Authored by Josiah Lippincott via American Greatness,

By the time this piece publishes, the United States military might already have launched air strikes on Iran. Indeed, planes could be launching while I write this. Nevertheless, here is a list of seven reasons why our government should not intervene in the Middle East.

1) It has never gone well. That is unlikely to change now. In 1953, the CIA overthrew the elected government of Iran to help the British more easily extract oil. We then installed the Shah, whom lots of Persians didn’t like. That problem came to a head in 1979 with the Shah being deposed and the religious fundamentalists, led by the Ayatollah, coming to power. That was not a success story for the United States.

Then there are the horrific boondoggles in Iraq and Afghanistan, the lies that drew us into the First Gulf War (babies stabbed in incubators!), the Syrian civil war, the disastrous collapse of Libya after Obama’s airstrikes, the Arab Spring nonsense, and the intervention in Lebanon that led to 200 Marines getting killed. I could go on.

The American government has a long pattern of failure in the Middle East.

2) Iran is not a military threat to America. This will cause the DC establishment types to be upset, but it is true. Iran’s anger with America stems from the coup we staged there and the meddling in Iran’s near abroad. This relationship can be easily fixed by simply stopping our current policy of hostility to the regime in Iran and adopting a policy of simply ignoring the region.

This is the right policy towards Iran because the country is not a threat to us. Iran cannot militarily attack America. The Revolutionary Guard is not going to stage an amphibious landing on the Potomac. Iranian agents of subterfuge on American soil have been hapless fools, easily foiled.

Even if Iran develops nuclear weapons, nothing changes. Iran cannot nuke America without getting obliterated in return. Therefore, there is no incentive to use those nuclear weapons in an offensive fashion.

Pakistan, North Korea, Russia, and China are all “bad” powers that have nuclear weapons. They’ve never used these weapons for a reason—the price isn’t worth the gain. Nukes are an ace in the hole for national defense, but they don’t have offensive utility in a world of atomic parity.

3) Iran’s relationship to Israel is not our problem. Iran and Israel despise each other for reasons that are complex and not worth getting into here. Needless to say, this is not a problem for Americans. Lots of people on earth don’t like each other. This isn’t new. The best thing to do in these cases is to simply stay out. We ought not borrow trouble that has no bearing on our national interests.

Israel is a big boy country. The Israelis can solve their own problems. There is no need for the American taxpayer to be involved.

Much is made of the anti-Semitism of the Iranian regime, with the implication being that the Ayatollah will use nuclear weapons against Israel if he gets the bomb. This is fearmongering with no basis in reality. Israel, like America, has nuclear weapons. If Tel Aviv gets annihilated, then so will Tehran. There is simply no gain for the Iranians in that case. Moreover, there is absolutely zero reason for the United States to get mixed up in a potential nuclear standoff between any countries anywhere on earth.

To be frank, the leadership of Iran is no more insane, moralistic, or fanatical than the Israeli or American ruling classes. In fact, they seem to be less expansionist than our own DC meddlers, mostly due to the aged character of the Iranian ruling element. The American military-industrial complex is more ferocious about spreading gay sex, feminism, and “democracy” abroad than Iran is in spreading Shia Islam.

4) The Iranian struggle for freedom is not a concern of the American government. The Declaration of Independence says that the purpose of government is to secure the rights “to life, liberty, and happiness” of the American people.

The Iranian people, however we may feel at a personal level about their cause, are not Americans. They don’t pay taxes, don’t owe us loyalty, haven’t consented to being ruled by us, and we have not agreed to rule over them in turn.

Their problems are their problems. The American government serves the American people. The Iranians are not Americans. They don’t get to ask American taxpayers to give them money, weapons, and support.

If Americans privately want to support women’s liberation or whatever in Iran, they are welcome to do so, but that isn’t what tax money is for.

5) Tax money spent on bombing Iran would be more useful here at home. Let’s take a hard-headed view of the costs at stake here: every dollar we spend monkeying with the desert drama queens is a dollar we didn’t spend on something else here at home.

War does not “boost the economy” because all of the weapons used and all of the soldiers’ paychecks have to come from taxing the economy. Everything in life comes with tradeoffs. War is no different.

Americans shouldn’t pay for weapons to be used on causes that don’t serve their interests, and our primary interest is protection. Our government is supposed to protect our bodies and our property. We have real problems with this right now here at home. Much more needs to be done to make American communities safe and peaceful.

I care far more about violence and criminal mischief in Hillsdale, Michigan, than in Tehran. Lots of bad things happen every day all over the world. Our tax dollars should be used to solve problems here.

6) Intervention backfires. Wars for human rights and far-flung geostrategic “interests” are always boondoggles. The long-term effects are bad: we stoke resentment among the natives, offend local power players, get sucked into unintelligible complex regional problems, and bear the long-term costs of dealing with the fallout.

There is, thankfully, an easy way to avoid all these issues: just stay away. If individual Americans care about the Middle East, then they can choose to spend their own money and time messing around in the region.

Surely, if Americans really thought bombing Iran was a good idea, then they would be eagerly offering up money to mercenaries and resistance fighters to go in there and spread freedom. Since most Americans are not doing this willingly, why should they be forced to support these measures unwillingly with tax dollars? It doesn’t make sense.

7) The American government should adopt the golden rule out of self-interest. Americans would not like it if a foreign government decided to meddle in our internal affairs. If China or Russia announced that they were going to launch military operations against the American homeland because of police “brutality” waged by ICE against illegal migrants, there would be an enormous backlash. Even leftists might view this as going too far.

We expect other countries to mind their own business and to stay out of ours. We should do the same abroad. Our real interests are right here on our own soil.

Instead of going abroad in search of monsters to destroy, the American government should worry about problems here. The easiest way is to simply stay out of unnecessary conflicts. The opportunities for problems abroad are simply too great. The Middle East is a mess and one the American government has done more, over its history, to create than to solve.

Time to take a step back.

Lululemon Athletica has drifted from its core strength in premium, high-quality yoga pants, chasing trends and fast product cycles. Competitors such as Alo Yoga and Vuori are quickly taking market share, while Lululemon has seen quality lapses, culminating in the botched launch of its “Get Low” tights earlier this month.

Bloomberg reports that Chief Brand and Product Activation Officer Nikki Neuburger told hundreds of employees at a meeting last week and in a video shared with staff worldwide that customers were not wearing the new $108 Get Low tights correctly.

Neuburger said that customers who bought the new controversial leggings, which some customers claim were see-through and “not squat proof,” must size up and wear skin-toned underwear before putting on Get Low tights.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that Neuburger’s memo to staff blaming customers for the see-through tights fiasco must “honestly be a joke.”

“You are selling a premium product, you shouldn’t have to issue instructions to women on how to wear leggings because your product is defective,” Saunders said.

Earlier this month, Lululemon pulled its new tights from its North America e-commerce website just days after launch, following an uproar on social media over claims that the leggings were see-through. But it re-introduced the tights to the online store about a week ago.

In response to the epic failure, founder Chip Wilson felt compelled enough to blast the Board in a social media post:

This is a new low for lululemon. Pulling back the “Get Low” product line after three days is clearly a total operational failure. This comes just 17 months after the failed launch of the “Breezethrough” leggings, a product line also discontinued for similar product flaws. I’ve believed that lululemon has lost its cool for some time, but it is now evident to me that the Company has completely lost its way as a leader in technical apparel. For years, lululemon’s results (particularly in North America) have shown how the Company has struggled to deliver products that are compelling and beloved; now it is unable to simply deliver products that work.

Despite any finger pointing internally following this mishap, this is not the fault of any hard-working employees. This is the fault of the Board. It is clear that persistent failures like this are born out of this Board’s lack of experience in creative businesses, disinterest in product development and quality, and focus on short-term, self-interested priorities. How could anyone reach a conclusion other than the Board continues to make decisions that are destroying the brand and the stock price?

What product quality testing did the Board review? How often does the Board review the product pipeline? Are leaders empowered to make the best product decision or simply pushed to the lowest cost decision?

I believe a leading Board would have a Brand Product Committee and have asked these questions.

For memory’s sake, let’s take another look at the Get Low line.

And one last time.

Meanwhile, Alo Yoga and Vuori are winning influencers and younger customers; Lululemon’s attempts to follow that playbook have epically backfired. Year-to-date, shares are down 17%, below Covid lows.

Saunders said, “They’ve gone from being the leader in the category to, honestly, a bit of a follower.”

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday said he imposed a statewide disaster declaration to prevent the spread of a type of parasitic fly in his state.

The New World screwworm isn’t yet present in the United States or Texas, although officials say it has been spreading toward the U.S.–Mexico border. Abbot said it can cause potential problems for the U.S. livestock industry if it spreads northward across the border.

“State law authorizes me to act to prevent a threat of infestation that could cause severe damage to Texas property, and I will not wait for such harm to reach our livestock and wildlife,” he said in a statement.

The disaster declaration allows him to mobilize the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team to “fully utilize all state government prevention and response resources to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite” and that “Texas is prepared to fully eradicate this pest if need be,” he said.

The governor added that the order directs the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to create the response team and partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to respond to the parasite.

Screwworms can infect livestock, wildlife, and people, health and agriculture authorities have said. The insect’s maggots can burrow into the skin, inflicting serious and, in some cases, fatal damage to an organism.

In a notice on its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is usually found in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and South America. People are at a higher risk of contracting the infection if they travel to such areas or are around livestock in rural places where the screwworm flies are located and if they also have an open wound, according to the agency.

“NWS infestations are very painful,” the CDC says on its website, using an acronym for the New World screwworm. “If you have an NWS infestation, you may see maggots (larvae) around or in an open wound. They could also be in your nose, eyes, or mouth.”

The declaration from Abbott comes as the USDA said that, as of Jan. 22, the screwworm has not yet been detected in the United States.

Screwworms were previously found in the United States but were eradicated in 1966, the USDA said. Officials also eliminated a small outbreak reported in the Florida Keys in 2017, it said.

In August, officials said the first human case of a New World screwworm was detected in a person in Maryland who had at the time recently traveled to El Salvador. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told The Epoch Times at the time that the risk to the public posed by the infection was “very low.”

That same month, the USDA said it would launch an initiative to combat the spread of the parasite in the United States, describing it as a national security threat. The plan includes bolstering funding to technologies that will bolster U.S. sterile fly production that it said would prevent its spread as well as the construction of a “domestic sterile screwworm production facility” in Texas, it added.

A federal district judge in New York has ruled that Luigi Mangione, 27, will not face the death penalty for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. 

The ruling by Judge Margaret Garnett (Biden) is a loss for federal prosecutors, who were pursuing the death penalty in the case. 

Garnett also ruled that evidence recovered from Mangione’s backpack is admissible as evidence. Law enforcement seized various items from the backpack – including a handgun, a loaded magazine, and a red notebook, which authorities say tie him to the killing.

Mangione’s attorneys had asked that the evidence be barred from trial, arguing that the search of his backpack was illegal because they had not obtained a warrant, and there was no immediate threat that justified a warrantless search. 

Surveillance cameras recorded the slaying, as video shows Thompson walking down the sidewalk outside a hotel when a man approaches from behind and opens fire. Thompson suffered multiple gunshot wounds and collapsed to the ground, after which the gunman fled and was later spotted on a bike making his way uptown. There was at least one eyewitness.

Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Atloona, Pennsylvania, after customers and staff recognized him from a wanted poster. 

The defense has aggressively argued that prosecutors have failed to allege an underlying “crime of violence” necessary for the top charge of murder with a firearm. Prosecutors countered, arguing in an opposition filing that the defense is relying on an irrelevant precedent.

“Here, by contrast, no court has interpreted the ‘conduct that places [the victim] in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury’ element,” federal prosecutors wrote. 

To charge Mangione with murder through the use of a firearm, prosecutors need to prove an underlying crime of violence. They have alleged this to be stalking, however legal analysts have suggested that stalking can be done without violence. 

“It’s like a series of dominos — the only way that the federal government can get to a death penalty charge in their case is if the murder was committed during the course of a violent felony,” LA criminal defense attorney Joshua Ritter previously told Fox News. “And the reason that they need that is because they need what’s called a federal hook to get them federal jurisdiction.”

Jury selection in the case is scheduled for Sept. 8, and a trial will follow in either October or January. Prosecutors have requested a July 1 start date. 

By Bas van Geffen, Senior Market Strategist at Rabobank

When the Fed decided to hold rates unchanged last Wednesday, Waller was one of the two dissenters in favour of another rate cut. Waller’s dissenting vote may have kept him on President Trump’s list of potential Fed chairs, but it now seems that it did not get him to the top of that list. Reportedly, Trump is ready to announce Kevin Warsh as his nominee (ZH: Trump officially nominated him this morning)..

The dollar has regained some strength. Perhaps that’s thanks to Warsh’ credentials as a former monetary policy hawk – prioritizing inflation control and favouring a smaller Fed balance sheet. However, let’s not forget that President Trump’s first selection criterion is whether the candidates are willing to pursue lower interest rates. So, if he does nominate Warsh later today, he is unlikely to be as hawkish as he once was – unless he has hidden that very well in his interviews with the president. Indeed, Warsh has recently also called for rate cuts.

Nonetheless, compared to the other candidates, Warsh is certainly more on the hawkish side of the spectrum. And so, most asset classes wavered. Treasury yields opened the day higher, and equities slid, with Chinese markets down 1% on the day. The record-breaking streaks in gold and silver have also ended – at least for now. The precious metals are currently down about 8% and 12% from their peaks, respectively. And that is despite concerns over a potential escalation in the Persian Gulf.

The retracements are notable, but we wouldn’t say that the debasement trade or diversification from the US have now stopped. The market may respond optimistically to the prospect of Warsh’ nomination, but broader US policy uncertainty is still not doing the dollar any favours.

Likewise, the US’ attitude towards other countries, is even starting to drive traditional allies away from the US. The European Union has accelerated trade deals with various other economies, and the signing of an accord with India earlier this week is a key step in the EU’s effort to diversify away its economic and geopolitical dependencies.

With a 99.5% reduction of tariffs on imports from India, it creates significant opportunities for India’s (labor) intensive export sectors. That may also help Europe, as it is facing a major acceleration in ageing in the coming decades. But it will also create more opportunities for European businesses to diversify their operations out of China and into India. That is the strategic value in that deal.

And the United Kingdom is pursuing closer ties with China. This week, Starmer became the first prime minister to visit China in eight years, where he met with president Xi. The visit thawed some of the relations between the two countries. China agreed to waive visa requirements for UK visitors. Amongst the results is a “services partnership” that should give the UK better access to the Chinese market. It’s a first step towards a potential bilateral trade deal on services, which both sides have agreed to explore.

The UK’s rapprochement to China drew criticism from Trump. The US president said it is “very dangerous” that the UK government is trying to get closer to China. The UK could therefore come into Trump’s crosshairs again, just like the US president threatened new tariffs on Canada over its recent trade deal with China. However, as we noted above, its precisely these kinds of threats that have encouraged the UK and Canada to seek alternatives to the US.

At the Thursday night world premier for “Melania,” President Trump told reporters on the red carpet in response to an Iran question: “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now. And it would be great if we didn’t have to use them. I told them two things; Number one no nuclear. And number two stop killing protesters. … They’re going to have to do something.” 

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has on Friday while in Turkey said that his country is ready to engage in negotiations on the nuclear front, as long as they are fair and good-faith. “The United States has repeatedly requested negotiations with us through various intermediaries and continues to renew these requests. We have no problem with engaging in negotiations,” he said.

He then emphasized, “However, negotiations cannot begin with threats. They must set aside their threats.” He noted too that the “US has never been loyal… it hasn’t shown good intentions, but despite this, Iran remains ready for all diplomatic processes.”

This is no doubt a reference to the US unilaterally pulling out of the first JCPOA nuclear deal in 2018; and much more recently the US-Iran dialogue that took place right up to the eve of Washington secretly greenlighting the June Israeli attack on Tehran. Iran thought it was holding good faith talks, but was duped.

A main serious obstacle which stands in the way of potential fresh negotiations is that President Trump has also been talking about Iran reducing or getting rid of its ballistic missile arsenal.

According to the latest on Iran’s expressed position:

• Araghchi said he discussed with Fidan the possible venue and agenda for talks with the Trump administration. “I hope we can soon reach a clear framework that can guarantee dignified negotiations,” Araghchi said.
• “We need to see the conditions and the agenda first,” Araghchi said, adding that any negotiations need to be “fair and equitable.”
• He stressed that Iran will not negotiate over its ballistic missile program and said Iran is ready for both scenarios — war or diplomacy.

Currently, Trump officials are reportedly insisting that Iran be stripped of any missile range capable of striking Israel. Israel, meanwhile, would retain its full missile arsenal – including the undeclared nuclear weapons that everyone in the world knows about – capable of hitting Iran. According to CNN:

The biggest sticking point, sources said, has been the US demand that Iran agree to put limits on the range of its ballistic missiles — an acute concern for Israel, which expended much of its missile interceptor stockpile shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles during last June’s 12-day war. Iran has balked at that and told the US it would only discuss its nuclear program. The US has not replied, leaving both sides at a dead end, the sources said.

Which leaves the so-called “sticking point” glaringly obvious: Washington is demanding that Tehran agree to unilateral disarmament, rendering itself defenseless against Israeli air and missile strikes. In other words, total capitulation – or else.

How dare Iran place their country so close to our military bases https://t.co/I3UBrcToqW

— Carl Zha (@CarlZha) January 29, 2026

And about that supposedly “obliterated” Iranian nuclear program?

It’s not clear why Trump has since shifted his focus back to Iran’s nuclear program, which he said last summer had been “obliterated” by US strikes. But Iran has been trying to rebuild its nuclear sites even deeper underground, according to a person familiar with recent US intelligence on the issue, and has long resisted US pressure to halt its uranium enrichment. The regime has also barred the UN’s nuclear watchdog from inspecting its nuclear sites.

Like with Venezuela before – or even hearkening all the way back to Bush’s Iraq invasion – the justifications for war will keep on shifting, until something sticks in a thinly veiled effort to manufacture consent.

On these negotiation demands, offers, and counter-offers – we’ve all seen this movie before. It’s been a rinse and repeat kind of thing, and Iranian leaders know this better than anyone.

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Extremist Somali Democrat Ilhan Omar faced relentless mockery Thursday after being asked why she reacted so oddly when she was sprayed with an unknown substance by a weirdo at a town hall event earlier this week.

Omar was spewing her usual anti-American nonsense when she glanced up at a fidgety creepy guy sitting in the front row, who then proceeded to stand up and start yelling at her before spraying what turned out to be apple cider vinegar at her from a water bottle.

Ilhan Omar looked directly at the guy and nodded before he sprayed that stuff on her. Staged.

He also sprayed her on her torso rather than directly between the eyes which is where most actual lunatic people would hit you pic.twitter.com/1RnAjbBhiw

— Anthony Brian Logan (ABL) ?? (@ANTHONYBLOGAN) January 28, 2026

The entire world immediately declared the incident a badly staged hoax designed to illicit sympathy for Omar and distract from investigations into her sudden vast wealth that seems to have come from nowhere.

What did she think she was going to gain by staging this pathetic display? https://t.co/cSky7x5PAa

— m o d e r n i t y (@ModernityNews) January 28, 2026

Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes, says Ilhan Omar and her husband are running a money laundering operation

? Ilhan Omar’s husbands investment firm was looked into, THERE IS NO RECORDS OF THEM MANAGING MONEY, “NO CLIENTS”

“His investment firm — It’s DC… pic.twitter.com/NPhJWb4bZ5

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 30, 2026

pic.twitter.com/Ihim45recX

— ??????? ???c??????? ?????? (@LuckyMcGee) January 29, 2026

pic.twitter.com/IlXEBh24Kr

— MIKE LEACH (@michaelaleach) January 29, 2026

One factor that convinced many the incident was manufactured was Omar’s odd response, choosing to approach the guy as he was being detained, and then just return to her podium, seemingly unconcerned about the liquid he just projected at her.

Dear Ilhan Omar, I spoke with Poison Control. Their instructions were very clear and you didn’t follow any of them

They said

If you are sprayed with an unknown substance:

• Get to fresh air immediately
• Do not touch your face
• Remove contaminated clothing
• Rinse skin… pic.twitter.com/ZGl4WBKVe4

— Terrence K. Williams (@w_terrence) January 29, 2026

The post continues:

… skin and eyes with running water for 15 minutes

• Wash with soap and water
• Seek medical attention right away
• Call Poison Control for guidance: 1-800-222-1222

You didn’t do anything on this list because it was staged.

Omar responded in her usual venomous fashion:

I didn’t do any of those things because I fear losing my dignity more than I fear losing my life. Something you coward losers will never understand. So fuck off. https://t.co/dVrhvI46Xd

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 29, 2026

Dignity? What dignity?

Any dignity she had went out the window when she married her brother https://t.co/oyn3OksI9u pic.twitter.com/dU7yKIU82T

— Digital Daisy (@DigitalDaisyX) January 29, 2026

Brutal!

>marries her own brother to commit immigration fraud
>commences to tweet about dignity https://t.co/A9PSrsHFNy

— David Pivtorak (@TheDavidPiv) January 29, 2026

Was “Dignity” the name of the former wine you “sold”? https://t.co/H7qj3hMmv9

— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) January 29, 2026

And who exactly is she calling “coward losers”?

Ilhan is too proud to follow Poison Control guidelines—the ones that normal Americans refer to. Calls Americans “you coward losers”. https://t.co/eZjLimFgfd

— Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) January 29, 2026

This is who she is.

It was staged Ilhan. Doesn’t matter. You’re still going to be deported after all that fraud has been exposed. Your day in court is coming. pic.twitter.com/1eMB29uGvF

— Sassafrass84 (@Sassafrass_84) January 29, 2026

Telling someone eph off after proclaiming the importance of dignity and calling a citizen a coward & a loser?

That’s bananas and rice. https://t.co/qZ63F0Hjkb pic.twitter.com/ETK0RdGHi0

— GrizzWhizz (@GrizzNecessity) January 29, 2026

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.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal authorities late Thursday night on charges that he violated federal law when he entered the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota and shoved a microphone in people’s faces to livestream reactions after activists stormed the church on Jan. 18. 

The protesters, chanting “ICE Out!” – interrupted services because one of its pastors is also an official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Lemon originally faced charges related to allegedly violating federal laws protecting religious exercise/houses of worship (e.g., the FACE Act or 18 U.S.C. § 241 conspiracy to deprive civil rights) by interfering with the church service.

Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said his client was taken into custody by federal agents Thursday night in Los Angeles while he was covering the Grammy awards. He is expected to make his first court appearance there. 

NEW: Don Lemon tries lecturing a pastor on the First Amendment after a mob of far leftists stormed a church in Minneapolis.

Pastor: “This is unacceptable. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship…”

Lemon: “Listen, there’s a constitution, the First… pic.twitter.com/joHdCvaXe6

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 18, 2026

Lemon insists that while he was tipped off ahead of time about the demonstration, he did not know they would disrupt the service.

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” said Lowell. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”

The DOJ originally sought to charge eight people over the incident, including Lemon, citing a law that protects people seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship – however a magistrate judge whose wife reportedly works in AG Keith Ellison’s office only approved charges against three people, rejecting the evidence against Lemon and others as insufficient. 

Shocking footage from Cities Church in Minneapolis this morning (an SBC church) where an anti-ICE mob stormed the service and disrupted their worship, alleging one of the church’s lead pastors is an ICE agent. pic.twitter.com/hS2FhzrFc4

— Center for Baptist Leadership (@BaptistLeaders) January 18, 2026

Despite the denials, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Lemon. Looks like the party is over, for now. 

Update (0700ET): As was apparently leaked last night – for a big win on Polymarket – President Trump has just confirmed he is nominating Kevin Warsh to become the next Fed Chair:

“I am pleased to announce that I am nominating Kevin Warsh to be the CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM.”

Trump praises Warsh’s background:

Kevin currently serves as the Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution, and Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a Partner of Stanley Druckenmiller at Duquesne Family Office LLC. Kevin received his A.B. from Stanford University, and J.D. from Harvard Law School. He has conducted extensive research in the field of Economics and Finance. Kevin issued an Independent Report to the Bank of England proposing reforms in the conduct of Monetary Policy in the United Kingdom. Parliament adopted the Report’s recommendations. Kevin Warsh became the youngest Fed Governor, ever, at 35, and served as a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from 2006 until 2011, as the Federal Reserve’s Representative to the Group of Twenty (G-20), and as the Board’s Emissary to the Emerging and Advanced Economies in Asia.

In addition, he was Administrative Governor, managing and overseeing the Board’s operations, personnel, and financial performance. Prior to his appointment to the Board, from 2002 until 2006, Kevin served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and Executive Secretary of the White House National Economic Council. Previously, Kevin was a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Department at Morgan Stanley & Co., in New York, serving as Vice President and Executive Director.

Does Trump really know who he is picking?

“I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best.

On top of everything else, he is “central casting,” and he will never let you down. Congratulations Kevin!”

Here’s Blomberg economist Anna Wong pointing out Warsh’s not-so-easy-on-inflation background:

Here we chart his inflation assessment during the FOMC meeting from 2006-2011 (along the unemployment rate, with core PCE inflation in the background).

One standout one:

April 2009 – 7 months after Lehman,  core PCE inflation at 0.8%, unemployment at 9%, he said:

“I continue to be more worried about upside risks to inflation than downside risks.”

Goldman Sachs’ Delta-One desk-head, Rich Privorotsky, offered some color on ‘Why Warsh’?

It’s a surprising pick, but from a long-term perspective arguably the right tone.

It puts questions around Fed independence largely to bed.

The big asset the US system has is the USD system, and without a credible central bank that would eventually fracture.

You have to ask why the pendulum is swinging toward Warsh now.

One interpretation is reflexivity…

…in the 70s Volcker wasn’t Carter’s preference, it was the market’s.

How long before we get one of these tweets…

All of which got us wondering…

Hey @polymarket who replaces Kevin Warsh as next Fed chair when Trump fires him?

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 30, 2026

Precious metals are bouncing a little on the news (sell the rumor, buy the news?)

*  *  *

It all started a little after 7pm ET when, refuting a previous report that he would announce the next Fed Chair next week, Trump said that he would unveil his pick for Powell’s replacement on Friday morning.

That’s also when the Polymarket odds of Kevin Warsh exploded higher (after a curious reversal we observed an hour earlier, when Warsh overtook Rick Reider, indicating that once again someone knew something ahead of time), following a report from a journalist that “Trump met 2day with his two finalists for Fed Reserve chair — and is leaning toward KEVIN WARSH to replace Jerome Powell, I’m told. Nothing is official I’m told. But 1 source close to Trump says Warsh basically has the wink & the nod.“

🚨SCOOP: Trump met 2day with his two finalists for Fed Reserve chair — and is leaning toward KEVIN WARSH to replace Jerome Powell, I’m told.

Nothing is official I’m told. But 1 source close to Trump says Warsh basically has the wink & the nod.

KEVIN HASSETT is out. RICK…

— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) January 29, 2026

That’s when Warsh went from slight lead, to full-on favorite at Polymarket.

And less than an hour later Warsh is at 83%, on a journalist tweet that “Trump is leaning toward KEVIN WARSH to replace Jerome Powell, I’m told.” https://t.co/ymwoiXHD9F pic.twitter.com/dOf7WXjBFl

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 30, 2026

And as many were wondering if this was just a trial balloon, one which sent futures, bitcoin and gold lower, and dollar and yields higher, a flashing red Bloomberg headline confirmed this was not a drill:

• *TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAID TO BE PREPARING WARSH FED NOMINATION

The report, predictably, said just what one would expect:

The Trump administration is preparing for the president to nominate Kevin Warsh to be the next Federal Reserve chair, according to people familiar with the matter. President Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to announce his pick to lead the US central bank on Friday morning.

Echoing what we already learned earlier, the report went on to note that “Warsh, a former Fed governor and one of the four finalists on Trump’s shortlist to be the next central bank leader, visited the White House on Thursday, one person said.”

The president teased his impending announcement without giving the name away Thursday evening, saying the pick won’t be too surprising and will be someone known to everyone in the financial world. 

“A lot of people think this is somebody that could’ve been there a few years ago,” Trump said. It wasn’t clear however if Trump knew that his nominee would spark a crash in the one asset class that makes up the bulk of his net worth, namely bitcoin, which had a catastrophic day earlier, and which plunged even more on the Bloomberg confirmation.

It wasn’t just bitcoin: futures also fell, the dollar and treasury yields pushed higher (i.e., making housing not more affordable), and gold crashed again, on bets Warsh – best known as one of the most hawkish former Fed officials, often arguing for tighter monetary policy and a smaller Fed balance sheet, and who changed his tune only recently in hopes to ingratiate himself with Trump

It is unclear if Trump (or rather his advisors) knew any of this, which is why there is still the possibility that once Trump sees the impact of this particular trial balloon, will change his mind as even Bloomberg’s sources cautioned that the selection is not final until Trump makes a formal announcement.

In the end, nobody knows what will come out of Trump’s mouth until some time tomorrow. We would not be surprised at all if it is, again, a huge surprise. If not, we already know how this will end…

The “LOW ENERGY KEVIN” posts are probably already sitting in the drafts😅

Trump is hiring a Hawk expecting a Dove, we’ve seen this movie before… pic.twitter.com/W23U6ZOt5J

— Karol Kozicki (@k2__investment) January 30, 2026

Shortly after President Donald Trump said Thursday afternoon that Russia had agreed to pause strikes on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities for a week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said overnight that Ukraine is prepared to halt drone and missile attacks on Russia’s critical energy infrastructure, provided Putin honors a weeklong truce and refrains from launching missiles or drones at Kiev.

“If Russia does not strike our energy infrastructure — generation facilities or any other energy assets — we will not strike theirs,” Zelensky told reporters in Kiev. “We want to end the war and we are ready for de-escalation steps.”

Temperatures in Kiev are absolutely freezing. Large swaths of the metro area are without power after Russia targeted thermal power plants and other critical infrastructure. The government (or perhaps US taxpayers) has provided generators to businesses and some residents. At night, much of Kiev is plunged into darkness, but in areas with power, generators hum through the night.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters, “Because of the extreme cold…I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kiev and the cities and towns for a week.”

According to Trump, Putin “agreed to do that,” adding that “we’re very happy” with the outcome.

President Putin agreed not to strike Kiev for a week due to the record-cold winter — President Trump

“I personally asked Putin not to bomb Kyiv and other cities for a week, and he agreed to this,” pic.twitter.com/0UH9O9pbyC

— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) January 29, 2026

The claim comes amid growing speculation about behind-the-scenes de-escalation talks. Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports suggesting Moscow and Kiev had agreed to a so-called “energy ceasefire.”

Early in the Trump administration, there had been perhaps a few weeks of such an energy ceasefire, where strikes seemed minimal and limited – but it ultimately failed to stick or take off. Ukraine has not acknowledged any such fresh energy ceasefire.

It was only on Wednesday that Russian drones struck Kiev and the surrounding region, killing two people and injuring others, and damaging a residential building.

Residents and a local journalist we spoke with are not entirely optimistic about the proposed energy ceasefire. The good news is that the widely followed “Air Alert!” system, which warns people when to shelter from incoming air threats, has issued no notifications in the last 24 hours for Kiev.

As for Kiev’s power grid, we suspect the humming of generators in the downtown area will persist for many months…