Dallas-based hedge fund manager Kyle Bass blasted the US Department of Energy in a post on social media X for transferring nuclear battery technology to China. 

“What’s going on in the US Department of Energy? Why did we hand this technology over to the Chinese Government?” Bass wrote on X while commenting on Hu Xijin’s, the editor-in-chief of Chinese state media Global Times, post. 

Bass pointed out, “The Chinese company didn’t steal this technology. It was given to them — by the US Department of Energy. First in 2017, as part of a sublicense.” 

What’s going on in the U.S. Department of Energy? Why did we hand this technology over to the Chinese Government? “The Chinese company didn’t steal this technology. It was given to them — by the U.S. Department of Energy. First in 2017, as part of a sublicense, https://t.co/Dnn5GRzYOW

— 🇺🇸 Kyle Bass 🇹🇼 (@Jkylebass) January 14, 2024

“In 2021, as part of a license transfer. An investigation by NPR and the Northwest News Network found the federal agency allowed the technology and jobs to move overseas, violating its own licensing rules while failing to intervene on behalf of US workers multiple times,” the China Hawk hedge fund manager continued. 

in 2021, as part of a license transfer. An investigation by NPR and the Northwest News Network found the federal agency allowed the technology and jobs to move overseas, violating its own licensing rules while failing to intervene on behalf of U.S. workers multiple times.

— 🇺🇸 Kyle Bass 🇹🇼 (@Jkylebass) January 14, 2024

The Chinese company in focus is “Betavolt,” It recently announced it had created an “atomic energy battery that mainly uses nickel-63 as the energy source and diamond semiconductor as the energy converter.” 

According to tech blog Tom’s Hardware, Betavolt’s nuclear battery will have a lifespan of 50 years and will target aerospace, AI devices, medical, MEMS systems, intelligent sensors, small drones, and robots. 

This means that charging a smartphone may become obsolete in the future. 

If Bass’ claims are correct, why did DoE allow China to obtain such a game-changing technology? 

Authored by Wim De Gent via NTD News,

A classified briefing on UFOs delivered to members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Friday elicited a mixed response, with some saying they were dissatisfied by the fragmented information presented, while others were grateful to receive some more clarity.

Interest in UFOs, which officials now call unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), surged in July 2023 when the Oversight Committee invited Air Force veteran David Grusch to speak after he’d filed a formal complaint with the Inspector General of the U.S. intelligence community, claiming “the U.S. government is operating with secrecy—above Congressional oversight” on the subject.

David Grusch, former National Reconnaissance Officer Representative on the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force, arrives to testify during a House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs hearing titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security Public Safety and Government Transparency,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, on July 26, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

During that hearing, Mr. Grusch accused the Pentagon and its private contractors of covering up a “multi-decade” program to reverse-engineer technology retrieved from crashed UFOs piloted by “non-human” beings, or “biologics” as he called them.

He also mentioned knowledge of people harmed or injured in efforts to cover up or conceal the extraterrestrial technology program.

Though apparently only limited information was disclosed during Friday’s 90-minute briefing at the Capitol Building in Washington, the attendees agreed that the hearing seemed to confirm Mr. Grusch’s claims.

“Based on what we heard,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said, “many of Grusch[’s] claims have merit!”

“I think everybody left there thinking and knowing that Grusch is legit—if they didn’t think that before,” attested Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.).

The Tennessee legislator, one of the stronger voices calling for transparency on the issue of UAPs, nevertheless left the meeting somewhat frustrated, saying the meeting was just “more of the same.”

“By design this issue is very compartmentalized,” he explained. “It’s like looking down the barrel of a .22 rifle. All they know is just right in that little circle.”

“Now it’s just whack-a-mole—you go to the next [briefing], until we get some answers.”

For Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) the limited information presented only proved there was a “concerted effort to conceal as much information as possible—both in Congress and to the general public.”

“I asked very specific questions and was unable to get specific answers,” he said. “And so that’s a problem, and we’re not going to stop until we get the truth.”

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mont.) was a bit more optimistic, calling the briefing a step in the right direction.

“I think that some people were looking for things,” he said. “This was not the venue to determine those things, but for me, I got a lot of clarity,” he added.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) was glad that “everyone that was in the room received probably new information.”

Earlier this week, Mr. Garcia introduced the Safe Airspace for Americans Act, along with Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisconsin), a bill that enables civilian pilots and personnel to report UAP sightings with the Federal Aviation Administration.

During the July hearing, Mr. Grusch said he hoped that unearthing the non-human reverse engineering programs will act as “a catalyst for a global reassessment of our priorities.”

A Pentagon spokesperson replied at the time that it has not found “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.”

“This is not about whether there are aliens or there are not aliens,” Mr. Moskowitz, a member of the UAP Caucus, said in early December. “The problem is when we ask those questions, rather than being provided information that would prove it false, they stonewall the information, and that is what piques the interest.”

Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip has reached 100 days, throughout which time cities in the north and south have been relentlessly bombed, and in some places entire neighborhoods, streets, and city blocks have been wiped out almost as if they were never there.

A new report in Axios has made the shocking claim that over half of all buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, based on fresh satellite data.

Palestinians there have increasingly said there’s no place to go, after much of the northern half of the Strip has been largely emptied out, and an estimated 85% of the population remains displaced. 

“Damage is greatest in the north, where between 70-80% of buildings are damaged or destroyed, according to the analysis of satellite data, which was conducted by Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University and Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center,” writes Axios, while offering the below visual…

Israel’s military (IDF) is heavily reliant on US munitions, even including mammoth 2,000 pound bombs capable of obliterating large buildings.

This month, Israel has declared its forces have moved to a third phase of the war, which reportedly will see bombings and airstrikes scaled back in intensity, in favor of more “targeted” operations. Currently, there’s still heavy fighting and air raids focused on Khan Yunis, in the south of the Strip. 

This “shift” in IDF strategy and tactics comes after weeks of requests from Washington for the IDF to reign in the indiscriminate air campaign as international pressure mounts over the immense Palestinian death toll.

Israel has also said it is calling many reservists back home at this point; however, the ground war rages on. Even the largest of bombs dropped from the air cannot dismantle the sprawling network of tunnels used by Hamas for ambushes. Israel has been pumping sea water into many of them; however, they are so vast that it’s likely impossible to flood all of them. 

This means the ground war is likely to press on for months, with prior Israeli government statements foreseeing that fighting will continue through this entire year.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The top U.S. public health agency must disclose information provided by people who experienced problems following COVID-19 vaccination, a federal court has ruled.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is being ordered to produce 7.8 million free-text entries from V-safe, one of its vaccine surveillance systems.

Data from the system released under court order in 2022 showed that 25 percent of V-safe participants missed school, work, or other normal activities due to post-vaccination issues, and nearly 8 percent of participants reported seeking medical attention, such as hospitalization after receiving a shot. That data, from boxes checked by users, came through an order in a case that started as a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

But the CDC resisted releasing the free-text entries, arguing that many of them include information that should remain private.

“CDC determined that many of these responses contain personally identifiable information, the disclosure of which would publicly link participants to highly sensitive health information,” government lawyers representing the agency said in one brief. “And because it would take tens of thousands of workhours to manually review and redact millions of free-text responses, CDC determined that segregating the non-exempt information within these responses would be unreasonably burdensome and was therefore beyond its FOIA obligations.”

The CDC said it would take one worker 59 years to complete the work if it were ordered.

The government’s arguments were rejected by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, in response to a fresh lawsuit.

“While the burden to produce the requested free-text responses may be heavy, this court does not find that it is unreasonable,” he said in the new ruling.

The CDC can go through the records and redact personally identifiable information as allowed by FOIA but must do the work and produce the records with the redactions, he added later. Evidence produced in the case indicates that about 93 percent of the records will require no redactions.

The materials will be important for people who experienced problems following vaccination, the judge said.

“Production of the free-text data will permit independent researchers to put the government agencies to their proof by considering all of the available data,” he said. He noted that CDC studies on v-safe data only covered data from the first week or two after vaccination but that the surveys collected data for up to one year after receipt of a shot.

The CDC must produce at least 390,000 free-text entries by Feb. 15. Freedom Coalition of Doctors for Choice, which brought the case in 2023, said the entries would be posted to its website.

The CDC did not respond to a request for comment.

V-safe is a system run by the CDC. Introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, it features people inputting information through a phone application. Participants are asked to provide basic information such as their name and check boxes that answer various questions, such as whether they missed school or work after vaccination. They can add additional information in a free-text area.

The portion where participants checked boxes did not include many adverse events the CDC thought the COVID-19 vaccines might end up causing, according to previously released documents.

Lawyers say the free-text entries will provide crucial details on those health issues and others.

The Informed Consent Action Network, which brought the case that resulted in the disclosure of some of the V-safe data, obtained a free-text entry from a V-safe user that showed her writing, at one point, “Help me!” She said she suffered from a number of symptoms, including nausea and vomiting, and went to the emergency department. Six months later, she wrote, “Still no response from CDC, no help from public health.”

“This ruling,” the network said in a statement, “sends a clear message to our federal agencies: we are not moving on and forgetting about the pandemic or the actions they took.”

You’ll never guess what happened…

That’s right, folks! Our wise and benevolent lawmakers have once again averted debt ceiling disaster – after lawmakers in the House and Senate reached a bipartisan spending deal that will extend two major deadlines and keep the government operating … for six more weeks!

Until we get to do this all over again.

According to NBC News (so who knows), “The deal would keep the government funded until March, buying legislators more time to craft longer-term, agency-specific spending bills, following the agreement last weekend to set the overall spending level for fiscal year 2024 at $1.59 trillion.”

The new agreement moves upcoming government funding deadlines for different departments from Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 to March 1 and March 8.

The short-term bill, known as a continuing resolution or “CR,” will need to pass both the House and Senate before Friday at 11:59 p.m. to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Speaker Mike Johnson is set to hold a call with fellow House Republicans at 8 p.m. Sunday to discuss spending negotiations. Several hard-right Republicans have objected to the top–line spending deal he previously cut with Senate Democrats and have urged Johnson to go back on it, though he said Friday that the agreement remains intact. -NBC News

“The bipartisan topline appropriations agreement clears the way for Congress to act over the next few weeks in order to maintain important funding priorities for the American people and avoid a government shutdown,” said Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries – the top Democrats in both chambers.

Authored by Savannah Hulsey Pointer via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) offered an anti-endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley early on Jan. 12.

The video announcement came after a tease that he’d have “something important to say” about the upcoming 2024 presidential race.

The Republican from Kentucky attacked Ms. Haley’s foreign policy positions, comparing them to those of the “Dick Cheney, John McCain wing of the party.”

As I look over the GOP candidates for President, I don’t yet have a first choice. But I do know one thing: count me in as #NeverNikki! If you want freedom of speech and oppose forever-wars join me ➡️ https://t.co/OBNnT6ZhjP. pic.twitter.com/qxluyL7aIj

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 12, 2024

He stated that Ms. Haley is the only candidate with whom he’d be uncomfortable as the GOP nominee.

“I’m not yet ready to make a decision, but I am ready to make a decision on someone who I cannot support. So I’m announcing this morning that I’m ‘never Nikki,’” the lawmaker said, referencing the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador.

When speaking about the other candidates, Mr. Paul was more charitable.

“I’ve had a long relationship with Donald Trump, and there’s a lot to like there,” he said. “I’m also a big fan of a lot of the fiscal conservatism of Ron DeSantis. I think Vivek Ramaswamy has been an important voice [and I] also have listened to and met with the independent [Robert F.] Kennedy [Jr.].

But, “I don’t think any informed or knowledgeable libertarian or conservative should support Nikki Haley. I’ve seen her attitude towards our event [and] our interventions overseas. I’ve seen her involvement in the military-industrial complex, $8 million being paid to become part of a team.”

Mr. Paul also disagreed with Ms. Haley’s ideals on internet usage, saying he stands against making individuals register to use the internet: “I think she fails to understand that our Republic was founded upon people like Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, [James] Madison, John Jay, and others who posted routinely—for fear of the government—they posted routinely anonymously.

“And I think her failure to really understand that or to think that you should register through the government somehow on the internet is something that should disqualify her in the minds of all libertarian and libertarian-leaning conservatives.”

Mr. Paul teased his news the afternoon before with a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Following his video statement, Mr. Paul also pointed to Ms. Haley’s stance on the United Nations, where she served as U.S. ambassador, as problematic in a series of posts on X.

“She repeatedly praised the U.N. Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres, former president of Socialist International] and declared that they ’think alike,’” said Mr. Paul. And she was positive about the “results” the United Nations achieved and “the people who ran it.”

The Kentucky senator encouraged voters to go to nevernikki.net and “show her that you’re ‘never Nikki’ also.”

“I’ve stayed out of the Republican Presidential Primary so far—but I’ve seen enough. That’s why tomorrow morning I will have something important to say.”

In the leadup to the first primary—the Republican Party of Iowa’s Jan. 15 caucus—former President Donald Trump has maintained a commanding lead.

Two fresh polls conducted only in Iowa reveal that the margin between the former president and his primary competitors is as great as it has ever been.

The results of a poll conducted by Morning Consult and published on Jan. 8 indicate that 58 percent of the anticipated caucus attendees in Iowa will vote for President Trump. Fourteen percent of respondents indicated that they will be voting for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, while 15 percent stated they will support Nikki Haley.

Lastly, 9 percent of respondents indicated they would choose businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. From Jan. 1 to Jan 7, a total of 181 prospective Republican caucus attendees were included in the survey, which had a margin of error of 5 to 7 percent.

Nikki Haley’s campaign did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’s request for comment.

The latest volcanic eruption to hit southwestern Iceland occurred around 0800 local time on the Reykjanes peninsula after quake swarms shook the region for several days. Lava is pouring out of a fissure, threatening the nearby fishing town of Grindavik. 

Icelandic President Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson posted on social media platform X that a new volcanic eruption began in the early morning north of Grindavík. 

“The town had already been successfully evacuated overnight and no lives are in danger, although infrastructure may be under threat. No interruptions to flights,” the president said. 

A new volcanic eruption began in the early morning just north of Grindavík. The town had already been successfully evacuated overnight and no lives are in danger, although infrastructure may be under threat. No interruptions to flights. For updated information follow @RuvEnglish pic.twitter.com/9mlOiMohC4

— President of Iceland (@PresidentISL) January 14, 2024

Images of the eruption were posted on X, showing how close the lava is to Grindavík. 

BREAKING: Yet another volcanic fissure just opened up in Grindavík, Iceland. The nightmare scenario we all feared is happening. I’m afraid we’re witnessing the final chapter of a part of the town. This is utterly tragic. pic.twitter.com/pw45aMMcP8

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) January 14, 2024

“Judging by the pictures, lava is now flowing towards Grindavík,” the Met said.

JUST IN: First aerial footage captured minutes ago of the newly opened volcanic fissure just north Grindavík, Iceland. Credit: @RUVfrettir pic.twitter.com/xQDVnPP0VC

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) January 14, 2024

The last eruption occurred in December near Grindavík and close to the Svartsengi geothermal power plant.

Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news,

Amidst questions surrounding whether ‘diversity and inclusion’ drives are jeopardizing airline safety, Southwest Airlines deleted a post on X celebrating an “all female flight crew.”

The post featured an on-board photo of two female pilots and four air hostesses, two of whom are black.

“All female flight Crew? Go off, queens!” stated the post.

Southwest just took down this tweet after it failed to land with X users pic.twitter.com/TU1lMQhmLe

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 12, 2024

Go off what, the plane?

After other X users began ridiculing the post, the company swiftly deleted it.

Apparently, the queens didn’t get a chance to “go off” after all.

Respondents expressed satisfaction at the company’s quick reversal.

Southwest just took down this tweet after it failed to land with X users pic.twitter.com/TU1lMQhmLe

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 12, 2024

The poor DEI-hired intern saw airlines trending and thought this was a good post to make 😂😂

— Meme’nOnLibs (@MemeNonLibs) January 12, 2024

The woke companies are getting roasted and sued with their DEI programs.

It really shows total lack of awareness of their customers and the issues today.

— floridanow1 (@floridanow1) January 12, 2024

Their social media manager pic.twitter.com/uTpkBgxiap

— Fight Club Central (@Fight_Club_1999) January 12, 2024

These companies are completely out of touch with the people they allege to serve.

— Overton (@OvertonLive) January 12, 2024

Southwest Airlines recently hit the headlines for its policy of giving obese people a free neighboring plane seat if they demand it, even if someone else has already booked and paid for the seat.

Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines, fresh from the controversy of a faulty door blowing off their plane in mid-air, is also facing ridicule for its own obsession with gay virtue signaling.

Let’s start with @AlaskaAir and where they place their focus and money. pic.twitter.com/EgC6T8QVYa

— Courage Is A Habit (@CourageHabit) January 11, 2024

As we highlight in the video below, Spirit AeroSystems, the company responsible for the faulty door and other parts of the Boeing 737 Max 9, is also facing a backlash for pandering to woke clichés.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews

A Gallup poll released on Friday reveals that a record low percentage of Americans who identify as Democrats in 2023 hit a record low, when independent ‘leaners’ are excluded.

Just 27% of Americans self-identify as Democrats, the smallest figure in the party’s history according to the survey. That said, self-identifying Republicans also hit 27%, though it did not mark the lowest figure in the party’s history – which was in 2013 when just 25% of Americans identified as such. The previous low for Democrats was in 2017 and 2015 at 29%.

Independents, meanwhile, take the cake – with 43% of Americans identifying as such.

Gallup 2023 average: Do you consider yourself a Republican or a Democrat? (with Indie leaners)

Republican: 45%
Democrat: 43%

Best numbers for GOP since 1991
—
Without leaners:

43% identified as independents, tying 2014 record

27% identify as Democrats (record low)… pic.twitter.com/60SsG3mVyC

— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) January 12, 2024

More via Gallup:

Independent Leanings Give Republicans a Slight Edge in Party Preferences

All Gallup survey respondents who identify as independents are then asked whether they lean more toward the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. Last year, slightly more independents leaned Republican than leaned Democratic. As a result, a combined 45% of U.S. adults identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP, while 43% are Democrats or Democratic leaners.

The 2023 figures are similar to those from 2022, when Republicans had a one-point advantage (45% to 44%). Republican advantages have been rare since Gallup first began measuring independent political leanings on a regular basis in 1991. In fact, 2023 is just the third time Republicans have had even a slight edge, along with 1991 and 2022.

In most years, there have been more Democrats and Democratic leaners than Republicans and Republican leaners, though the two partisan groups were tied in 2002, 2003 and 2011.

Conservatives, Moderates Tie for Top Ideological Identification

In addition to measuring their affiliation with either of the major political parties, Gallup asks Americans in each survey to describe their political views on a liberal to conservative spectrum. In 2023, on average, 36% of U.S. adults described their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate and 25% as liberal. Ideological identification has changed little in recent years; the latest figures essentially match the averages over the past 10 years.

From a longer-term perspective, the notable change has been the increase in liberal identification, which was under 20% from 1992 to 2000 and in 2002 and 2004. Both conservative and moderate identification have dipped slightly over the past two decades, but there has been a larger drop for moderates than conservatives since the trend began — moderates were the biggest group from 1992 to 2002.

As Gallup has previously documented, the increase in liberal identification reflects big shifts in how Democrats describe their political views. Last year, 53% of Democrats identified as liberal, 35% as moderate and 11% as conservative. While similar to the level in 2022, the 53% liberal figure is up from 43% in 2013, 32% in 2003 and 25% in 1994 (the first year Gallup analyzed ideology by party identification).

Nearly three-quarters of Republicans, 73% (essentially unchanged from 2022, but also up long term), describe themselves as conservative, with most of the rest, 22%, saying they are moderate.

Following the normal pattern for independents, the plurality of this group, 48%, identify as political moderates, while 30% are conservatives and 20% liberals.

Implications

As 2024 begins, the parties are closely matched based on political party identification and leanings. However, Democrats are clearly in a weaker position than they have been in any recent election year. This is based on the new low percentage of U.S. adults identifying as Democrats, as well as the Republican advantage in leaned party identification. In the past four presidential election years, Democrats had at least a five-point advantage in leaned party identification. They won the popular vote each of those years, though Republican Donald Trump won the 2016 election based on the Electoral College vote.

This presidential election year is likely to see a drop in the percentage of political independents, as has occurred in six of the past seven presidential election years (all but 2012), amid intense focus on national politics and the two major parties. Still, even with a slight election-year drop — which has ranged from two to five points — independents will remain the largest, and arguably most persuadable, group of voters. In what is expected to be a close election contest, it is critical for each party, but especially Democrats, to nominate a candidate who can appeal to independent voters.

Authored by Karen Harned via RealClear Wire,

The gig economy has become a crucial part of our nation’s economic infrastructure. Beyond platforms like Uber and Lyft, independent contract workers are also vital to many other sectors of our economy, from healthcare to the arts. In fact, gig work provides at least part-time income to one in three American workers, totaling $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy in annual earnings. 

Karen Harned is president of Harned Strategies LLC. From 2002 to 2022, she served as executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Legal Center.