“Omg I can’t believe what I just saw! Please don’t buy food from this food truck! He throws food scraps to the pigeons and then he captures the pigeons to sell them! I swear I have seen crazy but this tops it all! This food truck is located in Queens New York, at the corner of Queens Blvd and Junction Blvd, across from the Rego Park mall, right in front of TD bank,” Instagram user ori.the.minion wrote last week. 

NYC halal food cart worker caught catching pigeon with bare hands: ‘Beyond disgusted’ pic.twitter.com/CQfUrFuBMY

— New York Post (@nypost) January 4, 2025

The New York Post interviewed Oriana Biersack, who witnessed the pigeon kidnapping by the operator of the MS Halal truck near the Rego Center Mall on Queens Boulevard last week and reported the incident to the city Department of Health.

“I am beyond disgusted,” she told NYPost, adding, “After that, I saw him grab water and he was rinsing his hand and swishing water in his mouth … He was sticking his fingers into his mouth and scrubbing his teeth with his fingers. I was shocked at what I was seeing but I didn’t record the rest.” 

One X user joked, “It’s an NYC food truck. That pigeon is probably the most sanitary thing in there.” 

It’s an NYC food truck. That pigeon is probably the most sanitary thing in there.

— Jenna Ellis 🐊 (@realJennaEllis) January 5, 2025

Another:

Oh my God, are they eating the birds?

— Tired of being politically correct (@USBornNRaised) January 4, 2025

“All ingredients sourced locally,” Thought Police HQ joked on X. 

All ingredients sourced locally.

— Thought Police HQ (@ThoughtPolic3HQ) January 4, 2025

Ha. 

Make pigeons not food again pic.twitter.com/9oInOS96Nn

— 🇺🇸 Jake 🇺🇸 (@JakeOnTheRight) January 5, 2025

Besides the pigeons, migrants have been eating the … 

People are now eating rats in NYC.
Just another day in NYC…pic.twitter.com/tCUNU362jv

— Leftism (@LeftismForU) December 6, 2022

They literally allow people to cook rats on the side of the street in NYC.

🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️pic.twitter.com/A5odj1BONj

— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) September 15, 2024

Nooooo they’ve never eat pets. Just roasting up Guinea pigs on the side of the street in NYC … 🤮🤮🤮🤮 pic.twitter.com/kQtlaSHoUz

— leilani dowding 🌸🚜 ☮️ (@LeilaniDowding) September 20, 2024

This is one way to fix the rodent crisis in NYC. 

Kathleen Corradi, New York City’s first-ever director of rodent mitigation, will oversee efforts to drive down the rat population. https://t.co/B4aFAbBJJM pic.twitter.com/fwd5UKf1W1

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 12, 2023

From the sidewalk to the table: Halal trucks seem to have it all covered.

By Peter Tchir of Academy Securities

Messy But Manageable

Last weekend we went with 2025 Will Be Messy. We discussed that subject and the implications on Bloomberg Radio/YouTube (30-minute mark) to kick off the year on Thursday. Unfortunately, Academy also had to publish a SITREP – Terrorist Attack in New Orleans.

We did get some volatility as stocks sold off into the New Year. While assets tried to bounce on the first day of trading, that momentum faded. However, at least stocks (and Bitcoin) performed well on Friday (which, technically, is the last official day of the Santa rally, which the Grinch did seem to hack).

What was noticeable about Friday was how well stocks did after the Speaker was picked on the first vote. While there were some delays as “cloakroom” deals were hammered out (which brought back memories of Hamilton’s “The Room Where it Happens”), the whole thing went relatively smoothly.

Markets were prepared for more of a “mess” (than what actually occurred), and rightfully did well as optimism that the positive things for the economy (and markets) will get done.

The expected deluge of corporate bond issuance got off to a fast start with 10 issuers coming to market on Thursday! (Academy was an underwriter on 5 of those deals).

There are a few important things to watch this coming week, which should move markets in a meaningful way.

Treasury Yields

We raised our near-term target on 10s to 4.75%. With the 10-year and 30-year auctions this week, that should put some pressure on Treasuries. With a very heavy corporate calendar, there should be rate hedging and buyers who prefer corporates to Treasuries (which will also tend to push yields higher). Finally, nothing about this administration (despite D.O.G.E.) points to it being fiscally conservative, so that too will weigh on bonds (yields drifted higher as the Speaker vote proceeded relatively smoothly).

In terms of “only” 1.5 cuts being priced in for 2025, that is starting to seem low, but we are not really prepared to argue against it too heavily one way or the other (basically our higher yield call at the longer end is primarily linked to further steepening of the yield curve).

Jobs versus Inflation

This is Jobs Week (nowhere near as entertaining as Shark Week). We get JOLTs, ADP, and NFP. Consensus is that the reports will be mediocre at best (160k estimate on NFP headline). If anything, the “whisper” number seems even lower. While that is completely in line with our take on the economy, there are two main reasons why we are not prepared to bet on the jobs data being weak enough to really move the needle for the Fed:

• The Household number (used for the Unemployment Rate) has been significantly lower than the Establishment number, so there is some reasonable probability that the data will catch up, keeping the unemployment rate well under control.
• We have argued that the seasonal adjustments, while “normalizing,” are still off due to including Covid and are not adapting rapidly enough to the importance of weather in the South versus the North. Just like last year, we believe that there is a bias in the seasonal adjustments that can create a “beat” in the jobs data.

While some have argued that the Fed may have acted politically at their last meeting, we are NOT in that camp (A Tough Powell Who Didn’t Take the Bait). We are far from convinced that the economy is robust or that the job’s data reflects reality (we think that it has consistently overstated the strength of the labor market – which the ongoing downward revisions seem to support). But the Fed is somewhat forced to work with the official data.

But the main reason why we were calling for the Fed to do what they did is concern about inflation.

We highlighted the almost comedic healthcare “deflation” stats in the CPI data! The Fed uses those numbers, but that is possibly the single biggest reason why no one in the real world (or at least the world where you need to have health insurance) is as happy about CPI coming closer to 2% as the economists would have you believe.

With respect to whatever is going to happen on the tariff front, companies have been purchasing goods ahead of the potential risk. We do think that the risk is now higher than the market believes, primarily because China did not buy the agricultural goods they promised to buy last time, and President Trump will not let that happen again on his watch. The logical reaction by companies and the underestimated risk of tough trade talks will add to inflation pressure.

Video games often include “Easter Eggs.” Little hidden things left by the developers for the gamers to find. Well, if President Biden wanted to leave an “Easter Egg” for President Trump, the temporary dock worker’s deal ending on January 15th seems like a potentially nasty one. There was a time when people were concerned about the impact that the strike would have on the economy and inflation. That has largely gone away, but with the use of automation being a contentious point, it could come back. With Musk (and some other members of the Trump team) being so clearly for automation, robotics, etc., this could get messy. Also, it did seem that the Steel Workers union was happy about the U.S. Steel deal getting shot down. While a completely different issue, I cannot help thinking that it should be viewed as at least a small warning from the unions and could impact things like the dock workers.

The inability to get inflation closer to 2% is likely to remain a theme (the Atlanta GDPNow estimate for PCE has been back above 3% for the last month).

We are looking for data and narratives that:

• Inflation is not only alive, but it is also possibly rising again.
• Jobs, while not robust, are not weak enough to compel the Fed to cut.

I fully expect that in the coming months, we will be calling for more rate cuts than the market has priced in, but it is premature to move in that direction.

Bottom Line

With Bitcoin as a useful signal, we expect “risk on” type days when it looks like the Trump administration will be able to accomplish a lot, and “risk off” days when it looks messier.

If we are correct on rates, then stocks will likely have trouble continuing the rally that actually started late into Thursday’s trading.

We are watching not just the inflows into option-linked ETF strategies, but also the dominance of leveraged long ETFs. We’ve seen reports that the leveraged long ETFs have 100 times the AUM of leveraged short ETFs. We haven’t verified this, though we’ve been harping on the single stock leveraged ETFs theme for a while. It is true that TQQQ (3x long QQQ) has $25 billion of AUM versus $2 billion in SQQQ (3x short QQQ). These leveraged ETFs contain significant drags for their holders (they have to buy more shares at the end of up days and sell shares at the end of down days) and have the potential to significantly amplify larger moves.

Between those categories of ETFs and the ongoing dominance of short-dated options (0-days-to expiration, etc.), we expect to get moves that are larger than they should be based on the data. Not a great market structure issue in a world where we expect messiness (if not chaos).

We will be following up with our take on how the geopolitical landscape is likely to influence markets, with a focus away from the “Big 3” (China, Russia/Ukraine, and the Middle East). Thanks again for all the support in 2024! We hope that 2025 is great for everyone and we are looking forward to working together in 2025!

Days after the Tesla Cybertruck bombing outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, YouTuber Cody Detwiler, known as WhistlinDiesel, released the second part of the Cybertruck durability test versus a Ford F-150 pickup truck.

In the first test, Detwiler strapped explosives to the door panels of both trucks. The YouTuber claimed ‘C-4’… It appears the Cybertruck withstood the blast. 

The F-150, not so much.

The alleged Cybertruck bomber, Matthew Livelsberger, clearly did not watch Detwiler’s first video in August about the explosives test on the Tesla EV truck. If he had, he might have understood that the vehicle’s stainless steel body would not have been the best choice for maximum damage—unless his intent was to make a statement.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters last week that Cybertruck’s structure helped direct the blast away from sidewalks and doors, which may have saved lives. 

Right…

Back to WhistlinDiesel’s Cybertruck testing. 

“The long awaited follow-up to test #1 is finally here. After our first durability test, the Cybertruck had to be sent off to Tesla for extensive (and expensive) repairs. We finally got it back and it’s ready to undergo the next series of tests to find out if it’s truly as durable as Elon says they are…” Detwiler wrote in the video’s description. 

“And the winner is… I don’t know – this is very difficult. They both did really good – but the Cybertruck went to the shop, the F-150 did not. Also, the F-150 isn’t broken because it doesn’t have enough power to break itself. When the Cybertruck is running, it goes hard enough to break itself. The F-150 can’t,” he concluded the video by awarding the F-150 a narrow win. 

Here’s the video of the second durability test:

The Vegas Cybertruck bombing was more of a statement than an attempt to inflict maximum damage. The bomb’s composition and the choice of the vehicle clearly reflect this, along with the location. 

Via Middle East Eye

Syria’s interim justice minister has come under scrutiny following the resurfacing of old videos reportedly showing him reading execution sentences in Idlib.

The videos, verified by the fact-checking network Verify-sy, appear to show Shadi al-Waisi reading the execution sentences of two women charged with “corruption and prostitution” in 2015.

“The platform Verify-sy conducted a thorough verification process using specialized technical tools to match the features and tone of voice clearly heard in at least one of the videos, with the features and voice of [Justice] Minister Shadi al-Waisi, who had recently appeared in several filmed interviews,” the network said in a statement. “The results showed a high degree of match, despite the poor quality of the circulated recordings.”

Verify-sy also reached out to several parties in the new Syrian government, with an anonymous senior official confirming that the man in the videos is Waisi.

The source said Waisi was a judge at the time. The Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led government has not commented on the footage. 

“The content of the video presented to us documents the enforcement of the law at a specific time and place, where the procedures were carried out in accordance with the laws in effect at that time and as part of a procedural agreement,” the source said.

Don’t worry, the video clearly showing Al Qaeda-appointed Syrian Minister of Justice Shadi al-Waisi sentencing a woman to be publicly shot in the head is just “part of a previous phase” https://t.co/vhlUa4AvZb

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) January 5, 2025

“However, we would like to point out that this process reflects a stage we have moved beyond in light of the current legal and procedural transformations, which makes it inappropriate to generalize it or use it to describe the current stage, given the differing circumstances and references.” 

The resurfaced footage has been met with widespread criticism online from many Syrians who were previously critical of Bashar al-Assad and his government.

Warning: graphic footage

CONFIRMED:

Syria’s Interim Justice Minister Shadi Al-Waisi, is seen sentencing/overseeing death penalty of women for adultery/prostitution, as a part of Al Nusra Front’s application of Sharia law back in January 2015 in areas the front controlled in Idlib.

– The first video was… pic.twitter.com/00R36qXt8g

— Rami Jarrah (@RamiJarrah) January 4, 2025

“If [HTS leader Ahmed] al-Sharaa opposes punitive measures of this nature, he needs to signal this to the hardline Islamists in Syria who aspire for it,” Syrian journalist Rami Jarrah wrote on X.

Some have questioned whether such punitive measures will be permitted under Syria’s new administration, while others have called for Waisi to be removed from office.

Bovine colostrum, often heralded as nature’s first food, is the initial milk produced by cows immediately after giving birth. This nutrient-rich substance is not only pivotal for the health of newborn calves but also offers substantial health benefits for humans. A plethora of research, including a comprehensive review published in 2021, underscores the diverse applications and significant health potentials of bovine colostrum, positioning it as a valuable addition to both dietary supplements and functional foods.

• In one study, cyclists taking bovine colostrum had improved performance. In another study, soccer players recovered more quickly from exercise vs. a placebo.
• In another study, people with colitis had a reduction in pain.
• Other studies suggest colostrum can help maintain the integrity of the gastrointestinal system – making the gut less permeable, and helping those with leaky gut syndrome.
• A 2024 study confirmed that Colostrum supplementation in adulthood “improves the anti-infection ability of the human respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract and the body’s exercise capacity,” and in the elderly, can “help reduce the release of inflammatory factors and reduce the low immunity caused by aging.”
• Another paper which reviewed the findings from seven trials involving 445 participants, researchers found that bovine colostrum may decrease the risk of upper respiratory tract infections – possibly supporting the regeneration of mucous membranes in the upper airway, or providing antibodies that help certain immune cells kill other cells infected with a virus.
• A 2021 study found that bovine colostrum has “a range of properties likely to contribute to mucosal healing in a wide range of infective, inflammatory, and injury conditions.”

Which is why we carry colostrum from IQ Biologix, sourced from the first milking of grass-fed cows. Click here to buy.

Contains:

• Grass Fed Bovine Colostrum (4000mg): Sourced from pasture-raised cows, this colostrum is packed with immune-supporting properties, helping to strengthen your body’s defenses and promote healthy digestion.
• Immunoglobulin G (1000mg): A key immune-supporting antibody, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) helps protect the body from pathogens and supports a balanced immune response.
• Proline-Rich Peptides (140mg): Known for their anti-inflammatory properties, these peptides play a role in supporting immune function and promoting a healthy gut barrier.
• Lactoferrin (40mg): A powerful protein that aids in immune function and supports gut health by promoting beneficial bacteria and reducing harmful pathogens.

According to Jennifer Smilowitz, assistant professor at the University of California, Davis, colostrum is “liquid gold” for babies in the fragile first days of life.

“I found that I craved this colostrum like nothing I’ve ever craved before. The craving was so profound, I decided I was going to follow my body,” said Paola Brown, who suffers from celiac disease, in a statement to the Epoch Times.

One thing she learned was that taking antibiotics for the occasional infection such as a UTI would only set back her health even more. Now a fierce advocate for homeopathy and a curriculum specialist, Ms. Brown learned alternative ways to address infections so she could experience the full benefit of her gut improvements.

She has taken colostrum daily for more than seven years and no longer has to avoid any specific foods.

While not quite as impressive as human milk for newborns, a 2016 study in Applied and Environmental Microbiology showed how bovine colostrum can help improve the intestinal microflora to increase Bifidobacterium species—the formative bacteria for immunity.

Digging deeper…

Nutritional and Immune Fortification: Bovine colostrum is densely packed with immunoglobulins such as IgG, IgA, and IgM, which are essential for bolstering neonatal immunity and offer protective effects against various pathogens. Additionally, it contains growth factors, including insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II), crucial for tissue repair and growth. The rich array of proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals in colostrum provides comprehensive nutritional benefits, supporting overall health and wellbeing.

Therapeutic Benefits Beyond its nutritional value, as seen above, bovine colostrum has been demonstrated to improve gut integrity and reduces permeability, thereby alleviating gastrointestinal disorders. Its immune-modulating properties help the body combat infections and may reduce the incidence of allergies and autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, the antimicrobial properties of lactoferrin and other peptides within colostrum are effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens.

The vast antimicrobial properties of colostrum can help create a powerful immune defense by preventing harmful microorganisms from proliferating and causing a pathogenic infection.

“People know that if you feed your infants with colostrum, they will be stronger. This has been known for centuries,” according to Sercan Karav, associate professor at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University in Turkey. “It is the only superfood in nature that covers everything. It gives everything to the newborn, everything in terms of nutrition, in terms of the growth factors, and the immunological factors. There is no other food that has those characteristics.”

Perhaps the biggest boost to immune health comes from the immunoglobulins G (IgG), A (IgA), and M (IgM)—also called antibodies—found in high concentrations in bovine colostrum. They don’t pass the placental barrier in cows, so calves receive all their antibodies from colostrum.

In one trial involving 160 children with chronic diarrhea, those who took bovine colostrum had less diarrhea or vomiting after two days.

Innovative Processing and Safety: Advances in dairy processing technologies have facilitated the incorporation of bovine colostrum into various consumer products, ranging from fresh liquids to powders. These products are generally well-tolerated and considered safe for consumption across different age groups, ensuring they are accessible to a wide audience.

Looking Ahead: Research and Potential Ongoing research continues to explore the preventive and therapeutic uses of bovine colostrum in chronic disease management and as adjunctive therapy in various medical conditions. This ongoing study highlights the potential of bovine colostrum to play a crucial role in future health interventions.

As the interest in natural and functional foods continues to grow, bovine colostrum stands out as a multifaceted supplement capable of supporting a broad spectrum of health needs. Its comprehensive benefits make it a formidable ally in the quest for enhanced health and wellness, promising a robust future both in dietary supplements and therapeutic applications.

As with most emerging supplements, more studies are required to determine the long-term benefits of colostrum.

And if you missed it above, grab some Colostrum here…

Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times,

The White House said on Friday that President Joe Biden is not considering raising the Stars and Stripes to full-staff for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

President Jimmy Carter died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100 in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. According to the U.S. flag code, the death of a sitting or former president is observed by flying the American flag at half-staff for 30 days from the date of death on all public buildings and grounds, military posts, naval stations, and naval vessels.

Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president on Jan. 20, which falls within the 30-day national mourning period. This would make it a rare moment for American flags to be flown at half-staff during a presidential inauguration.

The U.S. flag code is a set of rules enforced by traditions rather than laws. While Biden could theoretically order the flags to be raised for the inauguration, he has expressed no intention of doing so.

At Friday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether Biden might reconsider “reversing or reevaluating” the decision to keep flags at half-staff for the inauguration.

She replied, “No,” without elaboration.

On Friday, Trump reacted to the decision, saying that no one, except the Democrats, was happy about it.

“The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration. They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that “nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it.”

There have been instances of flag accommodations for significant events while the nation mourns a passing president. For instance, President Richard Nixon temporarily raised flags to full-staff on Feb. 13, 1973, to honor the return of prisoners of war from Vietnam, even though they were initially lowered for the death of his predecessor, Lyndon B. Johnson, on Jan. 22, shortly after Nixon’s second inauguration.

Carter, a Democrat whose single term in the Oval Office ran from 1977 to 1981, will receive a full state funeral in Washington on Jan. 9. Trump has said he plans to attend the funeral.

Carter will lie in state in the Capitol rotunda from the afternoon of Jan. 7 through the morning of Jan. 9. According to a schedule published by the Carter Center, a 24-hour public visitation will begin at 7 a.m. on Jan. 8.

Carter will be laid to rest in Plains beside his wife, Rosalynn.

Cars, SUVs, small vans, and pickup trucks entering Manhattan below 60th Street from 5am to 9pm on weekdays, and from 9am to 9pm on weekends, are going to have to pay a $9 fare for the privilege, starting on Sunday.

City officials implemented the plan, which will of course disproportionately affect low-income New Yorkers, to fund highly ambitious upgrades to the city’s aging transit systems. That said, those who make under $50,000 per year can take advantage of discounted pricing after their 10th commute in a given month.

How generous.

While the standard fare will be set at $9, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has provided a detailed plan with pricing levels that vary based on vehicle type and time of entry. Between 9pm and 5am on weekdays and 9pm – 9am on weekends, that $9 fare drops to $2.25 for drivers of cars, SUVs, small vans and pickups – while small trucks and buses will pay $14.40 during peak hours, and $2.25 during non-peak hours.

Motorcycles will pay $4.50 during peak hours and $1.04 during non-peak times.

The fee applies to ridesharing vehicles such as Ubers as well.

Basically, it’s a shitshow – and in 2028, the fares will go up, subject to the governor’s and MTA’s approval.

The Epoch Times has more below:

Was $9 Always Envisioned?

No. The standard fare was originally set to be $15, but supporters of the scheme hit a political roadblock, as advocates for commuters argued that amount was too high for the average worker to meet.

Why Is It Taking Effect in January?

Congestion pricing has been the subject of a protracted political and legal battle. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has wavered on when it should start.

After having put a pause on the policy’s implementation, and having acknowledged at a June 2024 press conference that working families might have trouble paying a new $15 toll every day, Hochul reversed course.

At a Nov. 14 press conference, she announced that congestion pricing would come into effect in January with the lower $9 fare.

On Nov. 18, the Metropolitan Transit Authority Board gave its imprimatur to the revised policy, voting 12–1 to approve the January start date.

What Is Its Goal?

Advocates of congestion pricing say it will help fund 23,000 jobs in New York State.

Supporters also argue that the plan is necessary so that the city will be solvent enough to qualify for the issuance of $15 billion worth of bonds.

Those funds will go toward repairing, refurbishing, and upgrading New York’s mass transit systems, including the installation of elevators in subway stations in compliance with the letter and spirit of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

According to Brian Fritsch, associate director of the Permanent Advisory Council to the MTA, it should soon be possible to add 23 new elevators within the transit system, making it much more user-friendly for persons with disabilities.

The governor also expects funding to become available for the continued expansion of the Second Avenue subway, electric buses, new signals, and other transit-related investments.

Moreover, supporters argue that encouraging drivers to find alternate means of transportation into the city, such as bicycles, carpooling, and mass transit as opposed to cars, will help relieve toxic emissions and keep the city’s air breathable.

Why Is Congestion Pricing Controversial?

Far from everyone regards congestion pricing as a just and workable solution to the need for overhauls, upgrades, and cleaner air.

Many opponents of the policy have framed their objections in terms of the severe impact they believe it will have on commuters.

City Councilman Joseph Borelli, a Republican representing Staten Island’s south shore, has made a case that the implementation of congestion pricing in London has been a “complete disaster” and has only made gridlock on that city’s streets far worse.

New York is likely to experience similarly disappointing results, Borelli has argued, citing recent research from INRIX, an organization that studies global traffic patterns and has found London to have some of the worst traffic on the planet.

The policy has also faced opposition from lawmakers whose districts overlap with New York City suburbs, and whose constituents will find commuting into the city significantly costlier starting next month.

Still, others such as Jack Nierenberg, vice president of the transit advocacy organization Passengers United, have criticized the MTA for seeking to place an expanded fiscal burden on commuters without having dealt with internal mismanagement that has allowed it to accrue nearly $50 billion of debts.

In Nierenberg’s view, the failure to hold contractors to account has contributed to a snowballing effect that has seen the MTA’s debts grow fourfold in the past two decades.

Authored by Roger Kimball via American Greatness,

If you visit the State Department’s website for the Global Engagement Center, you will read that “The Global Engagement Center closed on December 23, 2024.”

Not really.

As has been often observed, the nearest thing to immortality this side of the pearly gates is a government initiative. I have noted in this space and elsewhere that the innocuous-sounding “Global Engagement Center” was actually (in Vivek Ramaswamy’s accurate summary) a “key node of the censorship industrial complex.” According to its mission statement, the GEC was supposed to be focused on “foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.” I thoughtfully added the italics to the word “foreign.”

The point is that the GEC—like the State Department as a whole (like, indeed, the CIA and the rest of the alphabet soup that makes up our “intelligence” services tout court)—is supposed to be focused outward: on foreign threats. Thanks in part to reporting by people like Matt Taibbi, we know that much of our government has been weaponized against the American people, at least against those of whom the regime disapproves. On issues ranging from COVID to Hunter Biden’s laptop, Taibbi has shown that “every corner of government”—“the FBI, DHS, HHS, DOD,  . . . even the CIA”—has leaned on virtually all social and traditional media companies to toe the approved government line. The GEC has played a small but not insignificant role in this clandestine effort to monitor opinion and suppress entities and individuals emitting “Wrongthink” (what George Orwell called “Crimethink”).

Item: Because the GEC could not operate against Americans directly, it did so indirectly by funding entities like the British-based Global Disinformation Index, which compiled a list of publications and individuals that said things the regime did not like. That list was consulted by advertisers wary of winding up on the wrong side of the government. The Washington Examiner made the list. So did RealClearPolitics, Reason, The New York Post, Blaze Media, the Daily Wire, the Federalist, the American Conservative, Newsmax, and many conservative entities. Result? Millions of dollars of ad revenue dried up, imperiling the future of those outlets.

Funding for the GEC was in the original 1500-page obscenity that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson had the temerity to bring to his colleagues as a “continuing resolution” last month. That monstrosity instantly drew some portion of the contempt and ridicule it deserved, not least from Elon Musk, whose fingers got a workout on the platform formerly known as Twitter. A 120-page, slimmed-down version of the bill was hastily cobbled together minus the GEC funding and other objectionable features (a raise for the legislators, for example). That passed, and so a putative “government shutdown” was avoided.

There was modified joy over this seeming victory. The fact that funding for the GEC was cut was one of the principal goads to celebration. Here at last was proof that a bad government activity could actually be zeroed out. No money, no activity.

But the joy was short-lived. Deploying a pragmatic version of the Juliet Principle (“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”), the deep staters in the State Department just cooked up a new name.

Allow me to introduce you to the “Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub,” a polysyllabic, “rebranded” version of the GEC. Many of the people employed by the GEC are now employed by the new “hub.” They’ll need new business cards, stationery, and signs for their offices. Doubtless, there will be other expenses. But since much of the GEC’s budget has been “realigned” to the new shop, that won’t be a problem.

That’s not the end of the story. Donald Trump takes office in two weeks.

As The New York Post reported, news about the rebranding of the GEC has sparked outrage. Said one GOP aide, Trump and incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio will have “to track every single office, down to every single staffer, if they want to end the weaponization of the federal government against conservatives.”

The question remains: will that happen? How serious is Donald Trump about rooting out the ideologically driven waste in government? How serious is he about reining in the surveillance apparat of the deep state, about surfacing the deep state as a destroyer surfaces an enemy submarine?

The truth is that we do not know. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have made a splash with DOGE, the “Department of Government Efficiency.” Will they actually be able to accomplish much? At first, I thought the news that the GEC had been zeroed out and shuttered was proof that DOGE could actually make a difference.

News that they were instantly reconstituted under a different name gives me pause. What if the National Endowment for the Arts and other left-wing playgrounds are zeroed out but then rebranded under other names? Not “The National Endowment for the Arts” but “The Creative Center for Gender, Equity, and Narcissistic Self-Indulgence.” Not the “Department of Education” but “The Department of Reeducation.” Will it be the same thing under different names?

That brings me to the big question facing the republic as we await Donald Trump’s second term. Among Trump’s supporters, there has been a lot of justified euphoria. There has also been a lot of talk about a “vibe shift,” a change in the Zeitgeist in the culture at large, as more and more Trump skeptics become former Trump skeptics and embrace the MAGA agenda. All of that is encouraging. But now for the hard part: moving from talking the talk to walking the talk. It may well be that the woke consensus that has gripped the culture like a boa constrictor is disintegrating. Maybe what just happened with the GEC is just the twitching of a dead or dying animal, the anatomized frogs’ legs of an exploded ideology.

But we don’t know yet what will happen. Hercules, when he set out to kill the Lernean Hydra, found the beast surprisingly robust. It was not enough to smash its many heads. Hercules had to enlist the services of his nephew Iolaus to cauterize each stump with a torch; otherwise, two new heads would burst forth to take the place of the one that was destroyed.

We know how to decapitate the hydra-like monstrosity that is the woke-inspired administrative state. Completely defund its activities. I believe Donald Trump has the gumption to do that. We will know within days of his taking office whether he does.

But even if he comes riding into Dodge with a satchel of world-changing executive orders, the regenerative powers of Leviathan are awesome. Trump will need to find a way to let Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy be like Hercules and Iolaus. He will, in fact, need a battalion of such crusaders. Let’s see if they appear.

President Biden late last week notified Congress that he will approve a last massive arms sale to Israel before leaving office. Axios reported on Friday, “The State Department has notified Congress ‘informally’ of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with Israel that will include munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells.”

The Biden White House is persisting in this despite being punished in the polls by the Progressive wing of Democrats, including in key states like Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population. The Israel issue assisted with Trump’s sailing to an easy victory as these communities wanted to ‘punish’ Biden and the Democrats.

At this point Gaza health sources have said that at least 45,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza war since the Hamas terror attack of Oct.7, 2023.

Amnesty International is among those humanitarian bodies alleging that Israel is conducting a genocide in Gaza and is calling on all countries to cut off the flow of arms. 

“States that continue to transfer arms to Israel at this time must know they are violating their obligation to prevent genocide and are at risk of becoming complicit in genocide,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary-general.

“All states with influence over Israel, particularly key arms suppliers like the USA and Germany, but also other EU member states, the UK and others, must act now to bring Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza to an immediate end,” she added.

Below is a partial list of the most controversial items to be included in the new sale:

• AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles
• Hellfire AGM-114 missiles
• 155 MM artillery rounds
• small-diameter bombs
• JDAM kits
• 500-pound bombs

Many of the above US weapons, especially the 500-pound bombs, have been condemned by rights groups and among some European politicians as causing mass civilian casualties. Israel has claimed it hits Hamas targets in precision strikes, but a 500-pound bomb is by design meant to inflict destruction with a large radius.

An American-Palestinian funded a temporary school in a warehouse in North Gaza. They put this sign on the roof but today Israel bombed the building pic.twitter.com/biWRHTKKKU

— Christian Henderson (@CjvHenderson) November 3, 2024

The Washington Post wrote in October, “The Biden administration has received nearly 500 reports alleging Israel used U.S.-supplied weapons for attacks that caused unnecessary harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip.”

As for the incoming Trump administration, it is expected to sustain massive US taxpayer funded support to Israel’s defense, despite the “America First” mantra. Both sides of the aisle in Congress are united especially in their unwavering and blank check support to Israel. It is a key element of US foreign policy that never changes.

More than $19 trillion in transactions settled over the Bitcoin network in 2024 – more than double the $8.7 trillion settled over the network in 2023 – reversing two years of declining transaction volume since 2021.

As CoinTelegraph’s Vince Quinn reports, according to data from vice president of research at Riot Platforms Pierre Rochard, Bitcoin transaction volume peaked during the 2021 bull market at approximately $47 trillion and sharply declined in 2022 and 2023.

Rochard wrote:

“The Bitcoin network finalized more than $19 trillion worth of BTC transactions in 2024, decisively proving that Bitcoin is both a store of value and a medium of exchange.”

Bitcoin had a momentous 2024, which included the introduction of a BTC exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States, the April 2024 halving event, and a new all-time high of roughly $108,000.

Bitcoin network transaction volume 2019-2024. Source: Pierre Rochard

Bitcoin hashrate breaks records in early 2025

The hashrate of the Bitcoin network — the total computing power securing the Bitcoin protocol — hit a new all-time high of 1,000 exahashes per second (EH/s) on Jan. 3, 2024.

However, the hashrate quickly fell back to around 775 EH/s at the time of this writing, data from CryptoQuant shows.

US-based Bitcoin mining pools accounted for over 40% of the global hashrate in 2024, as hashrate dominance — the country controlling the most computing power on the Bitcoin network — continues to be debated.

The Bitcoin hashrate hit a new all-time high in early 2025 and has been steadily increasing over time. Source: CryptoQuant

According to TheMinerMag, two US-based mining pools, Foundry USA and MARA Pool, accounted for over 38.5% of all blocks mined in 2024.

Despite the increase in hashing power, China-based mining pools still control a majority of the hashrate on the Bitcoin network.

An accurate gauge of hashrate dominance is difficult to establish due to the pseudonymous and geographically distributed nature of Bitcoin mining.

Mining pool operators and companies may be headquartered within a country but often rely on hashrate contributed by individual miners living all around the world.

Moreover, virtual private networks (VPNs) allow users to mask their IP addresses — further obfuscating the true geolocation of miners.