Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A man from Oklahoma has been arrested for allegedly threatening on YouTube to murder federal agents and other individuals, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a Jan. 21 statement.

The arrested individual, Taylor Ryan Prigmore, 30, is from McLoud.

“On Jan. 17, the FBI received information from Google regarding several threatening statements made by a YouTube user. The YouTube account holder—alleged to be Prigmore—posted several comments on videos between May 9, 2025, and Jan. 17 threatening to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and others,” the department said.

Last week alone, Prigmore allegedly left eight threatening comments in which he expressed a desire to carry out these murders. He also threatened to kill any law enforcement officers who came to his residence, warning he would take the lives of “as many as possible,” the DOJ said.

A criminal complaint filed against Prigmore at the District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on Tuesday listed the threatening comments allegedly made by him.

For instance, on Jan. 17, he allegedly posted: “I’m prepping physically and mentally to kill federal agents. Have you not seen the news of late. The nazi’s are winning over here. WWIII is on it’s way, and a great depression is probably around the corner. Our presidents needs to die to save lives. sex slaves, lynchings, rapes, disappearances and murders, are being perpetrated by ICE. In the open now. I intend to kill these people as law has abandon justice here,” according to the complaint.

On Monday, Prigmore was charged with communicating a threat through interstate commerce and was arrested by the FBI, DOJ said.

Prigmore appeared before a judge the next day, and was ordered detained pending trial. He faces $250,000 in fines and up to five years in prison if found guilty.

FBI Director Kash Patel said there will be “no free passes” for people making threats against men and women who wear the badge and protect communities.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi said: “As attacks on law enforcement rise around the country, this Department of Justice will continue to identify and prosecute violent threats against the brave men and women who keep us safe. Hiding behind a screen will not protect you from severe legal consequences.”

The Epoch Times was unable to ascertain whether Prigmore has been assigned legal representation.

Prigmore’s arrest comes amid a spike in threats against federal enforcement officers.

In a Jan. 9 statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that its officers have been facing an 8,000 percent increase in death threats, a 3,200 percent jump in vehicular attacks, and a more than 1,300 percent rise in assaults while doing their work.

On Jan. 15, DHS said ICE arrested an illegal immigrant from Cuba who weaponized his vehicle against federal law enforcement officials, ramming into two ICE vehicles. One officer who was in an ICE vehicle in the front seat suffered injuries.

A day earlier, DHS revealed that an ICE agent was admitted to the hospital after being ambushed and attacked with a shovel by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant in Minneapolis.

Immigration Enforcement Oversight

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s federal immigration crackdown efforts have been criticized by Democrats.

On Jan. 15, a group of Democratic senators wrote a letter to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, asking him to conduct oversight of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions.

The DHS has deployed an “unprecedented” number of federal agents across the country, with these officers having engaged in operations involving “excessive use of force,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

The senators cited the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota as an example of the use of excessive force. A phone video of the incident taken by the ICE agent who shot Good shows that when the agent walked in front of the vehicle, Good reversed the vehicle and turned the steering wheel to drive forward.

Vice President JD Vance shared the video on his X account, saying that it shows the agent acted in self-defense.

“Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn’t hit by a car, wasn’t being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman,” Vance said. “The reality is that his life was endangered and he fired in self defense.”

“This certainly does not concern us,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday at a moment it seems the entirety of the West’s attention is fixated on President Trump’s designs on Greenland. “I think they will sort it out among themselves.”

Putin acknowledged the US and Denmark must ultimately settle the question, but he interestingly hinted his sympathies could be with the US position, given he offered up as a model for resolving the dispute America’s historic acquirement of Alaska. He also offered up some quick math.

He distanced himself from the inter-NATO spat and standoff, presenting some mediation-type advice at a meeting of the National Security Council in Moscow, which he chaired.

Putin explained that Russia has experience in selling Arctic territories to the United States, recalling that the Russian Empire sold the sprawling and resource-rich Alaska peninsula for $7.2 million in 1863.

“At today’s prices, taking into account inflation over the decades, this sum is equivalent to about $158 million,” Putin said. He then said that given Greenland is a bit bigger than Alaska, a similar deal would have seen Greenland priced at roughly $200 million to $250 million.

Factoring in the relative value of gold at the time, he described that the true valuation could be pushed up to “probably about $1 billion.” And he concluded, “Well, I think the United States can afford such a sum.”

On the politics of it, while stressing Moscow has no interest in entering this purely Western dispute, he said, “Incidentally, Denmark has always treated Greenland as a colony and has been quite harsh, if not ​cruel, towards it. But that is a different matter altogether, and hardly anyone is interested ‌in it now.”

This well-timed swipe at Denmark came in the context of Moscow having long been miffed at the tiny Scandinavian country for its outsized role in supporting Ukraine – even hosting a pilot program and sending fighter jets.

The Russian leader also made passing reference to acquirement of the US Virgin Islands:

He added that Denmark had sold the U.S. Virgin Islands to Washington in 1917 in exchange for recognizing its ownership of Greenland, and that Russia itself offloaded Alaska to the U.S. in 1867.

As for Greenland, Washington and NATO leadership (specifically Mark Rutte) have expressed deep concern over supposed Russian and Chinese inroads in the Arctic region just off the large far northern island.

Putin does math:

Regarding Greenland… well, this doesn’t concern us at all—what happens with Greenland.

But we do have experience in resolving similar issues with the United States in the 19th century, I believe in 1867. As we know, Russia sold Alaska, and the United States… pic.twitter.com/BF8sHjYmwg

— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 21, 2026

But Russia is more likely enjoying this display of disunity within the alliance. Even Reuters has noted, “Moscow has watched ‌with glee as US President Donald Trump’s drive to acquire Greenland has widened Washington’s split with Europe, even though his moves ‌could have ramifications for Russia, which already has a strong Arctic presence.”

Via American Greatness,

House Republicans passed a sweeping new framework for a second reconciliation bill that would ban illegal aliens from receiving a single dime from taxpayer-funded federal welfare programs.

The proposal, which was led by the Republican Study Committee (RSC) also seeks to reform federal funding allocations to states, ensuring that taxpayer funds are spent solely on U.S. citizens.

Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) emphasized the urgency of the reconciliation bill during a press conference earlier today, saying, “Republicans in Congress can and must go it alone with the second reconciliation bill.”

🚨 BREAKING: House Republicans just filed a new reconciliation bill BANNING illegals from obtaining a dime of taxpayer welfare

Only 51 votes required in the Senate! GET THIS DONE 🔥

It also:
– Ensures only citizens count for purposes of allocating funding to states
– Cracks… pic.twitter.com/EK1HVt8rDx

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 13, 2026

Hamadeh spoke of how the framework “is all about making life affordable again for the American people” and seeks to put the American worker first.

He added, “It prevents illegal immigrants from obtaining all government handouts, cracks down on rampant fraud like the abuse and mess that we’ve seen in Democrat states like Minnesota, and reforms funding so only citizens count when they’re doling out federal funds to the states.”

The Arizona congressman also noted that he and his colleagues “didn’t run for office to continue the status quo” and described the primary goals of the measure, saying, “This is our moment to flip the script, restore balance for the American people, and put power back in your hands—not bureaucrats, foreign nationals, or illegal immigrants.’

The measure only requires a simple majority of 51 votes in the U.S. Senate in order to pass.

The emphasis on prioritizing American citizens in federal spending could spell budget trouble for states like California that rely on federal funds to serve illegal aliens and mixed-status families.

The bill, introduced as H.R. 1, builds on the first reconciliation package passed in 2025, which included major tax cuts and border security funding.

This latest version focuses on putting an end to what Republicans call “rampant fraud” in welfare programs, implementing spending cuts estimated to save $1.6 trillion over the next decade and codifying former President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration.

Thursday saw another Russia-linked tanker, part of the so-called shadow fleet of sanctions evading vessels, boarded by a European country’s navy. Such incidents are ramping up, and likely Moscow is also increasing its security deployments related to protecting the vessels.

Just as Ukrainian President Zelensky was on stage at the Davos WEF summit where he decried European ‘inaction’ – news hit global headlines that the French navy boarded an oil tanker from Russia. “This morning, the French Navy boarded and searched an oil tanker from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on X.

“The operation was carried out on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies,” he added, noting that the vessel had been “diverted”.

“We will let nothing pass,” Macron then stated, seeking to appear ‘tough’ at a moment much of European leadership is focused on the Greenland crisis.

“The activities of the shadow fleet help finance the war of aggression against Ukraine,” he added.

The detail about it happening in the Mediterranean is interesting, and more rare, given that until now such intercepts typically take place in northern European waters. But this apparently underscores European resolve to go after these vessels anywhere on the globe.

International news sources have identified the seized vessel, currently under escort, as the “Grinch” and it happened in the narrow body of water between Spain and Morocco.

Per the emerging details, the operation was carried out by France in coordination with the UK, which provided vital intelligence to make the intercept possible.

The vessel was sailing under a false Comoros flag, despite having an Indian crew, with the vessel encountering French authorities near southern Spanish port city of Almería.

Photos of the French Navy boarding the Russian shadow fleet tanker Grinch today in the Mediterranean pic.twitter.com/tIMjwWfIWq

— Air & Sea Intel (@air_intel) January 22, 2026

This incident is akin to one in last September which saw French naval forces board another oil tanker off France’s Atlantic coast.

That prior vessel had departed from the Russian oil terminal at Primorsk near St. Petersburg. Known as “Pushpa” or “Boracay” – after undergoing multiple name changes – the tanker was operating under the Beninese flag, The Associated Press reported.

Oil prices are lower this morning after Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that the US, Russia and Ukraine will meet in coming days for trilateral team meetings.

WTI dropped below $60 as Zelenskiy urged Russia to be “ready for compromises.”

Any breakthrough to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine could iron out supply disruptions and end sanctions on Russian crude in an already oversupplied global market, sapping a longstanding geopolitical risk premium.

Adding to pressure on prices, Kazakhstan is getting closer to ending a weeks-long export constraint as repairs at a key Black Sea oil-loading facility near completion. A backlog of cargoes at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal is easing.

And supplies are also returning to the global market from Venezuela.

Easing tensions returned the focus to market fundamentals, as traders look to rising global inventories as supply runs well ahead of demand (seemingly confirmed by a large build in crude and product stocks reported overnight by API).

API

• Crude +3.04mm

• Cushing +1.2mm

• Gasoline +6.2mm

• Distillates -33k

DOE

• Crude +3.6mm

• Cushing +1.478mm – biggest build since Aug 2025

• Gasoline +5.977mm

• Distillates +3.348mm

The official data showed inventory builds across the board with Cushing stocks jumping by the most since August and gasoline inventories up for the 10th week in a row

Source: Bloomberg

US Crude production dipped a little from record highs as rig counts continue to trend lower…

Source: Bloomberg

WTI extended losses after the across the board builds…

Source: Bloomberg

“The geopolitical temperature has eased a few degrees,” said Ole Sloth Hansen, a strategist at Saxo Bank A/S in Copenhagen.

But with a range of supply threats unresolved, and colder weather set to bolster US demand, prices will likely “hold firm.”

Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times,

A federal judge has blocked the government from searching data obtained in a raid last week on the home of Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson.

The order from U.S. Magistrate Judge William B. Porter comes after the federal government on Jan. 14 executed a search warrant at Natanson’s home. According to The Washington Post, federal authorities seized a phone, two laptops, a recorder, a portable hard drive, and a Garmin watch during the raid.

The Standstill Order granted by Porter specifically says that the government must “preserve but … not review” the materials obtained in the raid while litigation on the matter moves forward.

An additional motion filed by Natanson and The Washington Post called on the court to order the government to return Natanson’s seized materials. Oral arguments on this motion will be held Feb. 6, with the court holding off on any intervention until then.

The brief order contains no discussions of the case’s merits or arguments, which will be delayed until after the Feb. 6 hearing.

Federal authorities say the search warrant was part of an investigation into a national security leak.

Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a government contractor with top secret security clearance, is at the center of the investigation. According to the FBI, Perez-Lugones is believed to have brought classified information from his job to his home.

In a criminal complaint, the FBI said it found documents marked “secret” and described as “related to national defense” in his basement, lunchbox, and car.

The raid on Natanson was related to this leak, though additional details on the nature of the information have not been provided.

“This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor. The leaker is currently behind bars,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X.

“The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country.”

First Amendment Concerns

Meanwhile, critics of the move—including The Washington Post—say that the unprecedented raid represents a major threat to First Amendment protections related to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press—which tracks issues affecting First Amendment freedoms as they relate to members of the media—the raid on Natanson’s home marks the first time in U.S. history that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has raided a journalist’s home in connection with a national security leak.

The president of the organization, Bruce Brown, described the raid as “a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press.”

Following the raid, The Washington Post immediately filed to have the materials returned, citing First Amendment protections and federal statutes that provide extra legal protections to journalists.

“The federal government’s wholesale seizure of a reporter’s confidential news-gathering materials violates the Constitution’s protections for free speech and a free press and should not be allowed to stand,” The Washington Post wrote. “It … flouts the First Amendment and ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists. The seizure chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on protected materials.”

The petition called for the court to “order the immediate return of all seized materials. Anything less would license future newsroom raids and normalize censorship by search warrant.”

Privacy Protection Act

Under the Privacy Protection Act of 1980, specific procedures are mandated for obtaining notes, communications, and other work-related data from journalists, requiring that these materials be obtained via a subpoena related to an ongoing criminal investigation.

Subpoenas can also be challenged in court before being executed, in contrast to a search warrant, which is generally only able to be challenged after the fact.

The Privacy Protection Act prohibits the use of standard search warrants as grounds for such a raid.

The bill was passed specifically to overturn a 1978 Supreme Court ruling in Zurcher v. Stanford Daily. In that instance, police had raided a newsroom with a standard search warrant, which the Supreme Court ruled lawful.

Congress, disapproving of the ruling, passed the Privacy Protection Act to make it more difficult for the government to obtain journalistic materials.

The Washington Post cited the statute in its filing, writing that returning the materials is justified as “much of it is protected by the Privacy Protection Act.”

The DOJ has been given until Jan. 28 to file a response to the suit.

Following Dinesh D’Souza and Dave Smith’s clash on what really is America First last week, fault lines were largely drawn on geopolitical lines. Core differences between the Carlson-Gaetz-Bannon and Shapiro-Levin-Loomer camps of the conservative movement lie on issues like the U.S. relationship to Israel, the capture of Maduro, with some GOP hawks still supporting intervention in Eastern Europe.

Given the divide is on these grounds, the question is: How has Trump done on foreign policy in his second term?

Answering this question, tonight we’ll host Trump’s former National Security Council Chief of Staff Fred Fleitz against Libertarian Institute founder and antiwar.com editor Scott Horton covering South America to Middle East to Europe to Asia.

What the President does with Iran in the face of Israeli and neocon pressure may be a key question in the coming days.

The only reason America doesn’t have good relations with Iran is because Israel forbids it. https://t.co/MgxCeUngXC

— Scott Horton (@scotthortonshow) January 20, 2026

Horton is firmly is the “stay the hell out” corner while Fleitz recently made his call for intervention known, citing agreement with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich:

“The demonstrations may have stopped or ebbed because security forces are shooting at even small groups of people who gather on the street. Iran’s FM yesterday told Fox that executions were off for Wednesday and Thursday but could not say about Friday. Other Iranian officials seem determined to begin executions. The regime is blaming the US, Israel, and drug traffickers  for the protests. Iranian officials are sending large funds out of the country. The US reportedly is moving military assets into the region, including the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier. I agree with Newt Gingrich that the Iranian regime is not about to fall but is struggling to survive.  I also agree with Newt that the Iranian people cannot overthrow the regime without outside help. Iran will never be the same after this brutal crackdown. The fall of the regime is within sight.”

My take on the current situation in Iran.

The demonstrations may have stopped or ebbed because security forces are shooting at even small groups of people who gather on the street.

Iran’s FM yesterday told Fox that executions were off for Wednesday and Thursday but could not…

— Fred Fleitz (@FredFleitz) January 15, 2026

Another open question of Trump’s foreign policy is the fate of Greenland. Hosting will be David Rand from the Human Reaction podcast.

We’ll see you tonight at 7pm ET, live on the homepage, X, and YouTube.
 

By Michael Every of Rabobank

Green Stocks Land

The Greenland crisis was logically always likely to end quickly, to market approval, due to European geostrategic weakness, but still herald a new world order that markets don’t understand and won’t like once they do. That’s exactly how it’s now played out.

At Davos, President Trump ruled out the use of force but gave Europe and NATO an ultimatum on Greenland: within hours, a ‘framework deal’ was struck and threatened US tariffs on eight EU countries have been removed. This reportedly echoes the post-imperial arrangement the UK has with Cyprus. The US gains time-unlimited (Trump: “Forever”) access to areas of Greenland around military bases, as well as concessions for critical minerals, and the island will host the US Golden Dome missile defense shield. There will also be a far greater, permanent European NATO focus on its defense and the Northern Passage.

Those who say TACO all the time will cluck here. Those who see Republicans serve up ‘American Greenland’ cake at a Kennedy Centre event, Trump forcing vastly higher defense spending on all US allies, being paid tariff revenues that aren’t part of any agreed FTA, receiving trillions in pledged inwards FDI which the US will direct, and putting Iran’s nuclear programme under rubble and Venezuela’s Maduro in a New York courtroom, will argue it’s Europe that yielded, and will be forced to spend even more on Arctic defence, and to move even further under a US shield and a critical minerals processing compact, not its own independent ones.  

For markets, that’s the good news. The bad news is that the liberal world order is shattered.

Trump didn’t invade – and he was never going to except in some fevered imaginations. Yet he demonstrated to Europe he could, as could others in the future, and there’s presently nothing they can do about it. That’s how the world always worked until the past few decades, and it’s how it will work again going forwards.

For example, as Europe looks north-west, this week saw the US suddenly withdraw support for the Kurdish region of Syria that has thrived in recent years as it opts to back the former-jihadi Syrian president instead: there are already reports of appalling violence being inflicted on Kurds there. If Europe noticed that development to its south-east, it’s completely powerless to do anything about it if it disagrees – which isn’t clear at all either.

Moreover, on top of trade, energy, tech, finance, and NATO/Ukraine as points of relative European geostrategic weakness, once one accepts realpolitik, consider that if Europe ever ‘pivots to China’, as some have whispered, the US can ‘pivot to Russia’ and arm it against Ukraine and Europe. If Europe thinks it has that China card in its pocket, it needs to be aware that the US still has more of them.

That’s hardly the foundation for a solid Western alliance. Indeed, even with tariff threats removed, the European establishment loves America but in private evidently wishes Trump were gone – ECB President Lagarde walked out of a Davos dinner after anti-EU barbs from US Commerce Secretary Lutnick. Equally, the US President states in public that he loves Europe and his admin that they wish its establishment was gone (see the NSS). So where to from here?

Logically, leaderships could change. November 2026 looms, as does the French presidential election in April 2027. Yet some genies aren’t so easily put back into bottles.

As such, it’s down to the realpolitik of who has the best cards. Canada’s PM Carney, who didn’t meet Trump at Davos, earlier made a much-publicized speech which stated: “Many countries are drawing the same conclusions – that they must develop greater strategic autonomy: in energy, food, critical minerals, in finance and supply chains. And this impulse is understandable. A country that can’t feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself.” That sounds exactly like Trump.

Yet as George Magnus points out, Carney citing Czech anti-communist dissident Vaclav Havel’s ‘The Power of the Powerless’ to call out Trump and the polite hypocrisies of the liberal world order doesn’t sit easily with him heading to China to strike trade deals. That’s Trump’s game, played with far weaker cards. Today, the powerless are… powerless.

Indeed, Trump noted from the Davos stage: “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.” As the Canadian press puts it, ‘At Davos, a new great game dawns for the world. Which way, Canada?’ And all of us.

In the short term, green land – because TACO, or because Europe in 2026 is Egypt of 1956. In the long term, it’s unclear – and starkly binary.

Europe and others can try to go their own way. For example, Spain just urged the EU to create a joint army. Yet that’s the same Spain that adamantly refuses to spend 5% of GDP on defence within NATO. Talk is cheap. Preparation for war, or for strategic autonomy, is mind-blowingly expensive, and the US can block these moves every step of the way. Or European disunity can block itself: the European parliament just voted for the new EU-Mercosur deal to be given judicial review, which will delay it for a year. Trump deals seem to get agreed on a handshake or a tweet.

Or Europe and others will see policy after policy directed by the US. Consider the EU just watered down its green rules to ensure it can keep flows of Qatari LNG; and symbolically, the World Economic Forum is considering moving from Davos to new places. Like Florida?

Long-term planning is going to be very hard if you don’t know who is doing it for you – the US, or Europe – or China?

Domestic politics will also twist and turn in tandem. In Australia, the opposition coalition between the Liberals and the Nationals has just shattered again for the second time in a year. This time, it may not come back together as One Nation surge in the polls.

In markets, at Davos, ‘Wall Street Chiefs Try to Lay Low to Avoid Trump’s Trolling’ says Bloomberg, which summarises the mood.

Eyes are on the Supreme Court, which in hearing oral arguments expressed scepticism over Trump’s bid to sack Lisa Cook from the Fed, with specific mention of the importance of its independence. That Trump front matters as much, if not more, than Greenland, and potentially opens up a new world order to the same extent. If he wins there it would again mean green land at first, because “rate cuts!”, but then serious questions over what/where next.

There is also relative calm in Japan, which is also in the green following efforts to stabilize things after the wild volatility in JGB markets this week. That trend, which some try to paint as “a quarrel in a faraway land between people of which we know nothing”, with no implications for sensible developed markets like Europe, is also a warning. Japan just ran its fifth consecutive annual trade deficit in 2025, and it’s that development –alongside “it’s baaack” inflation– which is undermining its ability to stabilize its markets without relying on the kindness others.

That structural threat looms ahead for many economies and is another reason why they need to not only be ‘resilient’ but to run trade surpluses —which obviously not everybody can– or find a bloc they can sit within that will support them. And sometimes that choice is made for them.

Crowds of Canadian citizens stood in long lines across Alberta for hours this week to sign a petition for a referendum on leaving Canada – officially titled “A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence.”  The petition requires at least 177,000 signatures in order to trigger the referendum, which would ultimately decide if the province will separate.

Petitions have 120 days to collect the signatures needed.  Pro-separation groups say they could get as many as 1 million signatures, which would be a clear indication that Alberta will leave Canada.  Alberta’s population is currently 5 million people.

Some petition locations reported as many as 10,000 signatures in a day and the public response is described as “concerning” by critics who want to remain part of Canada’s “constitutional monarchy.”  Alberta is widely considered the most conservative province in the country and has been at odds with the far-left Canadian government (ruled by Ontario progressives). 

The referendum would mean a simply Yes/No question for voters on separation.  A majority (51% or more) would then lead to a legal process overseen by the Canadian federal government.  Come polls indicate that 60% of Albertan citizens are still opposed to the measure, however, the recent turnout for the petition suggests the tide is turning.  Recent conflicts with progressive elites in the Canadian government have driven Albertans to question their relationship. 

Alberta fought against the leftist government’s pandemic lockdowns, church and business closures and draconian vaccination requirements.  They remain in opposition to Canada’s new gun laws which are incrementally removing all firearms from private hands.  They have also been at odds with the federal government over resource development, energy policy, carbon taxation and economic marginalization. 

Essentially, Alberta is a different nation when compared to the Canadian norm.  It is also a commodity treasure trove that Canada exploits to feed its coffers while rarely giving anything back to provincial citizens. 

Wow, an absolute insane lineup of people – that goes entire city blocks – of people in Calgary waiting to sign a petition to make Alberta an independent sovereign nation. pic.twitter.com/HqB1xaJRs8

— Keean Bexte (@TheRealKeean) January 11, 2026

Canadian courts initially blocked a referendum question on separation, asserting that the implications of the question were too vague and did not align with constitutional requirements.  Instead of appealing the decision, Alberta turned to the legislature. Within days, the legislature passed Bill 14, amending the Referendum Act to remove the requirement that referendum questions align with the Constitution.  Separatists quickly got a revised referendum question approved, and the petition process resumed

Another obstacle to the separation is a lawsuit brought by the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation goes far beyond provincial politics. The First Nation is seeking an urgent injunction to stop Alberta’s petition process.  They say a separation would be in violation of their original treaty with the Crown.  The claim sets up a possible loophole allowing the federal government to deny separation, but the notion that a Native treaty supersedes provincial law is rather thin.  Alberta’s separation would simply mean that the Cree would have to negotiate a new treaty.

Arguments against the referendum say that Alberta is “landlocked”, which would make its separation economically disastrous.  This is not entirely true.  Their shared border with the US and newfound sovereignty would allow the province to establish more significant oil pipelines (pipelines which the Canadian government has consistently blocked in the past).  This development along with greater resource exploration and an alliance with American interests would make Alberta one of the wealthiest regions in the western hemisphere.

Furthermore, Alberta stretches within 700 miles of the arctic, an area of the world which is quickly becoming central to geopolitics.  Early warning systems and NORAD bases in Alberta are integral to US security.  These bases could be shut down in the event that conflicts between Canada and the US escalate.  A free Alberta could become vital to US defense.

The debate over US ownership of Greenland is only one element of a larger global shift to the North.  Alberta’s exit from Canada and potential alliance with the US could have vast implications for international relations.       

US natural gas futures are ripping higher, up roughly 75% in just three trading days, and are on pace to post the largest weekly gain on record.

The move has all the signs of a classic winter-driven short squeeze, with traders scrambling to cover as a polar blast descends into the Lower 48.

An intense Arctic blast and a sprawling winter storm system, drawing comparisons to the Blizzard of ’96, are set to sweep across the eastern half of the US this weekend.

Weather models point to prolonged sub-freezing temperatures, raising the risk of freeze-offs in the Appalachian Basin, a critical US NatGas supply region.

Energy research firm Criterion Research was the first to warn that NatGas production disruptions across Appalachia could materially tighten balances at the worst possible time, just as heating demand spikes. Any sustained freeze-offs would not only pressure spot supply but could also stress regional power grids.

Criterion Research explained:

Winter is Coming for Appalachia

This week’s Appalachian nat gas production is already down 1.1 Bcf/d versus last week, and the extreme cold is just getting started.

Pittsburgh overnight lows are headed to -6.8°F at their most intense levels next week, with this cold coming in lower and longer than Winter Storm Elliott (Dec 2022.)

During Eliott, regional production dropped 25-30%.

Winter is Coming for Appalachia
This week’s Appalachian nat gas production is already down 1.1 Bcf/d versus last week, and the extreme cold is just getting started.

Pittsburgh overnight lows are headed to -6.8°F at their most intense levels next week, with this cold coming in… pic.twitter.com/l2oyl80cfe

— Criterion Research (@PipelineFlows) January 22, 2026

We cited Criterion Research on Wednesday (read here), which outlined where the production freeze-offs are likely to emerge.

Production Freeze Offs Coming

The screenshot from our Mapping Analytics Platform below shows all Appalachian production meters in the region (green dots) and processing plants (pink dots) – and the key item to watch is where winter precipitation hits and where the power outages… pic.twitter.com/PjWxQPc3Zo

— Criterion Research (@PipelineFlows) January 21, 2026

At least 175 million people across the Lower 48 will face snow, rain, sleet and ice through the weekend as record-breaking cold pours into the eastern half of the US. Below-zero temperatures are expected to boost heating demand at a time when pipeline freeze-offs could disrupt gas production.

We warned on Wednesday:

Recall Winter Storm Uri in 2021, when extreme cold paralyzed the NatGas supply and collapsed the ERCOT grid in Texas for a week. A scenario like that could be in play in parts of the eastern US, regions where power grids are already tight because of bad ‘green’ energy policies colliding with the era of data centers.

Ole Hvalbye, an analyst at SEB AB, commented on Natty prices ripping higher: “This is a textbook winter-driven squeeze: fast, violent, and sentiment-shifting.”