousted former head of Zelenki’s office, had good relation with MI-6. Zaluzhni is likewise seen as a British intelligence asset. Budanov in contrast is a CIA figure. The U.S. would like to shut down the war, at least for now. The British have tried to prolong it. In his new position Budanov can move the scale towards the U.S. favored outcome. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/01/zelenskis-choice-as-new-head-of-office-moves-scale-towards-peace.html
Jefferey Sachs, Two Centuries of Russophobia & Rejection of Peace
While other powers are presumed to have legitimate security interests that must be balanced and accommodated, Russia’s interests are presumed illegitimate. Russophobia functions less as a sentiment than as a systemic distortion — one that repeatedly undermines Europe’s own security.....Europe has repeatedly rejected peace with Russia at moments when a negotiated settlement was available, and those rejections have proven profoundly self-defeating.
From the nineteenth century to the present, Russia’s security concerns have been treated not as legitimate interests to be negotiated within a broader European order, but as moral transgressions to be resisted, contained, or overridden.
This pattern has persisted across radically different Russian regimes —Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet — suggesting that the problem lies not primarily in Russian ideology, but in Europe’s enduring refusal to recognize Russia as a legitimate and equal security actor...
From the nineteenth century to the present, Russia’s security concerns have been treated not as legitimate interests to be negotiated within a broader European order, but as moral transgressions to be resisted, contained, or overridden.
This pattern has persisted across radically different Russian regimes —Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet — suggesting that the problem lies not primarily in Russian ideology, but in Europe’s enduring refusal to recognize Russia as a legitimate and equal security actor...
..My conclusion is that peace with Russia does not require naïve trust. It requires the recognition that durable European security cannot be built by denying the legitimacy of Russian security interests. https://consortiumnews.com/2025/12/24/jeffery-sachs-two-centuries-of-russophobia-rejection-of-peace/
Bella-1 has evaded U.S. Coast Guard boarding attempts for 10 days after refusing to comply with an interception order near Venezuela on December 21. The crux of the issue is that the Trump administration views the tanker as "stateless" because it was flying a false flag when the Coast Guard first approached it.
Late Wednesday evening, the State Department and the White House's Homeland Security Council received a request from Russia to halt the pursuit of the Bella-1 tanker, which is now flying a Russian flag after the crew painted it on the hull. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-requests-trump-admin-stop-pursuit-oil-tanker-atlantic-basin
Kill folks in international waters without asking questions: US forces strike 3 alleged narco-trafficking vessels in international waters
Intelligence assessments determined vessels were moving along established narco-trafficking routes, says SOUTHCOM https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-forces-strike-3-alleged-narco-trafficking-vessels-in-international-waters/3786717The last 2 boardings and accusations came to nothing, nuisance hassles: Finnish Police Seize Russia-Linked Ship Accused Of Cutting Undersea Cable https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/finnish-police-seize-russia-linked-ship-accused-cutting-undersea-cable
The censorship industrial complex has gone into overdrive as western governments look for ways to suppress dissenting opinions, and our rulers have now figured out the best approach: sanctions.
Westerners are being sanctioned for expressing the wrong opinions, cutting them off from their own money, preventing them from gaining employment without a potential employer first obtaining a licence, and banning them from flying...
Westerners are being sanctioned for expressing the wrong opinions, cutting them off from their own money, preventing them from gaining employment without a potential employer first obtaining a licence, and banning them from flying...
..The UK has seen relentless censorship and lawfare in recent years with individuals such as Craig Murray, Kit Klarenberg, Asa Winstanley, and others getting in trouble for their journalism. It seems plausible these individuals could end up being sanctioned by their own government.
The UK recently imposed sanctions on one of its citizens—journalist and ex-civil servant Graham Phillips—for publishing information from the Donbas which contradicts western narratives on the Ukraine war. Phillips is currently stuck in the Donbas because the sanctions forbid him from returning home or accessing his money. He is effectively in exile and unable to visit his elderly parents.
Sanctions have not succeeded in disrupting the activities of Phillips or Baud because they are not banned from speaking and have continued doing so. It is only their daily lives that have been disrupted. It is therefore difficult to see the sanctions as anything other than punitive.
In order for someone to be sanctioned, they do not have to be convicted of any crime, politicians just have to cite “security concerns” and that is enough. This means politicians have a god-like power to silence their critics and due process doesn’t factor into the equation. This is as anti-democratic as it gets.
It seems a matter of time until Substack writers are being sanctioned. They don’t have to ban our newsletters, just cut off our income. One Substack writer—Caitlin Johnstone—was recently put on a list by Israel. It named her as the number one antisemite in Australia because she opposes genocide.
The push across the West to make us upload our IDs to use the internet is to ensure they know exactly who is saying what and can choose their preferred censorship method. Some of us will be shadow-banned. Some will be suspended. Some will be demonetised. Some will be arrested. Some will be jailed. And some will be sanctioned. https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/the-west-has-found-a-way-to-legally
The UK recently imposed sanctions on one of its citizens—journalist and ex-civil servant Graham Phillips—for publishing information from the Donbas which contradicts western narratives on the Ukraine war. Phillips is currently stuck in the Donbas because the sanctions forbid him from returning home or accessing his money. He is effectively in exile and unable to visit his elderly parents.
Sanctions have not succeeded in disrupting the activities of Phillips or Baud because they are not banned from speaking and have continued doing so. It is only their daily lives that have been disrupted. It is therefore difficult to see the sanctions as anything other than punitive.
In order for someone to be sanctioned, they do not have to be convicted of any crime, politicians just have to cite “security concerns” and that is enough. This means politicians have a god-like power to silence their critics and due process doesn’t factor into the equation. This is as anti-democratic as it gets.
It seems a matter of time until Substack writers are being sanctioned. They don’t have to ban our newsletters, just cut off our income. One Substack writer—Caitlin Johnstone—was recently put on a list by Israel. It named her as the number one antisemite in Australia because she opposes genocide.
The push across the West to make us upload our IDs to use the internet is to ensure they know exactly who is saying what and can choose their preferred censorship method. Some of us will be shadow-banned. Some will be suspended. Some will be demonetised. Some will be arrested. Some will be jailed. And some will be sanctioned. https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/the-west-has-found-a-way-to-legally
It is bad for Israel's reputation for the world to see Israeli atrocities. Caitlin Johnstone: Israel Bans Aid Groups For The Same Reason It Bans Journalists https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-bans-aid-groups-for-the-same
Meryl Nass MD, Knesset testimony of Israeli soldier that his unit was told by his deputy battalion commander to stand down until 9 am, at 5:20 am on October 7, 2023 - Oct 7 was unquestionably a false flag--was known in advance and allowed to happen (or made to happen) https://merylnass.substack.com/p/knesset-testimony-of-israeli-soldier
Haaretz, Report: Israel Asked Qatar to Increase Funds Transferred to Hamas in Gaza a Month Before Oct. 7
The request came after Hamas made threats of violent escalation. Qatar had informed Israel that Hamas was seeking to maintain stability during talks with Israeli officials https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-01-02/ty-article/report-israel-asked-qatar-to-increase-funds-for-hamas-in-gaza-a-month-before-oct-7/0000019b-7db7-dd73-abff-7fff6f510000Failure of groups including MSF and ActionAid to hand over staff details means they will not be able to operate in Gaza, say Israeli officials
During a fierce storm I could hear the panicked screams of children in tents outside. This is Christmas in Gaza https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/30/israel-to-ban-dozens-of-aid-agencies-from-gaza-as-10-nations-warn-about-suffering
The ministry announced on December 30 that the affected organizations failed to meet its new requirements for non-governmental organizations providing humanitarian aid in Gaza, which were posted online in November. The requirements included providing a full list of its Palestinian employees.
“We emphasize that the registration process is intended to prevent the exploitation of aid by Hamas, which in the past operated under the cover of certain international aid organizations, knowingly or unknowingly,” wrote the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which oversees aid in Gaza, in a post on X.
The ministry said that 38 of the NGOs working in Gaza did not have their permits renewed for the coming year, according to the Associated Press.
(felching scumbag) Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, posted a link to a Ynet article about the suspensions on X, writing, “An ongoing scandal ignored by UN & European enablers shows why Israel has to decertify some of the NGOs who have terrorists on their payroll.” https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-suspends-operations-of-multiple-humanitarian-organizations/
“We emphasize that the registration process is intended to prevent the exploitation of aid by Hamas, which in the past operated under the cover of certain international aid organizations, knowingly or unknowingly,” wrote the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which oversees aid in Gaza, in a post on X.
The ministry said that 38 of the NGOs working in Gaza did not have their permits renewed for the coming year, according to the Associated Press.
(felching scumbag) Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, posted a link to a Ynet article about the suspensions on X, writing, “An ongoing scandal ignored by UN & European enablers shows why Israel has to decertify some of the NGOs who have terrorists on their payroll.” https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-suspends-operations-of-multiple-humanitarian-organizations/
To starve out UNRWA: ‘Direct Affront’ – Israel Approves Bill to Cut UNRWA’s Electricity, Water Supplies https://www.palestinechronicle.com/direct-affront-israel-approves-bill-to-cut-unrwas-electricity-water-supplies/
Groups of Extremist Jewish settlers plowed swaths of Palestinian land and destroyed crops in separate areas of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
According to al-Baidar Human Rights Organization, a horde of settlers with tractors started plowing swaths of Palestinian-owned land in the Shallal al-Auja area north of Jericho early Wednesday morning.
General supervisor of the organization Hasan Malihat said that those settlers, who live in a new illegal outpost in the area, intend to cultivate the lands to expand their small colony.
Malihat added that the same settlers and soldiers had already carried out multiple attacks on local residents and their property in an attempt to force them to leave the area. https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/12/31/354812/
According to al-Baidar Human Rights Organization, a horde of settlers with tractors started plowing swaths of Palestinian-owned land in the Shallal al-Auja area north of Jericho early Wednesday morning.
General supervisor of the organization Hasan Malihat said that those settlers, who live in a new illegal outpost in the area, intend to cultivate the lands to expand their small colony.
Malihat added that the same settlers and soldiers had already carried out multiple attacks on local residents and their property in an attempt to force them to leave the area. https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/12/31/354812/
Israeli armed forces will attack with this as an excuse. US, Israel Set Firm 2-Month Deadline For Full Hamas Disarmament https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-israel-set-firm-2-month-deadline-full-hamas-disarmament
A boy's tale: I did not understand I grew up in a concentration camp until I left Gaza https://israelpalestinenews.org/i-did-not-understand-i-grew-up-in-a-concentration-camp-until-i-left-gaza/
An anti-Israel umbrella organization comprised of socialist and pro-Palestinian advocacy groups wants five Vermont legislators to resign following their September junket to Israel.
A bill before the Vermont Legislature, H.310, would require education about anti-semitism. Four of the five legislators are on the lengthy, bi-partisan list of bill sponsors. https://vermontdailychronicle.com/anti-israel-group-demands-lawmakers-visiting-israel-resign/
A bill before the Vermont Legislature, H.310, would require education about anti-semitism. Four of the five legislators are on the lengthy, bi-partisan list of bill sponsors. https://vermontdailychronicle.com/anti-israel-group-demands-lawmakers-visiting-israel-resign/
Larry Johnson, Neocons Premature Celebration Over Protests in Iran https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/p/neocons-premature-celebration-over
China demonstrated hypersonic anti-ship missiles for the US fleet: Xi Jinping vows to reunify China and Taiwan in New Year’s Eve speech
Reunification ‘is unstoppable’, says Chinese president, a day after the conclusion of intense military drills https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/31/xi-jinping-vows-reunification-china-taiwan-new-years-eve-speech (12/31/26) This will become more interesting: New Trump-Xi Showdown Approaches As Chinese Tankers Press Ahead To Venezuela Despite Blockade https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-xi-showdown-emerges-chinese-tankers-press-ahead-venezuela-despite-blockade
It’s what they brought to the pawn shop.
$74.6 billion borrowed from the Fed’s Standing Repo Facility. That’s the emergency window, by the way. The one you’re not supposed to need if everything’s working properly. The one that charges you a premium rate above what you could earn by just parking your cash at the Fed overnight. Banks paying extra to borrow money they supposedly don’t need.
But of that $74.6 billion, banks pledged $43.1 billion in mortgage-backed securities and only $31.5 billion in Treasuries.....And that $74.6 billion? New record. Smashed the previous record of $50.4 billion from October 31. That one was a month-end spike, this one combined month-end, quarter-end, and year-end all at once. Both times the smooth-brained analysts insisted it was “completely normal regulatory reporting dynamics”.
Except both October and late December saw something else happen simultaneously: brutal takedowns in silver. Mid October: silver crashed from $54 to $45. Late December: vicious slam from $84 to $70.
Month-ends. Regulatory reporting dates. Times when derivatives books need to look manageable. Times when margin requirements bite hardest. Times when you need liquidity to manage positions, meet margin calls, and execute operations in leveraged markets...
..Markets are currently pricing in only two rate cuts over the next two years. The Fed funds rate sits at 3.5% to 3.75%. Markets expect it around 3.0% by December 2027.
That pricing is completely divorced from fiscal reality. The U.S. government is paying over $1 trillion annually just on interest. Every 25 basis point increase in rates adds tens of billions to that burden. You think they’re going to keep rates at 3.5% when the alternative is fiscal insolvency? Fat chance...
That pricing is completely divorced from fiscal reality. The U.S. government is paying over $1 trillion annually just on interest. Every 25 basis point increase in rates adds tens of billions to that burden. You think they’re going to keep rates at 3.5% when the alternative is fiscal insolvency? Fat chance...
..December 31 was a warning shot. One of the largest emergency borrowings in history, with the worst collateral mix we’ve seen this side of the GFC, executed at the exact moment when derivative positions across multiple markets needed managing and regulatory reporting required clean books.
That’s not routine. That’s desperation. https://no01.substack.com/p/anyone-knows-a-good-plumber
That’s not routine. That’s desperation. https://no01.substack.com/p/anyone-knows-a-good-plumber
“It's going to be even crazier because now the Somalis were after me. They were coming, and people were stopping in the middle of intersections … I had to get security for this video coming out.” https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/nick-shirley-teases-new-crazier-video-its-going-be-masterpiece
MN Lawmaker: Walz Team Threatened Whistleblowers With "Racism" & "Islamophobia" Slurs To Hide Somali Fraud https://www.zerohedge.com/political/mn-lawmaker-walz-team-threatened-whistleblowers-racism-islamophobia-slurs-hide-somali
Washington State AG Warns Citizen Journalists to Stop Investigating Somali Daycares or Face Potential Hate Crime Charges https://amgreatness.com/2025/12/31/washington-state-ag-warns-citizen-journalists-to-stop-investigating-somali-daycares-or-face-potential-hate-crime-charges/
Somali Daycare Manager Claims Burglars Mysteriously Broke Into Facility, Stole All “Important Documents” – Including Child Enrollment Info – Blames Nick Shirley (VIDEO) https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/12/somali-daycare-manager-claims-burglar-broke-facility-stole/
“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!” Trump wrote. https://archive.is/63lKn#selection-261.0-261.138
Thanks Christine. It could be called the "Chinese train", a new Panama Canal on wheels and rails. It derailed Sunday with heavy damage.
The misnamed “Mayan Train” : Multimodal land grabbing The Mayan Train will kickstart the creation of development hubs in the five states [of Mexico] through which it passes, including industrial parks for meat, fruit, forest products, organic food, and oil palm processing; two train maintenance yards; ecotourism, adventure tourism, and sport fishing; logistical services, food refrigeration, and cargo and fuel terminals; and road and transportation infrastructure with freight hubs, packing facilities, a freight airport at Chichén Itzá, and revitalization of the shrimp industry in Ciudad del Carmen.” https://grain.org/en/article/6423-the-misnamed-mayan-train-multimodal-land-grabbing
Fatal interoceanic train derailment
The week’s most tragic story unfolded Sunday morning when the Interoceanic Train derailed near Nizanda, Oaxaca, approximately 85 kilometers north of its destination in the port city of Salina Cruz. The accident killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 of the 250 passengers and crew aboard the two-locomotive, four-carriage train.
The week’s most tragic story unfolded Sunday morning when the Interoceanic Train derailed near Nizanda, Oaxaca, approximately 85 kilometers north of its destination in the port city of Salina Cruz. The accident killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 of the 250 passengers and crew aboard the two-locomotive, four-carriage train.
The derailment occurred on a curved section of track at the edge of a ravine. While the two locomotives avoided falling down the embankment, the first passenger car detached and slid approximately 6.5 meters down the slope. The second car was left partially suspended in mid-air, while the third and fourth cars came to rest crosswise over the tracks but remained undamaged.
President Claudia Sheinbaum immediately dispatched Navy Minister Admiral Raymundo Morales to the scene and mobilized medical teams. On Wednesday, the president announced plans to seek international certification to improve railway safety, stating that once investigators submit their report, a certifying body should recommend improvements to ensure the track and locomotives are in proper working order.
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President Claudia Sheinbaum immediately dispatched Navy Minister Admiral Raymundo Morales to the scene and mobilized medical teams. On Wednesday, the president announced plans to seek international certification to improve railway safety, stating that once investigators submit their report, a certifying body should recommend improvements to ensure the track and locomotives are in proper working order.
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