Hilton Hotels is in damage-control mode after Homeland Security posted on X an email showing that a Hilton property in the Minneapolis area canceled a reservation for federal agents amid a large-scale operation to identify, arrest, and remove illegal alien criminals from Tim Walz’s state.

“NO ROOM AT THE INN!” DHS wrote on X, alleging that the hotel chain “launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement.”

The agency continued, “When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations.”

“This is UNACCEPTABLE. Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nation’s immigration laws?” DHS concluded in the post.

NO ROOM AT THE INN!@HiltonHotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement.

When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations.

This is… pic.twitter.com/qKMKypGtzi

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 5, 2026

The hotel in question is the Hampton Inn by Hilton Lakeville, located just off Interstate 35 in the southern Twin Cities suburbs, about 30 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. Hampton Inn is owned by Hilton.

DHS’ post went viral by early Monday afternoon, sparking outrage among America First supporters and prompting calls to cancel Hilton-branded credit cards and even future reservations.

🚨 JUST IN: Conservatives are demanding a boycott on Hilton after they launched a COORDINATED ANTI-ICE campaign in Minneapolis, outright refusing service to any DHS law enforcement

“We found immigration work connected with your name and are CANCELLING your reservation.” 😠

DHS:… pic.twitter.com/JYcHrBmwSm

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 5, 2026

Time to Bud Light Hilton!!! pic.twitter.com/Gs2MMVWZR3

— Right Side Out 1776 (@rso1776) January 5, 2026

Just canceled my Hilton Honors credit card… BYE! pic.twitter.com/sO7brnYAtH

— Corey Inganamort 🪚🌴🪚 (@TheBirdWords) January 5, 2026

I am a long time @HiltonHonors Diamond Member. I am asking Christopher J. Nassetta, Hilton CEO, to reconsider this mistake and correct it immediately. @HarmeetKDhillon

— Matt Sweetwood (@MSweetwood) January 5, 2026

Hilton executives, facing what can easily be described as a potential “Bud Light moment,” were quick to clarify that the cancellation involved not the company as a whole but an “independently owned and operated” hotel.

BREAKING: This particular hotel, the Hampton Inn Lakeville outside Minneapolis was bought for $15 million last summer, according to news reports.

The LLC that was used to purchase the hotel is owned by four Indian partners—Parmjit Singh, Amanpreet Hundal, Karandeep Nagra, and… https://t.co/yZm0ymVs1h pic.twitter.com/2iU1l9mSdo

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) January 5, 2026

“Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all. This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values. We are investigating this matter with the individual hotel, and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement, and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone,” Hilton told Fox News reporter Bill Melugin.

BREAKING: Hilton statement to @FoxNews:

“Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all. This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values. We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel, and can confirm… https://t.co/e9UHjL4L1m

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 5, 2026

Hilton shares in New York were down about 1.5% by late afternoon trading. The swift response from Hilton underscores growing concern about boycott calls circulating on X.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

Health officials announced on Jan. 5 that they’re narrowing the number of vaccines recommended broadly for children in response to a recent order from President Donald Trump.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is moving forward with only broad recommendations for eight vaccines for children, down from 14.

Trump, in December 2025, directed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill to review vaccine schedules in the United States and peer countries and determine if the U.S. schedule should be updated.

He named three countries, including Denmark, that recommend fewer vaccines and fewer vaccine doses.

“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” Kennedy said in a statement.

“After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”

Moving forward, the CDC will stop broadly recommending vaccines against influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, and meningococcal disease. The CDC in 2025 already narrowed recommendations for hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccination based on advice from advisers selected by Kennedy. The agency is maintaining its recommendation that children whose mothers did not receive a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine receive an antibody, or passive immunization, against the virus.

The old schedule can be viewed here, and the new schedule can be viewed here.

The changes were recommended by Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, acting director of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, who, during a recent presentation, commented favorably on Denmark’s vaccine schedule, and Martin Kulldorff, whom Kennedy appointed a senior adviser in 2025. Hoeg and Kulldorff said in a 34-page assessment that an update was needed because of falling trust in public health, decreases in vaccination rates, and evidence that some recommended vaccines had limited benefits.

A CDC official told reporters on a call on Jan. 5 that the agency consulted with officials in Denmark, Germany, and Japan, as well as vaccine scientists at the CDC and FDA.

Vaccine manufacturers were not consulted, another official said.

The administration says the update does not prevent children from accessing vaccines and that insurers will continue to cover them without cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act.

The CDC still recommends some of those vaccines for certain populations, such as hepatitis B vaccination for children born to women who test positive for the virus. For others, it is focused on shared clinical decision-making or recommending that people consult doctors and consider factors such as the risk of illness when deciding whether to have their children vaccinated.

The CDC is keeping in place broad recommendations for vaccines against diphtheria; tetanus; acellular pertussis, or whooping cough; haemophilus influenzae type b; pneumococcal disease; polio; measles; mumps; rubella; varicella, also known as chickenpox; and human papillomavirus (HPV).

The new schedule lowers the number of recommended HPV doses from two to one, after some recent research indicated that one dose is as effective.

“Important vaccines … will be continued to be recommended for our children,” a Department of Health and Human Services official said on the call.

“This change is going to spark major pushback, but that reaction was inevitable,” Dr. Joel Warsh, a pediatrician based in California, told The Epoch Times in an email.

“Reducing universal recommendations doesn’t mean vaccines are being banned or declared unsafe—it means the CDC is finally acknowledging that not every vaccine has the same risk-benefit profile for every child.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics said it opposed the changes.

“At a time when parents, pediatricians, and the public are looking for clear guidance and accurate information, this ill-considered decision will sow further chaos and confusion and erode confidence in immunizations,” Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the group, which partners with vaccine companies, said in a statement.

“This is no way to make our country healthier.”

President Trump took his social media account to explain…

The Department of Energy (DOE) has finally awarded the billions of dollars for uranium enrichment announced back in 2024. The contracts span the full range of uranium enrichment from low-enriched uranium (LEU) used by the current global reactor fleet, through high-assay LEU (HALEU) which is planned to be used by multiple advanced reactor designs. Yet while three companies were chosen for huge awards, peaking at almost 900 million each, a few were notably left out.

https://t.co/azVc88b2HP

— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) January 5, 2026

Centers Energy was awarded $900 million to support the expansion of their currently-operating 900 kg/yr HALEU production capacity and toward the development of next-generation reactor fuel. We covered their recent announcement about finally starting the production of new centrifuge units for LEU production. Centrus now has US government supply on the HALEU side and Korean government support on the LEU side.

Centrus shares rose as much as 9.2% in New York, and closed up almost 25% in the past two days, one of its biggest gains in the past year.

“President Trump is catalyzing a resurgence in the nation’s nuclear energy sector to strengthen American security and prosperity,” said Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “Today’s awards show that this Administration is committed to restoring a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain capable of producing the nuclear fuels needed to power the reactors of today and the advanced reactors of tomorrow.”

General Matter, started by Founders Fund’s Scott Nolan, was awarded $900 million for HALEU capacity development at their future facility in Kentucky. General Matter has been tight-lipped about the enrichment technology they plan to utilize at their new facility, but will submit an application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the facility planned at Paducah this calendar year.

Orano, a French enrichment company majority owned by the French government, was awarded $900 million for developing and constructing their planned LEU enrichment facility in Tennessee. They have vaguely discussed their intended plant size, but have remarked it will have a capacity in the “millions of SWU”. Separate Work Unit (SWU) is the measurement of uranium enrichment production capacity, with Russian imports currently clocking in at roughly 3-4 million SWU/yr.

Senator Tom Cotton last month argued that companies, such as Orano, which coordinate with China’s nuclear program should be barred from receiving US taxpayer dollars.

Global Laser Enrichment (GLE), a company co-owned by Silex and Cameco, was awarded $28 million to continue the advancement of their novel laser enrichment technology. They currently have an enrichment facility application under review with the NRC for their Kentucky facility, and are currently producing hundreds of kg of LEU at their North Carolina test center.

Notably left out of the list of award recipients was Nano Nuclear’s partner LIS Technologies, a company also developing a novel uranium laser enrichment method. While they have been busy pounding the table for months that their laser technology is the only US-origin technology, so far the US government seems to be uninterested.

Also left off the list is the only enrichment company producing commercial quantities of product in the US, Urenco. Their facility in New Mexico has been operating for years, and recently received permission from the NRC to increase their enrichment levels. Owned by a combination of UK, Dutch, and German government and private entities, the company failed to secure an award for this round.

This is likely only the first of many awards and contracts to come with companies in the domestic nuclear fuel chain, as we discussed at length last week. Many more such announcements are likely over the coming weeks. 

Authored by Cynthia Cai via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

California is cracking down on extreme speeding in a move that could lead to faster license revocation for drivers exceeding 100 mph on highways, according to the California State Transportation Agency.

Drivers cited by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for the crime “will have their citation automatically forwarded to the DMV’s Driver Safety Branch—no matter their prior record” under the new joint pilot program between CHP and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the agency stated in a press release.

The DMV will review each case and the person’s driving history to determine the penalty, which may include “suspension or revocation of driving privileges,” before the person is even scheduled for court.

“We believe that early intervention is the key to saving lives,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon in a press release. “We want to take immediate action against dangerous drivers before their carelessness leads to a deadly crash.”

CHP cites roughly 1,600 individuals each month for driving 100 mph or faster. In 2024, the CHP issued a total of more than 18,000 citations for extreme speeding, the DMV stated.

In May 2025, the CHP adopted a fleet of 100 low-profile patrol cars, allowing officers to blend in with traffic better and spot reckless behavior. During the following six months, CHP officers driving these cars issued close to 33,000 speeding tickets across the state, according to the DMV.

“Driving over 100 miles per hour is not a mistake; it is a reckless choice that endangers everyone on the road,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee in the DMV press release. “This new program delivers swift consequences to keep dangerous drivers off California’s roadways before their actions cause irreversible harm.”

The DMV stated that the process of penalizing drivers through the legal system is often lengthy. Once a driver is cited for extreme speeding, the citation is sent to the courts for processing.

Under the current California vehicle code, driving over 100 mph will result in a maximum fine of $500 and potentially a license suspension of up to 30 days for the first offense. Subsequent violations result in higher fines and a license suspension.

Drivers who are cited for speeding can also receive additional citations for other violations that may result in jail time, including reckless driving or causing bodily injury to others on the road.

The new DMV–CHP pilot program is “designed to act more quickly” than the court system, according to the DMV.

The state reported speeding as a “major factor in traffic deaths statewide,” as it contributes to about a third of traffic fatalities, according to the transportation agency.

In October 2025, the state launched a Southern California-focused initiative to address speeding-related traffic fatalities.

The state allocated $7 million to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to help fund safety upgrades along Avalon Boulevard, and invested over $191 million for safety improvements along State Route 91, the state transportation agency stated on its website.

The improvements may include automated speeding detection cameras, high-visibility traffic markings, redesigning intersections to reduce conflicts, and upgrading infrastructure for safe walking and biking, in addition to promoting community engagement and law enforcement partnerships.

At that time, the agency said it set an “interim goal to cut deadly and serious injury crashes” by 30 percent by 2035.

The agency said the DMV will compare citation and outcome data to evaluate the effectiveness of the CHP–DMV pilot program in reducing car crashes.

Submitted by Thomas Kolbe

That the radical Left worldwide would celebrate the inauguration of communist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City was entirely predictable. What is striking, however, is the ostentatious triumphalism displayed at a time when the Trump administration is systematically exposing illegal extraction mechanisms and financial flows step by step.

It is a moment of celebration for the radical Left in the United States. After the defeat in the 2024 presidential election, the inauguration of Zohran Kwame Mamdani—the first Muslim mayor of New York City—marked the resurgence of socialist forces within the Democratic Party.

Naturally, the ever-shrill Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was present, as was leftist know-it-all Bernie Sanders, who administered Mamdani’s oath on the Quran.

Socialism is a recurring social disease, and Zohran Mamdani is one of its visible symptoms. His political program is well known in Germany as well, particularly to the German Left. Public transportation is to be made free of charge. A millionaire tax is to be introduced. Childcare is to become a free public service. Affordable housing is to be created through large-scale public construction.

We know all of this: massive market interventions—and all of it has failed repeatedly.

And yet New Yorkers granted Mamdani a mandate, giving him a lead of more than nine percentage points over his competitors.

The Familiar Promise

“I will not hold back when it comes to improving the lives of New Yorkers,” Mamdani declared. “I am Muslim, I am a democratic socialist, and I refuse to apologize for that,” he said during the campaign.

He may yet be forced to apologize when projects such as the targeted over-taxation of predominantly white neighborhoods or his harebrained idea of municipally run grocery stores collapse—either due to the U.S. Constitution or the basic logic of free-rider effects in public goods.

But Mamdani is not really about this grotesque socialist program, which only appeals to prosperity-spoiled young activists and moralizing NGO operatives.

Mamdani was positioned by the radical Left to defend structures that have been built up over decades with the explicit goal of transforming society into a socialist control state—one we can already observe taking shape in Brussels.

The Counterrevolution Is Underway

Donald Trump’s hardline deregulation agenda and demonstrative return to classical American capitalism have unleashed a dynamic that extends far beyond his presidency. The political Left in the U.S.—especially its radical wing—has been forced into a kind of ideological molting. This reaction can now be studied in real time: in New York as well as in California, where left-wing radicalism has been entrenched for years.

That a self-professed communist has taken control in the global capital of capitalism carries particular political weight. New York is no ordinary city. Capital is concentrated here; the core infrastructure of the American financial system is located here. Leftist access to these levers marks a qualitative escalation.

Seizing Power At The Heart Of Capital

It is reasonable to expect capital flight—both from large investors and from segments of the middle class. A gradual relocation of stock market activities away from Wall Street is also conceivable. But such processes take time. And during that time, Mamdani and his communist allies will create facts on the ground.

This is where the looting begins: the American upper class, and increasingly the middle class, will be bled fiscally to finance expanded protest infrastructures, NGOs, and the political machinery that President Trump was able to dry up by dismantling USAID and related funding mechanisms.

At the same time, the conflict in California is accelerating. The socialist state government under Governor Gavin Newsom is attempting to immobilize residents through aggressive exit taxes—keeping them fiscally exploitable for ideologically driven policies. Republican-led red states, meanwhile, are benefiting from a massive influx of middle-class families fleeing these left-radical disaster zones.

For Europeans in the EU, this ideological clash in the United States is of immense importance. It offers a preview of how Brussels might react in the event of secession, resistance, or a loss of power.

The instruments are already in place: exit taxes, increased capital levies, the digital euro to control capital flows, CO₂ trading schemes, and cross-border certificate regimes. These are soft or hard capital barriers, depending on how deeply they are applied. Brussels and the Frankfurt-based central banking apparatus are prepared for the moment when Europe’s fragile power construct is seriously threatened by a rising conservative Right.

The Institutionalized Extraction Economy

Over decades, the United States has allowed an extraction economy to develop that costs the country hundreds of billions of dollars annually. This includes entire networks of Somali communities established under administrations such as Barack Obama’s, whose primary purpose was to extract taxpayer funds via social infrastructure—such as daycare centers without actual childcare services—redirecting those funds into private channels and financing the democratic-socialist movement.

These structures are now being dismantled.

President Trump must confront them just as decisively as he does the fentanyl attacks deliberately directed at the American population from abroad. Germany is experiencing a similar, albeit far more amateurish version of this phenomenon through its asylum industry—less efficient, but no less catastrophic for taxpayers.

This entire complex operates on a different scale than the green crony economy worth hundreds of billions of euros. In the United States, the Trump administration has already inflicted such damage on this green apparatus that capital is once again moving freely in markets, with renewed investments in nuclear power and pipeline infrastructure.

In short: the American economy is poised for a significant surge this year—driven by the systematic dematerialization of the green complex.

The radical Left has spent years constructing institutional frameworks to legally safeguard its activities. It has embedded itself in municipal structures and continues to shape the agenda in Europe through political hubs such as the World Economic Forum and Brussels.

That the United States has managed—through the effective shutdown of USAID and the drying up of cheap dollar credit routed through London and the LIBOR mechanism—to cripple large parts of this financial architecture will one day be regarded as a major historical achievement.

Today, however, this transformation is obscured by media noise—particularly the fixation on Donald Trump’s erratic public appearances. The real story being written runs far deeper.

Brussels, London—Vectors Of Confrontation

Again and again, the vectors of the Trump administration’s strategy point toward Brussels and London. The hardline stance in the trade conflict with the EU Commission—and especially with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer—has not only generated a flood of unfavorable headlines and memes for Europeans; it has tangible economic consequences.

The United States is pushing back against euro-protectionism. It is resisting the manipulation of trade via climate policy. And it refuses to be intimidated by the expanding censorship regime and rent-seeking industry spawned by the Digital Services Act.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made the message unmistakably clear. With the release of the new security strategy, EU Europe has been presented with a choice: return to the consensus of Western values—respect for the individual, free speech, and fair trade—or face not only harsher rhetoric, but problems beyond what it has so far been able to imagine.

Consider Europe’s dependence on LNG imports. Consider the reality that, at the push of a button in Washington, Europeans could be left alone in the Ukraine conflict—a conflict they have knowingly refused to de-escalate. A giant with feet of clay. And increasingly, a giant acting emotionally out of panic over its waning power, intellectually overwhelmed.

America’s Self-Assertion

The coming months will be decisive. At the latest since the United States’ forceful intervention in Venezuela, it has been made clear that Washington will not tolerate the influence of China, Russia—or Europe—on its doorstep.

The fentanyl attack originating in China is now being openly confronted, and intelligence operations funded by drug money within the United States are being shut down. For the first time, America has a genuinely sovereign, patriotic government.

If this administration succeeds in saving potentially hundreds of billions of dollars per year by draining the Somali swamp and other extraction vehicles—and consolidating the federal budget through these measures alone—voters will reward it in the midterm elections this fall. And the Mamdani episode in New York will be remembered with little more than a knowing smile.

* * *

About the author: Thomas Kolbe, born in 1978 in Neuss/ Germany, is a graduate economist. For over 25 years, he has worked as a journalist and media producer for clients from various industries and business associations. As a publicist, he focuses on economic processes and observes geopolitical events from the perspective of the capital markets. His publications follow a philosophy that focuses on the individual and their right to self-determination.

Apparently Zelensky is simply skipping his own people and going straight to appointing officials within foreign governments to top advisory positions. 

Ukraine has named former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland as an economic advisor amid a broader reshuffle of senior government positions, also coming on the heels of the massive energy ministry related corruption scandal which has unleashed chaos within his administration. 

It should also be noted that Canada is a founding member of NATO – so handing Freeland a position in the Ukrainian presidential office won’t go down well at the Kremlin, which will see this as yet more justification for its vehement condemnation of NATO expansion.

“Chrystia is a professional… and has significant experience in attracting investments and conducting economic transformations,” President Zelensky announced on Telegram Monday.

Freeland was Canada’s deputy prime minister from 2019 to 2024 under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and was appointed Canada’s special representative for Ukraine’s reconstruction in 2025.

Almost as capable as energy guru Hunter Biden https://t.co/4rvgo4VRKm

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 5, 2026

But she might better be remembered for leading the legal crackdown on Canada’s trucker ‘Freedom Convoy’ movement, the large anti-vaccine mandate and Covid lockdown protest that had gripped Ottawa for several weeks in 2022.

Freeland sought to legally prosecute (and later some of these cases ended in convictions on “mischief”) innocent truckers who were merely exercising their rights to politically organize and protest.

So we doubt she’s going to ‘help’ Ukraine’s situation, amid the grinding war at a moment Kiev is at a crossroads: reach a peace agreement with Moscow, or the war drags on with no end in sight.

🚨”This aged very well”

In 2014, Mearsheimer debated Chrystia Freeland and Michael McFaul in London, he told both of them that if they continued with their policies that Ukraine would be destroyed as a consequence of their actions, to which they laughed.pic.twitter.com/2kUfmmJW11

— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) November 13, 2025

“Ukraine needs to increase its internal resilience — for the sake of Ukraine’s recovery, if diplomacy works as quickly as possible, and for the sake of strengthening our defense, if we have to work longer to end the war due to our partners’ delays,” Zelensky recently wrote on Telegram, looking ahead to 2026.

Three Iranian officials have told Reuters that Tehran leadership believes the United States or Israel may take military action against the Islamic Republic soon, coming off the heels of the US intervention to remove Venezuela’s Maduro.

There are reports of Iranian ’emergency meetings’ of top leadership to examining options for self-defense, and the country overnight engaged in fresh ballistic missile drills to signal its preparedness. 

The NY Times has separately cited Iranian officials who view the country as being in “survival mode” – amid a week of economic protests driven largely by the impact of US sanctions: currency collapse and soaring prices.

The past two years has seen Hezbollah leadership decimated, Assad removed in Syria, and now Iran-ally Maduro taken out – he’s now facing federal charges in a New York court. 

Islamic Republic leadership is fully aware that it remains in a very delicate position:

Ali Gholhaki, a hard-line pundit in Iran, said in a phone interview that the dire state of the economy had played a central role in the downfall of the leaders in both Venezuela and Syria, creating a maelstrom of public discontent and dispirited security forces. “The lesson for Iran is that we must be extremely careful that the same scenario does not happen here,” Mr. Gholhaki said. “When the anti-riot police, security forces and the military are struggling for their livelihood, the defense lines collapse.”

The large-scale internal protests come at the worst possible time, the NY Times continues:

The three officials said that as the protests raged, senior officials in private meetings and conversations had acknowledged that the Islamic Republic had been thrust into survival mode. Officials appear to have few tools at their disposal to deal with either the pressing challenges of a tanking economy fueling unrest or the threat of further conflict with Israel and the United States. President Masoud Pezeshkian has repeatedly said as much publicly in recent weeks, at one point announcing that he had “no ideas” for solving Iran’s many problems.

“Any policy in the society that is unjust is doomed to fail,” Mr. Pezeshkian said in a speech on Thursday, his first public address since the protests began. “Accept that we must listen to the people.”

While at least a dozen people have died amid clashes with police (including at least one security forces member), the ongoing protests still aren’t as big as the 2022 wave.

But Iran also has to always be on the lookout for subversion from the outside, as even Israeli media has increasingly acknowledged…

Jpost has indications that calculations about intervening in Iran to actively help the protesters may have changed: https://t.co/eDFVISIaMM

— Yonah Jeremy Bob (@jeremybob1) January 5, 2026

Mossad has long acknowledged that it has many assets inside Iran, and already Israeli officials have expressed that they ‘stand with’ the Iranian people. Of course, even the protesters themselves are wary of being coopted by outside intelligence. And then there’s the professional activists and subversives of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) – which is believed to frequently coordinate action with the Israelis and Americans.

Authored by GoldFix’s Vincent Lanci via ScottsdaleMint.com,

Financed by JPMorgan, Jointly Owned by US DoD

Under the plan, the U.S. Department of Defense will hold a 40% stake in the JPM Financed smelter joint-venture.

GFN – WASHINGTON: Korea Zinc plans a $7.4 billion investment to construct a large-scale non-ferrous metals smelter in Clarksville, Tennessee, a project U.S. officials say will materially expand domestic critical minerals processing capacity and strengthen supply chain security.

Proposed site of the Clarksville, Tennessee smelter

The project, known as the “U.S. Smelter,” is expected to require approximately $6.6 billion in capital expenditures, with total investment reaching $7.4 billion including financing costs. It is being developed in coordination with the U.S. Department of War and the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to project materials and government statements.

Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg said the investment reflects a strategic shift in U.S. industrial and defense priorities.

“President Trump has directed his Administration to prioritize critical minerals as essential to America’s defense and economic security,” Feinberg said.

“The Department of War’s conditional investment of $1.4 billion to build the first U.S.-based zinc smelter and critical minerals processing facility since the 1970s reverses decades of industrial decline. The new smelter in Tennessee creates 750 American jobs and expands access to strategic minerals across aerospace, defense, electronics, and advanced manufacturing.”

Timeline of U.S. metals refining capacity since the 1970s

The Tennessee facility will be the first zinc refinery built in the United States in more than 50 years and will operate as an integrated smelter capable of producing 13 non-ferrous metals. Most of these materials are designated as critical minerals by the U.S. government due to their role in defense production, advanced electronics, and energy systems.

Under the current framework, the Department of War will arrange approximately $2.15 billion in financing alongside private investors. The Department of Commerce will provide $210 million in funding under the CHIPS Act to support domestically sourced equipment, with JPMorgan assisting in structuring the financing.

IEA outlook for global critical minerals demand under STEPS, APS, and NZE scenarios

U.S. officials have described the project as an example of allied cooperation to secure supply chains amid rising competition for strategic resources. Josh Phair, founder and CEO of Scottsdale Mint, said in a recent Yahoo Finance interview, “We’re in a metals war’. and securing supply is crucial now

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the investment would expand U.S. production of strategically important minerals.

“Korea Zinc’s critical minerals project in Tennessee is a transformational deal for America,” Lutnick said.

“The United States will produce, in volume, 13 critical and strategic minerals vital to aerospace and defense, semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, autos, industrials, and national security.”

Korea Zinc plans to deploy technical personnel and operational expertise from its Onsan Smelter in Ulsan, South Korea, during early project phases. Onsan is the world’s largest single-site non-ferrous smelting complex and is known for processing low-grade and complex materials, including scrap with high impurity content.

North America’s role in global critical minerals mining and refining

Company officials said transferring this integrated zinc-lead-copper processing capability is intended to reduce commissioning risk and position the Clarksville facility among the most advanced smelters globally. Producing within the United States is also expected to reduce exposure to trade restrictions and logistics disruptions while enabling local sourcing of scrap and raw materials.

Despite government backing, the project has prompted shareholder resistance. An alliance led by MBK Partners and Young Poong has opposed the U.S.-backed joint venture, citing concerns over potential share dilution and governance control. The group has indicated it may seek legal action to block new share issuance.

Korea Zinc shares rose more than 26% following the project announcement before declining by over 13% as shareholder opposition became public.

Once fully operational, the U.S. Smelter is expected to process approximately 1.1 million tons of raw materials annually and produce roughly 540,000 tons of finished products.

Smelter output mapped to U.S. critical minerals list

Planned output includes base metals such as zinc, lead, and copper; precious metals including gold and silver; strategic minerals such as antimony, indium, bismuth, tellurium, cadmium, gallium, germanium, and palladium; and chemical products including sulfuric acid and semiconductor-grade sulfuric acid.

According to project disclosures, 11 of the 13 metals qualify as critical minerals under the 2025 U.S. Geological Survey list. Several, including indium and gallium, are fully import-dependent in the United States.

Site preparation is scheduled to begin in 2026, followed by full construction in 2027.

Phased commercial operations are expected to start in 2029, initially focused on zinc, lead, and copper production.

Clarksville was selected due to existing industrial infrastructure, including Nyrstar’s current zinc smelter, the only operating zinc refinery in the United States. Korea Zinc plans to acquire Nyrstar’s U.S. operations, subject to conditions, dismantle the existing facility, and replace it with a larger, modern plant.

Project planners also cited strong transportation links, favorable site conditions, a skilled local workforce with decades of smelting experience, and relatively low electricity costs, a key factor in smelting economics.

Chairman Yun B. Choi said the project aligns with long-term U.S. and South Korean economic security objectives.

“With its project in the United States, Korea Zinc will strengthen its role as a strategic supplier of essential minerals for aerospace and defense,” Choi said.

“This project will serve as a model for U.S.–ROK economic security cooperation at a time of heightened geopolitical risk.”

GoldFix Analysis: Why the Tennessee Smelter Matters

The Korea Zinc investment fits into a broader pattern across commodities, trade policy, and financial market structure. Recent developments point toward a renewed emphasis on supply security and domestic control over critical industrial inputs.

U.S. policy has increasingly focused on securing domestic processing capacity for materials already designated as critical. Mining location remains relevant, but refining and smelting capacity determines throughput control, resilience under stress, and bargaining leverage. The Tennessee project expands that capacity inside the United States for materials that have largely been processed offshore.

Josh Phair, CEO of Scottsdale Mint has previously linked metals availability to industrial positioning, noting that the rapid build-out of U.S. data centers and infrastructure requires reliable access to physical inputs.

“These data centers that are getting created so fast in the United States, the U.S. has to have it [silver] to protect its position in the world.”

The investment also aligns with policy actions aimed at reducing reliance on China-centered supply chains. Export controls, strategic stockpiling, and industrial subsidies have moved in the same direction. The smelter adds physical infrastructure to that framework, supported by defense and commerce financing and built in cooperation with an allied producer.

The financing structure adds another layer. JPMorgan Chase is involved in arranging financing for the project. Over recent months, JPMorgan has also reduced silver held in COMEX registered inventories and sourced physical metal from Latin America. These actions reflect activity in physical markets where logistics, jurisdiction, and custody increasingly influence procurement decisions.

Why JPMorgan’s 232 Advice Matters

JPMorgan sits at the center of the global silver ecosystem as demonstrated above. Its role as custodian, intermediary, and counterparty across physical markets, derivatives, and sovereign channels places it at the intersection of nearly all meaningful silver flows. Activity associated with JPMorgan therefore carries informational value.

Under Section 232 the United States does not restrict commodities it still needs to accumulate. Tariffs follow supply security, not the other way around.

Once domestic and hemispheric supply chains are deemed sufficient, pricing mechanisms change. Tariffs need not target silver explicitly to reshape its price. Broad commodity measures are enough. But tariffs could come anyway

Because the United States remains the marginal buyer at scale, if it did implement tariffs, its pricing decisions propagate globally. The tariff level becomes the reference price, as sellers rationally seek the highest available bid. JPMorgan is helping the US position itself as self sufficient in metals and at some point, price will rise even further pursuant to rule 232 if it is implemented for Copper (likely) and Silver (perhaps)

Update (1355ET):

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appeared defeated during a press conference around noon as he finally addressed the Somali-linked fraud scandal that has ended his re-election bid.

Walz’s team has shifted from dismissing those who questioned or investigated the Somali-linked daycare and autism fraud as “racist” or “Islamophobic” to now acknowledging that serious corruption occurred under its leadership.

Walz still found time to attack Trump and Republicans, blaming them for “seeking to take advantage of a crisis. I don’t want to mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies in Washington, in St. Paul, and online want to make our state a colder, meaner place.”

The disgraced governor continued:

We’ve got Republicans here in the state legislature playing hide-and-seek with potential whistleblowers. We’ve got conspiracy-theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into our daycares, demanding access to our children. We’ve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongfully confiscating funds that migrants rely on.

Near the end of Walz’s press conference, he announced he was dropping out of the governor’s race, saying he wants to spend 2026 on governance, not politics.

Journalists were stunned when Walz dodged questions.  

🚨 LMAO! Reporters at Tim Walz’s press conference were AUDIBLY ticked off by Walz RUNNING AWAY from his press conference without taking questions

Sorry guys, Tim has to go change his tampon.

This clown is down so bad 🤣
pic.twitter.com/X8dlQsn6k8

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 5, 2026

The optics here are very damaging to Walz and the greater Democratic Party. This America First push to uncover state-level fraud is likely to spread to other blue states (read here), further discrediting left-wing politicians accused of plundering taxpayers. All just in time for the midterm election cycle.

Citizen journalist 1, left-wing politician 0. 

I ENDED TIM WALZ

— Nick shirley (@nickshirleyy) January 5, 2026

Next up.

With Tim Walz expected to drop out of the Governor’s race, should Nick Shirley investigate fraud in California next? pic.twitter.com/5tLMZx2QKy

— TaraBull (@TaraBull) January 5, 2026

* * *

Update (0950ET):

The Wall Street Journal has confirmed our earlier report that left-wing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, embattled by alleged Somali-linked welfare fraud in his state, has ended his bid for a third term.

“As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all.”

“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.”

“So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.”

Minnesota has to come first – always.

Today, I’m proud of the work we’ve done to make Minnesota the best place to live and raise kids.

I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work. pic.twitter.com/AYbvcOzyPI

— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 5, 2026

The mere fact that Walz is not seeking a third term is optically damaging for Democrats, as it effectively amounts to an admission that the Somali-linked welfare fraud is very real, despite Democrats labeling anyone who investigated or reported on it as “racists.” This is also terrible news for MSM outlets that attempted to downplay the investigations.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk reportedly had a “lovely dinner,” suggesting that Musk could return to government to clean up corruption not just in Washington but also to unleash a new era of DOGE-style efforts focused on state-level fraud.

As we’ve noted, the Somali-linked Minneapolis fraud has shifted the sentiment of Americans to be more receptive towards DOGE-like efforts resurfacing, as fraud schemes being unveiled are absolutely insane, such as the report that some of the taxpayer funds in Minneapolis ended up in the hands of overseas terrorists.

Axios noted, “Democrats have won every statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, and most political forecasts continue to rate next year’s race in their favor.”  

Last month, longtime Trump loyalist and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell announced that he is running for governor of Minnesota.

“I want you to know that I will stand for you as the next governor of the state of Minnesota,” Lindell said.

Lindell also said, “I will stand for you against the rampant fraud under Governor Walz; I will stand with you against crime that threatens the safety of you and your family… I’ll stand for you against unnecessary regulation that strangles the entrepreneurial spirit.”  

Musk is right. Let’s start with the flag. 

Put the flag of Minnesota back https://t.co/rURLQjJb3l

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 5, 2026

Adios Walz. 

And so we bid adieu or whatever they say in Somali to Traitor Tim https://t.co/TWKzJyUzyH

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 5, 2026

Terrible optics for Democrats. 

*   *   * 

A Minnesota-based political analyst reported late Sunday night on X that embattled Gov. Tim Walz is expected to make a major announcement Monday morning regarding the future of his political career, as national scrutiny intensifies over an alleged multi-billion-dollar Somali-linked welfare fraud scheme involving daycare centers and autism clinics in the state.

“BREAKING: Sources: Gov. Tim Walz will make an announcement about his political future Monday. He’s likely to drop out of the 2026 mngov race,” Minnesota political analyst Blois Olson wrote on X.

🚨 BREAKING: Sources: @govtimwalz will make announcement about his political future Mon. He’s likely to drop out of the 2026 #mngov race.

He met w/ @SenAmyKlobuchar on Sun. Full analysis in tmrw https://t.co/4zJJytH4Aw + live on @wccoradio at 6:20AM w/ @vsawkar

— Blois Olson (@bloisolson) January 5, 2026

Olson has been a political analyst and longtime contributor to WCCO Radio in the Twin Cities area, making him a seasoned political observer who appears to have some inside information on Walz’s likely decision later this morning.

Local TV station KARE 11 reports that Walz plans to hold a press briefing at 11:00 a.m. local time. However, the outlet noted that Walz’s office has not confirmed the briefing’s topic.

Hamline University political science professor David Schultz told the outlet that Walz faces a massive uphill battle in winning a third term.

“It’s possible, but it’s going to be very difficult,” Schultz said, adding that no Minnesota governor has managed to secure a third term.

The timing of Walz’s news briefing comes as the nation has been shocked by the alleged Somali-linked welfare fraud that has occurred under leftist Walz and the Democratic Party in the state.

In 2021, Tim Walz awarded Ayan Abukar the “Outstanding Refugee Award.”

In 2023, Abukar was INDICTED for fraud.

And yet, Walz still wants to blame President Trump for the massive fraud scheme in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/wXmpBRllwx

— Christian Collins (@CollinsforTX) January 2, 2026

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said last month that he believes the total amount defrauded from 14 Medicaid programs in Minnesota could exceed $9 billion.  

“What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes,” Thompson told reporters. “It’s a staggering industrial-scale fraud. It’s swamping Minnesota and calling into question everything we know about our state.”

Recall that Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and other Democrats attempted to combat welfare fraud accusations with the “racist” card against anyone investigating daycares and autism clinics in the state. That strategy is no longer working. The era in which the Democratic Party could shield itself behind race to deflect corruption is over.

More importantly, as Christopher Rufo’s reporting indicates, the welfare fraud scheme has escalated into a national security concern, given allegations that some of these taxpayer funds ultimately flowed to a terrorist group in Somalia.

Related:

• MN Lawmaker: Walz Team Threatened Whistleblowers With “Racism” & “Islamophobia” Slurs To Hide Somali Fraud

• Trump Ends TPS For Somalis In Minnesota After Explosive Report Reveals Welfare Fraud Network Funding Overseas Terror

• MSM Panics After Nick Shirley Bombshell As CBS Pledges To Start Reporting Real News

• SBA Suspends 7,000 Minnesota Borrowers Over “Suspected Fraudulent Activity”

• Front Companies? Bombshell Report Exposes Network Of Somali-Linked “Empty” Daycares Across Minnesota

• HHS Freezes Childcare Payments Nationwide After Bombshell Somali-Linked Daycare Fraud Allegations In Minnesota

Furthermore, shame on the corporate media for downplaying and even attempting to discredit Nick Shirley’s reporting. MSM was exposed as acting more like a PR operation than a news organization, with CBS reportedly panicking as the story went viral.

Via The Cradle

The two largest US newspapers learned in advance of the secret US raid to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but chose not to publish what they knew to avoid endangering US troops, Semafor reported on 4 January, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Despite their hostility toward US President Donald Trump regarding domestic issues, the New York Times (NYT) and Washington Post cooperated with his administration ahead of the operation to attack Venezuela.

US forces deployed more than 150 aircraft to eliminate air defenses, clearing the way for helicopters to insert troops who then moved on to President Maduro’s location.

After Maduro and his wife were abducted, President Trump and top administration officials praised the operation, citing both the lack of US casualties and the total secrecy surrounding it, including from the media.

“The coordination, the stealth, the precision, the very long arm of American justice – all on display in the middle of the night,” Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.

Trump approved the assault at 10:46 pm Friday. Though aware of the decision, the NYT and Washington Post waited several hours before reporting it because the White House had warned that doing so would expose US troops performing the operation to danger.

However, the decision also showed disregard for the lives of Venezuelans.

US airstrikes accompanying the commando operation killed 40 people, including civilians and military personnel, a senior Venezuelan official told the NYT on Saturday.

One strike targeted a three-story civilian apartment complex in Catia La Mar, a poor coastal area just west of the Caracas airport, killing an 80-year-old woman, Rosa González, and seriously wounding a second person.

The leaks to the Press regarding the Venezula mission is dangerous. Anyone who saw those plans needs to be polygraphed.

— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) January 5, 2026

Following the airstrikes, US President Donald Trump announced that US forces had “captured” Maduro and his wife, also telling reporters that Maduro had “offered everything” to the US, from Venezuelan oil and natural resources to mediation, according to reporters.

Spokespersons for the White House, the Pentagon, and the Washington Post declined to comment on the conversations between journalists and officials Friday night. A NYT spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry.