Infamous CIA Double-Agent Aldrich Ames Dies At 84

Aldrich Ames, one of the most consequential double agents in the history of U.S. intelligence, has died while serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Maryland, according to a report by The Associated Press. Ames, a former senior official at the Central Intelligence Agency, was convicted in 1994 of spying for the Soviet Union and later Russia in what remains one of the most damaging intelligence breaches ever suffered by the United States.

Former senior Central Intelligence Agency official Aldrich Hazen Ames is being taken from federal court in Alexandria on February 22, 1994, after being charged with spying for the former Soviet Union. Ames' wife, Mari del Rosario Casas Ames, has been charged with the same crime. (LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images)

Ames was arrested in February 1994 and, two months later, pleaded guilty to espionage charges. A U.S. court sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, concluding a counterintelligence case that had shaken the CIA and exposed deep institutional failures in internal security.

From Career Officer to Double Agent

Ames joined the CIA in 1962 and spent much of his career focused on Soviet and Eastern Bloc intelligence operations. By the early 1980s, he had risen to a senior position with access to some of the agency’s most sensitive counterintelligence information, including the identities of U.S. sources inside the Soviet Union.

In April 1985, Ames began voluntarily providing classified information to Moscow. While he later cited dissatisfaction with his professional standing and frustration with U.S. institutions, investigators determined that financial motives were primary. At the time he began spying, Ames was experiencing serious personal debt, exacerbated by alcohol abuse and an expensive lifestyle.

Over more than eight years, Soviet and later Russian intelligence services paid Ames in excess of $2.5 million in cash and deposits - making him one of the highest-paid spies in modern intelligence history.

Devastating Consequences

The damage caused by Ames’s espionage was extraordinary. According to U.S. officials and historians, information he provided compromised approximately 30 CIA and FBI intelligence operations. Most devastatingly, he revealed the identities of more than 20 covert sources working for the United States inside the Soviet Union.

At least ten of those exposed agents were executed during the final years of the Soviet state. Among them was Dmitry Polyakov, a highly placed general in the Soviet military intelligence service, the GRU. Polyakov had secretly provided intelligence to the United States for more than 25 years and was widely regarded as one of the most valuable human intelligence assets ever recruited by U.S. agencies. He was arrested by Soviet authorities in 1986 and executed two years later.

The sudden collapse of U.S. intelligence networks in Moscow during the mid-1980s initially baffled American officials. Multiple agents were arrested in rapid succession, raising suspicions of a major internal breach - though it would take nearly a decade for Ames to be identified as the source.

Exposure and Arrest

Ames’s downfall ultimately came through financial scrutiny rather than direct intelligence leads. Despite his modest government salary, he made large cash purchases, paid off debts, and lived far beyond his means. By the early 1990s, counterintelligence investigators began closely examining unexplained wealth among CIA personnel with access to compromised operations.

In February 1994, Ames and his wife, Rosario, were arrested outside their home in Arlington, Virginia. Rosario Ames later pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and was sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Institutional Fallout

The Ames case had profound consequences for the CIA. The agency faced intense congressional scrutiny over lax internal controls, insufficient financial monitoring of employees, and failures in counterintelligence oversight. The scandal prompted widespread reforms, including enhanced background checks, financial disclosure requirements, and more aggressive internal security programs.

Then-CIA Director James Woolsey resigned in 1995 amid ongoing criticism related to the agency’s handling of the case, though multiple reviews acknowledged that the failures spanned several administrations and leadership teams.

Tyler Durden Thu, 01/08/2026 - 06:55

Military Spending Is On The Rise In Asia

Over the past five years, military expenditure in Asia has climbed sharply, reflecting escalating regional tensions and global security concerns. According to the most recent SIPRI data, major military spenders in the region, such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Taiwan, have significantly boosted their defense budgets.

As Statista's Tristan Gaudiat details below, China remains the region's top spender: according to SIPRI estimates, its military budget has grown by more than 20 percent between 2020 and 2024, reaching around 320 billion dollars (constant 2023 prices and exchange rates). Chinese military expenditure is driven by the country's armed forces modernization and territorial ambitions.

You will find more infographics at Statista

India, facing border disputes and maritime challenges, has increased its spending by 8 percent over the same period. Prioritizing technological advancement and self-reliance, the Indian army's budget reached 84 billion dollars in 2024.

Just behind, with a budget of 79 billion dollars, Saudi Arabia has increased its spending by 13 percent since 2020, amid growing instability in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, in East Asia, Japan has accelerated defense investments by over 40 percent between 2020 and 2024. Its military budget, 58 billion dollars, now surpasses that of its Western neighbor, South Korea (48 billion dollars in 2024, +4 percent from 2020), amid North Korea's missile threats and China's military assertiveness.

Taiwan, under constant pressure from Beijing, saw a 37 percent increase over the last five years on record, focusing on asymmetric defense capabilities.

Tyler Durden Thu, 01/08/2026 - 05:45

Bus Drivers Arrested For Earning Up To €50k-A-Year Cash Transporting Illegals Between France And Spain

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

Spanish police have arrested 15 international bus drivers in Barcelona, accused of transporting illegal migrants between France and Spain in exchange for cash, exploiting their access to regular cross-border routes, according to reports by El País.

The Spanish National Police said the drivers used their positions on international services, particularly the Paris–Barcelona route, to bring “undocumented or visa-less foreigners into the country in exchange for money,” describing the scheme as “a new type of illicit human trafficking in the international land transport sector,” as reported by Le Parisien.

Migrants paid between €20 and €400 to travel without identity documents, without a valid ticket, or using tickets issued in someone else’s name, and bus drivers received payment to turn a blind eye.

According to the police statement, the drivers coordinated with intermediaries operating in bus stations and outside transport companies, who arranged payments and ensured migrants were allowed to board vehicles. Those arrested are being prosecuted on charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration.

The investigation began in March 2025 and uncovered a network involving not only drivers but also auxiliary staff linked to private transport companies. Police said those involved “took advantage of their access to European routes” to facilitate the irregular movement of migrants between Spain and France, earning some drivers as much as €50,000 per year.

Investigators also identified recruiters operating outside transport companies who negotiated payments with drivers and helped migrants board buses using false, manipulated, or no documents at all.

The operation was carried out in cooperation with French authorities, with police checks conducted in La Jonquera, Irún, Madrid, Barcelona, and Murcia.

The dispersal across Europe of migrants residing in Catalonia will be cause for concern to many, in light of recent reports detailing no-go zones for police officers in the region.

In September last year, Torelló, a town in the Osona region of Catalonia, faced growing insecurity after a leaked recording revealed local police officers acknowledging they are unable to control violent migrant groups gathering in certain areas, and have been laughed at and forced to retreat from dispatch calls.

The audio, verified by authorities and reported by ElCaso.cat, captured an officer telling a resident that police cannot act against migrant rioters due to insufficient resources.

“They are laughing at us,” the officer said in the call. “They are throwing us out. If we don’t want to get hurt, we too [must leave],” he added, describing how officers had to withdraw after being met with hostility.

While net migration to Spain and its islands was down last year, according to Frontex, huge numbers have already crossed and are now contributing to integration concerns. Despite numbers being down, Spain’s socialist government remains committed to importing newcomers.

In September, it began the gradual transfer of more than 600 Moroccan minors from the North African enclave of Ceuta to different regions on the mainland.

The decision has reignited debate in Madrid over how to manage unaccompanied minors entering the country, as new figures revealed just 41 of the nearly 30,000 minor arrivals since 2018 have been repatriated.

With an increase in internal illegal migration routes within the European Union itself, keeping tabs on new arrivals will become increasingly more problematic.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Thu, 01/08/2026 - 05:00

US To Withdraw From 66 International Bodies, Treaties

The Trump administration withdrew the United States from 66 international organizations, conventions, and treaties that it said go against the country’s interests, the White House announced on Jan. 7.

According to the presidential memorandum, 31 entities were tied to the United Nations, while 35 others were not.

“The Trump Administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement shortly after the list was revealed.

“President [Donald] Trump is clear: It is no longer acceptable to be sending these institutions the blood, sweat, and treasure of the American people, with little to nothing to show for it. The days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over.”

As Jacki Thrapp reports for The Epoch Times,The State Department was ordered to review the international intergovernmental organizations that “no longer serve American interests” in February 2025, per an executive order ​signed by President Donald Trump.

Rubio accused many entities of being “often dominated by progressive ideology and detached from national interests.”

“From DEI mandates to ‘gender equity’ campaigns to climate orthodoxy, many international organizations now serve a globalist project rooted in the discredited fantasy of the ‘End of History.’

“These organizations actively seek to constrain American sovereignty. Their work is advanced by the same elite networks—the multilateral ‘NGO-plex’—that we have begun dismantling through the closure of [the United States Agency for International Development].”

The U.N.-related entities that the Trump administration withdrew from include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Law Commission, International Trade Centre, Peacebuilding Commission, Peacebuilding Fund, U.N. Democracy Fund, U.N. Energy, U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and U.N. University.

The non-U.N. organizations included the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

The memorandum cited over two dozen “hybrid threats,” such as the Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories and the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund.

Wednesday’s memorandum came less than a year after Trump withdrew the United States from the UN Human Rights Council.

On Feb. 4, 2025, the same day the White House assigned Rubio to investigate the international organizations, Trump signed an executive order exiting from the U.N. Human Rights Council. At the time, Trump said it “has not fulfilled its purpose and continues to be used as a protective body for countries committing horrific human rights violations.”

The White House expanded on those issues, such as allowing China and Iran to be in the council despite their violations, and alleged there was bias against Israel.

Tyler Durden Thu, 01/08/2026 - 04:15

How Chinese-Made Radar Defense Systems Failed In Venezuela

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

U.S. forces stormed into Venezuela before dawn on Jan. 3 and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a lightning operation that punched in and out of Caracas before its air defenses could mount an effective response.

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Imaginechina/Alamy, public domain, Freepik, The White House

The operation resulted in no U.S. fatalities and no loss of U.S. military equipment, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. mission—code-named Operation Absolute Resolve—has quickly become more than a political shockwave. Analysts have said it was also a real-world test of U.S. military power against a country that has spent years buying Chinese- and Russian-made air-defense systems and showcasing them as proof that it could deter Washington.

The raid raised uncomfortable questions for Beijing about the limits of the Chinese-supplied systems that Venezuela has leaned on—especially “anti-stealth” radar that China advertised as capable of spotting and stopping U.S. stealth aircraft, a military analyst said.

The analyst told The Epoch Times that the most damaging takeaway for China isn’t the failure of a single piece of equipment—it’s what the operation suggested about deeper weaknesses: corruption in China’s defense industry and lack of reliability of the technology and command structure meant to tie those systems together.

“A system built to look modern on paper and intimidating in propaganda falls apart under the demands of real combat,” said Yu Tsung-chi, a retired major general from Taiwan and former president of the Political Warfare College at Taiwan’s National Defense University.

He said Beijing’s performance claims often lean more on messaging than combat validation.

China condemned the capture of Maduro and accused Washington of acting as a “world judge,” in a blunt response that underscored how closely Beijing saw the fallout tied to its influence and credibility in Latin America.

Operation Measured in Hours

President Donald Trump ordered the operation at 10:46 p.m. ET on Jan. 2, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said.

Aircraft launched from about 20 land and sea bases across the Western Hemisphere, and the helicopter force approached Venezuela at roughly 100 feet above the water to maintain the element of surprise.

Within five hours, by 3:29 a.m. ET, U.S. forces had Maduro and Flores aboard the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship. They were then flown to the United States.

This illustration depicts Caracas and the states in which the Venezuelan regime said U.S. military strikes occurred before the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Jan. 3, 2025. Anika Arora Seth, Phil Holm via AP(Left) The Fuerte Tiuna neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 22, 2025. (Right) The same neighborhood after U.S. strikes on Jan. 3, 2026. U.S. forces carried out a pre-dawn raid in Caracas, capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flying them to the United States to face federal charges. ©2026 Vantor via AP

U.S. officials said the operation involved more than 150 aircraft along with integrated electronic attack and nonkinetic effects from U.S. Cyber Command, Space Command, and other assets to suppress Venezuelan defenses and clear a path for the helicopters.

Briefings described a layered effects approach: bombers, fighters, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, electronic warfare jets, and drones overhead; space and cyber support to disrupt Venezuelan systems; and strikes intended to dismantle and disable air defenses as helicopters closed on Caracas.

According to officials, aircraft used in the operation included B-1B bombers, F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning II fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets, E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft, and numerous drones alongside transport and helicopter assets.

(Top Left) A B-1B Lancer flies over the Pacific Ocean during a Bomber Task Force mission on June 20, 2022. (Top Right) Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35A Lightning IIs receive fuel from a RAAF KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport over Australia during Talisman Sabre 23 on July 23, 2023. (Bottom Left) An RAAF EA-18G Growler takes off from Amberley, Australia, for a mission during Red Flag 23-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., on Jan. 24, 2023. (Bottom Right) An E-2C Hawkeye assigned to the Greyhawks of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 120 flies over Jacksonville, Fla., in this file image. Master Sgt. Nicholas Priest/U.S. Air Force; Tech. Sgt. Eric Summers Jr./CC-PD-Mark; William R. Lewis/U.S. Air Force/Public Domain; Lt. j.g. John A. Ivancic/U.S. Navy China’s Systems

For years, Venezuela has spent heavily on Chinese and Russian equipment while claiming that it was building one of the region’s most modern defense systems.

In recent months, reports have highlighted Venezuela’s installation of Chinese-made JY-27A radar units, marketed as able to detect “low-observable” aircraft—exactly the kind of system meant to complicate U.S. operations involving stealth platforms.

That promise did not hold on Jan. 3.

Yu said neither Chinese nor Russian air-defense systems “made the slightest bit of difference” once the United States brought real-time intelligence, electronic warfare, and precision weapons to bear.

The real contest, he said, wasn’t just radar range or missile specs, but a fast chain of detection, communications, decision-making, and joint execution—exactly where weaker militaries tend to break.

Beyond radar, Venezuela has also displayed and fielded Chinese-made ground systems that Beijing has marketed abroad—from VN-16 amphibious assault vehicles and VN-18 infantry fighting vehicles to Chinese rocket artillery systems.

Venezuelan parades in recent years have showcased those platforms as symbols of a growing partnership and a tougher military posture.

But Yu said glossy displays don’t matter much if the wider network—sensors, communications, command, training, and logistics—can’t hold up under pressure.

A view of telecommunications antennas in El Volcan in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 5, 2026. El Volcan was one of the first points of attack during the Jan. 3 capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces. Carlos Becerra/Getty Images Parades Versus Combat Reality

Yu said the U.S. raid on Caracas exposed the limits of China’s propaganda-first military culture—one that rewards polished demonstrations more than hard, repeated combat validation.

He said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not fought a major war since 1979, and it studies foreign conflicts in part because it lacks large-scale, recent battlefield feedback of its own.

“You can look perfectly aligned and advanced on a parade ground,” Yu said, “but without real combat to back it up, it’s all just stage effects.”

Read the rest here...

Tyler Durden Thu, 01/08/2026 - 03:30

Hungary Won't Leave The EU, It Will Fall Apart On Its Own, Orbán Says

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Hungary would not leave the European Union, which instead would "fall apart on its own" due to "leadership chaos" and said Brussels aimed to cut Hungary off from Russian energy supplies during a press conference on Monday. 

As EuroNews reports, Orbán rejected the possibility of Hungary leaving the EU, saying the country lacked the size to make such a decision sensible. However, he stressed Hungary's future lay within the bloc and NATO but with "a sovereign foreign policy and economic policy". He said: "EU membership is an important opportunity, but if we were to get stuck in this single bloc, we would drink the juice. It makes sense to have the best possible relations with all blocs, including America, Russia, China, the Arab world and the Turkish world."

Orbán has clashed repeatedly with Brussels over rule of law concerns, blocked EU support to Ukraine and maintained ties with Moscow despite all his European peers blacklisting Putin. In return, the EU has withheld billions of euros in funding for what it claims is "democratic backsliding" in Hungary.

On energy policy, Orbán said Brussels aimed to cut Hungary off from Russian oil and gas supplies. He said the government was defending itself through legal action against the European Commission while politically opposing EU regulations, hoping sanctions would be lifted by 2027, when the war ends.

Hungary has secured exemptions from EU sanctions on Russian energy and remains heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas.

Orbán said US President Donald Trump's seizure of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro marked a new era in international politics, claiming the operation could allow the US to control up to half the world's oil reserves.

He told reporters that 2025 had been "a very eventful year" and Trump's inauguration "gave the coup de grace" to what he called the "liberal world order". He said the new era is "the era of nations" and described himself as a harbinger of this shift since 2010.

On Venezuela, Orbán said the US military operation represented "a powerful manifestation of the new world".

"Together with Venezuela, the United States can control 40-50% of the world's oil reserves, a force capable of significantly influencing the price of energy on the world market." He added that this could benefit Hungary by creating cheaper global energy prices.

Orbán has cultivated close ties with Trump and is one of the few European leaders to openly support the US military action in Venezuela, which most EU member states have criticised as violating international law.

Orbán said Hungary would not provide financial support to Ukraine, stating, "We have money if we don't give it to others, so we are not giving our money to Ukraine."

"We are not giving them a loan either, because everyone knows that the Ukrainians will not pay it back," he added.

Hungary has been the primary obstacle to EU military and financial support for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in early 2022, forcing the 27-member bloc to find workarounds to bypass Budapest's vetoes.

On migration, Orbán said Hungary would not accept Brussels dictating "who we should live with", rejecting an EU regulation due in June requiring member states to admit 350 people and process over 20,000 applications.

Hungary has refused to participate in EU asylum schemes and built border fences to keep out migrants, leading to ongoing legal battles and trading barbs with Brussels.

Asked about a reported financial agreement with Trump, Orbán confirmed: "I asked for it, we agreed that there would be one."

Trump denied Orbán's previous claims about such an agreement, telling Politico in November: "I didn't promise him anything like that, but he asked me very much."

Meanwhile, the Hungarian PM said details of the "defense shield" were still being worked out, adding Hungary has needed "some kind of protective shield" since World War I and "cannot rely on Brussels".

Orbán said he would not debate Tisza party leader Péter Magyar in the April elections, claiming he could only debate with "sovereign people" and that "those who have masters abroad are not sovereign". He said his ruling party, Fidesz, aimed to repeat its 2022 election result.

Magyar and his party have surged in polls and pose the most substantial electoral challenge to Orbán's rule in two and a half decades. Orbán has governed Hungary since 2010 and is the EU's longest-serving leader among the current heads of state.

Tyler Durden Thu, 01/08/2026 - 02:45

Germany's Deindustrialization: Capital Flight, Green Policy, And The Point Of No Return

Submitted by Thomas Kolbe

The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) sees the German economy in a prolonged phase of deindustrialization. Together with the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the chamber reiterates calls for far-reaching reforms to boost growth and investment. Yet both associations still shy away from touching the golden calf of the green transformation.

Germany’s economic crisis continues into the new year without interruption. A survey conducted by the DIHK among 23,000 member companies found that only one in six firms expects an economic upswing in 2026.

Twenty-five percent of companies are planning further job cuts, and only one third intend to make growth investments. For DIHK President Helena Melnikov, the situation is dramatic. If policymakers fail to act decisively, Germany faces a further massive loss of value creation and jobs, Melnikov warns. As before, the DIHK locates the core of the economic decline in German industry. According to chamber calculations, the sector has shed around 400,000 jobs since 2019.

This weighs particularly heavily because these positions are typically well-paid and highly skilled. Their value creation reverberates throughout Germany’s economic structure—among industry-related services, regional trade, and ultimately public finances.

As a result, municipal treasurers in industrial crisis hubs are increasingly confronted with insoluble challenges amid growing budget deficits. In cities such as Stuttgart, Erlangen, Wolfsburg, and elsewhere, business tax revenues are now visibly shrinking.

Reality Denied

Existing reforms are failing to reach companies, Melnikov warns, pointing to high labor and energy costs. The BDI likewise called 2026 a “year of reforms” in comments to Reuters.

All of this is correct. And yet the question remains why leading figures of German business still lack the courage to openly criticize government policy and finally bury the visibly failed project of greening German society.

We are witnessing a monumental failure of the economic elite—if it can even still be called that. The deindustrialization diagnosed by Melnikov is simply denied by large parts of the mainstream press as well as by policymakers. And yet the numbers speak clearly.

It is not yet fully clear how large capital outflows were last year. In 2024, net direct investment outflows amounted to €64.5 billion; in 2023 they exceeded €100 billion. Previous years were likewise marked by sustained capital flight.

Those who can are heading for the exits—fleeing green regulatory policy, high fiscal burdens, and the economic devastation inflicted on companies by Germany’s energy transition.

Calls for sweeping reductions in bureaucracy also naturally feature on the list of location weaknesses. A perennial political evergreen—and a hollow demand in light of the massively increased pace of state intervention. The state will have to create tens of thousands of new public-sector jobs, at its development banks such as KfW and the state banks, in order to weave the flood of cheap credit into the arteries of the economy.

On massive state intervention, business prefers to remain silent. Companies take what they can get. There is no talk of criticizing market distortions or the systematic crowding-out of the private sector from capital markets by the state.

For the current year, the DIHK expects officially reported GDP growth of 0.7 percent. However, this figure includes net new public borrowing—including special funds—of around 5.5 percent, with a state share exceeding 50 percent of GDP. The private sector, by contrast, is likely to shrink by roughly four percent.

Political room for maneuver is narrowing. Flight to the capital markets appears to be the last remaining way to buy time and maintain the illusion of social and economic stability through ever new subsidy programs.

Location Patriotism Meets Reality

And before the first patriotic crocodile tears are shed: every plant manager, CEO, capital-rich fund, individual investor, and family office will have carefully weighed its judgment on the destructive political framework conditions in Germany and the EU—and will not turn away from the location without reason.

Insisting on location patriotism, after decades of deliberate erosion of patriotic sentiment, German traditions, and culture by the political apparatus and its associated media empire, is at best infantilizing—more bluntly put: cynical.

Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his finance minister Lars Klingbeil, for their part, have not hesitated in the past to play the patriotism card more or less openly when it came to the accelerating departure of German companies.

In October, Klingbeil, in a display of helplessness, publicly called on business at the IGBC trade union congress in Hanover to commit to the location and safeguard jobs.

A cheap media stunt, as Klingbeil is fully aware that energy-intensive production can no longer be defended at the German location, and that the policy of green transformation deliberately and systematically pushes industrial production abroad—or increasingly into insolvency.

The narrative of a lack of loyalty to the location is now firmly established. It shows that politics has already identified its scapegoats—entrepreneurs and investors who are to be publicly blamed for the country’s economic decline. They are henceforth portrayed as irresponsible profiteers abandoning employees, society, and the community in the pursuit of supposed profit maximization.

The depth of the ongoing recession and the now unmistakable deindustrialization of the country make it increasingly likely, week by week, that a point of no return—an economic tipping point—has already been crossed.

German society is therefore left with essentially two options. Either it falls for the rhetorical tricks of the central planners around Friedrich Merz and Lars Klingbeil, accepts further nationalization and the construction of centrally planned artificial economies such as a war economy or a leaden eco-industry. Or it eventually broadens its horizon, returns to the principles of the free market economy, and accepts the social pain that any genuine transformation for the better must necessarily entail at the outset.

* * * 

About the author: Thomas Kolbe, born in 1978 in Neuss/ Germany, is a graduate economist. For over 25 years, he has worked as a journalist and media producer for clients from various industries and business associations. As a publicist, he focuses on economic processes and observes geopolitical events from the perspective of the capital markets. His publications follow a philosophy that focuses on the individual and their right to self-determination.

Tyler Durden Thu, 01/08/2026 - 02:00

Waste Of The Day: Grants For Winter Heating Bills Are Missing

Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations,

Topline: The nonprofit New Opportunities, Inc. used $2.8 million in taxpayer funds meant for low-income families’ heating bills on its own operating expenses, according to the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

In a Dec. 22 letter obtained by CT Insider, CT Mirror and more, OPM Secretary Joshua Wojcik claims New Opportunities admitted to “impermissibly” using grant funds "to provide fiscal support for other organizational operations."

Key facts: New Opportunities was founded in 1964 and now helps administer Connecticut’s federally funded Energy Assistance Program, which helps families earning 60% or less of the state median income pay their heating bills over the winter. 

The federal Administration for Children and Families, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, gives grant funding to Connecticut, which in turn sends it to nonprofits like New Opportunities. The nonprofits then pay energy companies to deliver oil, natural gas or another heat source to low-income families.

According to Wojcik’s letter, New Opportunities recently sent three checks worth $2.8 million to the energy company Eversource to pay for natural gas. The checks bounced when Eversource tried to cash them because New Opportunities had already used the grant money for unrelated expenses, and there were not enough funds left in its account. That is a violation of state and federal contracting rules, according to CT Mirror.

New Opportunities later paid Eversource $1.2 million of the balance, but $1.6 million was still missing as of Dec. 22.

Connecticut’s Department of Social Services barred New Opportunities from the Energy Assistance Program in the towns of Waterbury, Meriden and Torrington, CT Mirror reported. Wojcick also plans to appoint a representative to oversee all of New Opportunities’ spending and fire any board member who fails to “ensure that State or Federal funding was used for their intended purposes,” according to his letter.

Background: New Opportunities is almost entirely taxpayer-funded. It received $38.8 million in government grants in fiscal year 2024 from Connecticut, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and more, but only $995,000 from private grants and $1,700 from fundraising events, according to its most recent 990 tax form.

The nonprofit operated at a deficit of $1.6 million that year, according to an independent audit reviewed by the CT Mirror, which found there is “substantial doubt” about the nonprofit’s ability to remain solvent. 

President and CEO William Rybczyk still collected a $267,000 salary, part of over $12 million spent on payroll and benefits, the 990 form shows. Former President James Gatling, who retired in 2021, still earned over $100,000 in fiscal year 2024. 

Office expenses cost $480,000, and employee travel cost $427,000. The nonprofit runs food production and early childhood education programs in addition to its energy assistance program.

In fiscal year 2025, the nonprofit accepted $26.4 million from the State of Connecticut, according to records obtained by Open the Books.

Summary: The federal government has already approved $3.7 billion for Energy Assistance Programs around the country in 2026. As always, it’s vital that the government tracks every penny to ensure it reaches the families it’s intended for.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 23:20

Zelensky Calls On Trump To Topple Chechen Leader After Maduro

Suddenly everyone wants to enter the regime change business, as various country names and 'rogue' leaders are now being casually thrown around in conversations of "who's next" for Trump to take out.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has joined in. He's now urging the United States to pressure Russia by "carrying out some sort of operation" against Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov (and staunch Putin-ally) from power.

Source: Ramzan Kadyrov/Telegram

Zelensky drew direct comparisons with Trump overthrowing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. According to the quite provocative Wednesday comments, Zelensky said that removing Kadyrov would make Russian President Vladimir Putin "think twice" about keeping the war in Ukraine going.

"They need to put pressure on Russia. They have the tools, they know how. And when they really want to, they can find them," Zelensky said of the US under Trump.

"Here's an example with Maduro. They carried out an operation... Everyone can see the result, the whole world can see. They did it promptly. Let them carry out some sort of operation with, what's his name - Kadyrov," Zelensky said.

Earlier, Zelensky went so far as to "joke" that Putin himself should also be targeted in a Washington decapitation operation.

"If you can do that with dictators, then the United States knows what to do next," he said at a presser from his capital over the weekend, while laughing and smiling.

Such rhetoric, especially if it persists, could make Russia do some decapitation strikes of its own. Its forces have increasingly been targeting Kiev with missiles and drones, and even recently struck government buildings, and not far from Zelensky's presidential offices.

As for the Chechen issue, hundreds of thousands of troops from Russia's Muslim-majority republic of Chechnya have been fighting in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, a counter-threat...

Kadyrov: If the order is given, Zelensky and his cronies will end up in Grozny even faster than Maduro ended up in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/x3L7UIoUob

— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) January 5, 2026

Kadyrov has ruled there since 2007, and has throughout the Ukraine conflict remained among Putin's most vocal supporters.

He has been not infrequently photographed with Putin, and large contingency of Chechen troops have held pro-Kremlin parades and displays of military power of late.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 22:45

Silver Will Remind Us: We Are Deeply Dependent On The Earth

Authored by Mollie Engelhart via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Commentary

We live in a world that has engineered distance between us and the physical limits our ancestors once lived inside of. The constraints that shaped generations before us—weather, harvest, transport, salt, fuel, season, strength, distance, labor, time—have been replaced by one dominant modern restraint: money.

Silver bars are stacked in the safe deposit boxes room of the Pro Aurum gold house in Munich, Germany, on Jan. 10, 2025. Angelika Warmuth/Reuters

Money has become our proxy for limits, the translation layer between desire and reality. But somewhere along the way, we started believing the translation was the terrain. Constraints didn’t disappear—we outsourced them to systems so efficient we stopped noticing their fragility at all.

My husband grew up in a town with no road connecting it to the outside world. When his family wanted to slaughter a pig, they didn’t reach for salt in a pantry. They first rode horses to the salt flats, mined the salt by hand, carried it home, and then began curing the meat. Their survival depended on terrain, season, muscle, and community. Nothing was guaranteed. Everything required presence.

Here in the United States, scarcity is rarely part of our daily friction anymore, so we forget to respect its possibility at all.

But silver is reminding us now.

Not a Price Rally—A Resource Alarm

The world is treating silver like a financial headline. Analysts debate whether it will hit $45 or $125 an ounce in 2026. But the real story isn’t about price movements; it’s about access to metal that physically exists.

Silver is not just money—it is matter, manufacturing, and infrastructure.

Unlike dollars, you can’t print more silver when you need it. Unlike gold, silver is consumed at an industrial scale because it is required for the defining industries of our time:

• Solar panels

• Electric vehicles

• Semiconductors

• Advanced electronics

• Artificial intelligence (AI) data centers

• Critical defense systems

You can build a financial system with paper promises, but you cannot build the future’s physical economy without metal.

China’s Jan. 1 Licensing Regime

On Jan. 1, 2026, China activated a licensing structure that authorizes only 44 domestic companies to export silver. This mirrors the same strategic resource playbook China previously used for rare-earth metals:

• Restrict exports

• Consolidate control into state-aligned entities

• Prioritize domestic supply

• Control refined production rather than raw extraction

This isn’t a supply hiccup—it is mineral nationalism.

And refined silver—the form required for manufacturing—is now subject to state gatekeeping.

Inventories Reveal Reality

In late December 2025, physical silver on the Shanghai Gold Exchange traded at a record premium to U.S. paper futures. Normally, arbitrage would close that spread quickly.

It didn’t.

Because physical metal is tightening, it is no longer moving freely.

Shanghai inventories have dropped to levels not seen in a decade. London vault holdings are down dramatically from pandemic highs. Futures have entered backwardation—buyers paying more for metal now than later. Lease rates have surged, signaling institutions scrambling for metal they cannot easily source.

And here is the key truth: Paper markets for silver now dramatically exceed the supply of physical metal available.

That imbalance works—until someone demands delivery.

And industry will always demand delivery.

Dec. 26 Was Containment, Not Correction

When silver’s paper price dipped on Dec. 26, 2025, it wasn’t profit-taking. It was a forced liquidation event triggered by emergency margin hikes after large holders claimed registered inventory. It was not a market correction; it was containment.

Because here is the truth markets keep avoiding: You can cash-settle a contract. You cannot cash-settle a solar panel, a semiconductor, or a microchip.

Industry needs atoms, not arguments.

We Live Inside Physics, Not Policy

We are addicted to having everything we want the moment we want it. We think politicians can sign papers and declare that every grid will be electric by 2030, as if energy is summoned by legislation rather than mined, manufactured, transported, stored, and built from finite materials.

But the Earth does not negotiate with impatience.

Policy does not override physics.

Technology does not run on forecasts.

It runs on resources.

And silver is the resource tightening fastest.

How Will We Receive the Reminder?

The math is obvious.

In 2026, we will discover what was real all along.

The Earth we are all connected to is physical, finite, and unshakably real, no matter how much of life we now operate from our phones, over Zoom, or through AI.

The minerals beneath our feet are real.

The land that feeds us is real.

The planet that provides everything we build, eat, power, and depend on is real.

The question is not whether the physical world will remind us of its terms—but how we choose to receive the message when it arrives.

As I watch the signs of this tightening, I will remember what is real:

My family.

My husband.

My land.

My friends.

My community.

My skills.

And my ability to lead.

Sure, we can all generate clicks, comments, and interactions in the increasingly digital world we now spend more time inside of. But when the rubber hits the road, we are deeply interconnected with the Earth.

The homes we live in came from nature. The food we eat comes from nature. The energy grid, the cars we drive, the metals in our phones, the data centers powering AI—all of it depends on this extraordinary planet and what it provides.

It’s easy to forget that. It’s easy to act as if we live inside boxes, disconnected from the natural world.

But those boxes came from nature itself.

And it would serve us well to remember.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 22:10

U-Haul Growth Index: Newsom's California Dead Last For Six Straight Years

Moving company U-Haul has released its annual migration ranking, which continues to show a sustained outflow from high-tax, crime-ridden, Democrat-run states toward lower-tax states where law and order are cherished.

Right off the bat, the report's authors note that "Florida ranks 2nd for net gain of one-way customers; California last for sixth year in a row."

U-Haul just released its annual "Growth Index" for all 50 states. For the 6th straight year, California is ranked 50th. We have the highest rate of people moving out versus moving in.

Newsom has turned the greatest state in the country into the most popular state to leave.

— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) January 6, 2026

The U-Haul Growth Index compares one-way truck and trailer rentals into a state versus out of a state, allowing researchers to calculate net migration, which reflects relocation trends nationwide.

This real-time tracker shows that Texas reclaimed the title of the No. 1 growth state for the seventh time in a decade. Florida ranked No. 2, followed by North Carolina at No. 3, Tennessee at No. 4, and South Carolina at No. 5. The common denominator among these states is that politicians are considered more based and grounded in reality than the far-left activists running blue states into the ground (cough, cough Tim Walz).

Conversely, the behavior-based migration indicator shows that blue states such as California ranked dead last - in other words, more people left than arrived. Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Maryland also landed at the bottom of the list. The common denominator among these states is that their political leadership focuses on being left-wing activists rather than proper stewardship of their respective states.

"Blue-to-red state migration, a hotly debated political topic that became more pronounced after the pandemic of 2020, continues to be a discernable trend," U-Haul wrote in the report.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 21:35

Wyoming Supreme Court Rules Abortion May Stay Legal Due To Obamacare Amendment

Authored by Arjun Singh via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Supreme Court of Wyoming, on Jan. 6, ruled that two state laws banning the procedure and the availability of abortion medication were unconstitutional.

A patient prepares to take a pill for a medication abortion during a visit to a clinic in Kansas City, Kansas, on, Oct. 12, 2022. Charlie Riedel/AP Photo

The court, in the case of State v. Johnson, held that the two laws in question—the Life is a Human Right Act of 2023, which bans abortion procedures, and the state’s abortion drug ban—violated Article 1, Section 38 of the Constitution of Wyoming. That provision of the state constitution was added by a statewide referendum in 2012, which states, “Each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions.”

“All five Wyoming Supreme Court justices agreed that the decision whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy is a woman’s own health care decision protected by Article 1, Section 38,” wrote the court in a summary of its opinion and announcement of the decision.

The court added that “all five justices also concluded that an adult’s right to make his or her own health care decisions is a fundamental right because of the very specific language used,” even though the referendum was passed in response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known more commonly as “Obamacare.”

The court, however, split four to one on deciding whether the laws in question could be struck down.

“Four justices (Boomgaarden, Fox, Jarosh, and Fenn) voted to strike down the 2023 abortion laws. Justice Gray voted to uphold the laws,” the court’s summary read.

The court noted that even though Article 1, Section 38 was passed in response to Obamacare, the language of the provision was inflexible, writing, “The Court recognized it cannot add words to the Wyoming Constitution. ... But lawmakers could ask Wyoming voters to consider a constitutional amendment that would more clearly address this issue.”

Lower courts, when reviewing the case, also struck down the laws.

Wyoming is a heavily conservative state that is dominated by the Republican Party, and pro-life sentiment is widespread. Following the ruling, Governor of Wyoming Mark Gordon called for a referendum to amend the constitution and invalidate the ruling.

“This ruling may settle, for now, a legal question, but it does not settle the moral one, nor does it reflect where many Wyoming citizens stand, including myself. It is time for this issue to go before the people for a vote,” Gordon wrote in a statement published on social media. “I call on the legislature to pass and place a clear constitutional amendment on my desk.”

The lead plaintiff in the case, Wellspring Health Access in Casper, Wyoming, celebrated the ruling.

“Our clinic will remain open and ready to provide compassionate reproductive health care, including abortions, and our patients in Wyoming will be able to obtain this care without having to travel out of state,” said Julie Burkhart, the organization’s president, in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 21:00

EU Strategery

Authored by T.L.Davis,

The EU, so desperate to exert their dictatorial powers, to feel the exhilarating rush of adrenaline from smashing someone’s face with the butt of a rifle, has revealed itself. It is that rarest of all birds, both fascist and communist in its outlook on the world. Having been able to conquer most of Western Europe with a simple change in immigration policy it is heady with success, brazen and anxious to lead the entire world from a small office in Brussels.

The aggressive, hostile EU is like a drunk trolling a bar looking for a fight. It chose to make Ukraine its sidekick, someone already subject to Russian aggression, who could be sent out to make loud claims and kick the bullies in the knees, while the EU sat back, waiting for an opportunity to bring big brother into the fray. Big brother, in this case, is NATO.

The EU has no army. To liken it to the United States, it would be as if there were no American troops, but National Guard from every state and even some foreign guard units to throw at their enemies. The EU supports Ukraine and threaten every day to intervene in that conflict to help Ukraine, but the EU has no money, it has no troops. Their intent is to take funds from all of their member states and give that to Ukraine to help fight Russia. It’s like the IRS extracting taxes to give to Somalian day care centers (an issue that needs resolution here).

While the Ukrainian people have my sympathy and I wish nothing other than that this war would end and Ukraine could live in peace, have elections and elect their leaders, the EU is against that. They’ve done all they can to prevent peace and now threaten Russia with an extension of the war.

All of this relies on NATO, the bulk of that force being made up of American military units. NATO was designed to deter the Soviet Union from being able to gain a foothold in Europe from which to strike the US. To that extent is has article 5 promises to enter the war on behalf of any member state that suffers from Soviet aggression and has laid somewhat dormant since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It’s a different world, now, and these peons who run the EU and NATO believe that because big brother might be able to beat up some drunk in a bar, inciting violence to invoke it is stupid. But that’s the course they’ve chosen. Only now, they seem to believe that they are the puppet masters of the world. It’s bold, I have to give them that, but anyone can see through their tactics.

The latest move is to defend both Denmark and Greenland, but with what troops? NATO troops. Okay. So, largely an American-based group is going to go to war with America to protect Greenland under Danish control to establish the superiority of the EU?

Hubris is all that comes to mind. It’s radical and dangerous, but the EU has become used to standing on quicksand throwing rocks at those on shore, threatening them with lawsuits if they don’t come and help them gather rocks. There’s no limit to the illogical nature of their reasoning.

What it has done effectively, though, is it has placed them at odds both with Russia and the United States. This is what happens when local featherweights are given power, any power. They exaggerate their value by their associations with larger organizations until they come to believe that they are the masters of their masters. They become a Rasputin of sorts on the global stage. It’s the same with the WEF, the WHO, etc. If they can corrupt leaders of nations they can effectively control those nations with bribes and threats.

Holdouts like Hungary and Viktor Orban threaten that control. They submit to punishment rather than being bought off and any resistance is characterized as pro-Russian. That Orban has been able to survive the constant drumbeat of harassment from the EU is a miracle and recent polls show that the EU just might win the propaganda war it has unleashed on Orban. If it does, and Orban is defeated in April, it will be the end of Europe as it was once known. They will simply be the Greater Middle East, but with nukes.

That all of this is built on propaganda and censoring opposition views should alarm the world. The tactics are clearly both fascist and communist. The EU is the instigator of violence and world wars, but hold no territory of their own. They are a bureaucratic assembly, nothing more. NATO is the same, yet they preen around like the drivers of world policy, the headmaster to whom all nations must answer.

If the US thought it was safe from the warmongering of the EU it’s mistaken. The EU criticizes Russia and attempts to rally the world against it, just as it criticizes the US and is trying to rally the world against it. They pretend to be the champions of the victimized while they attempt to victimize.

What they should recognize, that the world recognizes already, is that they have used strategery to place themselves on a war footing with both the US and Russia. What they should be worried about, is that they may be the catalyst for a renewed alliance between those two nations against it, their now common enemy.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 20:30

The Truth About Venezuela Under Socialism, From Those Who Fled It

Authored by Troy Myers via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

DORAL, Fla.—Zarai Maza survived a torched vehicle and a horrific car crash after peacefully protesting the Venezuelan regime, an unacceptable act in her home country, where speaking out could cost you your life or those of your family members.

(L–R) Accountant Carlos Higuerey, human rights advocate Zarai Maza, and political activist Daniel Tirado all fled Venezuela and now live in the United States. Though they come from different walks of life, they all say the Maduro regime persecuted them and their family members, prompting them to flee. Courtesy of Carlos Higuerey, Zarai Maza, Daniel Tirado

She said she believes that the Venezuelan dictatorship was trying to kill her over her activism.

“They started the persecution against me in 2014, and it lasted until 2017,” Maza said. “They made three assassination attempts against my life, and after the last one, I was in the hospital. I couldn’t remember anything.”

Holding back tears, Maza said the last encounter started off as a normal taxi ride. She recalled waking up in a hospital with no memory of what happened and no feeling in her body.

She moved to Florida in 2017, and after two years of physical therapy in the United States, she regained her ability to walk upright again.

She is among the millions of Venezuelans who have fled the brutal regime, which turned a prosperous country into a repressive, failed socialist nation. And like many Venezuelans at home and abroad, Maza cheered the U.S. military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, the country’s leader, and his wife on Jan. 3 and brought them to New York City to face federal charges including narco-terrorism.

The pair pleaded not guilty to all charges on Jan. 5. If convicted, they face life in prison.

The Epoch Times spoke to dozens of Venezuelan expatriates, who shared grisly stories of survival, persecution, murder, harassment, and intimidation and explained how they rebuilt their lives after surviving the dictatorship. Their experiences are a sample of many accounts of how socialism not only ripped Venezuelan families apart, but also brought their country to ruin.

President Donald Trump said the United States will maintain control of Venezuela until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition” to a new government occurs, noting that U.S. oil companies would be involved in rebuilding the country’s economy.

Some Venezuelan expats told The Epoch Times that they may go back if the United States can help fix their country.

A Survivor Story

Maza is a human rights advocate and the founder and executive director of the Guardians of Human Rights Foundation, based in Doral, Florida. Her work as an activist goes back to about 2010, when she still lived in her home country and attended the Central University of Venezuela—before she faced three attempts on her life, which she believes were orchestrated by the Maduro regime.

Over the years in Venezuela, many of her fellow students and professors were unjustly imprisoned, she said. In clear anguish, she described the first attempt on her life during a peaceful protest on campus, when the Bolivarian National Guard of Venezuela came after her and others.

Zarai Maza poses for a photo at the site of a human rights seminar she gave in Venezuela in 2016. Maza said she was persecuted by the Venezuelan regime between 2014 and 2017 after peacefully protesting against it. Courtesy of Zarai Maza

“I think that no American can imagine the fear that you can feel for just being—standing in a place,” Maza said.

She made it to an SUV with her mother, but then their vehicle was torched. Maza said her mother kicked the window out so they could escape the burning car. Maza later told The Epoch Times that her mother has since also fled Venezuela “for protection” and currently lives in the United States.

Maza stopped short of describing the second attempt on her life, saying that the memories were too painful.

“Imagine that you can’t be in any place of the area that you live [in], that you love, that you grew up [in],” she said. “They are after you in any place. ... It almost makes me break.”

In the third attempt on her life, a vehicle caused Maza’s taxi to crash and flip, with her spine taking the brunt of the damage.

“I couldn’t move or feel my body,” Maza said. “I was 25 years old, just trying to fight for my country at that time. ... I didn’t realize how bad and far these people can go just to maintain [their] power.”

Her symptoms—physical and mental—linger.

“There’s still things that I live with. ... I don’t have enough strength in my hands,” Maza said, making a weak fist.

“Even now, when I’m in any place, and here comes a motorcycle, and I listen to the sound,” she said, trailing off.

Maza said it took years for her to be able to sleep comfortably at night after she moved to the United States.

Zarai Maza, a human rights advocate and the founder and executive director of the Guardians of Human Rights Foundation, sits for a panel at the Hall of the Americas at the Organization of American States in March 2025. Courtesy of Zarai Maza Pressure and Murders

Carlos Higuerey came to the United States in 2018, after years of working for a state-run employer and a string of family deaths that he blames on the regime.

He said he worked as an accountant for 12 years at Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company, with access to information that he described as secretive and corrupt. Some of his family members also had ties to opposition politics in Venezuela, linking him to what his employers would call “escuálido”—those who oppose the government—or “Chavismo.”

The first death in Higuerey’s family occurred in 2010, when his father passed away.

“My father had to take pills, but [at] this time in Venezuela, you cannot find the pills because the government expropriates all pharmacies,” he told The Epoch Times. “I buried people, a lot of people, for this reason.”

Within 10 days of his father’s death, his aunt and uncle were murdered inside their home, which Higuerey said he believes was orchestrated by the regime over political differences.

“There was blood on the walls,“ he said. ”It was a horror movie. It was horrible.”

Carlos Higuerey holds up a Venezuelan flag alongside other supporters after hearing of Maduro’s capture on Jan. 3, 2025, in Coral Gables, Fla. Higuerey, who came to the United States in 2018 after years working for a state-run oil and gas company, blames the Venezuelan regime for a string of family deaths. Courtesy of Carlos Higuerey

When asked who would do that, he replied without hesitation, “The government.”

Just five months after his father, uncle, and aunt died, Higuerey said his brother was also killed over politics. After facing years of pressure and dealing with family members being murdered, he decided to take a break in 2018 and traveled to the United States.

At the time, he did not know that this trip would become a years-long stay.

“When I came here, the next day, I’m checking my phone,“ Higuerey said. ”I see a message [from] my neighbors. My sister was kidnapped.”

He said the neighbors witnessed government agents take her. The agents were really after Higuerey, for the secrets he knew about the oil company, he said. Although his sister was freed the next day, Higuerey said he faced a soul-crushing choice.

“I took the decision that I don’t want to come back to Venezuela,“ he said. ”I don’t want to feel under depression. I’m broke inside. I’m broke inside.”

Read the rest here...

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 20:00

Why Trump Soured On Machado: It Has Nothing To Do With The Nobel Prize

The fact that the Trump administration chose to anoint Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Nicolás Maduro's staunchly loyal (or so he thought) Vice President, as the new leader of the country has left many wondering why he passed over Maria Corina Machado.

Machado, as a longtime Venezuelan opposition and democracy activist, had made headlines last month when she traveled to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Given that President Trump had apparently expected to receive it, recently boasting of "ending seven wars" - she tried to soften the awkwardness of the situation by the symbolic gesture of 'dedicating' it to Trump.

EPA/EFE

But in a fresh Fox News interview, Machado took shots Delcy Rodríguez, who was formally sworn in on Tuesday, describing that she does not represent democratic aspirations or true reform. 

"So this is very alarming. This is something that has to be followed carefully, I’m sure, by the United States government and by the Venezuelan people," Machado said. "And certainly we believe that this transition should move forward."

She said of the woman who has been Maduro's number two since 2018:

"Delcy Rodriguez, as you know, is one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption, narco trafficking," Machado said.

"She’s the main ally and liaison with Russia, China, Iran, certainly not an individual that could be trusted by international investors. And she’s really rejected, repudiated by the Venezuelan people."

Machado too must be really questioning why she was clearly dropped from consideration in terms of new Venezuelan leadership.

One analyst says that despite the amusing and distracting nature of Trump's apparent obsession with the Nobel, choosing Rodriquez really has nothing to do with this at all.

Daniel DePetris of Defense Priorities explained in the following astute X thread [emphasis ZH]:

Why Trump soured on Machado, and it has nothing to do with his obsession about the Nobel Peace Prize...

Trying to install Machado (or Gonzalez) atop the Chavismo system, which remains intact, was untenable. It was never going to work. She had zero support from the people who actually held the levers of power.

So going through with such a scheme would require a re-ordering of the Venezuelan political system and the crafting of a new one from scratch. That, in turn, would require a much deeper U.S. commitment—far deeper than Trump and most Americans are willing to tolerate.

Working within the system and giving Delcy Rodriguez a chance is frankly easier. And because Trump doesn’t really care about democracy to begin with, it was the best—or least worst—option available to him. This will make a lot of democracy proponents livid, of course.

For some reason, highly qualified people don’t understand this.

For most of the Western public, Machado was a complete unknown even up to the eve of her winning the Nobel award. Giving her the prize seemed politically manufactured in the first place as she was viewed by elites in Europe and the West as a prime 'option' for new Venezuelan president. 

This is a very sad sight to watch for so many reasons https://t.co/BzbWK8Toib

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 6, 2026

While Trump did decapitate the regime, some pundits are saying it should not be understood as full-on regime change, given the same governing system has remained in place. Trump has frequently cited the lessons of Iraq - and apparently is at least prudent enough to not attempt to place American officials directly over entire government ministries, as the US once did in the Middle East. Regardless, there is still a lot of blowback which likely awaits just around the corner.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 19:30

Iran Signals 'Pre-Emptive' Action After Sen. Graham & Israel Threaten Khamenei's Life

Via The Cradle

The Iranian military warned on 7 Wednesday that Tehran could potentially launch a pre-emptive attack on Israel in response to the escalatory rhetoric recently from both Tel Aviv and Washington. "Iran views the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation as a threat and will not leave its continuation unanswered," said the Iranian army’s Commander in Chief Amir Hatami.

"Any act of aggression against Iran will have far-reaching consequences …  Iran will act with full force to defend the its independence, territorial integrity, and political system," he added. "The readiness of Iran’s armed forces today is far higher than before the [12-day] war. Any enemy miscalculation would be met with a more decisive response," he went on to say, warning that “the hands of any aggressor would be cut off." The military chief’s statement followed violent and escalatory rhetoric from US Senator Lindsey Graham on Tuesday.

AFP via Getty Images

Graham told Fox News that US President Donald Trump will assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei if Iranian authorities continue 'suppressing protests.'

"Donald Trump is not Barack Obama; he is not turning his back on the people of Iran … To the Ayatollah and his thugs, if you keep killing your people in defiance of President Trump, you’re gonna wake up dead … Iran is on the verge of falling," Graham said. "Help is on the way," he added.

The interview came hours after Iran’s Supreme National Defense Council issued a warning also signaling potential pre-emptive action in response to growing threats.

"Within the framework of legitimate self-defense, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not confine its response merely to reactive measures, and considers clear indications of threat to be part of the broader security equation," the council said. 

"The intensification of threatening rhetoric and intervention – going beyond verbal positioning – can be understood as hostile conduct. Any path that continues in this direction will be met with an appropriate, firm, and decisive response, and full responsibility for the consequences will lie with the architects of this course," it added.

The new threat coincides with protests that erupted across several cities and provinces in Iran nearly two weeks ago due to a collapse in currency and difficult living conditions resulting from years of harsh US sanctions. Many of the protests have turned violent, with armed rioters attacking security forces repeatedly in recent days.

Over a dozen people have been killed, including police and security members. Counterprotests are also taking place, and thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to reject violence against security forces and call for peaceful expression.

Since the protests began, Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack the Islamic Republic. "We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the US," Trump said recently, after vowing days earlier that Washington will "rescue" Iranian protesters.

The Mossad also publicly urged Iranians to go out in the streets, saying, "we are with you." According to a report by Israel’s Channel 12, Tel Aviv is preparing for the possibility of a "sudden" conflict with Iran.

Senator Graham:

To the Ayatollahs: you need to understand—if you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life—Donald J. Trump is going to kill you.

Change is coming to Iran. It'll be the biggest change in the history of the Mideast to get rid of this Nazi regime.… pic.twitter.com/DuS55xpHFz

— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 7, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the US recently and discussed potential new strikes on the Islamic Republic with Trump. During a press conference last week, the US president said he would potentially support a new Israeli attack.

Iran has ruled out any new nuclear talks with Washington until it drops its demands for a curb on the Iranian missile program and an end to uranium enrichment. Reports from the past few months have said the Islamic Republic is working to build up and enhance its stockpile of ballistic missiles, which caused extensive damage across Israel and hit multiple key military sites during the 12-day war in June.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 19:00

Senate Races To Resurrect Obamacare Subsidies - With New Caps, Fees And Fines

Washington’s bipartisan dealmakers are inching toward reviving lapsed Obamacare subsidies - but this time with tighter strings attached.

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-ME)

A cross-party group of roughly a dozen senators is close to finalizing an agreement that would restore enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that expired Jan. 1, according to negotiators familiar with the talks. Draft legislative text could be released as early as Monday.

“We could realistically be there, probably Monday,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-ME), a key Republican negotiator, speaking Wednesday.

The developing deal would extend the subsidies for two years, while imposing new restrictions designed to limit eligibility and curb abuses. Among the changes under discussion: income caps that would cut off subsidies for households earning more than roughly 700% of the federal poverty level, and a new requirement that enrollees pay at least $5 per month toward their premiums.

Senators are also weighing tougher enforcement against insurers accused of enrolling people in subsidized coverage without their knowledge. Under the proposal, insurance companies that add so-called “phantom enrollees” could face steep new fines.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she was “encouraged” by the group’s progress and agreed that a deal appears close. Two people granted anonymity to discuss the private negotiations likewise described the talks as nearing a conclusion.

The package wouldn’t stop at subsidies. Negotiators are also discussing new cost-sharing reduction measures and expanded access to health savings accounts. According to Moreno, Americans receiving Obamacare subsidies would have the option in the second year of the extension to divert that money into a pre-funded health savings account instead.

Still, the path to passage remains uncertain.

Even if the Senate group locks in an agreement, there’s no guarantee it can muster the votes to get the bill through Congress. Lawmakers have been keeping party leadership informed and are scheduled to brief House members on the proposal later this week.

Not everyone involved is convinced the finish line is near.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) cautioned that there are “still some major stumbling blocks” left to resolve.

One unresolved flashpoint is abortion. Moreno declined to say how negotiators would address concerns that the tax credits could indirectly subsidize abortion coverage. He insisted the framework, as described, would not alter existing policy and said abortion remains a “peripheral” issue in the talks.

“We’re trying to resolve how we ensure compliance with the spirit” of the Hyde Amendment, Moreno said, referring to the long-standing restriction barring taxpayer funding for abortions.

For now, senators are racing the calendar — and their own internal divisions — to see whether a bipartisan Obamacare revival can survive its latest rewrite.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 18:30

Death Toll Rises As Fighting Expands Between Syrian Army & Kurds In Aleppo

Authored by Jason Ditz via AntiWar.com,

Fighting erupted between the Kurdish SDF and the Syrian Army today in the Aleppo Governorate, with the battle centering around a checkpoint in the town of Deir Hafer. At least seven people were killed in the course of the fighting, six of them civilians. A number of civilians were also reported wounded, though the number varies with conflicting reports right now.

One Syrian soldier was reported killed and another three wounded. As is so often the case with conflicts between these two factions, both sides are trading blame over who started the fight, as well as who caused the civilian casualties.

Source: SANA/AFP

The Army’s narrative is that the Kurds attacked the military checkpoint with drones, then the Kurds also indiscriminately attacked a Kurdish-majority area within Deir Hafer for some unclear reason with artillery and sniper fire.

The SDF, however, maintains that the Army attacked them first, in the Kurdish-majority neighborhood, and shelled the residential neighborhood in the course of the fighting. They maintained that the Kurdish attacks on the checkpoint were "legitimate defense of civilian lives."

The SDF has a tentative agreement to integrate into the military, but the negotiations keep hitting impasses, and the fact that the two sides keep getting into open conflict suggests that an actual final deal is likely still a long way off.

The autonomous Kurdish government within the northeast issued a statement condemning the attacks on the Kurdish neighborhoods in Deir Hafer, accusing military-aligned forces of "a blatant violation of all humanitarian laws and norms." They added that the incident shows a “lack of seriousness” about the central government’s promises of unity.

Turkey, which is allied with the central government and loudly opposed to the idea of Kurdish autonomy anywhere within the region, was quick to issue a statement accusing the SDF of "terrorism" and demanding that they unconditionally surrender all their weapons to the central government.

This is largely in keeping with past Turkish statements, which view the Kurds as virtually definitionally terrorists, and expressed disquiet at the idea of the Syrian military integrating them in the first place. Turkey has been quick to declare the process a failure every time these fights unfold.

This has led to some allegations that the process is being undermined by parties seeking to avoid the integration deal by sparking conflict.

More evidence that the US-backed post-Assad government is not really 'fighting' ISIS...

Al Jazeera confirms in their live coverage of the events in Aleppo the presence of ISIS fighters amongst the forces of the Syrian Government of the Jolani led Syrian Administration.

These ISIS fighters are not wearing the uniform of the Syrian Governments military apparatus nor… pic.twitter.com/xskhkEvflf

— ScharoMaroof (@ScharoMaroof) January 7, 2026

The difficulty is that there are opponents of integration on both sides, meaning any number of potential culprits for these persistent clashes.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 18:05

Trump Warns NATO: Without America There Is No Alliance

President Trump says that Russia and China "have zero fear of NATO" without the US being in the alliance, in a Wednesday Truth Social post, which comes not only as the White House says it intends to acquire Greenland - which has set up a diplomatic fight with European NATO allies - but also soon on the heels of the ultra controversial US military ouster of Venezuela's Maduro.

Trump in the post expressed doubt that "NATO would be there for us if we really needed them" and simultaneously touted that "We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us."

He focused his explanation on Ukraine, saying that "Without my involvement, Russia would have ALL OF UKRAINE right now" - in reference to the nearly four year long Russian-Ukraine war, which has a definite and deep NATO vs. Moscow proxy war element to it.

He continued: "Everyone is lucky that I rebuilt our military in my first term, and continue to do so."

Trump's main sentiment actually echoes the words of his top advisory official Stephen Miller, who the day prior was discussing that no one gave fellow NATO-member Denmark the 'right' to control Greenland.

Miller had expressed: "The US is the power of Nato. For the US to secure the Arctic region to protect and defend Nato and Nato interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the US. And so that’s a conversation that we’re going to have as a country. That’s a process we’re going to have as a community of nations."

Despite the somewhat absurd diplomatic circus surrounding the lingering Greenland question, which has of course remained highly entertaining, both Trump and Miller actually have an indisputable point on America's role in the Western military alliance.

If Washington were to ever pull out of NATO, the military alliance would simply become one only on paper - akin to a mere 'EU Army'. Indeed Russia and China would not at all 'fear' NATO - and maybe they don't fear it too much already (though there's probably some significant fear and anxiety in dealing with a United States under highly unpredictable Donald Trump).

Via Associated Press

The quiet part in all this - and not often enough discussed - is that NATO has left a legacy of ashes and destruction in many places it has intervened over several decades - from Belgrade (in 1999) to the regime change war against Libya's Gaddafi, and involvement in the Afghan forever war. For example, NATO still touts its 'successful' so-called 'responsibility to protect' mission in Libya, but now Libya is divided into at least three rival power centers, and there may yet be new civil war on the horizon. Another result was that ISIS popped up there, where it wasn't before.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 17:40

US Expands List Of Countries Subject To Visa Bonds Of Up To $15,000

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. State Department has expanded its list of nations whose citizens will be subject to visa bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, adding 25 more nations, according to its website.

The latest additions will bring the total number of nations to 38, according to the department’s website, with visa bonds for the newly listed countries set to take effect on Jan. 21.

The newly added countries include Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Côte D’Ivorie, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

The expansion came just a week after the department added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan to the list, with visa bonds going into effect on Jan. 1.

Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia were placed on the list in August and October of last year.

Citizens of those nations who are deemed eligible for B1/B2 visas, which are used for short-term tourism and business travel, are required to post a bond ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, with the amount being determined during the visa interview.

The department said that the visa bond policy is intended to deter visa overstays by citizens of the listed nations.

Bond payments will be returned when a visa holder departs from the United States before the expiration of the authorized date of stay, or if the person is denied admission at a U.S. port of entry, it stated.

“A bond does not guarantee visa issuance. If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, the fees will not be returned,” the department states on its website.

The list of nations stems from a 12-month visa bond pilot program the department launched in August last year. It targeted countries with high visa overstay rates, insufficient screening and vetting, or those that offer citizenship to individuals via investment.

In an Aug. 5, 2025, federal register document, the department said the program is “intended to encourage foreign governments to take immediate action to reduce the overstay rates of their nationals when traveling to the United States for temporary visits, and to encourage countries to improve screening and vetting and the security of travel and civil documents, including in the granting of citizenship.”

The Trump administration has sought to tighten entry requirements for foreign nationals, including imposing visa restrictions and entry limits on citizens of certain countries identified as having “severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing,” according to a White House fact sheet published in December.

Other steps include adding an online presence review to the vetting requirements last year for H-1B visa applicants and their dependents, as well as for student visa and exchange visitor applicants, in an effort to safeguard Americans and national interests, according to the department.

Tyler Durden Wed, 01/07/2026 - 17:15