Authored by Jonathan Turley via jonathanturley.org,

With the sentencing of Donald Trump Friday, the final verdict on the New York criminal trial of the president-elect is in. The verdict is not the one that led to no jail or probation for the incoming president. Acting Justice Juan Merchan has brought down the gavel on the New York legal system as a whole.

Once considered the premier legal system in the country, figures like New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Justices Arthur F. Engoron and Juan Merchan have caused the system to be weaponized for political purposes. Trump will walk away from this trial and into the White House in less than two weeks, but the New York system will walk into infamy after this day.

The case has long been denounced by objective legal observers, including intense Trump critics, as a legal absurdity. Even CNN’s senior legal analyst Elie Honig denounced the case as legally flawed and unprecedented while Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., simply called it total “b—s–t.”

It is a case based on a non-crime. Bragg took a long-dead misdemeanor and zapped it back into life with a novel and unfounded theory. By using federal violations that were never charged, let alone tried, Bragg turned a misdemeanor into dozens of felonies and essentially tried Trump for federal offenses.

Merchan not only allowed those charges to be brought to trial but then added layers of reversible errors in the effort to bag Trump at any cost.  For that, he was lionized by the liberal media and many New Yorkers. However, Trump still managed to pull in 3.6 million New York votes, or 42.7%, in the 2024 election. After all of the lawfare and every advantage (including a heavily biased media and a larger war chest), Vice President Kamala Harris lost hundreds of thousands of votes in 2024 in comparison to Joe Biden just four years earlier.

Many polls showed that the public saw the Manhattan criminal case for what it was: raw lawfare targeting a leading political opponent. The election itself felt like the largest verdict in history as citizens rejected the political, legal, and media establishments in one of our nation’s most historic elections.

The New York court system will now have a chance to redeem itself but few are holding their breath. The appellate court has still not ruled on an appeal of Attorney General Lettia James’s equally absurd civil lawsuit against Trump. Despite judges expressing skepticism over Endoron’s use of a law to impose a grotesque $455 million in fines and interest, we are still waiting for a decision.

Most are waiting for this criminal case to escape the vortex of the New York court system. With this appeal, this peddler’s wagon of reversible errors will finally pull up in front of the Supreme Court itself.

With its ruling on Thursday night, the setting for a decision could not be better for Trump. The Supreme Court has again demonstrated that it has shown restraint and independence in these cases. In response to the ruling, Trump struck the perfect note Thursday night and declined to criticize the Court, stating that “This is a long way from finished and I respect the court’s opinion.”

The ultimate penalty on Friday morning from Judge Merchan reflects the lack of seriousness in the case. It was more inflated than the Goodyear blimp, pumped up by hot rage and rhetoric. The sentence was the pinprick that showed the massive void within this case.

The verdict is in. The New York legal system has rendered it against itself.

President-elect Donald Trump’s real-estate company is in talks to reclaim its former Washington DC hotel, under which they would purchase the lease currently controlled by merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners.

According to the WSJ, Eric Trump has been negotiating the purchase of the lease, though the talks are still in early stages and may not lead to a sale, said people familiar with the matter.

The hotel is currently a Hilton-owned Waldorf Astoria that operates out of the Old Post Office building – which is owned by the federal government, but was leased to the Trumps in 2016 when they opened the hotel. The family sold the lease rights in 2022 for $375 million to CGI Merchant Group, which invested additional money in the property. After they defaulted on debt related to the purchase in 2023, lender BDT & MSD Partners foreclosed on it and took control. Since then, they’ve been operating the property, which has some of the highest revenue per available room of any hotel in the city.

According to the report, the Trumps are looking for a hotel in the capital as Trump prepares his return to the Oval Office. Reacquiring the rights could cost over $300 million, according to people familiar with the hotel’s operations and revenue.

If successful, the Trumps might be able to negotiate a new deal and resume operation of the property.

Democrats seized and pounced during Trump’s first term, alleging that his financial stake in the hotel violated the ‘Foreign Emoluments Clause,’ which prohibits a president from receiving things of value from foreign or state governments. Critics claimed that foreign nationals spent lavishly on Trump hotel suites, the restaurant, and on room service. The Trump Organization hit back, saying it doesn’t market the hotel to foreign dignitaries, and that it wrote a check to the US Treasury Department for monies received from foreign government guests.

Maryland and DC attorneys general filed lawsuits claiming violations of the emoluments clause, however they were dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2021, shortly after President Biden took office.

So of course – if the Trump Organization is able to buy back the rights to the hotel, those same conflict-of-interest issues are likely to resurface.

The Trump Organization paused or pulled back from many of its business ventures during his presidency, though it has revived its global expansion in recent years. The company is building a second golf course in Scotland and has branding deals with residential projects in India and resort developments in Indonesia.

Trump agreed to manage and brand a golf and resort project in Oman, teaming up with Dar Al Arkan, a Saudi real-estate firm. The firm also has resorts, condominiums and other ventures in more than 10 countries. -WSJ

The Trump Organization interest in the DC hotel goes back to 2012, when they won a heated bidding contest for a long-term lease, with extensions running close to 100 years. The family beat out other real-estate investors and hotel companies, including Hilton and Marriott, for the right to run the property.

During the 1st Trump presidency, the hotel became ‘something of a Republican clubhouse,’ according to the report, which notes that fans, lobbyists, lawmakers and others flocked to the hotel to hang out.

The hotel boasts some of the largest guest rooms in the capital, some of which have 18-foot high ceilings. A Saturday stay at a suite starts at $1,395 per night according to the Hilton website.

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,

Los Angeles and surrounding wildfire-hit regions are shielded by a new one-year moratorium on insurance non-renewals, according to California’s insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, who announced the year-long freeze on Jan. 9.

“I am using my moratorium powers to prevent insurance companies from canceling or non-renewing policies in wildfire-impacted areas, so people don’t face the added stress of finding new insurance during this horrific event,” Lara said in a statement.

The one-year moratorium on policy non-renewals and cancellations protects residents in and near the ZIP codes affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County, regardless of whether the properties sustained damage, according to Lara.

[ZH: … and all it took was a bunch of angry rich democrats losing their homes!!!]

The ZIP codes covered by the moratorium are listed in the Commissioner’s Bulletin, a document that formalizes the freeze.

The California Department of Insurance may release a supplemental bulletin if new ZIP codes are identified as being within or near the fire perimeter related to the declared state of emergency for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to Lara.

The authority to issue such moratoriums was granted to the insurance commissioner by Senate Bill 824, introduced by Lara during his tenure as a state senator and signed into law in 2018. The law prohibits insurers from canceling or refusing to renew residential property policies in wildfire-affected areas when a state of emergency is declared. It also provides policyholders who lose their homes to fire with protection for up to 24 months.

The freeze is effective starting from Jan. 7, the day that Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency to support the communities impacted by the fires. Newsom’s declaration noted that much of Southern California faced life-threatening winds and extreme fire risk.

Besides the moratorium, Lara announced a two-day workshop on Jan. 18–19 for residents affected by the fires to help them understand their insurance policies and provide them with additional resources.

At least 10 people have been killed in the wildfires to date, Los Angeles County officials have confirmed. Around 180,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders as firefighters work to contain the infernos.

Nearly 36,000 acres had been burned and over 10,000 structures had been destroyed by the fires in the Los Angeles area, according to Cal Fire on Friday morning. Forecasters say the high-fire weather risk will continue into Friday.

The potential economic loss and damage from the fires is estimated to be between $135 billion and $150 billion, according to AccuWeather data released on Jan. 9. Previously, the company estimated damages to be between $52 billion and $57 billion. The preliminary damage estimate accounts for both insured and uninsured losses, including property damage, wage impacts, infrastructure destruction, supply chain disruptions, and other related effects.

“These fast-moving, wind-driven infernos have created one of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern U.S. history,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a statement. “Hurricane-force winds sent flames ripping through neighborhoods filled with multi-million-dollar homes. The devastation left behind is heartbreaking and the economic toll is staggering.”

The insurance industry is bracing for significant losses. Early projections from Morningstar DBRS estimate the catastrophe could result in $8 billion in insured losses.

“Property insurance affordability is likely to remain a challenge in the state going forward, with many property owners opting to remain uninsured or under-insured because of the high costs,” Patrick Douville, vice president of global insurance and pension ratings at Morningstar DBRS, said in a Jan. 9 note.

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts project that insured losses could reach $10 billion, citing the high value of homes at risk.

On Friday Israel has launched new major strikes on Yemen, amid ongoing vows to ‘hunt’ down Houthi leaders and kill them.

A new Israeli military (IDF) statement said fighter jets struck “on the western coast and inland Yemen” in response to the day prior Houthis having launched three drones at Israel. It also follows a Pentagon-ordered air raid on Yemen earlier this week. The fresh strikes further targeted the port city of Hodeida, Ras Isa Port, Sanaa, as well as North Western Amran province – and reportedly had participation from the US and UK.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that the latest air assault means Houthis will continue to pay a price for attacking Israel. 

He said that twenty Israeli Air Force jets participated in the new strikes against the Houthis, which followed on the heels of another new US-led coalition assault.

Times of Israel has noted that “The Houthis confirmed the strikes and said they occurred while people were rallying in Sanaa in support of Palestinians in Gaza.”

Last month Netanyahu called out Iran for its support to the Houthis, warning that “whoever sponsors the Houthi terror in Hodeida or Sana’a will pay the full price.” 

Washington has for years documented Tehran’s support to the group, which has included advanced missiles and drone technology. This has allowed the threat out of Yemen to grow significantly.

Millions of Yemenis singing the famous chant “We do not care, make it a world war” literally as bombs rain down on the Yemeni capital Sana’a. pic.twitter.com/fFMe2WK8iP

— روني الدنماركي (@Aldanmarki) January 10, 2025

Late December also saw one of the biggest Houthi strikes to date, coming in the form of a reported hypersonic ballistic missile which hit Tel Aviv, leaving 16 people injured.

Also on Friday, Israel launched new strikes in southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire with Hezbollah having generally held up to this point.

Lebanon’s health ministry said that this resulted in at least two people killed and two more wounded. “The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack in Tyre province, and it’s unclear what was targeted,” Associated Press writes. “Lebanon’s state media reported the strike hit a car in the town of Tayr Debba.”

On Friday, the U.S., U.K., and Israel launched a coordinated airstrike on #Yemen, targeting the port city of #Hodeida, Ras Isa Port, a power station in #Sanaa, and North Western Amran province in three waves of attacks. pic.twitter.com/kUdomwFed4

— IPNA (@irannewsvideo) January 10, 2025

While the Hezbollah front has generally quieted over the past month, the Red Sea situation seems to have no end in sight. The more that Israel and the US attack Yemen, the more the Houthis are resolved to respond, sometimes with direct attacks on Western warship’s off Yemen’s coast.

Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute,

President-elect Donald Trump shared a video featuring Columbia professor Jeffery Sachs sharply criticizing US Middle East policy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s role in leading the US into wars. 

In the video, Sachs says Netanyahu is “a deep, dark son of a bitch” who led the US into multiple follies in the Middle East and now wants America to fight a war with Iran on Israel’s behalf. “Netanyahu had, from 1995 onward, the theory that the only way we’re going to get rid of Hamas and Hezbollah is by toppling the governments that support them. That’s Iraq, Iran and Syria. The guy is nothing if not obsessive.”

The professor continued, “He’s gotten us into endless wars and because of the power of all of this in U.S. politics, he’s gotten his way.”

In 2002, Netanyahu gave an address to Congress to help sell Americans on going to war in Iraq. “If you take out Saddam, Saddam’s regime, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region,” the Israeli Prime Minister said. “And I think that people sitting right next door in Iran, young people, and many others, will say the time of such regimes, of such despots is gone.”

The Iraq War would result in hundreds of thousands of murdered Iraqi civilians, thousands of dead Americans, trillions of dollars spent, and a government in Baghdad more aligned with Tehran. Additionally, the power vacuum created by the fall of Saddam’s government led to the rise of al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Islamic State. 

As of 2019, a majority of Americans believed the war in Iraq was not worth fighting and a mistake. 

After the US disposed of Saddam, the Iraqi people elected a Shi’ite-led government that favored strong ties with Tehran. Washington and its Middle East allies then became concerned that there now existed a “Shi’ite Crescent” in the region stretching from Iran to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. 

Professor Sachs explains that President Barack Obama then ordered the CIA to launch an operation that supported Sunni militant groups in Syria attempting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. At the time, the Defense Intelligence Agency warned that the CIA’s support for Sunni groups could result in the creation of an Islamic Caliphate. 

Sach’s criticisms of US foreign policy and Israel’s influence in Washington’s politics have resulted in attacks from high-ranking Israeli officials. Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said Sachs was in a group of “fringe Holocaust deniers, conspiracy theorists, and blood libel enthusiasts who oppose the State of Israel.”

Donald Trump Truth Social 03:50 PM EST 01/07/25 pic.twitter.com/HLnrAMfN3d

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 7, 2025

In the video, a two-minute compilation of a longer interview posted by Wall Steet Apes, Sachs slams the US media for failing to cover the CIA’s support for the opposition to Assad, noting the New York Times only mentioned the operation, dubbed Timber Sycamore, three times. 

Still, Trump has labeled himself as the “best friend” of Israel and has promised to increase support for the Jewish State after he returns to the White House.

A day after Bloomberg reported that US chocolate giant Hershey Co. sought approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for a massive cocoa bean hedge, Semafor revealed that CEO Michele Buck plans to step down.

Three sources familiar with Buck’s departure plans said she will remain in her role and on the board until the Pennsylvania-based company finds a replacement. The transition is expected to be completed by July 2026.

Buck’s tenure, which began in 2017, has been marked by serious headwinds in the last few years, including soaring inflation straining cash-strapped consumer and skyrocketing cocoa bean prices, which forced the company to slash its full-year sales outlook.

Hershey has warned several times that record-high cocoa prices would pressure consumers and, therefore, “limit earnings” this year.

• Hershey CEO Warns ‘Earnings Limited’ As Cocoa Prices Hyperinflate

• “Not So Transitory”: Hershey Hit With Downgrade As Cocoa Crisis Hyperinflates Prices

• Americans Can’t Even Afford Chocolate: Hershey Sales Crater, Guidance Melts

• Hershey Cuts Full-Year Sales Outlook As Americans Dial Back On Snack Consumption

In November, Goldman’s Leah Jordan told clients that Hershey’s third-quarter earnings report pointed to a dismal demand story for the company. He reiterated a “sell” rating on the stock.

Shares in the company are down 42% since peaking around $275 in May 2023. However, shares are up 65% since she became captain of the candy ship. 

Semafor noted:

By one measurement — Hershey’s once-soaring stock — Buck’s tenure was a success, but the past year has been bruising. Hershey didn’t diversify businesses like its peers did, leaving it exposed to soaring cocoa prices, inflation-weary consumers who have shifted toward healthier foods, and the looming threat from Ozempic and its competitors.

Whoops. 

Meanwhile…

Panic Hedge? Hershey Reportedly Asks CFTC Approval To Buy Huge Cocoa Pile On NY Exchange https://t.co/F2dTAh0aQ4

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 9, 2025

Instead of selling candy, Hershey shifted its focus to DEI ads.

Great job, Hershey. Nice one, Buck. 

Authored by James Rickards via DailyReckoning.com,

Earlier this week, Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election was officially certified by lawmakers in a joint session of Congress.

Kamala Harris presided over the ceremony as president of the Senate and faced the awkward task as she formally certified Trump’s victory and her own loss.

Notably, the Democrats set aside some members’ views that Trump is ineligible to return to the presidency because of the Constitution’s bar on insurrectionist officeholders.

Apparently, the voice of the American people resonated in Democrat lawmaker’s ears because of Trump’s Electoral College landslide, his victory in all seven swing states, and the fact that he won a majority of the popular vote — the first Republican to do so in twenty years and only the second to do so in thirty-six years. That gives Trump both a mandate for change and the goodwill to try.

However, this decision to not challenge the certification does not mean all is well for America and the financial markets. Wall Street has challenging times ahead as shown by a shaky end to 2024. The traditional Santa Claus Rally did not materialize, which was a surprise for many investors.

Since the beginning of December, stocks of all sizes and styles have struggled, apart from shares of a few mega-cap companies that have increasingly dominated the market.

With the 2024 election in the rearview mirror and Donald Trump set to take office on January 20, a meltdown is still a threat to markets.

Here are three threats to markets as we head into 2025.

1. Market Melt-Up.

Markets are at or near all-time highs based on every available metric: P/E ratios, CAPE ratio, market cap/GDP ratio, concentration risk, etc. This is accompanied by indexing, investor complacency and analyst euphoria. When such conditions have existed in the past, they have always been followed by market crashes of 50% to 90% unfolding over several years. Examples include Dow Jones (1929), Nikkei (1989), NASDAQ (2000), and S&P 500 (2008).

We are now positioned for an historic crash. The specific cause does not matter – it could be war, natural disaster, a bank or hedge fund collapse or another unexpected event. What matters is the super-fragility of the market when the trigger is pulled. This is why Warren Buffett has over $300 billion in cash and why central banks are buying gold. Prepare now. Don’t be the last one to know.

2. A U.S. recession is coming.

There are ample signs that the economy is headed for a recession (or may already be in one) including higher unemployment, lower interest rates, flattening yield curves, negative swap spreads, collateral shortages in Eurodollar markets, reductions in China’s reserve positions (not a sign of “dumping” Treasuries but a sign of a dollar shortage and a need to provide liquidity to banks), declining oil prices (despite output reductions), and others.

The emerging recession will cause a stock market drawdown as earnings are revised downward, consumer confidence crumbles, consumer discretionary spending hits a wall and precautionary savings rise. The world will not bail-out the U.S. economy because China, Japan, Germany and the UK are all slowing economically at the same time or already in contraction.

This is problematic for stocks independent of any crash potential. A word on lower rates. Low rates are not “stimulus”. They are associated with recessions and depressions and not the sign of a thriving economy. The Fed is not leading the rate market. They are following the market down. Of course, a recession could trigger a market crash. But even if it does not, recessions are typically associated with 30% declines in stock valuations over a year or less.

3. Currency wars are back, and trade wars are coming.

The super-strong dollar today makes it difficult for other countries to buy U.S. goods. Tariffs make the global dollar shortage worse as foreign investors seek dollars to jump the tariff walls and invest directly in the U.S. Both the strong dollar and the coming U.S. tariffs invite retaliation by trading partners who will put up their own tariff walls.

The result is a global contraction in trade that could resemble the trade collapse of the 1930s during the Great Depression. U.S. stocks fell 85% from October 1929 to June 1932 during that episode of trade wars. A repeat could be on the way.

Remember, the economy goes its own way. Business cycles have not been erased. The transition from Biden to Trump will bring economic pain as Trump inherits Joe Biden’s mess.

The U.S. economy (in contrast to economists) does not pay that much attention to elections or new administrations. It’s too big and moves to its own complex tempo. Investors may cheer the Trump policies and his reelection, but it will be a very bumpy ride in the first year of Trump 2.0.

Biden Isn’t Done Yet

Also, don’t underestimate what the Biden administration has been doing as they exit the White House. The fact is they can still do a lot of damage before Inauguration Day. What are they up to? Biden and company are trying to Trump-proof the presidency by signing contracts. Let me explain.

Remember the famous Inflation Reduction Act? Despite its name, the act actually increased inflation by being the Green New Scam in disguise. There was about $850 billion for garbage like windmills, solar modules, and green initiatives. A lot of the money went to the Democrat’s favorite contractors and electric vehicle makers. That passed in August of 2022, but guess what?

Most of the money hasn’t been spent yet.

So, now there is a mad scramble to sign contracts. You actually can’t spend the money that fast, but you can sign a contract with a five-year life or three-year life saying you’ll spend it over three years. And the idea is signing the contract now so that even when Trump becomes president, even though the money hasn’t been spent, it has been appropriated and it’s contractually bound.

And that’s the key. Bind the spending in contractual form so Trump can’t do anything about it.

These actions could cause havoc leading up to Trump taking office and beyond depending on how much damage they do. It won’t be a pretty picture for markets with so many companies impacted by these actions on top of a recession.

Bottom Line

After taking office, Trump’s agenda will incentivize billions of dollars of investments in U.S. energy and manufacturing jobs. He will make domestic oil drilling and refining a top priority which will provide America with energy independence. This will also benefit companies (and provide more jobs) in the energy sector.

But there will be plenty of minefields for markets to deal with in the first year as the transition takes place.

Police believe a fifth brush fire that broke out in the fiery Los Angeles hellscape on Thursday afternoon may have been set intentionally — and they’ve arrested a suspect who was captured by residents. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman indicated the suspect in the nearly-1,000-acre Kenneth fire could face murder charges, if a loss of life is linked to that blaze. “Justice will be swift. It will be firm, and the maximum punishment will be sought,” he told NewsNation‘s Ashleigh Banfield. 

Potential swift justice was off to a strong start thanks to the initiative of local residents. Witnesses told LA’s KFI News radio that the suspect was seen riding a motorbike and holding an ignited torch, with three residents chasing him down and gang-tackling him in a front yard. We pause to note that portable torches have been observed in other California criminal endeavors:   

So much for the locks.

California thief just uses a blowtorch. pic.twitter.com/FF7dyJJkwT

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) August 21, 2023

“What we know right now is that the [fire] occurred, started here, and about 20 minutes, 30 minutes later, a suspect was detained over in Woodland Hills area by citizens,” LAPD Senior Lead Officer Sean Dinsel told NewsNation’s Brian Entin on the scene. Asked if the Kenneth fire was set intentionally, Dinsel said, “At this time, that’s what we believe.” He said the fire’s suspected starting point — at the Victory Trailhead that gives access to the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve — was being treated as a “crime scene.”  

Los Angeles Police says Kenneth Fire currently burning was intentionally set and suspect “was detained by citizens.”
Burning now 800+ acres. pic.twitter.com/acJspnIJKF

— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) January 10, 2025

Little is known about the suspect, and his name has yet to be released. LAPD issued a statement confirming the arrest, but noting “We CANNOT confirm any connection to any fire by this suspect at this time.” Meanwhile, KFI News and others have posted photos and videos said to show him being arrested: 

Full arrest footage of the suspect who lit the Kenneth Fire. Is that a blow torch? pic.twitter.com/0qVk80GuYl

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 10, 2025

The Kenneth fire began shortly after 2:30 pm in the the Woodland Hills area, near a neighborhood called Calabasas. Quickly spreading to more than 900 acres, it prompted mandatory evacuation orders in the immediate vicinity, along with evacuation warnings in adjacent Ventura county. The orders were subsequently downgraded to warnings, NBC News reports, after the fire’s progress.

An incredible water drop by this helicopter on the rapidly spreading Kenneth Fire near West Hills and Calabasas. True heroes. pic.twitter.com/0BbptlHZEo

— deb8r🗽 (@deb8rr) January 10, 2025

While that was a rare, encouraging development for firefighters engaged in a daunting multi-front war, it was well short of a victory: As of 8pm local time, the Kenneth fire was listed as 35% contained. Late Thursday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said 900 additional firefighters were being deployed against the blaze. 

Demonstrating an awareness that citizens are beyond fed up with California’s failure to provide safety and security, DA Hochman dished out tough-sounding rhetoric about the arrest of the arson suspect. “Our goal is to send this warning,” he told Banfield.” Whether it’s looting, these internet scams, robbery, or future arsons. … The day and age of a DA’s office standing on the sidelines is over. We want to bring justice, and we will.”

Let’s not forget what we noted on Thursday. 

Arson Threats A “Major Issue” In Wildfire-Ravaged Los Angeles County https://t.co/T1MhhHcEsF

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 9, 2025

. . .  

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed “right-wing attacks” and “disinformation” on Thursday as the main causes behind his long-awaited resignation. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is going to resign in disgrace, went on CNN and said the “right-wing attacks” and “misinformation, disinformation” is what caused the public to turn against him. pic.twitter.com/EL3oGtFoiD

— Andy Ngo 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 9, 2025

Trudeau announced Monday that he would step down as the Liberal Party leader, caving to pressure from his party amid growing dissatisfaction among Canadians over inflation and immigration. 

However, during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on The Lead about his politically devastating poll numbers, Trudeau blamed everyone else but himself for his fall from grace

“When you get a con – you know, I was going to say conflagration – but at least an intersection of both right-wing attacks and social media, you end up with a lot of misinformation, disinformation,” Trudeau claimed. 

“Responsible governments have to stay focused on the policies that are making a difference. And that’s what we’ve been doing,” he added. 

Trudeau’s comments followed a lengthy and incoherent response to Tapper’s question about Canadian and American voters delivering a blunt verdict against leftist governance.  

Tapper noted that Canadians are concerned about high inflation, the overall economy and immigration.  

Drawing parallels with America, he added, “Those are also issues that the left-wing party in this country has faced a lot of disapproval. … It seems like voters in both of these liberal democracies are sending a message to left-wing parties, liberal parties: ‘We don’t like how you’re doing the economy when it comes to inflation. We don’t like how you’re doing immigration.’” 

Trudeau dismissed these concerns in response, claiming the polls were driven by “a lot of emotions.” 

“I mean, if you look at the actual numbers, inflation in Canada was lower, came down quicker,” he said. Later, Trudeau expanded, “Our economy is doing very well, but when someone is paying $8 for a head of lettuce, it doesn’t matter that you’re doing better than they are in Spain or somewhere else. There’s a sense that, ‘Okay. Something’s got to give.’ And that’s where incumbents are in trouble everywhere around the world, not just in our two countries.” 

Trudeau’s decision to step down also followed his failure to persuade President-elect Donald Trump not to impose tariffs on Canadian products during the incoming U.S. administration.

PRESIDENT TRUMP ON CANADA: They’re about the lowest payer in NATO. They’re supposed to pay much more… They have a lot of problems… We’re subsidizing Canada $250 billion a year… I said to Trudeau, “Why are we subsidizing you $200-$250 billion a year?” He said, “I really… pic.twitter.com/Jq5GyCB7I4

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 10, 2025

Following the 2024 presidential election, Trump mocked Trudeau in social media posts, referring to him as “governor” and joking that Canada could avoid tariffs if it became the 51st U.S. state.

“In an abundance of caution, due to the fires in California, the main pipeline that brings gasoline and other fuels to the Las Vegas Valley looks to face temporary disruptions in service,” the City of Las Vegas announced on X late Thursday. 

The pipeline shutdown involves Kinder Morgan’s SFPP West and 566-mile CalNev pipeline system, which ships gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. 

In an abundance of caution, due to the fires in California, the main pipeline that brings gasoline and other fuels to the Las Vegas Valley looks to face temporary disruptions in service.

The CalNev Pipeline is the key line that brings gasoline and other types of fuels from…

— City of Las Vegas (@CityOfLasVegas) January 10, 2025

According to local media outlet KLAS 8 News Now, the CalNev pipeline system is responsible for 90% of Clark County fuel supplies.

“We want to reassure you that there is no emergency or immediate cause for concern. These measures are purely precautionary,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department wrote on X, adding, “We encourage everyone to stay informed through reliable sources and avoid unnecessary panic or misinformation. Together, we can ensure our community remains calm and prepared.”

Now Vegas residents know there’s the possibility of an impending fuel:

LA fires threaten gas supply
Las Vegas citizens are in full buy now mode!

Video: Me pic.twitter.com/VVe8nOuYxN

— Rob (Jspec) Nakamura🤙🏼 (@JspecTheHost) January 10, 2025

🚨🇺🇸 CALIFORNIA PIPELINE SHUTDOWN SPARKS GAS PANIC IN LAS VEGAS

A wildfire-related shutdown of a crucial California-to-Vegas fuel pipeline has led to massive lines at Las Vegas gas stations.

Officials urge calm, saying measures are in place, but some residents are panic-buying.… pic.twitter.com/j6yYlVi6W0

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 10, 2025

UPDATE: Motorists are flocking to Las Vegas Valley gas stations after a fuel pipeline between Southern California and Las Vegas shut down due to power outages.
STORY: https://t.co/t5Xtr6XfBH pic.twitter.com/RQWzOz1b95

— Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) January 10, 2025

Clark County announced Thursday night that fuel from the pipeline will start flowing to Vegas “in the next 12-24 hours,” adding, “The public is encouraged to not panic buy at the pump.”

What a shitshow unfolding across the Pacific Southwest—somewhat attributed to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom prioritizing a radical progressive agenda instead of actually doing their jobs.