OMG - levels of activity across the board are at screeching high levels.
Globalism / Great Reset –
Upcoming meetings of importance
- WHO February 19 to 21, Trans guideline committee.
- WHO pandemic ‘treaty’ May 2024
*****
Biden administration has halted the approval process on multiple liquid natural gas export stations. These stations were already approved by the energy department, but now they must wait at least a year for a rigorous environmental check.
In 2022 Biden met with European leaders and promised natural gas from the US to help them break reliance on Russia. Now, that promise will be broken for at least the next year.
The WH pause on the development of LNG facilities along the east coast and gulf region will hit the economy hard. TX is particularly hit hard.
White House:
“This pause on new LNG approvals sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time. While MAGA Republicans willfully deny the urgency of the climate crisis, condemning the American people to a dangerous future, my Administration will not be complacent. We will not cede to special interests.”
The White House’s climate team reportedly made this crucial decision regarding a major natural gas project after meeting with a 25-year-old social media influencer, according to The New York Times.
The final decision on CP2 and other LNG export terminals may have serious geopolitical ramifications, too. U.S. LNG exports to Europe have increased substantially since Russia invaded Ukraine, and America’s allies on the continent will need continued access to American LNG to meet demand as they wean off Russian supply, the natural gas trade groups wrote in their letter to Granholm.
OBSERVATION - This pause is likely a first step to kill the project off entirely. It has double impact. The timing when associated to the standoff in TX, the pause would have great economic impacts to TX. Secondly, it is showing European allies once again that the US is not a reliable ally, cutting off promised LNG shipments that were to make up the gap in the loss of Russian NG.
Note - “We will not cede to special interests”, unless they are some obscure TicToker leading a rabble of environmental wackos.
Also Note the use lately of the term “existential threat of our time”. This is a catch phrase that seems to be echoing the Davos WEF confab. This will increasing be used as the justification for more shutdown of the coal, oil and gas industry IMHO, it suggests that in 2024, biden is going to make the play for WEF global warming cutoffs in a big and ominous way. If the left feels that Trump is going to win, they want to burn everything up before he gets into office to make his term as difficult as possible.
***
See “Europe / NATO General” below sharp turn to the right forecast in upcoming elections. This trend was a discussion point that reflected worry on the part of the globalists and unbelief that the unwashed masses would reject their utopian dreams.
CW2 / Domestic violence - Heightened THREAT
Showdown in TX continues. The beacons of Gondor are lit ! !
Yesterday, it was rumored that biden had given TX until 1 PM EST to surrender. That time has come and passed with no action by biden’s regime. There were abundant rumors that biden was going to order military actions, but that hasn’t panned out.
The regime has apparently lost the support of the Border Patrol. In statements yesterday the BP rebuked threats from the regime.
The Border Patrol Union says it will not start arresting Texas National Guard members for “following their lawful orders.” The post to X continues by saying:
“TX NG and rank-and-file BP agents work together and respect each other’s jobs. Period. If TX NG members have LAWFUL orders, then they have to carry out those orders.”
In an interview Tucker Carleton, Gov. Abbott says ten other states have sent national guard to the Texas border, and others will follow. Abbott says he is “prepared” for a conflict with federal authorities.
In response to the regime’s demands, Texas Attorney General Paxton responded to DHS denying the agency’s demands to get access to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass—Paxton makes a list of counter-demands:
“By February 15, DHS must supply the official plat maps and deeds demonstrating the precise parcels to which they claim ownership, an explanation of how Texas is preventing access to those specific parcels, documentation showing that Eagle Pass or Texas ever granted permission for DHS to erect infrastructure that interferes with border security, and proof of Congress empowering DHS to turn a Texas park into an unofficial and illegal port of entry. If the federal government is going to make such claims, it must provide proof.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he is willing to send members of the Florida State Guard to Texas to assist with Gov. Greg Abbott’s declared invasion of illegal immigrants from Mexico.
“We may do more National Guard, but we may be willing to do the Florida State Guard,”said during a news conference in Kissimmee, Florida. “The president would not be able to federalize the State Guard.
Florida lawmakers are working on legislation to remove a requirement the Florida State Guard be used exclusively within the state. Nearly every state has laws authorizing State Guards, and 21 states and Puerto Rico have active units, according to the National Guard Magazine.
Oklahoma is getting ready to send their National Guard to help Texas in their fight against illegal immigration and the Biden administration.
The announcement came from Governor Kevin Stitt.
“We’ve already started putting the numbers together. We’ll be in contact with Governor Abbott.”
Abbot for his part is rallying the Texas State Guard to mobilize for border defense as well. Texas is offering cash for Texas Military Department (TMD) members who will man the borders — the latest development amid tensions with the Biden administration over the southern border.
According to the TMD website, the state is aiming “to deploy border security assets to high threat areas to deny criminal organizations the ability to illegally move drugs and people into Texas.”
The State Guard concept is that of an independent military force raised by the state that is not under federal scrutiny or control. According to TX -
“The Texas State Guard is the state defense force branch of the Texas Military Department. Tasked with providing first response and civil defense force capabilities during Texas disasters and emergencies, the Texas State Guard is the premier state defense force in the United States.”
OBSERVATIONS
Though there are a lot of rumors flowing around out there, but it appears that biden for now is backing off to a degree and looking to let the legal channels flow - the Texas’ Fifth Circuit Court case, still nearly two weeks away on 07 February from hearing the case.
In the interim, the regime may try to take other “Other” mechanisms could include economic punishments. Some view the halting of the approval process on multiple liquid natural gas export stations to be one of those measures as TX stands to lose the most from the closures.
There is still potential for the regime to do something rash given the unstable mental conditions of biden and his handlers. But it think the collective response of affiliated states and the growth of movement of those states to move men to the border in support of TX may have given them second thoughts. Still a very hazardous situation.
***
BURIED under the TX standoff news, Atlanta city officials held an emergency press conference on Jan. 26 after more construction equipment was destroyed in an arson attack by far-left extremists “Forest Defenders” “part of the “stop cop city” terror conspiracy.
IN RELATED “Forest Defenders,” said they targeted a Rolls Royce subsidiary MTU Solutions tech training center in Canton, MI, for vandalism and left behind caltrops, small metal devices meant to puncture vehicle tires.
Another group of “Forest Defenders” in Atlanta, GA, said they targeted two Nationwide Insurance offices because Nationwide is the primary insurance provider for “Cop City.”
OBSERVATIONS - Antifa attacks to stop the project were scheduled to start last week and this is the first info that has popped up on my radar for it. In the past Antifa has vandalized construction equipment in an effort to cause the contractor to withdraw from the project. Apparently, police protection of the site has been substandard since it allowed this arson attacks to be successful. This guerrilla warfare has been successfully prosecuted by Antifa over the past couple years
Economy-
Upcoming dates of importance
- The Fed next meets on Jan. 30-31.
***
The US Federal Reserve’s favored measure of inflation ticked higher last month, according to government data published Friday, indicating that its long-running battle against rising prices is not over yet.
The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose at an annual rate of 2.6 percent last month, unchanged from November, the Department of Commerce said in a statement.
On a monthly level, headline PCE inflation rose by 0.2 percent in December, up from a 0.1 percent decline a month earlier. This was in line with market expectations, according to Briefing.com.
“The inflation data support a shift in the FOMC’s policy stance this year, from holding rates steady to lowering them over time,” High Frequency Economics chief US economist Rubeela Farooqi wrote in a note to clients, referring to the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee.
https://www.breitbart.com/news/us-feds-favored-inflation-gauge-rises-before-rate-decision/
OBSERVATION - I suspect this will play into a Fed decision to leave the prime rate where it is until its next meeting and decision point.
Military / Strategic Activity / Deployments –
***
“US to station nuclear weapons in UK to counter threat from Russia, - The Telegraph
Warheads to be housed at RAF Lakenheath for first time in 15 years, Pentagon documents reveal, as Moscow warns of ‘escalation’.
OBSERVATION - Combine this with the warnings over the past few weeks from European nations that a war with Russia is coming and coming soon and red flags should start to pop up.
***
The Army and Navy are tossing its mandate for potential recruits to have a high school diploma or GED certificate to enlist in the service, in one of the most dramatic moves yet in the escalating recruiting crisis hitting the entire Defense Department.
On Thursday, the services announced that individuals may enlist without those previously required education certifications if they ship to basic training this fiscal year, which ends Oct. 1.
Recruits must also be at least 18 years old and otherwise qualify for a job in the active-duty Army. They also must score at least a 50 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, an SAT-style quiz to measure a potential recruit’s academic ability.
A 50 on the test is a relatively low score, with 31 being the minimum to qualify for service.
OBSERVATION - An important standard has dropped - not that HS diplomas are worth that much any more in todays indoctrination over education environment where may HS grads can’t even read their diplomas. Our military has gotten very high tech - even infantry has to have a good head on their shoulders in today combat environment.
Wuhan and other “new” Plandemics –
The federal government has changed the regulations that require informed consent for medical experiments. If a review board decides that informing people of risks will interfere with medical research, it can waive the requirement.
The rules change is said to include only “minimal risk” studies, but then again, we have been told repeatedly that medical procedures like getting a COVID vaccine are risk-free, and things like puberty blockers are “completely reversible,” so you might think twice about their definition of “minimal risk.”
OBSERVATION - Nuremberg codes explicitly prohibit waiving informed consent for medical research of any kind. Slippery slope - some medical researcher wants to test something, but doesn’t want to go thru the hassle of obtaining informed consent - then define it as ‘minimal risk’ and screw the subjects of the test.
POLITICAL FRONT –
Dates of importance
Feb 8 - The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the Colorado case.
March - latest CR expires
March 5- Super Tuesday primaries
****
Too much going on to comprehensively note. Much political activity is being covered under other subject areas.
Take a note of the article linked under Venezuela below - provides insight on leftist political operations that are also in play here in the US.
Biden / Harris Watch –
Dates to watch -
March 7 - State of the union
****
WH staffers are leaving only to join the biden campaign. Not an unusual occurrence.
Illegal Immigration –
See CW2 on Texas standoff.
***
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick:
“Every American citizen has to ask: Why is Joe Biden allowing 8 million people to come here? It’s because they have a long game. The Marxists Leftist Democrats...they see this as potential voters.”
***
John Kirby: “This idea that there’s no vetting and there’s no proper immigration enforcement going on at the border just does not comport with reality.”
***
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told House GOP conference members that a rumored bipartisan Senate deal involving Ukraine aid and southern border policy would be “dead on arrival” in the lower chamber.
“If rumors about the contents of the draft proposal are true, it would have been dead on arrival in the House anyway,” Johnson wrote in his letter, Politico reported.
OBSERVATION - One of these ‘rumors’ is the allowance of 5000 illegal entrances per day before ‘shutting the border down’ This comes to a whopping 1.8 million plus illegals penetrating the country per year. Those numbers greatly exceed the Trump and previous years numbers by a huge margin.
***
In Friday news dump, CBP officially reports 302,034 migrant encounters in December, the highest month ever recorded. CBP also reports Border Patrol arrested 19 people on the FBI terror watchlist in December, bringing the total to 50 arrests for fiscal year 2024 so far.
OBSERVATION - Under leaked Senate plans, those 5000/day would round up to some 150,000 illegal entrances per month. Think - that ‘seems’ to be a small number when compared to the 300,000+. During the Trump years for comparison, monthly numbers were generally BELOW 50,000 per month (this would be met in 10 days under the senate plan), with one spike of 132,856 in May 2019 - still less than this senate ‘plan’.
Russia -
WAR WATCH - into the second year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Feb 24th, 2022
CURRENT ASSESSMENT - Updated Jan 1, 2024
With the end of the Ukraine summer offensive and the ongoing winter mud season, Russia is struggling to gain the initiative on several fronts in easter Ukraine. Russia maintains it attacks to take Avdiivka, even in the face of huge losses. Russia continues to launch smaller attacks daily across the front lines.
Russian has been shepherding its stockpile of missiles/drones with the likelihood of attempting to take down the Ukraine power grid as they did winter 2023. This task has become increasingly difficult as Ukraine adds air defense systems and gets better coverage.
The Russian Black Sea fleet is is essentially impotent and hesitant to deploy into now contested waters. In the latest, large missile / drone attack, the Black Sea fleet was noticeably out of action. In the last half of 2023, Ukraine was able to take out about 20% of the fleet.
While Russia has reportedly about 400K of soldiers in the theater, all evidence indicates that they are poorly trained and equipped. Russian forces are increasingly having to rely on 50’s and 60’s vintage tanks, APCs and other vehicles. Russian large assaults continue to be what are referred to as ‘meat’ attacks - throwing large numbers of lightly armed, foot troops at Ukraine defenses in hopes of overwhelming them. These tactics ‘worked’ at Bakhmut but there Russia still had a superiority in artillery support. Concerted efforts by Ukraine to locate and destroy Russian artillery, combined with wear and tear taking systems out and poor/no ammo has generally caused Russia to lose the edge in artillery firepower.
Russian leadership reportedly planning for a long duration conflict, hoping to wear the Ukraine army down and cause European allies to tire of their support - forcing some sort of cease fire and negotiated peace.
Russia is believed to be trying to muster a force for a winter offensive, once the soils freeze up and permit cross country maneuver. Focus of such an offensive has not solidified but the most likely candidate for one front is the continued attempt to eliminate the salient at Adviivka.
*****
More cities have lost power and heat across Russia as the cold spell continues and substandard maintenance of systems are being exposed.
Ukraine –
WEATHER FORECAST – Temperatures in the 20-30 range with scattered snow
24 HOUR ROUND UP – Weather continues to dominate action on the ground. However, temperatures are reaching levels around Ukraine that are starting to freeze the ground locally, meaning that ground operations may have their tempo increase over the coming days/weeks.
Russia launched small attacks (company sized and smaller) along the southern and eastern fronts, the largest concentrated around Avdiivka. The return of the dominant Russian artillery is also evident in the increasing numbers and intensity of attacks.
Outlook —
Weather and mud conditions are continuing to dictate ground operations, which are at a low level due to lack of maneuverability cross country and on dirt roads due to the mud.
Ukraine is having more and more success in taking down Russian drones via electronic warfare. This trend is likely to continue. Russia, meanwhile, has been putting increased efforts in defeating the small drones that have been causing havoc in its ranks. So far they haven’t found the right mix and it seems that Ukraine is one step ahead of them in producing jam-proof systems.
Europe / NATO General –
The upcoming European Parliament elections will see a “sharp turn to the right” as populist parties are projected to be victorious in at least nine EU member states and come in second or third in a further nine countries.
According to an analysis of opinion polls in each EU member state in combination with statistical modeling based on the previous performance of national parties, the globalist European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) think tank has predicted that right-wing populist parties will come out on top in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia in the European Parliament elections in June.
Meanwhile, the report predicted that populist parties will also make big gains in Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden, where they are on pace to either come in second or third place in the votes.
OBSERVATION - Resulting push back on EU’s taking lead on various WEF/globalist agendas that are crushing the peoples of Europe. This being seen most recently in the massive farmer protests that have broken out across the continent as well as protests against unrestrained immigration of middle east and north africans.
ISRAEL –
Key overnight developments -
- Hostage videos released by Hamas.
- ICJ ruling reverberations spreading
- UNRWA underfire for employees that actively participated in the Oct 7 events and accusations that UNRWA has long known and supported Hamas with personnel and supplies/equipment.
- US naval actions to protect shipping thru the Red Sea are failing, and failing spectacularly.
——— GENERAL ——————————-
Lest we forget - there are still 136 being held hostage in Gaza.
Hamas released a hostage video. The hostages shown in the clip are 19-year old Karina Ariev, 31-year old Doron Steinbrecher and 19-year old Daniella Glib.
Some 20 women are among the 130 or so remaining hostages in Gaza. Hamas refused to release them, saying that even those who were not soldiers were once in the Israeli military. Hamas has also refused to allow Red Cross visits, in violation of international law, and broke a deal this week to prove that medicines sent from Israel via Qatar had actually been delivered to the hostages.
There are reports that the female hostages are being raped by Hamas terrorists and otherwise sexually assaulted and degraded. This is standard practice under islamic rules of war.
***
Two diplomats at the UN tell there are active discussions about bringing yesterday’s ICJ ruling to the Security Council to pass a resolution enforcing the provisional measures
***
The US State Department halted funding for UNRWA pending an investigation into its involvement in the October 7th massacre. Britain, Australia, Canada and Italy announced on Saturday the suspension of their funding to UNRWA as well.
The UNRWA said Friday it had fired the employees in question.
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said on Saturday on X.
“We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision,” he said.
This scandal is growing to suggest/claim that UNRWA has known and condoned its employee’s act participation in Hamas and may have contributed resources to the terrorist organization.
***
The World Court ordered Israel on Friday to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians and do more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as requested by South Africa.
——— GAZA FRONT ———————————-
Intense fighting continues as IDF presses into Hamas strongholds in Khan Younis. However, Hamas is running out of places to hide and forces to fight with.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday that more than 100 Hamas terrorists had been caught in the previous 36 hours, as the IDF pushes forward in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
“Hamas is collapsing into its own tunnels that it painstakingly dug. Every place it thought would be a trap for IDF soldiers becomes an area where we hit it,” Gallant told soldiers serving in the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit.
“In the past day and a half, we have over 100 captives, some of them who came up from underground, in the Khan Yunis area and also in other places, because they realize that they can’t fight against the IDF,” he added.
——— LEBANON / HEZBOLLAH——————————-
Continued exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and IDF along the border.
———WEST BANK——————————-
Continued Israeli security forces operations to arrest Hamas and affiliated terrorists
———“ISLAMIC RESISTANCE” ———————————
Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MARLIN LUANDA reportedly on fire and requiring assistance after a Houthi missile strike. Reporting indicates the tanker is chartered to Trafigura and carrying highly-flammable naphtha. In an update on Saturday, Trafigura said all crew were safe and that the fire in a cargo tank had been put out. The ship was now sailing towards a safe harbour, the company said. The ship was sailing in the Gulf of Aden before the attack.
This engagement happened in the same area as the incident on Thursday in which two US-flagged and US-owned container ships and the USS Gravely were forced to beat an ignominious retreat out of missile range.
US led airstrikes on Houthi positions in Ra’s Issa, Hudaydah, Yemen, reportedly in response to the Houthi attacks.
***
The Islamic Resistance in a statement will not comply with the US and Iraqi negotiations, and will carry on with attacking US forces in Iraq and Syria untill a full coalition forces withdrawal.
——— FORECAST ————————-
Israel to continue search and destroy operations across Gaza. Fighting to continue to be intense in central and S Gaza while N Gaza levels are dropping fast.
The US mission to protect shipping thru the Red Sea has become a dumpster fire. A cluster of unbelievable magnitude.
The Houthis have successfully expanded the battlespace to include the northern half of the Gulf of Aden. They are also becoming more successful at hitting ships in spite of the presence of a US carrier strike group in the area and even dedicated escorts. In fact, the successful challenge of a US escorted pair of cargo ships that forced them to retreat is disgusting. The US navy is losing to the Houthi.
The US is failing in its efforts to enforce freedom of navigation. Its timidity and weakness has only serve to embolden the Houthi’s - as I’ve repeatedly pointed out.
Iraq -
The Pentagon pushed back on reports that the U.S. is withdrawing from Iraq as the two countries announced a joint military commission focused on the next stage of its mission to defeat ISIS.
U.S. officials on Thursday announced the launch of the Higher Military Commission, or HMC. The working group plans to assess the U.S.-Iraq military partnership based on threats posed by ISIS, operational and environmental requirements and capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces, a senior defense official told reporters in a briefing.
“The HMC meeting is not in negotiation about the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq,” the defense official said. “The United States and the coalition are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to fight ISIS.”
OBSERVATION - The momentum is gathering - the US is going to be headed out before the end of the year IMHO.
Venezuela -
“The second to worst worst thing that can happen to a civil society is civil war. The only thing worse than that is what Venezuela is living with right now, a dictatorship in which there is no hope of democratic change or equal justice. In Nicolas Maduro’s Venezuela his voice is the only one that matters. It has been that way since he took over as the hand-picked successor to communist blowhard Hugo Chavez in 2013.”
OBSERVATION - Take a deep breath and read the article twice. Notice any parallels to the US? It reads as the democrat play book for 2024. Hardly needs further commentary. Read it.
Globalism / Great Reset –
Upcoming meetings of importance
- WHO February 19 to 21, Trans guideline committee.
- WHO pandemic ‘treaty’ May 2024
*****
According to a new poll, nearly 90 percent of ivy league grads support the “strict” rationing of gas, meat and electricity to fight climate change.
That’s 90%! “Strict rationing!”
The poll, conducted by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, is titled “Them vs. U.S.: The two Americas and how the nation’s elite is out of touch with average Americans.”
It was intended to assess the beliefs of “elites.”
According to the College Fix, the poll was comprised of two surveys of 1,000 folks each conducted in late 2023, and the “Elites” were defined as “people having at least one post-graduate degree, earning at least $150,000 annually, and living in high-population density areas.”
The Committee to Unleash Prosperity (CUP) found that:
“An astonishing 77% of the Elites – including almost 90% of the Elites who graduated from the top universities – favor rationing of energy, gas, and meat to combat climate change.”
This is starkly at odds with the will of all Americans, 63% of whom oppose this policy. It is shameful and embarrassing that so many “elite” Americans have drunk the Kool-Aid — and bent the knee at the altar of progressivism. These are folks that would be more at home attending the World Economic Forum in Davos than a country music concert in Des Moines. And would then fly back to the U.S. to snob the rest of us and bitch about the carbon footprints of lawnmowers and farmers.
Incredibly, CUP also found that nearly six in 10 “elites” say there is too much individual freedom in America.
OBSERVATION - These silver spoon raised individuals have not clue, given that they expect to maintain their standard of living that they would deny to us peons. They really don’t know what it means to work for a living or how their actions/decisions affect others around them. They have become the epitome of narcissistic arrogant ignoramuses with delusions of adequacy.
CW2 / Domestic violence - Heightened THREAT
Showdown in TX continues. The beacons of Gondor are lit ! !
This has been out there a few days, but the volume of material I was dealing with at the time forced me to back burner it.
A huge MAGA truck convoy called ‘Army of God’ is heading toward the southern border as experts ring the alarms over the border crisis after a record 302,000 migrants crossed over into the US.
The massive convoy of truckers is making its way to three migrant hotspots across three states in a bid to shame the White House into tackling the worsening crisis.
OBSERVATION - Symbolism, not to say this rally isn’t worth it, but it does serve warning to the regime that TX’s fight against the illegal tsunami has growing, national level support. There have been concerns that the regime will try to manipulate this into a second j6 style ‘insurrection’. It would be a challenge to do so. Their best play would be to ignore it and have their MSM allies do the same.
Terrorism - Level is HIGH due to increased lone wolf threats.
This report has been out there a few days, able now to circle back to evaluating it more.
Ten former FBI officials signed a letter describing the present danger the U.S. faces from President Joe Biden’s border policy and raising serious concerns about a “specific threat that may be one of the most pernicious ever to menace the United States.”
The letter was signed last week and sent to leaders in the House and Senate before it was shared by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Thursday. In it, the former FBI officials address a “new and unfamiliar” threat facing the country as “military aged men from across the globe” easily enter the U.S. “across a border that has been accurately advertised around the world as largely unprotected with ready access.”
“It would be difficult to overstate the danger represented by the presence inside our borders of what is comparatively a multi-division army of young single adult males from hostile nations and regions whose background, intent, or allegiance is completely unknown,” the letter states.
“In light of such a daunting, unprecedented penetration by uninvited foreign actors, it is reasonable to assert that the country possesses dramatically diminished national security at this time,” the letter continues. “The nation’s military and laws and other natural protective barriers that have provided traditional security in the past have been thoroughly circumvented over the past three years.”
OBSERVATION - There have been many voices raising warnings of the clear and present danger from these military aged males that have been allowed to enter this country and roam around unmonitored. Whether or not they are going to operate under the Deep Swamp’s direction, or independently is unknown. I’ll note again, the purchase of weapons, ammo and gear by obscure govt agencies for their own ‘security’ elements - in far excess of any conceivable requirement - may be a source to arm these illegals to do the dirty work of the marxist democrats across the country.
***
RUMINT that Houthi rebels have engaged in covert discussions with Al-Qaeda, exploring potential collaboration on coordinated actions, including suicide attacks against Western targets, according to western media sources.
OBSERVATION - The demonstrated weakness of US foreign policy and military application was bound to generate potential action like this. AQ and even ISIS has been recovering over the past three years of the biden regime’s blundering foreign and in particular middle east policies. The world is becoming less safe.
Economy-
Upcoming dates of importance
- The Fed next meets on Jan. 30-31.
***
Going into this week’s two-day policy meeting, which wraps Wednesday afternoon in Washington, investors are assigning roughly even odds to the prospect that the US central bank will start lowering borrowing costs at its next decision in March.
What Bloomberg Economics Says:
“The stage is set for the Fed to take steps toward cutting rates in coming months. We expect the Fed to begin lowering the federal funds rate target range in March as it attempts to stick a soft landing.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-rate-decision-could-prelude-210000975.html
OBSERVATION - The effort to spin this as a ‘soft landing’ continues. I cannot help but to view these reports as putting lipstick on a pig - given there are so many other factors that are converging at an unprecedented rate to screw such a ‘soft landing’ propaganda to aid biden’s campaign.
Wuhan and other “new” Plandemics –
Remember when folks like Fauci were arrogantly promoting the jab and condemning the unjabbed - seemingly doing so expecting no fallout. Well in an interview returning to the light of day, Fauci spills the beans on it all -
“Once people feel empowered and protected legally, you are going to have schools, universities and colleges say, ‘you want to come to this college, buddy? You’re gonna get vaccinated ...
It’s been proven that when you make it difficult for people in their lives, they lose their ideological bull**** and they get vaccinated.”
OBSERVATION - Never, never forget what these medical tyrants did to Americans (and others across the world). Give no quarter or forgiveness as they now circle back with their empty apologies for their now totally repudiated actions THAT THEY NEW WERE LIES TO BEGIN WITH.
POLITICAL FRONT –
Dates of importance
Feb 8 - The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the Colorado case.
March - latest CR expires
March 5- Super Tuesday primaries
****
Donald Trump’s legal team is set to use a previously undisclosed “conflict of interest” as grounds for appealing a recent verdict that orders the former president to pay advice columnist E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million. Trump attorney Alina Habba told the New York Post she was previously unaware that Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the case, worked with Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, at the Paul Weiss Rifkin, Wharton & Garrison law firm in the early 1990s. Habba says neither the judge nor Roberta Kaplan revealed this professional history. “It was never disclosed. It’s insane and so incestuous,” Habba said, asserting the non-disclosure counts as an ethics violation. Early in her career, Roberta worked as an associate at the firm during the same period as Judge Kaplan, who was a partner until his 1994 appointment to the federal bench by then-President Bill Clinton.
OBSERVATION - These kinds of links are popping up all over in the various Trump prosecutions. While these original trials now stand a stronger likelihood of being tossed, they serve the liberal purpose of casting poop on Trump as the appeals will only get marginal at best coverage.
***
The Arizona Republican Party selected a new Trump-supported chair on Saturday after the former chair resigned following a bribery controversy.
Ms. Swoboda was elected at the annual GOP meeting held at Dream City Church in north Phoenix on Saturday which was attended by over 1,000 people. However, the sudden resignation of former Arizona Republican Party chair Jeff DeWit due to bribery allegations triggered an urgent election to select a new chair.
According to Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-Ariz.), Ms. Swoboda secured 67 percent of votes to emerge victorious and become the new chair of the Arizona Republican Party.
OBSERVATION - There is a new reason for hope that AZ republicans will regain some backbone against the democrat corruption machine that has managed to take power.
However, I still want to know WHO was backing the $$$$ that DeWit waved under Lake’s nose to encourage her to step out of the Senate race.
Biden / Harris Watch –
Dates to watch -
March 7 - State of the union
****
Biden continues to be let out to publicly embarrass himself with his ranting political speeches that degrade into incoherent ramblings of unintelligent or understandable words.
Illegal Immigration –
See CW2 on Texas standoff.
***
Tensions within the Oklahoma GOP have reached a boiling point as the state party’s leadership passed a resolution on Saturday to condemn U.S. Senator James Lankford for his involvement in an outrageous border security deal with Democrats.
The resolution, passed with immediate effect, states that the party will withhold all support for Senator Lankford until he ceases his involvement with the proposed legislation.
The resolution cites several concerns, notably Senator Lankford’s collaboration with Senator Chuck Schumer on a deal allegedly permitting 5,000 illegal immigrants per day to enter and work in the United States. This figure translates to approximately 155,000 illegal immigrants each month, amounting to an annual total of 1.8 million.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/oklahoma-gop-passes-resolution-condemn-censure-sen-james/
OBSERVATION - Good call by the OK GOP - Lankford needs to be primaries out of office at the next available election - or forced to resign by what ever means necessary. This abomination of a immigration ‘reform’ plan should never see the light of day.
***
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson implemented a policy that gives illegal migrants a 60-day shelter limit before they are forced to take up space elsewhere. The city’s sixteen aldermen, including close allies of Johnson, sent a letter to the mayor urging him to terminate his policy, claiming it “poses a significant threat to the health and safety of new arrivals.”
The policy was due to take effect in mid-January but was delayed due to the city’s wicked cold temperatures.
At least 2,000 illegal migrants are set to be evicted if the policy is enforced on February 1. That number is expected to grow to about 6,000 people by the following week. The letter argues the city must delay evictions until the warmer months and instead focus on helping illegal aliens become independent.
Since 2022, at least 608 buses have arrived from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), with more than 34,000 illegal migrants landing in Chicago. As of January 16, there are 28 shelters in operation within the city, holding roughly 14,967 immigrants. On February 1, 7,842 illegal immigrants will receive eviction notices.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2024/01/27/dem-chicago-mayor-sides-with-the-right-n2634263
OBSERVATION - Forcing liberal ‘sanctuary’ cities and states to confront the realities of the illegal tsunami that is affecting border states is one unexpected consequence of biden’s policies. The Chicago mayor is also facing heat from the predominately black community over diversion of ‘their’ social welfare programs and perks and giving them over to these illegal aliens in a preferential manner.
***
Chicago isn’t the only blue city suffering the consequences of their sanctuary city status and support for the regimes open border policy.
The City of Denver will begin ordering foreign national migrants in its shelter system to leave on Feb. 5 after they have spent a certain number of days in facilities, according to multiple reports.
Denver is the top destination, per capita, for foreign migrants who have crossed the country’s international border with Mexico and been ferried to their jurisdiction by buses paid for by the State of Texas, with over 40,000 having arrived, according to a report by NBC News. Due to overcrowding, the city will begin evicting individuals who have remained in the system for 42 days, according to a Jan. 17 report by Denverite, a local news organization.
https://dailycaller.com/2024/01/27/denver-cracks-down-taking-more-migrants-per-capita-anywhere-else/
OBSERVATION - Of course the big question for both cities is just WHERE will these kicked out illegals go? Secondary and tertiary results of the open border dumpster fire limits that.
Russia -
WAR WATCH - into the second year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Feb 24th, 2022
CURRENT ASSESSMENT - Updated Jan 1, 2024
With the end of the Ukraine summer offensive and the ongoing winter mud season, Russia is struggling to gain the initiative on several fronts in easter Ukraine. Russia maintains it attacks to take Avdiivka, even in the face of huge losses. Russia continues to launch smaller attacks daily across the front lines.
Russian has been shepherding its stockpile of missiles/drones with the likelihood of attempting to take down the Ukraine power grid as they did winter 2023. This task has become increasingly difficult as Ukraine adds air defense systems and gets better coverage.
The Russian Black Sea fleet is is essentially impotent and hesitant to deploy into now contested waters. In the latest, large missile / drone attack, the Black Sea fleet was noticeably out of action. In the last half of 2023, Ukraine was able to take out about 20% of the fleet.
While Russia has reportedly about 400K of soldiers in the theater, all evidence indicates that they are poorly trained and equipped. Russian forces are increasingly having to rely on 50’s and 60’s vintage tanks, APCs and other vehicles. Russian large assaults continue to be what are referred to as ‘meat’ attacks - throwing large numbers of lightly armed, foot troops at Ukraine defenses in hopes of overwhelming them. These tactics ‘worked’ at Bakhmut but there Russia still had a superiority in artillery support. Concerted efforts by Ukraine to locate and destroy Russian artillery, combined with wear and tear taking systems out and poor/no ammo has generally caused Russia to lose the edge in artillery firepower.
Russian leadership reportedly planning for a long duration conflict, hoping to wear the Ukraine army down and cause European allies to tire of their support - forcing some sort of cease fire and negotiated peace.
Russia is believed to be trying to muster a force for a winter offensive, once the soils freeze up and permit cross country maneuver. Focus of such an offensive has not solidified but the most likely candidate for one front is the continued attempt to eliminate the salient at Adviivka.
*****
Logistics –
Two years of fighting in Ukraine have destroyed the Russian tank force. This was unexpected, as was the Russian inability to replace their tank losses. Ukraine’s success against Russian tanks and armored vehicles revived predictions that tanks were obsolete. Tanks are still relevant, and the Russian losses were the result of poor employment of armored units as well as design features of Russian tanks that make them much more vulnerable than Western tanks like the American M1, German Leopard or Israeli Merkava.
Most Russian armored vehicles were lost while they were on the move, or stationery without adequate infantry support. The first Russian armored units going into Ukraine were told the population would be friendly or neutral. The reality was that the Ukrainians were well armed, hostile, and using tactics the Russians were unaware of and unprepared to deal with. As a result, thousands of Russian vehicles were destroyed in the first month, most of them armored, including some of the most modern Russian tanks plus some ancient models taken from storage facilities for obsolete tanks that might be useful in an emergency. The Ukraine War proved to be that emergency.
https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20240128.aspx
Ukraine –
WEATHER FORECAST – Temperatures in the 20-30 range with scattered snow
24 HOUR ROUND UP – Weather continues to dominate action on the ground. However, temperatures are reaching levels around Ukraine that are starting to freeze the ground locally, meaning that ground operations may have their tempo increase over the coming days/weeks.
4 of 8 Shahed drones were shot down overnight. Russian army also launched 2 Iskander-M ballistic missiles at Poltava region and 3 S-300 at Donetsk region which were not intercepted.
Russian claimed overnight to have captured Tabaivka of Kharkiv region, northern end of the eastern front.
Outlook —
Weather and mud conditions are continuing to dictate ground operations, which are at a low level due to lack of maneuverability cross country and on dirt roads due to the mud.
There are increasing reports of Ukraine giving up ground to Russian attacks along various portions of the front. A major contributor to these losses is the shortage of artillery rounds that Ukraine has relied on over the past year to interdict and stop Russian forces. Russia has been able to rebuild some of its artillery corps and become more aggressive in the absence of devastating Ukraine counter battery fire adding to the russian attack successes.
ISRAEL –
Key overnight developments -
- UNRWA faces additional scrutiny over its affiliations with Hamas.
——— GENERAL ——————————-
Lest we forget - there are still 136 being held hostage in Gaza.
***
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on donor states to guarantee the flow of vital aid to Gaza after several halted funding to the agency, UNRWA, over Israeli claims that some of its staff participated in the October 7 attacks.
UNRWA said on Friday it had fired several employees over Israel’s unspecified accusations about the involvement of some of its staff in Hamas’s October 7 attack.
Donors including Germany, Britain, Italy, Australia and Finland on Saturday followed the lead of the United States, which said it had suspended additional funding to the agency over the accusations.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini to quit after saying earlier the body “must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development”.
https://www.newsmax.com/headline/israel-intensive-fighting/2024/01/28/id/1151255/
OBSERVATION - There were those who were active participants, and there were likely many more who were passive participants, providing support to Hamas. Those ‘employees’ need to be gone as well. Heck, dismantle UNRWA all together as an unredeemably corrupted organization.
——— GAZA FRONT ———————————-
Intense fighting continues as IDF presses into Hamas strongholds in Khan Younis. However, Hamas is running out of places to hide and forces to fight with.
Fighting has intensified in N Gaza as IDF encounters more pockets of Hamas forces as it continues to work to clean up the sector.
Reports are indicating that as much as 80% of Hama’s 300 mile tunnel network are still intact. An additional 40% are estimated to have been severely damaged. Since the start of the war, IDF has destroyed tens of miles of tunnels, but reports are they keep discovering networks they were not aware of. IDF and government predicted from the start that the war would take a year, planning by then to destroy the entire network as part of the goal to disable Hamas’ military abilities and its control of Gaza.
——— LEBANON / HEZBOLLAH——————————-
Continued exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and IDF along the border.
The Israeli army is conducting military exercises to “raise readiness” on the border with Lebanon.
———WEST BANK——————————-
Continued Israeli security forces operations to arrest Hamas and affiliated terrorists
———“ISLAMIC RESISTANCE” ———————————
Iranian-backed militias targeted three U.S. military bases in the past few hours,. They attacked the Tanf base twice and the Shaddadi base in northeastern Syria.
***
Rashad al-Alimi, the internationally-recognized President of Yemen, has called on the United States and Saudi Arabia to take decisive action to “eliminate” the military capabilities of Houthi rebels. “Every time a step is taken towards peace, the Huthis and their Iranian supporters create a new problem.”
***
A British warship, the HMS Diamond, repelled a drone attack on Saturday from Yemen’s Houthi group in the Red Sea, British officials said.
“Deploying her Sea Viper missile system, Diamond destroyed a drone targeting her with no injuries or damage sustained to Diamond or her crew,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Sunday.
——— FORECAST ————————-
Israel to continue search and destroy operations across Gaza. Fighting to continue to be intense in central and S Gaza while N Gaza levels are dropping fast.
Houthi - the headline almost pushing the rest of the Gaza war off the radar. One doesn’t win wars by fighting defensively - you got to go on the offense. The US and allies haven’t - probably in large part by the biden regime’s desire not to anger Iran. Soon one of these missiles or drones are going to get past one of these warship’s defenses, just like they did to strike ‘protected’ cargo ships.
Iran –
Iran has reportedly achieved a significant milestone in its space program by launching three satellites simultaneously using the Simorgh (Phoenix) satellite carrier rocket, as per Iranian state media on Sunday.
The two-stage, liquid-fueled Simorgh (Phoenix) rocket carried the satellites and placed them in a minimum orbit of 450 kilometers (280 miles). There have been five consecutive failed launches for the Simorgh program, a satellite-carrying rocket.
The Mahda satellite, which weighs about 32 kilograms and was developed by Iran’s space agency, is designed to test advanced satellite subsystems, the official IRNA news agency said.
Isa Zarepour, Iran’s minister of information and communications technology, said Mahda has already sent signals back to Earth.
The other two, Kayhan 2 and Hatef, weigh less than 10 kilograms each and are designed to test space-based positioning technology and narrow-band communications, IRNA added.
OBSERVATION - Iran is continuing its technological advancements, particularly in the realm of missile/rocket technology. Gone are the days of laughing at Iran’s efforts to build military parity with the region.