Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
January 26, 2022
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Donald Trump and the Future of MAGA . . . Trump’s electoral success in blowing up the old model has inspired a whole new younger generation of MAGA advocates. Is it time for one of them to step up? In 2016, Donald Trump pulled off an extraordinary political feat only he could have achieved. As the army of highly compensated professional political consultants in Washington, D.C., watched aghast, Trump single-handedly wrested the Republican
nomination from the grip of a GOP establishment that had long enjoyed complete control of national and state party hierarchies, fundraising structures, and think tanks that determine policy priorities. As Trump’s rogue campaign trounced establishment candidates in state after state in the GOP primaries—despite the unified opposition of Conservatism, Inc.—he not only defeated that establishment’s lockstep institutional opposition, he defeated their agenda in a way that permanently shifted the
debate on the Right and throughout the country.
On his signature issues of immigration, trade, and foreign policy, Trump blew up the two-party orthodoxy that had reigned in Washington for decades. Despite a lack of any discernible popular support, the GOP and Democratic establishments had settled into a broad, corporate-backed consensus in favor of virtually unrestricted immigration, “trade agreements” that subsidized the mass movement of U.S. manufacturing overseas and the mass importation of cheap foreign goods (often the products of
slave labor), and interventionist adventurism abroad. Any dissent from this consensus was marginalized swiftly and aggressively by the establishment enforcers of both major parties, with heretics labeled as extremists, lunatics, or both. American Greatness
Biden breaks one of his first promises . . . Keith wrote an article for Fox News website, where he now works as an editor, titled, “Scowling Biden haunted by order to treat people with ‘decency and dignity’ as he lobs serial insults.” From the piece:
It was his very first day on the job, Inauguration Day, when President Biden laid down the law about treating people nice. He was so serious about it that he threatened to fire the new staffers he was swearing in if they violated the code. “I am not joking when I say this, if you are ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot,” Biden said. “On the spot. No ifs, ands or buts.” But as
his polls tank and even liberals question his leadership, Biden is forgetting his own manners. In less than a week, he has attacked three different reporters who posed questions he didn’t like . . . Monday, it was Fox News’ Peter Doocy’s turn. “Do you think inflation will be a political liability ahead of the midterms?” Doocy shouted to the president as the press was being escorted out of an event. “That’s a great asset, more inflation,” Biden scowled sarcastically. “What a stupid son
of a b—-.”
House Dems beg members not to quit in the face of fierce GOP midterm challenge . . . House Democrats are privately urging colleagues to forgo their retirement plans and tough it out in what is expected to be a brutal election year for the party, hoping they will help fend off an anticipated Republican takeover in November. Lawmakers told The Washington Times that they are pleading with some of the 29 House Democrats who have announced
retirement, including several in battleground districts, not to give up their seats without a fight. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri Democrat, said he has been trying to persuade Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin and other Democrats to delay their decisions to bow out in vulnerable swing districts. Washington
Times
Veep mulls escape from D.C. bubble . . . Sitting among some of the most influential Black women in America last month, Vice President Kamala Harris confessed to a stifling sensation that had fallen over her while in office. She was struggling to escape the D.C. bubble, Harris confided to the group, which had gathered in person and virtually for the private audience, according to multiple attendees. Harris has grumbled at times about the
customs of a town where she remains a relative newcomer. She is prone to lament the Beltway’s obsession with familiarity, the routine groupthink of its thought leaders; and the intense interest in collecting scraps of palace intrigue, according to more than a dozen aides and people familiar with her conversations. She’s repeatedly instructed her aides to stay focused on the work. At the same time, she’s allowed that her instinct to ignore the superficial elements of politics has created more
work for her team, which is forced to operate aggressively in that world. Politico
Bipartisan Coalition Demands Vote on Legislation to Bar Congressmen from Stock Trading . . . A bipartisan group of more than two dozen lawmakers in the House is demanding that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) allow a vote on a bill that would bar members of Congress from trading on the stock market, which critics say is inappropriate due to Congress’ inside knowledge on financial and political affairs. The demand was made in a
Jan. 24 letter spearheaded by Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine). A total of 27 lawmakers signed Golden’s petition, including 25 Democrats and two Republicans. In the letter’s opening line, the coalition demands that Pelosi “swiftly bring legislation to prohibit members of Congress from owning or trading stocks.” Two bills that would do just that, the “Ban Conflicted Trading Act” and the “TRUST In Congress Act,” have been sitting in congressional limbo. The responsibility to bring them out of
this limbo lies largely with Speaker Pelosi, but she has thus far made no effort to bring either bill to the floor for a vote. Epoch Times
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As Islamic State Resurges, U.S. Is Drawn Back Into the Fray . . . An audacious attack on a prison housing thousands of former ISIS fighters in Syria. A series of strikes against military forces in neighboring Iraq. And a horrific video harking back to the grimmest days of the insurgency that showed the beheading of an Iraqi police officer. The evidence of a resurgence of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq is mounting by the day, nearly
three years after the militants lost the last patch of territory of their so-called caliphate, which once stretched across vast parts of the two countries. The fact that ISIS was able to mount these coordinated and sophisticated attacks in recent days shows that what had been believed to be disparate sleeper cells are re-emerging as a more serious threat. It shows the resilience of ISIS to strike back at the time and place of their choosing. New York Times
As Russia-Ukraine fight escalates, some question the U.S. role . . . Why does the U.S. care about Ukraine and a fight over obscure Soviet-era borders? Why is President Biden willing to risk World War III to stop Russia from invading? These questions are swirling suddenly in Washington as the Biden administration narrows its foreign policy focus to rallying NATO allies to defend a fledgling Ukrainian democracy. Some skeptics of the
administration and the Pentagon say it’s a textbook “wag-the-dog” scenario. They say the president and the foreign policy establishment are seizing on a far-off war and the media hype that comes with it to distract American voters from his difficult first year in office, with soaring inflation, spiking violence in U.S. cities, widening dissatisfaction over his COVID-19 strategy, unchecked illegal immigration at the southern border, the blocking of key legislation and so on. Ukraine, the
skeptics note, is far from the U.S. homeland, is not a member of NATO and has its own internal challenges dealing with corruption and weak governing structures. Russia, by contrast, is a nuclear power and the world’s second-largest energy producer and is only moving closer to communist China the longer its clash with the U.S. and NATO continues. Washington Times
Will There Be a War Over Ukraine? 13 Putin Watchers Weigh In . . . Diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis appear to have stalled. In the past month, Putin has escalated his long proxy war in two eastern provinces and accelerated a massive Russian troop buildup that now surrounds Ukraine on three sides. The United States, in response, has put thousands of troops on high alert, while European allies are sending weapons and ammunition to Ukraine
and NATO’s eastern flank. At the center of it all is Putin, an enigmatic leader with a quest for power and a deep resentment of the West. With the world watching for a possible war, we reached out to the smartest Russia and Putin watchers we know to ask what might be next — and what the U.S. should do. These observers are the first to tell you that Putin is impossible to predict — but we asked them to do it anyway. Some said they expect Putin to invade, while others believe he is
likely to give diplomacy more time. Some pointed to key experiences in Putin’s personal history that could impact how the crisis plays out. And when asked how Biden should respond, our experts offered a wide spectrum of options, from sending more troops into the region to taking Russia’s concerns more seriously to toning down the rhetoric from Washington.
Russia Experts who were interviewed:
Evelyn Farkas, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia
Timothy Frye, professor, post-Soviet foreign policy, Columbia University
Mark Galeotti, honorary professor at University College London and director of Mayak Intelligence
Alyona Getmanchuk, director, New Europe Center think tank in Kyiv, Ukraine
Thomas Graham, former senior director for Russia, National Security Council
Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian affairs, National Security Council
Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow, Carnegie Moscow Center, Moscow
Molly McKew, lead writer at greatpower.us
Rajan Menon, professor, international relations, City College of New York
Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia, International Crisis Group
Steven Pifer, former ambassador to Ukraine and former deputy assistant secretary of state
Lilia Shevtsova, author of Putin’s Russia and member of the Liberal Mission Foundation, Moscow
Strobe Talbott, former deputy secretary of state and former president, Brookings Institution POLITICO
Some of these "experts" are the ones who got us in this mess with Russia in the first place, by recommending foolish policies that are not grounded in reality, for over 30 years and by not developing a counter-strategy to Putin's Secret Plan To Destabilize Europe and the US, despite all the indications and warnings (I&W) staring in their faces). We began briefing the entire US national security apparatus and Congress back in 2008, in the run up to
Putin's invasion of Georgia and regularly after that. The circuit brief was called The Drum Beat. What have done with that intel -- NOTHING.
You should also know that there's a person on this list whom the Russians consider a Свой Человек (one of their own). He heads up the institution that employed Igor Danchenko who was the key source for the fraudulent Steel Dossier that was used to launch a counterintelligence probe against ex-POTUS Trump.
There's also a key witness on the list, who testified against ex-POTUS Trump's in the impeachment hearing. She is employed by the same institution.
There's another one who didn't step in to help disabuse Ex-POTUS Bush from an erroneous impression that Putin has a soul and he could see that soul through the KGB operative's eyes.
And there's another one, who is as dumb as a Siberian shoe (Тупая как Сибирский Валенок) and yet occupied the top-Russia position at the Pentagon. No Russia background, no common sense, just blindly pushes her "the world must be democratized" idea, while foams at the mouth. I briefed her a few times.
The bureaucracy didn't want the public to know about any of its blunders and failures to properly address the Russian threat. DIA and CIA put me through the ringer trying to kill the publication of my book, Putin's Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America. Here's proof of their dirty work of
censorship.
Fight censorship. Please help the truth to come out. Grab a copy of my book. Spread the word. Continue to leave reviews on Amazon. We've hit 100! Surely there are more of you who've read Putin's Playbook. Thank you for supporting my work!
Rebekah
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How Ukraine's Military Compares to Russia's Border Forces . . . Many enlisted after Crimea's annexation, are highly motivated to defend their homeland and have experience of the drawn out hostilities with Russian-backed troops in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, the focus of any prospective incursion.
"If it comes down to an infantry close battle or a tank battle, I would grade the Ukrainians considerably better than the Russians," said Glen Grant, a senior defence expert at the Baltic Security Foundation who has advised Ukraine on its military reform. "Russia may be better overall in maneuver, that doesn't mean to say they will get it right," he told Newsweek.
Western officials estimate Russia has amassed about 100,000 troops near the Ukraine border—Ukrainian officials estimated as many as 127,000, including some 21,000 air and sea personnel. Newsweek
Russia’s Attempts to Sanction-Proof Its Economy Have Exposed a Weak Spot . . . After the West pummeled Russia with sanctions for annexing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, President Vladimir Putin embarked on what analysts have dubbed a Fortress Russia strategy, padding the country’s foreign reserves, buying gold and pivoting some exports to China. Now, a raft of harder-hitting measures in case of a renewed incursion into Ukraine could test
this approach and experts say they could cause broad economic pain, despite Mr. Putin’s efforts to cushion the blow. The U.S. on Tuesday said it is prepared to impose sanctions and export controls on critical sectors of the Russian economy. Wall Street Journal
Talks in Paris aim to resolve Ukraine crisis as Russia levels accusations against the West . . . Senior representatives of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine are meeting Wednesday in Paris in a bid to revive the stalled Ukraine peace process, as analysts warn that Russia’s military escalation near Ukraine’s borders is moving into a more advanced stage. Adding to the growing tension, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West
on Wednesday of supplying Kyiv with lethal weapons, after Ukraine Tuesday took delivery of 79 tons of arms to enable it to defend itself. Lavrov said Russia “would not sit idly by in this situation.” Speaking to the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, he said: “It would suffice to mention the increasingly provocative exercises held near our borders, the drawing of the Kyiv regime into the NATO orbit, its supply with lethal weapons, and the push for its direct provocations
against the Russian Federation.”Russia’s Tass and Interfax news agencies initially quoted Lavrov incorrectly as using the term “nuclear weapons.” Washington Post
Biden administration moves to cover European gas shortfalls if Russia invades Ukraine . . . The Biden administration is talking with energy companies and major gas-producing nations to ramp up supply in case a Russian invasion of Ukraine leads to winter fuel shortages in Europe, a senior administration official told reporters Tuesday. Global leaders fear Russia could weaponize its natural gas deliveries to Europe if the West imposes harsh
sanctions on Moscow over a potential attack on Ukraine. Russian companies supply roughly a third of the natural gas used by Europe. “We’ve analyzed the impacts of potential disruptions, and we’re going to work to ensure Europe has alternative energy supplies,” the official said on a conference call with reporters. The White House concern over Moscow weaponizing its energy sector comes more than six months after the Biden administration waived Trump-era sanctions on company building
Nord Stream 2, a controversial natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. The administration also lifted sanctions on an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who heads the company behind the Nord Stream 2 project. Washington Times
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Just as I thought of ditching the COVID section, a couple of informative pieces showed up. Thank you to everyone who responded to my call to weigh in on this decision.
EXCLUSIVE: Why Are Non-COVID-19 Deaths Spiking Among Prime-Age Americans? . . . Americans have been dying at a significantly higher rate over the past two years, but the COVID-19 pandemic tells only part of the story. Among seniors, the pandemic could explain the increase in mortality more easily than among younger people, where there’s a gap requiring further explanation. Overall, there appear to be three distinct patterns in the data
based on age. Among those aged 17 and younger, mortality has remained virtually unchanged since 2019. Among those aged 65 or older, mortality increased in 2020; dropped in the first half of 2021, coinciding with the proliferation of the COVID-19 vaccines; and increased in the third quarter of 2021, coinciding with the emergence of the Delta coronavirus variant, which appears to be more resistant to the vaccines. Among those aged 18 to 49, mortality rose dramatically in the first
half of 2020, then somewhat plateaued before increasing again in the third quarter of 2021. The 50 to 64 age group appears to display a mix of the latter two patterns. Epoch Times
CDC study suggests unboosted vaccines become worse than nothing against Omicron . . . Agency confirms "protection against infection wanes to something undetectable," while maintaining that "we do not see that the risk of infection is increased" after lapse of protective window. Two-dose COVID-19 vaccines may after an initial protective window become less effective against symptomatic infection by the Omicron variant than not getting
jabbed at all, according to little-noticed findings in a federal study of how well boosters performed against different variants. The "adjusted odds ratio" crossed 1 for vaccinated versus unvaccinated individuals 7-10 months after vaccination, according to the "original investigation" by Atlanta-based CDC researchers, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last week. Just the News
Florida cancels 2,000 monoclonal treatment appointments after FDA move . . . Florida said it was closing its monoclonal antibody treatment sites late Monday after the Food and Drug Administration restricted the use of two drugs that haven’t been effective against the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
“Unfortunately, as a result of this abrupt decision made by the federal government, all monoclonal antibody state sites will be closed until further notice,” the Florida Department of Health said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, condemned the FDA‘s move and said 2,000 appointments were canceled on Tuesday alone. He said the decision to suspend the use of the Regeneron and Eli Lilly monoclonal antibody treatments was made abruptly and without notice or clinical data. Mr. DeSantis has leaned hard into the monoclonal antibodies as a treatment of choice to help people who catch COVID-19 and may develop severe disease. The Biden administration has promoted the monoclonals
but generally hails the vaccines as the first line of defense against the coronavirus. Washington Times
Biden backs off business vaxx mandate after Supreme Court rules . . . A victory for law and order and limits to the power of the state. President Biden figured out he couldn’t just mandate that businesses make employees take the vaccine. So he decided on an end run, declaring it a workplace hazard and telling OSHA to make a rule for businesses. The Supreme Court was having none of it, ruling that this is not a workplace danger. It is a societal danger. The Washington
Times reports: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Tuesday that it was canceling its emergency policy mandating large businesses require employees to be vaccinated or face masking and testing, after the Supreme Court put the policy on ice this month. White House Dossier
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Chip Shortage Leaves U.S. Companies Dangerously Low on Semiconductors, Report Says . . . U.S. manufacturers and other companies that use semiconductors are down to less than five days of inventory for key chips, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, citing the results of a new survey. In 2019, companies typically maintained 40 days of inventory for key chips, according to the Commerce Department report. Now for the same
chips—defined as 160 products that companies identified as being the most challenging to acquire—companies are operating with fewer than five days of inventory, the report said. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the survey results show the urgency for Congress to approve the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which includes $52 billion to boost domestic chip production. Wall Street Journal
Top outside group backing Senate Republicans hauls in over $94M in fundraising last year . . . EXCLUSIVE: The leading outside group backing Senate Republicans as they try to regain control of the Senate in November's midterm elections says that it set a new fundraising record last year. Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) – a super PAC aligned with longtime Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell – is reporting that along with its allied nonprofit
advocacy group One Nation, it brought in a combined $94.4 million in fundraising in 2021. SLF, which shared its fundraising figures first with Fox News on Wednesday, touted that its 2021 haul was an off-election year record. By comparison, the two groups combined raised $68.3 million by the end of 2019, at the same point in the previous election cycle. Fox Business
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Assassinating Police in New York . . . A second New York police officer died of his wounds Tuesday after being ambushed on Friday night while responding to a call about a domestic dispute. Wilbert Mora, who was 27 years old, died after being shot in the head by an assailant who kicked open the door of a bedroom and opened fire on officers. Another officer, 22-year-old Jason Rivera, died earlier from the same shooting.
Rivera had joined the NYPD only months earlier out of what he said was a desire to improve ties between the police and the community. Two other New York officers were shot in separate incidents last week. New Yorkers are sad and furious at the police murders, and they should be. The killer was Lashawn McNeil, a 47-year-old career criminal whose mother had called 911 because she was in an altercation with her son. New Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, said he’d like the police
video of the shootings to be released so everyone can see what amounted to an assassination. If the families of the officers don't object, he said, “I do believe that is a video I personally feel everyone needs to see.” Good idea. Civilians need to know how police can be at risk responding to even a routine 911 call. Wall Street Journal
Leftist have our police officers' blood on their hands, with their irresponsible "defund the police" rhetoric.
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EXCLUSIVE: Former Delta Force Operator Chris VanSant Discusses Catching Saddam Hussein . . . Former Delta Force operator Chris VanSant broke down the raid to capture Saddam Hussein in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller.VanSant was a member of The Unit when the Iraq War started, and he was on the raid to capture the deposed dictator of Iraq on Dec. 13, 2003. What was it like and how did it go down? I asked VanSant,
and he revealed several interesting nuggets, including how about 60 pounds of fish played a large role in finding him! Furthermore, he also discussed what the rules of engagement were and the epic line delivered to Saddam as soon as he was pulled out of the hole. Enjoy VanSant breaking it down below. Daily Caller
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Have a great day.
Rebekah
Rebekah Koffler
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